Many collectors understand that a coin’s value commonly reflects its metal content and the date it was made. Its designer and visual treatment can be a third meaningful influence as well. Here are the artists responsible for several widely admired pieces of American money.
James Earle Fraser
James Earle Fraser, an American sculptor who spent much of his youth in the American West, designed one of the most familiar coins in U.S. currency: the Buffalo Nickel. His friendships with Native Americans being relocated or forced from their lands onto reservations shaped much of his artistic work. Fraser’s Buffalo Nickel design paid tribute to the buffalo and the land. The coin was struck from 1913 to 1938 and could still occasionally be found in circulation when this article was published. The U.S. Mint produced a commemorative silver coin using the same image in 2001, then introduced the American gold buffalo coin in 2006. The gold buffalo has been minted annually since its introduction and was the first U.S.-produced 24k gold coin.
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
In 1907, President Roosevelt asked Augustus Saint-Gaudens, another sculptor, to create coin designs for the U.S. Mint. His most recognized design appears on the $20 Double Eagle. On the obverse of this 24-karat gold coin coin, Lady Liberty walks amid the sun’s rays carrying a torch and olive branch; the reverse shows an eagle flying before the sun. An ultra-high-relief example sold for nearly $3 million in 2005. Saint-Gaudens is still credited with adding beauty to American numismatic design. In 2009, the U.S. Mint made an ultra-high-relief Saint-Gaudens gold coin in 24k gold, a popular modern numismatic piece.
Charles Barber
Barber served as the Mint’s sixth Chief Engraver. His best-known work includes the Liberty Head series: the Barber Dime, Quarter, and Half Dollar. He also created many rare, collectible, and commemorative issues, among them the four-dollar Flowing Hair Stella coin. His work also included foreign coins for the Kingdom of Hawaii, China’s Szechuan Province, and Cuba. Barber was criticized for a perceived lack of originality and for opposing Saint-Gaudens’ high-relief Double Eagle concept. Yet American currency’s direction was uncertain then, and Barber’s designs ultimately gained acceptance among the American public.
Buying or Selling Coins
Not every coin created by these artists is rare, but each holds an important place in American currency. When this article was published, readers interested in these pieces were told that many could be found at Atlanta Gold & Coin Buyers. The article also stated that the business buy coins and welcomed the opportunity to appraise a collection in person or by mail. At that time, visitors were invited to visit or call 404-236-9744 to learn more.
