What do you think is the best coin design of the past 115 years?

[RWB]

What do you think is the best coin design for:

 

United States, circulation issues

United States, commemoratives

United States, bullion/NCLT

 

Europe, circulation issues

Europe, commemoratives

Europe, bullion/NCLT

 

Asia, circulation issues

Asia, commemoratives

Asia, bullion/NCLT

 

Latin America, circulation issues

Latin America, commemoratives

Latin America, bullion/NCLT

 

Africa, circulation issues

Africa, commemoratives

Africa, bullion/NCLT

 

You can select only one side of a coin, or both sides of a single coin.

 

Prize: Well, it was going to be a nice glass tree ornament, but I dropped it. The prize is now a box of rattling glass fragments.

[bsshog40]

I don't collect them, but I have always liked both sides of a WLH.

[MJ]

Walker

 

Oregon

 

On the US side of the ledger

[Mohawk]

Hey Roger,

Here's the Mohawk list:

 

US Circulation-Peace Dollar

US Commemorative-1915 S Panama Pacific Half Dollar

US NCLT-2012-P Star Spangled Banner Silver Dollar

 

Europe Circulation-Ottoman Empire 1909-1921 Nickel Para Coinage

Europe Commemorative-Germany Hindenburg 2 and 5 Reichsmarks 1935-1939

Europe NCLT-1983 Czechoslovakia Prague National Theater 500 Korun

 

Asia Circulation-The 1862-1901 Indian depiction of Queen Victoria. The same design was used on all denominations

Asia Commemorative-Soviet Union 1975 30th Anniversary of World War II Victory Ruble

Asia NCLT-This one is a bit of a geographic stretch, but there's not category of Australia/Oceania so this is going here. 2014-P Tuvalu Green Turtle $1.00

 

Latin America Circulation-Chilean Libertad 5 and 10 Pesos 1976-1990

Latin America Commemorative-Chile 1983 10th Anniversary of 1973 Coup 1/4 Onza Silver

Latin America Bullion-The 1981 Gold Onza Design

 

Africa Circulation-Ottoman Egypt 1293 year 12 ( 1887, incorrectly listed as 1886 in some guides) gold 100 Qirsh

Africa Commemorative-Egypt 1979 Mohammed's Flight Silver 1 Pound

Africa NCLT-I'm not very familiar with this area of coinage, so I don't have an answer for this one.

 

And.......Mohawk's favorite coin design of all time.......the Ottoman Empire Nickel Para coinage 1909-1921!

 

And that's the Mohawk list!

 

~Tom

 

[Walkerfan]

Don't know about commemoratives or bullion but for me and the circulation issues it has always been:

 

Walkers

St. Gaudens &

Standing Liberty Quarters

[rockhobby]

Circulating - St, Gaudens $20

 

Commemorative - Oregon

 

 

Doug

[PerryHall]

Saint Gaudens High Relief double eagle

Oregon Trail half dollar

As far as NCLT/bullion coins, there are several 5 oz silver America The Beautiful coins that have beautiful designs.

[BillJones]

1907 High Relief $20 gold

 

Oregon Trail Half Dollar

 

One of the designs for the platinum coins although I don't collect them because of the expense. The gold and silver eagles are nothing but rehashes of previous artists' work. Therefore they should not be considered.

 

[RWB]

Tom,

Some eclectic selections there! I hope readers will search for pictures of the coins.

[brg5658]

For Latin America circulating, I quite like this one:

 

[James_OldeTowne]

United States, circulation issues = Capped bust gold

United States, commemoratives = Pilgrim

United States, bullion/NCLT = ARAMCO "gold disks"

[brg5658]

United States, circulation issues = Capped bust gold

United States, commemoratives = Pilgrim

United States, bullion/NCLT = ARAMCO "gold disks"

 

I don't know of any "capped bust gold" circulation issues in the past 115 years.

[Nutmeg Coin]

I agree with most of the comments above.

 

The Greek revival coinage spurred by Roosevelt and the St.Gaudens school represented a high point in the modern world of quality and aesthetic beauty. It is hard to argue for the "best" among all the designs of 1900-1920.

[Mohawk]

It just dawned on me that I went too old with the 1887 100 Qirsh! Oops! Sorry about that!

[KMAG100]

US Circulation:

 

US Commemorative:

 

Latin America, Circulation:

 

Latin America, Bullion:

[coinman_23885]

For U.S. circulation issues, my favorites are the St. Gaudens Double Eagle, Liberty Walking Half Dollar, and the Mercury Dime. I especially like the last two with nice toning or with cameo contrasts.

