As a coin collector, with a special affection for the Morgan Dollar, as well as the "Saint", I agree 100% with the criticism of the appearance of our coinage. The replacement of the Buffalo/Indian design on the nickel with a dead president was a landmark in the transition to ugly coins. The "Mercury" dime became a mediocre image of Roosevelt. What should have been a PERMANENT Walking Liberty half became Ben Franklin (a good guy, but hardly an attractive one.) And "Liberty Standing"-even without her head full-beat hell out of the Washington image on the quarter.
No objections to the original Lincoln cent, at least the reverse. But that reverse was replaced by Gasparro's "trolly car" in 1959, and the cent has been just as ugly as the rest ever since.
The actual solution to all this is two-fold:
1) Get rid off all people who actually EXISTED on our coinage (put them on stamps if they need to be anywhere), and bring back the designs that preceded them (Teddy Roosevelt launched America's "golden age" in coin design, and we let it get away.)
2) Take a page from the French (of all people) and put REAL ART on the coins (providing it's ACCESSIBLE, and not OBSCENE, like what passes for "art" in the corrupt "cultured" communities in the blue states. We don't need the "Piss Christ Penny".)
Of course, it goes without saying: NO PC! NO PC!! NO PC!!! Susan B Anthony and Sacagewea should never be allowed to even be PROPOSED for our coins.
I'd follow the same advice, BTW, for the paper currency. Andy Jackson somehow gets uglier every year. And ENOUGH with Ben Franklin already!!! . |
