We've been talking about the design of recent collectable quarters from the US Mint for some time. We've done States. and we've done National Parks. And most recently I've started in on the American Women series, which commemorates famous woman over the course of US History.
Now in the many years of these programs, I have to admit that the carving qualities and depth of design has improved dramatically, so there's less to mock here than I would prefer. And while that's a good thing from the design aspect, it is less so from the entertainment element. Let that be so. I will persevere. So you get a little more history lesson these times out
Oh, and by the way, the Anna May Wong quarter from last year really improved this old movie star's visibility, which says in part why these quarters are a good this. Anyway, here's the ratings:
Way Cool =A
Not Bad = B
Just Average (also known as Meh) = C
Kinda Lame = D
So Bad the Designer Should Go Home and Think About What They Did + E
Bessie Coleman(1892-1926)
Bessie Coleman was the first female African American pilot, as well as the first female Native American pilot. Her male predecessors are apparently up for debate, but include Emory Malick and Eugene J. Bullard. Coleman herself had to go to France to learn how to fly (America being non-too-receptive to minorities OR women in the air), and returned to do demonstrations in America and to speak. She died (as a passenger) in an air crash in 1926
The coin itself is … OK. It shows Ms. Coleman reaching up to adjust her flight goggles, which is a good pose, but due to the limitations on the coin itself, her right arm and hand do not look clear, and I had to expand the image to figure out what was going on over there. Still, it is good take on the three-quarters view we've seen on other quarters. The plane in the background is, I believe, a Curtiss Jenny (Curtiss JN) which was used to train most of the US WWI pilots and was used in the post-war years by barnstormers and mail flyers, among others. Where the coin works best is in the "right stuff" style for the name (and when she got her pilot's license). OK, but a bit muddled and lumpy in her flight suit.
Rating: C
Edith Kanaka'ole (1913-1979)
Edith Keona Kanaka'ole was a teacher, chanter, and dancer, and was responsible for the preservation and blossoming of Hawai'ian culture over the middle decades of the past century. She assisted in the development of Hawaiian language programs, and taught ethnobiology, language, and Polynesian history. She helped stem to the tide of extinction of Hawaiian culture and language.
The coin itself is pretty good, melding Ms. Manaka'ole with the land itself. She looks a little grim and stoic, though other photos I've found seems to be warmer. The inscription at the bottom translates as "Granting the Wisdom", which is a pretty fair estimation of her legacy. I think her name is going to get lost in her hair/landscape, but moving the various text around the coin is a good call. I don't remember the "cents" sign showing up since coins a hundred years ago, but it works here.
Rating: B
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)
If you're going to do a series on important American women, of COURSE you're going to do Anna Eleanor Roosevelt. She is the most notable and effective activist First Lady since Dolley Madison evacuated the White House, and she set the bar for all presidential spouses since then. Her work during the war is commendable and is exceeded only by her later work with UN and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She ALREADY has a coin, though it is one of the Presidential Spouses $10 series that never saw circulation, and she, apart from all the other first ladies, has her own statue in her husband's memorial in Washington DC.
All that said, which justifies her in "Wikipedia Notability" terms and merits her being on more than one coin, this is not a great coin. It captures the main elements of Ms. Roosevelt's political career (The globe, justice), but it is cluttered as a result, with a lot of text on it, and some of it will be lost in the folds of her blouse, much as for the previous Edith Kanaka'ole coin. Breaking the border of the globe with her head and hat does a lot to elevate it beyond the traditional portature, but I think it's a bit cluttered.
Rating: B
Jovita Idar Vivero is one of the entries here I had to dig down to get to. A journalist and campaigner for Mexican-American rights, Ms. Idar ran newspapers in Texas and fought for less fortunate Chicanos and women. I am always in favor of currency that features writers, reporters, and editors, and Ms. Idar was all three.
I like this coin. A lot. One of the challenges of these quarters is that there is so much boilerplate text that HAS to go on them (United States of America, E Pluribus Unum, Denomination), plus necessary text of identification and often achievements, that the results can be cluttered. This design moves all of that text, and more, onto Ms. Idar's blouse, in effect wrapping her with her own achievements. It also leaves some impressive white space on both sides. And the portraiture itself is very impressive - portraits on these coins are a challenge to avoid the dead-eye stare that plagues, say, the Presidential Dollars, but here it pulls it off. Impressive and a welcome change from the traditional presentation.
Rating: A
Maria Tallchief (1915-2013)
Rating: C
That's it for the second round - tune in next year for five more. Last year's Anna May Wong coin has made it into circulation and looks great, so keep checking your change.
More later,
