The state quarter powers-that-be should be reminded...

I am reading Taxay's _History of U.S. Commemorative Coinage_, and it is a
pretty interesting book. I noted this passage as I was reading this
morning that would be good advice for the various committees and the US
Mint when they decide on Statehood Quarter designs. I would say that the
comparison is like apples and oranges--the quarters are cirulating
commems while the halves are not and were not, for the most part, but the
bill for the commemorative half discussed was passed with the idea that
the coin would be a circulating half dollar.

Maine was up for a commemorative half, by an act passed May 10, 1920.
Since the coins were to be dated 1920, time was of the essence in getting
the designs ready to go. By May 14th a design was submitted to the
chairman of the Commission of Fine Arts. The chaiman forwarded the design
to one Mr. James E. Fraser, of Buffalo nickel fame. Fraser nixed the
design and recommended that the design be made by a "medallic sculptor of
note."

Charles Moore, chairman of the Commission of Fine Arts writes his
response to the proposed design to a Mr. Houston, Secretary of the
Treasury:

"Dear Mr. Secretary: The design for the coin commemorating the one-
hundredth anniversary of the admission of the state of Maine to the Union
as submitted to the Commission of Fine Arts would result in a coin far
below the standard set by the new fifty-cent piece. The design proposed
is positively bad, and would bring humiliation to the people of Maine, if
it should be executed. The Treasury Department and the Mint would also
suffer criticisms from the people who have now been aroused to a feeling
and demand for an artistic coinage.

Experience proves that there is only one way in which to get a
satisfactory design for a coin,--the method followed in the case of the
new coinage. A model should be made by a medallic sculptor of known
excellence. It is a mistake to pass upon a design for a coin on the basis
of a drawing. The drawing may show the intrinsic badness of a design as
does the drawing submitted; but only a model will show defects not
disclosed by the drawing. Our new silver coinage has reached a high grade
of perfection because it was designed by competent men. We should not
return to the low standards which have formerly prevailed. This is
especially true in the present instance, where the coin goes ultimately
to collectors, and becomes a permanent memorial of the State of Maine."

(Don't hold back, Mr. Moore, tell him what you *really* think of that
drawing!)

The bill as introduced, provided for the coining of *circulating*
commemoratives, but Moore recognized that collectors would be the ones to
preserve the coins for future generations. This is what happens when
pride of workmanship, not the almighty dollar, is the driving force
behind coin design. With this attitude, is it any surprise that the "new
coinage" he talks about are the Walking Liberty Half, the Standing
Liberty Quarter, the Mercury Dime, and probably the Buffalo Nickel...in
other words, the golden age of American Coinage?

What we have today is the low-relief, spaghetti hair, clip art designs of
committees (usually), further debased by cost saving measures at the
mint. Pweh!

This post is longer than I meant it to be. I got a little carried away on
my soapbox.

Chrysta

"Chrysta Wilson" wrote in message

This post is longer than I meant it to be. I got a little carried
away on my soapbox.

Chrysta

Good info and salient points were made. Thanks, Chrysta.

--
Ed Hendricks
ANA# R178621
eBay: edh.