[Critter8880]

United States:

Circulation issue-Buffalo Nickel

Commemrative-1915 Panama Pacific Half

Bullion/NCLT-The 1986 set with the Statue of Liberty dollar, and immigrant half

 

Europe:

Circulation Issue-Great Britian 1 Crown depicting George slaying the dragon

Commemrative-Weimar Germany depicting the Liberation of the Rheinland

Bullion/NCLT- 1997 Germany 10 DM depicting Heinrich Heine

 

Asia:

Circulation- Heisi Era Japan bronze 10 Yen

Commemrative- Iran commemorating the first, second, and third year since the Islamic Revolution

Bullion/NCLT- 1991 1 Rouble Soviet Union Medieval Islamic Poets

 

Latin America

Circulation- Brazil 1913 2000 Reis

Commemrative- Argentina 2013 5 Pesos depicting the tango

Bullion/NCLT- Mexico Libertad

 

Africa

Circulation- Egypt 2 Piasters depicting King Farouk

Commemorative- Egypt one pound depicting Om Kalthoum

Bullion/NCLT- 1976 Sudan, 2.5 pounds Shoebill Stork

[jpcienkus]

United States, circulation issues: Mercury Dime

United States, commemoratives: San Diego

United States, bullion/NCLT: Silver ASE

 

IMO, it's tough to nail down 1 & 2.

 

[Matt_dac]

For me it's the "incuse" design on the Indian gold Quarter Eagles and Half Eagles. The Saint Gaudens Double Eagles are a sight to behold as well.

 

 

[PerryHall]

For me it's the "incuse" design on the Indian gold Quarter Eagles and Half Eagles. The Saint Gaudens Double Eagles are a sight to behold as well.

 

 

The incused Indian $2-1/2 and $5 design is also one of my favorites as is the Indian $10 designed by Saint Gaudens.

[Hard Times]

Last 115 years

 

United States, circulation issue = Mercury dime, simple clean, stunning. Walking Liberty Half dollar would be but it does not strike up fully to often.

 

United States, commemorative = Oregon Trail, historic event of key importance for the US and a nice design. Don't have one, but want one.

 

[rrantique]

[Tyler N.]

Circulation issue: Saint Gaudens Double Eagle

Commemorative: Connecticut Half (IMO) is very cool.

Bullion: I don't know...

[Catbert]

[Critter8880]

This is kind of a depressing thread. Mohawk and myself are the only ones filling out the whole thing. It's just United States and Mexican coinage. While those are interesting areas to collect they are only two segments of the entire world. The point of this thread was to think deeply and critically. I actually put time into my response, looked at my treasure chest of coins, went online, and flipped through a Krause guide to compile real thoughts, some outside my specialty areas. Doing this actually enriched my perspectives and I learned about a few coins I didn't know about before, and are now on my want list.

[Mohawk]

Critter,

Another + 1,000,000,000. Like way too many things on here, this turned into a very depressing US coin only party. I was really hoping that more of us on here would actually take the time and fill out all of Roger's survey. It would have made a truly awesome thread and discussion, but sadly this did not happen. To everyone who did contribute a non-US coin, thanks for that but this has really turned into a boring thread that looks like millions of threads out there with listings and pics of the same old US coins......*sigh*.....I'm not knocking US coins, per se, if you like them, collect them. But as Critter said, this was supposed to be an international thread where we looked for coins from each region to enjoy. It's sad and depressing that this didn't happen and that the thread turned into this.

 

[Critter8880]

Mohawk,

You said it buddy this would have potentially been a great discussion. I too am tired of US coin parties. While I am an American, and have some of its coinage it's only part of the world. There is more to our collective histories as people than just the coinage of our birthplaces. I have seen too many ugly American perspectives showcasing ethnocentrism and cultural colonialism from U.S. only collectors. There is more to the world than simply what we see in our backyards and the structures that comprise our own culture(s).

[RWB]

Horatio:

O day and night, but this is wondrous strange!

 

Hamlet:

And therefore as a stranger give it welcome.

 

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,

Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

[brg5658]

Mohawk,

You said it buddy this would have potentially been a great discussion. I too am tired of US coin parties. While I am an American, and have some of its coinage it's only part of the world. There is more to our collective histories as people than just the coinage of our birthplaces. I have seen too many ugly American perspectives showcasing ethnocentrism and cultural colonialism from U.S. only collectors. There is more to the world than simply what we see in our backyards and the structures that comprise our own culture(s).

 

Critter8880, I am a collector of primarily non-USA coinage. I also live in the USA, and do identify with some of your sentiments above. However, have you heard the phrase, "sugar will catch more flies than vinegar"? I try to get people interested in non-USA coins by posting pictures and exposing people to something "foreign" to them -- not by lamenting the USA-centric slant of these boards. I do agree with you that this thread took the (somewhat expected) "USA-centric" path -- and a few posters didn't catch the "within the last 115 years" part of the question -- but, all is not lost. I will post some of my favorites from around the world below.

[brg5658]

Europe, circulation issues

The Oscar Roty "Semeuse" (Sower) design. It was adopted for coinage for the 50C in 1897, but persists to this day on some Euro issues.

 

Europe, commemoratives

Many of the Italian commemorative 500L and 1000L coins of the 20th century are quite beautiful. There are truly too many to name, or to pick one. But, below is one example I have. What I love about these coins is that they exhibit masterful artistic work, and the surfaces are often a lovely "crackle" type satiny luster.

 

Europe, bullion/NCLT

In 2010, Ireland issued a 15 euro proof coin hearkening back to the half crown design of pre-decimal coinage. There are others in this set, and I find them to be simplistic and uncluttered designs, but of stunning beauty.