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Golden grail: few U.S. coins are rarer than the never circulated 1933 double eagle, melted down after the nation dropped the gold standard.(THE OBJECT AT HAND)(United States)
Publication: Smithsonian Publication Date: 01-JUN-08 Author: Edwards, Owen
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COPYRIGHT 2008 Smithsonian Institution
THESE DAYS, with the mighty greenback looking green at the gills and the euro laughing all the way to the bank, even our once-durable coinage is under assault. Critics are calling for the extinction of the penny; although Thomas Jefferson still graces the nickel, his portrait has been reworked; and quarters come in 50 flavors. And whatever happened to the half dollar? What's worse, nobody seems to care about the aesthetics of pocket change.
There was a time when coins were small masterpieces crafted by artists, when no less a personage than President Theodore Roosevelt took an interest in their design. Two almost impossibly rare pieces in the collection of...
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