New-York tribune., 1907-12-17
THE ST. GAUDENS COINS.
y. D. Bremen, Medallist, Says pal-
uable Precedent Is Set by Them.

To the Editor of The Tribune
Sir: Much has been said for and against the
new SO and $50 gold pieces designed by our
late master. Augustus ST. Gaudens. As a med
arist and having had experience In producing
coins beg the privilege of space in your es-
ject It is most unfortunate that our great
SCULPTOR is no more with US and that he was
called away before he had time to finish his
commendable attempt to bring forward coins
that express in their design more than the mere
value as a commodity. In his design one sees
the embryo of a beautiful conception. If he
had had the necessary time to make changes as
he was used to do in all his creations, the
suit would have been no less than in any Of his
masterpieces.
Whatever the result and the opinions of the
individuals may be. we are indebted to Mr.. st.
Gaudens for the departure which he has brought
about The precedent that he has set for us
will find its echo forever after. Master of low
relief that he was his illness did not allow him
the time to investigate certain laws and dicta-
tions that separate our methods from the meth
DDS the Greeks employed in their coinage. The
Greeks used a shotlike piece of metal, and struck
it while it hot with the blow Of hammer.
They had no ring to hold the dies together or
to effect a milled edge, and the result was an
irregular edge, the shape OF which varied on al
most every coin. but this accidental outline fig
ured in the design of the coin and added to its
beauty. We now have presses that are made to
strike hundreds of pieces In an hours time, and
a fat metal disk is used. This disk must be
made to fill the entire surface of the coin to be:
accidents and irregularities cannot enter in our
coins. and therefore no high relief can be pro-
duced with artistic result
Mr. st. Gaudens was very fond of cutting into
the backgroy1rd of iozy reIiefS. 10
most effectively, but In coin or medal that is
to be produced other than by casting where the
metal flows in while hot any raised edge
die viii prevent the cold metal from pressing
into the cavities which so to make up the de-
sign. The designing OF a coin requires. apart
from It's artistic effect. also a calculation of
empty well filed spaces. When the two
dies meet TO press the metal disk the pressure
must be effected with an equal distribution. or
the result will be such the $50 gold pieces
in question show-namely. a raised burr which
in much handling Will disappear, with a consid-
cradle loss OF the intrinsic value OF the coin.
Distances and round forms be effected in
the coin without resorting TO high relief, but
foreshortening OF any forms in coin is a most
dangerous attempt, from the fact that coins
mission IS even when it is worn off by constant
circulation, that its original design shall bear
out TO the very limit of the inner surface Any
foreshortenng that will lose its full modelling
will also lose its meaning, resulting in very un
satisfactory mass
The coins of the later issues OF France and
Belgium are good examples of what can be done
with low relief. The engravers of the Mint have
been blamed by some for the unsatisfactory re-
suit and I beg to say few words in their de-
fence. The translation of model into the steel
dies Is not at present done as il was up TO the
latter part Of the last century. a reducing ma
chine does the translation with mathematical
correctness, and the result of the translation
from 15-inch diameter surface 10 a 1-inch
diameter surface is entirely the problem Of the
designer.
AS already stated above. thanks to this event,
wa have reached a moment in our medallic his
tory which is most noteworthy, and while we
are considering the subject may I suggest some
slight changes in our law which limits the issue
OF new coin models to the interval OF twenty
Ave wears a period entirely too long for the his
1orfc as we'll as the educational value of coin
series? The Greeks and Romans not only
changed their coins with the ascension Of each
new ruler but also had series for each
change OF design Of our coins in circulation
prove practical. We can we'll afford the expense
OF new designs for limited issue which may be
sold at a premium and thus mark our events as
We go along. VICTOR u bNE-S-N~
New York, Dec. 16. 1907.