Q. David Bowers
[DE FRANCISCI TELLS OF HIS WORK]
We are in receipt of a letter from ML de Francisci, the designer of the Peace dollar, in which he tells of his work on the medals and of the time in which they were completed. The letter is as follows:
"With a process similar to that of a medallion, the sculptor commences a plasteline ground within a plaster rim, upon which he sketches the idea as per the dictates of his mind and the requirements of a given program.
"Care should be taken to the technical point of having the height of the relief within the surface of the outer plaster rim, in order to respect the stack line.
"There is not, naturally, a set time in which a model of a coin could be produced. The facility of the artist, the amount of time required, the evolution of his thoughts and the time allotted by the program all play a part in rendering a time measurement well nigh impossible. I should consider, however, three months a logical time for the production of a coin bearing a responsible design and allowing plenty of ease to the mental process imposed by the work in the artist's mind.
"The Fine Arts Commission invited me to compete on November 23, 1921. The chosen models, after some few changes, were finally approved by the president on December 19th.
"I was unable, owing to the shortness of time to engage in the search of a model akin to my mind's picture-that is, a professional model. I derived some help from the features of Mrs. de Francisci, but generally the Liberty head as it stands is a composite one.
"Anthony de Francisci"
[COMMENTARY FROM ZERBE]
ML Farran Zerbe of Tyrone, Pa., whose paper read before the Chicago Convention of the ANA started the agitation for the issue of the Peace coin, writes as follows:
"Illustration and description which I presume will appear in this issue will speak for the coin. The designs are quite bold enough to speak for themselves. The main devices-Liberty and eagle-and the inscription, excepting the addition PEACE, are no departure from what has appeared on our common silver dollars. Something different was hoped for, and on that account there is disappointment, but that should not produce criticism of the artist who, probably, had to keep to the conventional; if so, he hasdone wonderfully well. And, like most designs adopted for coins from large plaster models, some of the effectiveness of detail may have been lost when reduced to coin size and production requirements. The rays of light emanating from Miss Liberty may yet be modified for better effect. As I try to reason her expression I am puzzled: Is she absorbed in wonderment or dazed with enlightenment? The face is truer to nature than other coin Libertys we have had, the upper lip suggesting portraiture.
"The eagle-majestic, intelligent and protective-perched on a mound inscribed PEACE from which extends an olive branch, faces the dawn of a new day. Look at that eagle! Perch it as you will, I believe you will agree that it is the most natural and symbolical of what the American eagle typifies of any eagle we have had on a coin.
"The U in TRUST is formed V; where otherwise used it is as commonly formed. Of the good number of the new coins I have examined none were of uniform thickness around the reeded edge, the dies displacing metal that leaves the edge a little thinner at top and bottom than it is at the sides. No doubt this will be modified as coinage progresses. The milling, while sufficiently high to protect the design (the highest part of the Liberty profile evidently being flattened to conform), is not flat and broad enough to readily hold 10 or more coins in a perfect stack. This has had press comment in the East, and if not corrected will be a serious objection in the West where silver dollars are in common use.
"Press dispatches from Washington under date of December 19 announced that designs for the 'Peace dollar' had been selected by the Fine Arts Commission and approved by President Harding and Treasury officials and would be ready for distribution by the end of the year. The selected designs, as reported in these dispatches, arc by Anthony de Francisci of New York City, who competed with seven other artists with models for the new coin. First published description was that the designs include a 'broken sword' as a symbol of disarmament or war is over. The New York Herald, December 24, in its leading editorial, criticized this interpretation of a broken sword, declaring it to be suggestive of surrender or defeat, and, 'it is regrettable that the artist should have made such an error in symbolism.' This editorial produced an unusual evidence of public interest in our coin designs, artists and others contributing well-reasoned comments to the columns of the Herald, and in which Mr. de Francisci defends his designs, he being quoted, in part reading: 'Above the sword, from which the point has been broken, in my design, stands the American eagle, and surely the eagle can never be used to represent defeat. Also, with the sword there is the olive branch of peace, and the combination of the two renders it impossible to conceive of the sword as a symbolism of defeat.' The general trend of comment was mostly from the mistaken impression that disarmament, and not the termination of the war, was the motif.
"Under date of December 24 press dispatches from Washington stated Director of the Mint Baker had announced that the new dollars would not carry a broken sword; that two designs had been considered, the one which showed the eagle clutching a broken sword not being approved.
"The new dollar are without a broken sword. They have a conjoined AF below Liberty's head, the mark of the successful designer Anthony de Francisci. That Mr. de Francisci believed that his design with the broken sword had been adopted is shown in his defense of that symbol. That more than a million coins were ready for distribution in about two weeks following the first announcement that designs had been selected indicates that production was well under way before any announcement was made.
"1921, as did 1795, gave us silver dollars of two distinct designs. It has been announced that all our mints will be coining the new dollars early in 1922.
"That designs for the new coins were announced as having been selected by the Fine Arts Commission from models prepared by a good number of competing artists, expectations were created. If the new coin does not at first glance measure up to all that was expected, just study it a while; it improves with acquaintance. With utility defects remedied it should be a pleasing and satisfactory coin for long and good service, and the ANA can deservingly call it its coin.
"Farran Zerbe"