Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-27

Director Leech Defends the Design Against
Criticism.

Director Leech Defends the Design Against
Criticism.
Mr.. E. o. Leech. the director of the mint.
earnestly protests against jokes and sings hay-
ing the new Columbian half dollars as their
object and declares that that coin is remarka-
BILE for artistic excellence.
at may be interesting to the public to
know" said Mr.. Leech to a STAR reporter,
that the models for this coin were prepared by
Mr.. o. L. Warner the eminent sculptor of New
York, and Mr.. F. ID. Millet, the chief of color of
the Columbian exposition. and met with the ap-
proval of all the officers and artists of the ex-
position.
II am somewhat familiar with CONS and
coinage matters, having spent twenty years of
my life in the mint service. and have but re-
Gently returned from Europe. where had &C.
casion to visit many of the minis and to see
most OF the silver coins Of the continent and
have no hesitation in saving that in my judg-
ment the Columbian half dollar is the most
beautiful silver coin of modern mintage.
The head of Columbus ia a profile from
well-known portrait. and whether it looks like
Columbus or not, which no one knows. it Is
certainly q strong. noble and dignifed head
showing great determination and force OF
character. and just the head of such a man as
history has described Columbus to be- The
reverse of the coin is q very correct and beau
tiful representation of a ship such as was used
in those days. with the outlines of the two
continents and the meridians represented on
globes. with the dates 1892 1892
Certainly nothing could be more appro-
pirate as commemorative of the four hundredth
anniversary of the discovery of America than a
portrait OF the discoverer and a representation
of the vessel in which he sailed and the two
worlds he united
"The lettering of the coin is highly artistic
and the mechanical execution the very best
known to modern mintage. There have been
no coins struck at our minis in recent years in
the execution of which, both in the prepare
ton OF the blanks and the striking of tie
pieces, as much care has been taken as with
these pieces, as it was believed that many of
them would be preserved as souvenirs of the
exposition.
''One prominent reason for the criticism of
modern coins Is that numismatists and people ed
ucated in art expect too much in the matter of
coinage. They are familiar, possibly with the old
Roman and Greek coins metallic monuments of
the epochs in which they were struck. with the
portraits of the great men Of their times. some
struck with impression in relief on one side and
an intaglio on the other, frequently having de-
pressions in the metal to produce shades, &C.,
beautiful works of art.
But beautiful as these old coins are thew
would be most unsuitable for the active COM
mercial age in which We live. Every teller of a
pile, that the holes were receptacles for dirt,
and they would not be in active circulation a
year before the entire impression in relief
would be worn off. The idea of relief and
abrasion never entered into the question of
ancient coinage. In the preparation of ancient
coins the artist INDUCED his fancy and taste to
the fullest extent, and valuable coins were
struck as medals are now. without regard to the
amount OF pressure required or the number of
blows from the hammer or press to perfect the
impression.
I'm preparing medal at the mint today il is
usually struck many times by the dies (the
Joseph Francis medal over 100 times) in order
to bring out the relief. But the object of
modern coinage is to have the very lowest re-
lief possible and display the design-a mere
film or relief-so as TO prevent abrasion ana the
rapid wearing off of the designs; so that it may
be truthfully said that art can scarcely find a
field for its display in modern coins, it now
being question of automatic machinery, with
tube on one side OF the press where the plan
chefs are fed to the dies and a box on the other
side where the finished coins drop at the rate of
80 a minute. When | visited the royal mint in
London recently they were striking sovereigns
and half soverelgns at the rate of l20 a minute
''All that can be expected in modern coinage is
an appropriate design with perfect mechanical
execution. If the Columbian half dollar does
not possess these merits then i am no Judge of
coins. At the same time l fully concur in the
suggestion that there should be a national COM
mission of artists to select the works of art pur-
chased by the government and that one of their
duties should be the selection of new designs for
our coins.
when we consider, however, that the eminent
artists in the employ of the Colum bian exhibit
ton passed on the merits of this coin it may be
said to have passed the art test"