What constitutes a "great" coin?

On Sat, 10 Dec 2005 09:34:46 -0600, "Buzzygirl"
wrote:

My personal American coin design faves are the Pan-Pacific octagonal $50
gold piece, the St. Gaudens high relief $20 gold, the Oregon Trail
commemerative 50 cents, and the humble but beautiful Buffalo nickels and
Mercury dimes.

It's interesting that four of your five favorite US coins have an
artistic connection. Adolph Weinman who designed the Mercury dime (as
well as the Walking Liberty half) and James Earle Fraser who designed
the Buffalo nickel and the Oregon Trail commemorative (with his wife
Laura Gardin Fraser, both worked as assistants to St. Gaudens at his
studio at his estate in Cornish, New Hampshire.

The St. Gaudens estate is now a National Historic Park. Examples of
the coins designed by both Weinman and Fraser can be found in the New
Gallery at the site.

I have a page with 36 pictures in my AOL FTP space describing my visit
in the fall of 2004:

http://members.aol.com/flip1948/Sain...ntGaudens.html

On Sat, 10 Dec 2005 21:41:19 +0000, Phil DeMayo
wrote:

The St. Gaudens estate is now a National Historic Park. Examples of
the coins designed by both Weinman and Fraser can be found in the New
Gallery at the site.

I have a page with 36 pictures in my AOL FTP space describing my visit
in the fall of 2004:

http://members.aol.com/flip1948/Sain...ntGaudens.html

Thanks for this wonderful report, Phil -- you did an extremely good
job of taking all those pictures considering how little time you had
to spend there!

On the plaster original design for the $20 gold piece, Liberty looks
so strange without any rub on the knee and breast...

--
Bob Hairgrove

World coins: here's one of my all-time favorite coins, the Russian
commemorative of the centennial of the battle of 1812 ("Borodino"
centennial):

http://www.peus-muenzen.de/aukimages...2/02597q00.jpg

That's very nice... quite the complex obverse!

Jackie

It's interesting that four of your five favorite US coins have an
artistic connection. Adolph Weinman who designed the Mercury dime (as
well as the Walking Liberty half) and James Earle Fraser who designed
the Buffalo nickel and the Oregon Trail commemorative (with his wife
Laura Gardin Fraser, both worked as assistants to St. Gaudens at his
studio at his estate in Cornish, New Hampshire.

There is something about the coinage of the early 20th century that is
just astounding in its technical and artistic achievements. Weinman, St.
Gaudens and the Frasers were consummate artists. I'm no artist myself,
but I sure know what I like... and what I like usually translates to, I
can't afford it!

Jackie

"Buzzygirl" wrote in message
. ..
It's interesting that four of your five favorite US coins have an
artistic connection. Adolph Weinman who designed the Mercury dime (as
well as the Walking Liberty half) and James Earle Fraser who designed
the Buffalo nickel and the Oregon Trail commemorative (with his wife
Laura Gardin Fraser, both worked as assistants to St. Gaudens at his
studio at his estate in Cornish, New Hampshire.

There is something about the coinage of the early 20th century that is
just astounding in its technical and artistic achievements. Weinman, St.
Gaudens and the Frasers were consummate artists. I'm no artist myself, but
I sure know what I like... and what I like usually translates to, I can't
afford it!

Jackie

I would like to say that great coins are the Standing Liberty Quarter,
Mercury dime and
Walking Liberty Half. However they look pretty ugly IMO in worn condition.
Since I can't afford them in Unc,
that excludes them IMO form being great coins.

So for me great coins have to be affordable to meet that definition.
I think the UK trade dollars are great coins as are the Panama Balboas and
the older
French Francs, as well as the Austrian Florins and the German 5 marks.

In the US, the Franklins and Kennedy's.

Dale

On Sat, 10 Dec 2005 19:54:14 -0600, Buzzygirl
wrote:

It's interesting that four of your five favorite US coins have an
artistic connection. Adolph Weinman who designed the Mercury dime (as
well as the Walking Liberty half) and James Earle Fraser who designed
the Buffalo nickel and the Oregon Trail commemorative (with his wife
Laura Gardin Fraser, both worked as assistants to St. Gaudens at his
studio at his estate in Cornish, New Hampshire.

There is something about the coinage of the early 20th century that is
just astounding in its technical and artistic achievements. Weinman, St.
Gaudens and the Frasers were consummate artists. I'm no artist myself,
but I sure know what I like... and what I like usually translates to, I
can't afford it!

Well that's certainly the case for the vast majority of us when it
comes to the first coin on your list....the $50 Pan-Pac.

But, then again, Powerball is worth $100 million tonight ;-)

"Stujoe" wrote in message
.net...
James spoke thusly...

I think I would agree with your list of examples, oly. Unfortunately I
don't own an elephant copper or a "Higby" copper (Coin World once called
it
that!). Would you admit the 1847 Gothic crown to your list?

I can only afford a Gothic Florin but to me, any Gothic is a Great Coin:

http://www.omnicoin.com/coin_view_en...aspx?id=892172



--
Coin Information Site:
http://www.Stujoe.com

Nice one, Stu.

Mine: http://mendosus.com/jpg/godless.jpg
Not a '47, but...

--
Jeff R.

"Stujoe" wrote in message
.net...
Jeff R spoke thusly...


Nice one, Stu.

Mine: http://mendosus.com/jpg/godless.jpg
Not a '47, but...

Sweet! I can never get enough of that design.

--
Coin Information Site:
http://www.Stujoe.com

Me too.
I think its her plaits.

--
Jeff R.

"Stujoe" wrote in message
.net...
Jeff R spoke thusly...


Nice one, Stu.

Mine: http://mendosus.com/jpg/godless.jpg
Not a '47, but...

Sweet! I can never get enough of that design.

--
Coin Information Site:
http://www.Stujoe.com

I have an enameled version.

http://members.aol.com/bfadington/enamel_17.jpg