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Coin Collecting at the Safir House
Washington and Washington State Quarters
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Fri Nov 22 10:21:35 2024
The Washington Quarter stated in 1932 as a commemorative celebrating the 200th anniversity of
George Washington's birth. The artist, John Flanagan, was one of the artists that came from
the stable of artists that was assembled by Austus St Gauden. Flanagan was a talented
artist and that makes the coin more than a puzzle to me, because its one of the flatest,
ugliest, pedestrian design ever put into circulation. It was designed to be produced
for a single year and yet here we are in 2009 and beyound pretty much still stuck with it.
Looking at a Washington Quarter, with the barely visible hair line, inadeqately designed
or detailed bald eagle, and just boring overall composition is like watching paint dry.
It is so ugly and yet it replaced one of the briliant of all coin designs ever with the
Standing Liberty Quarter. Every school child knows the Washington Quarter just stinks compared
to past designs, but Congress continues with it's choice, dumb and deaf to the lack of
asthetics.
How obvious is this? It is this obvious:
Obviously something has gone wrong in American Coin Design...
That being said, there are some notable examples of Washington Coinage worth showing. And
the state quarter issues, after getting past the childishness of the idea, has created a
number of worth designs....but nothing that could stand up to Standing Liberty Quarter.
Delaware - Looks like Paul Revere but it isn't. Nice first design
Virgina - James Town Colony
Second Virgina example
New York State - Brooklyn is here
Indiana - Great Car
Ohio - Space Program and Flight - looks better than the Ike dollar
Iowa
Wisconcin - Moo..
West Virginia - one of the nicest designs
Kansas Bison
North Dakota - Nicer than you might expect
Nevada - Wild Horses - great design
South Dakota - Prairie
Another Terrific look at the horses
Washington - Salmon
Another view of WV and the gorge design
Bicentennial Silver Proof
The Safir Family Internet Coins Library: Foriegn Coins.
Several mints from around the world make exciting coin designs in circulating alloys, silver and gold. Among my favorites are the Perth Mint in Austrailia which produces a variety of coins for nations mostly through out the Pacific Rim. The Neatherlands has also produced some interesting designs, and several private US based mints have produced foreign currency on contract, include the Franklin Mint which has produced many Israeli Coins.
Our interest in foreign coins has been nominal but rapidly growing as it seems that US designs are so stuck in the mud. Also, foreign mints are creating bold new designs with color and bimetal designs that are both eye catching and fun.
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