Art Deco coins

[MJ]

I just returned from South Beach in Miami which typically gets my creative juices flowing. Lincoln Road and Miami in general is a time capsule to the Art Deco movement. As a designer ( stores and woman's shoes) this period has always spoke to me. Coins of this period do as well.

 

Typically the Art Deco movement is associated with the 20's and 30's. Not all new coins issues during this period were Art Deco obviously. To me the Cincinnati commem might be the piece That best illustrates this period to me. Anyways without intentionally doing so I have quite a few Art Deco pieces in my collection.

 

The mercury dime might be the forerunner to this movement as well.

 

Question- which coins US or World do you think best speaks to the Art Deco movement?

 

mark

 

 

[CaptHenway]

Arkansas half

[Conder101]

Reverse of the Bridgeport half.

[CaptHenway]

Reverse of the Bridgeport half.

 

Good one!

 

[brg5658]

Question- which coins US or World do you think best speaks to the Art Deco movement?

 

I consider Pierre Turin to be the "father" of the Art Deco movement in the medallic and coinage arts.

 

[MJ]

Agree with all. The Bridgeport is a poster child to be sure

 

Mark

[Mr.Mcknowitall]

The Peace Dollar. Arguably the finest example

[RWB]

For me the "Mercury" dime is solidly neo-classical or maybe art nouveau. The first US coin to have art deco claims is the 1926 Sesquicentennial $2.50 and the second was 1935 Connecticut. After 1935, there is a mixture of styles, including many very ugly hybrid and defective designs, along with a few really good creative efforts.

[DWLange]

Roger is correct about the time frame. All of our circulating coin designs during the 1920s predated the Art Deco movement, which didn't arrive here until the second half of that decade. It was seen first in posters and furnishings. The homes and apartments of wealthy persons depicted in early "talkie" films of the 1929-30 period are furnished in Art Deco almost exclusively, while middle class and working class homes were depicted with stuffy old furnishings of heavy, dark materials.

[MJ]

I think the mercury design is a bridge between Neo- classical and Art Deco/ Nouveau. Nothing starts from zero. There is almost always a transition. As I stated in my original post the correct time period was indeed the 20's and 30's for Art Deco.

 

mark

 

 

 

[Mr.Mcknowitall]

For me the "Mercury" dime is solidly neo-classical or maybe art nouveau. The first US coin to have art deco claims is the 1926 Sesquicentennial $2.50 and the second was 1935 Connecticut. After 1935, there is a mixture of styles, including many very ugly hybrid and defective designs, along with a few really good creative efforts.

 

I believe it is the Peace. The rays, and lettering. Consider the designer.

[Mr.Mcknowitall]

Roger is correct about the time frame. All of our circulating coin designs during the 1920s predated the Art Deco movement, which didn't arrive here until the second half of that decade. It was seen first in posters and furnishings. The homes and apartments of wealthy persons depicted in early "talkie" films of the 1929-30 period are furnished in Art Deco almost exclusively, while middle class and working class homes were depicted with stuffy old furnishings of heavy, dark materials.

 

I don't think so, as to coins predating the art deco movement. That may be an american interpretation, but it certainly "arrived" prior, via international travel and immigrant artists.

 

I also think Mr. MJ has the "win" here, in both the 1916 and the bridge commentary. While the Merc might be subtle, the Peace certainly isn't.

 

I am of the opinion that d. Francisci was using an art deco license of sorts, when he submitted his design. There is also the changing of the broken sword to no broken sword final presentation, which is another design that was associated in some circles as an art deco example.

[RWB]

The Liberty portrait on de Francisci's dollar was taken directly from Saint-Gaudens' "Nike Erini" portrait bust, a copy of which was loaned to the sculptor by Jim Fraser. This is supported by their correspondence. Compare also with the Statue of Liberty headdress.

 

Also removal of the broken sword was a response to public complaints originating with a published description. It had nothing to do with artistic style. If fact, there is nothing remotely approaching art deco in the Peace dollar designs.

 

[Details are in "Renaissance of American Coinage 1916-1921]

 

Few of the students of Saint-Gaudens produced anything of substance in the art deco style. Possibly the best to make the transition was Henry Hering who was a better architectural sculptor than bas relief. Most of his original work was in the beaux-arts and classical styles. His best art deco works are Severance Hall and the 8 pylon figures on the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge, both in Cleveland.

 

De Francisci's art deco attempts were described as vapid and trite (see "Joan of Arc"). Nearly all of his post-1921 works were small-scale realist and beaux art.

 

[BillJones]

My vote would be for the reverse of the Connecticut and Bridgeport commemorative half dollars. Sorry, but I think that Arkansas half dollar is ugly.

[Mr.Mcknowitall]

The Liberty portrait on de Francisci's dollar was taken directly from Saint-Gaudens' "Nike Erini" portrait bust, a copy of which was loaned to the sculptor by Jim Fraser. This is supported by their correspondence. Compare also with the Statue of Liberty headdress.

 

Also removal of the broken sword was a response to public complaints originating with a published description. It had nothing to do with artistic style. If fact, there is nothing remotely approaching art deco in the Peace dollar designs.

 

[Details are in "Renaissance of American Coinage 1916-1921]

 

Few of the students of Saint-Gaudens produced anything of substance in the art deco style. Possibly the best to make the transition was Henry Hering who was a better architectural sculptor than bas relief. Most of his original work was in the beaux-arts and classical styles. His best art deco works are Severance Hall and the 8 pylon figures on the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge, both in Cleveland.

