ANA redesigns reverse
A redesign of the reverse of the Philadelphia convention medal to be issued by the American Numismatic Association was announced by the organization. The original reverse was too similar to…
A redesign of the reverse of the Philadelphia convention medal to be issued by the American Numismatic Association was announced by the organization.
The original reverse was too similar to a famous “Love” graphic that has come to symbolize the city, ANA said, and ownership questions could have resulted from the use of the original design.
Jamie Franki created the design, and it was sculpted by medallic artist Heidi Wastweet.
The reverse of the medal now takes the form of a Philadelphia love token. It features engraved elements from American paper currency that form a heart shape. The Eye of Providence from the dollar bill forms the “o” in Love and creates a tie to William Penn’s forward-thinking gaze depicted on the obverse. The love token has been engraved.
According to ANA, the change was prompted because the Philadelphia LOVE sculpture graphic created by artist Robert Indiana in 1964 has ambiguous ownership.
When Indiana first created it, he failed to properly file a copyright for LOVE, which has thrown ownership of the design into question. Indiana died on May 19.
Medals are available as a convention medal badge (1.5” bronze medal with a ribbon drape), $20; bronze medal (2.75”), $65; or a two-medal set (1.5” bronze medal and 1.5” .999 fine silver medal, numbered), $100. Shipping is $6.95 per order.
Telephone 800-514-2646 toll free to order.
This article was originally printed in Numismatic News. >> Subscribe today.
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• With over 25,000 listings and 15,500 illustrations, the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, Modern Issues is your go-to guide for modern bank notes.
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