Who decided to make US coins ugly?

Why doesn't the ANA just lobby the heck out of Treasury?

Almost all the designs we have are heinous. Even though there is some kind of panel of artists at the Mint, I think the Mint could do a much better job of attracting genuinely skilled artists to participate.

God. . . how prosaic is the Roosevelt dime!

I suppose our current change was designed in a design era that stressed simplicity over detail. The John Kennedy half has always looked like a presidential medal of some sort rather than a coin. And current attempts at the dollar are depressing. Why doesn't the ANA complain?

 

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I have to tack on another note. . . I agree with what a guy said in an earlier thread, that we started losing a lot of beauty in our coinage once we began putting real-life persons on them. Back to allegorical figures! Being rhetorical, I can say that there is a public value to valorizing the idea of Liberty.

(That said, our representations of "real life" presidents, etc., are always pretty spruced up and artificial looking: perhaps this helps them look worse.)

 

All you have to do is read a few issues of the Numismatist to realize the ANA is in no finantial shape to lobby anything right now. I think our best bet to get some attractive designs back in our circulating coins is to have someone post the most likely person's name and address who has authority of changing these. Then everyone who reads this needs to tell everyone they know (that cares) to write this guy and after a few thousand letters, it might register. It may not work, but it's my plan. any other suggestions (or a name & address)?

 

I'm also not a big fan of todays coins. Just something to think about though almost everyone hated the Morgan dollar when they came out (called it too big and just plain ugly.) So who knows 100 years from now what people will think of todays coins.

 

I just want to make one point. If you go back to any of those eras when you fel we had beautiful coins and read the contemporary opinions about them you will find almost without exception that they were considered ugly but the people and collectors of the day that were having to use them in commerce. Which means that in say thirty year from now we may find collectors macking comments about "Why can't we have attractive coins like they used to make? Like that SBA dollar!".

 

I collect us coins mainly because I find them to be the most beautiful in the world.

I mean just check post 14 of this thread.

 

Good point!

 

I was hoping the popularity of the westward nickels would give the powers that be an idea, but what did we end up with? Monticello back on the reverse and Jefferson watching us! (long sighhhhhhhhh)

 

I personally think the soaring eagle on the reverse of the 2000 sac dollar has a beauty that is right on par with walker half or peace dollar reverses...

 

YES

the most beautiful modern design.

ironically, it's being replaced!

The 2009 (correct me if i'm wrong) Sac dollar reverse features Sacagawea planting corn in a corn field... wooo

I agree though, I actually loved the reverse of the sacagawea before they replaced it. Not that you ever saw too many of them in circulation as it is...

 

So someone decided it would be PC to remove the eagle from the back? I guess they figured it looked too good. Ice

 

IMO the SAC's reverse was very nice, I wasn't a big fan of the obv though. But my biggest problem with the SAC or at least circulated SACs are the hideous color they turn.

 

Not sure I would call the toning on SAC's hideous, but I agree it is not nearly as appealing as silver toning. Here is a mint state and proof example for your viewing pleasure.




I really like the proof, purple toning is very cool.

 

Lehigh, was that 1916 Quarter Eagle a jewelry coin at one point, perhaps??
Those are some beautiful coins you posted.

 

No, all of those photos were courtesy of Polaris and Anaconda Rare Coins. I used their photos of their best coins in their archives in order to create the following thread last year. 1916 won by a land slide.

http://www.cointalk.com/forum/t42415/

I don't actually own any of those coins.

 

Thanks for the link. I just signed it!

 

The new Lincoln dollar is nice too bad it's not for circulation. Ice