 

De Francisci's art deco attempts were described as vapid and trite (see "Joan of Arc"). Nearly all of his post-1921 works were small-scale realist and beaux art.

 

I am aware of all of this. I disagree with you, as to art deco. That is an (again) american view. Art Deco did not start with the Expo. It existed for some time prior to that. di Fancisci was of course familiar with the style, as many in Europe were, even pre WW1.

 

As to the sword, and again I am aware of the info you shared, the ultimate removal was a result of misinterpretation started on a rumor, and grew. I am sure you realize the intent was that the broken sword was meant to denote the end of war. That is definitely a pattern in Art Deco in Europe pre-1921.

 

Just because a furniture movement is thought to have arrived in the late 20s and early 30s in America, that in no manner is the decision time line of Art Deco. Whether a designer/artist is considered trite or vapid or he/she sucks by a critic, be it a fellow artist or not, does not dismiss the intent of a design or the interpretation of it. Art lived and lives in the world as different styles long before what America considers Art existed.

 

As an example, the most recognized art deco building for beauty and functionality and continued preservation is on Carnegie Ave. in Cleveland, across from Case Western. At the time there was wealth.... a lot of wealth...in Cleveland available for designers/builders/artists to express themselves in that manner, an expensive manner. I was fortunate enough to spend quite a lot f time in the building, and had it explained to me by a very patient art historina. Given his decriptions and teaching patience, I will defer to his knowledge as to what constitutes the movements it applies to construction design and consideration. There are examples all over Cleveland. It became more and more clear to me during my year+ stay there.

 

I don't have any opinion one way or another about art in general. It is just something that rubbed off (read forced) on me as "necessary awareness" when I was young, especially Art Deco. (My mother was quite excessive and exhausting in her pursuit of examples). It was Europe. It was expected of me, or so I was told. I couldn't draw anything more complicated than Kilroy Was Here. Talent I don't have. What Art Deco is and isn't I think I do know. But then again, that is a self assessment and self assessments are usually wrong. I never drank or took drugs. That is my problem, I think.

 

 

[RWB]

Every artist adapts over his/her career. I stand by my earlier comments. It does not matter where an artistic trend began or ended - there will always be leaders and laggards. In the US commercial forces were and are much stronger than in Europe, so the time line is different. The bauhaus style never caught on in the US with medalic sculptors, but there are many European examples.

 

As for US coinage, the stylistic comments I made above are entirely clear and abundantly supported by experts in American art. Unfortunately, I don't think we have any common ground for agreement on this.

[physics-fan3.14]

I think this Wikipedia article helps clarify quite a bit:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Deco

 

I don't think the Mercury dime feels very art deco - it evokes highly classical themes in a very classical style. So does the Peace dollar. Most of our circulating coinage was designed before the height of art deco and not redesigned until the dead-president vibe came into vogue.

 

The commems noted earlier in the thread definitely evoke an art deco feel.

[MJ]

I think this Wikipedia article helps clarify quite a bit:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Deco

 

I don't think the Mercury dime feels very art deco - it evokes highly classical themes in a very classical style. So does the Peace dollar. Most of our circulating coinage was designed before the height of art deco and not redesigned until the dead-president vibe came into vogue.

 

The commems noted earlier in the thread definitely evoke an art deco feel.

 

And I will disagree but that's the great thing about art.

 

The "official"start of the Art Deco movement happened to be exactly when the Winged Liberty was being modeled in a studio apartment in Chelea ( NYC). That would be 1913. I believe even Cornelius Vermeil questioned where the heck did that head dress design came from. It was off. Consciously or subconsciously I think the artist might have been influenced by the times. Again, I only called the "Mercury" Winged Liberty a bridge coin to Art Deco. I'll stand by that.

 

Heck I can see the influence of Roman art and coins in some Art Deco artwork.

 

The Peace dollar drips with the times design wise.

 

mark

 

 

[rrantique]

[MJ]

The Hudson Commem also is steep in Art Deco. The seal

 

[PocketArt]

Very cool thread- here's a few articles from Coin World on this subject.

 

http://www.coinworld.com/news/world-coins/2014/06/Coin-world-art-deco-art-nouveau-french-medals-numismatics-coin-collecting.all.html#

 

http://www.coinworld.com/news/world-coins/2014/06/coin-world-art-deco-david-t-alexander-medals-numismatics-coin-collecting.html

 

http://www.coinworld.com/news/world-coins/2014/06/art-deco-coin-world-society-of-medalists-medals-numismatics-coin-collecting.html

 

 

[Mohawk]

MJ,

That is an interesting question. What come immediately to mind for me are the 1930's issues from Turkey. Sadly, I do not have any photos of these coins ( I am mostly an Ottoman Empire collector), but they're definitely worth checking out if you dig Art Deco. The ABC Pesos from Cuba are another great Art Deco World series.

[physics-fan3.14]

Now this, more than anything else posted in this thread (except for the Hudson), is an art deco coin (just posted in the GTG forum): http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=9624661#Post9624661

 

 

Compare that to the solidly classical Merc and Peace!

[MJ]

Cool coin

 

mark

[numisport]

Don't overlook the numerous tokens of Chicago Worlds Fair. I have cool 1933 'Century of Progress' token. Sorry I don't have image but I think there is a few different types.

[dcarr]

I consider the first US "art deco" coin design to be the Wheat reverse on the 1909 Lincoln Cent.

 

[dcarr]

Some of my favorite vintage art deco designs were by Lucien Bazor, like this one:

[messydesk]

The wheat cent reverse isn't Art Deco. Too early. The font is a little bit Art Nouveau.