While it's true that beauty is often in the eye of the beholder, it's also true that there can be a consensus where beauty is concerned. Few people, for instance, consider a Rembrandt or Michelangelo's David to be eyesores, so judging beauty is not nearly as subjective as one might imagine. This is as true for the designs on coins as it is for famous works of art, bringing me to my latest top ten list-in this case, the top ten best or historically significant American coins ever designed. (Of course, I realize there are also beautiful coins from other counties, but since these are probably less well-known to most readers-and I only collect U.S. Coins myself-I thought it better to concentrate on the American designs. Perhaps foreign coins could be the subject of another top ten list in the future, however.) Many readers will recognize that most of the coins on my list are not currently in production, having been otherwise replaced with more contemporary (read boring) designs over the years. That's not to say there may not be some degree of intrinsic aesthetics in some of today's modern designs, only that the coins of the past—many of which were designed by some of the most famous and talented sculptors and engravers of their era—leave many of their modern compatriots in the dust. Of course, not all older coins were great works of art either, but some of them are so historically significant I felt compelled to include them in this list. And so, without further ado, here are my nominees for the best designed or most historically significant coins in American history.
10. (Tie) The Lincoln Penny, 1909-present
Though a rather staid design overall, the common and beloved Lincoln penny holds the longevity record as the longest produced coin in American history, with the design on the front—known as the obverse—remaining virtually unchanged for over 100 years. (The same is not true of the back—or reverse side—of the coin, which has been redesigned several times, the first time in 1959 and in again recently.) It also holds the distinction of being the first circulated coin to bear the likeness of a real person—in this case, Honest Abe—thereby starting a trend and making it potentially possible for every president to make their way onto a coin (a prospect which both FDR and JFK have since taken advantage of). The sedate penny is not without controversy, however. When it first appeared, the coin's designer, Victor David Brenner, had his initials dominantly displayed on the coin's reverse side—a design faux pas that was roundly criticized as being "elitist." (Apparently, self-promotion was frowned upon back in 1909.) Quickly removing the offending letters, in doing so he inadvertently created one of the most famous rarities within the pennycommunity, the 1909 "VDB" variant (with those minted in San Francisco being worth hundreds of dollars in nice condition).
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