When reminiscing about classic American coin designs, it's almost impossible not to think of the gorgeous double eagle by Augustus Saint-Gaudens,the elegant Flowing Hair Stella by Charles E. Barber, or the ubiquitous silver dollar by George T. Morgan. While it is important to honor thecontributions of these legendary figures to American coinage, it's equally important not to get stuck in a time-warp so that we do not miss theexciting things going on in U.S. coinage right now.

One such exciting development is the 2019 American Legion commemorative silver dollar, which boasts timeless designs generated from fresh mindsand hands. The coin was born from the diversity of the Mint's Artistic Infusion Program. Its obverse was designed by Paul C. Balan, a Filipino, andthe reverse was designed by Patricia Lucas-Morris, a woman.

In 2017, some collectors in the hobby community cried "political correctness" when the American Liberty High-Relief $100 gold coin wasreleased, with its portrait of Miss Liberty as a woman of non-white ethnicity.

No claims of political correctness can justly be levied at the American Legion coin that sprung from the minds of Balan and Lucas-Morris, as itrelies heavily on iconography and metaphor, not unlike the coins that some collectors mention when they ask for a return to American tradition.

Balan's obverse features a beautiful tribute: The emblem of the American Legion graced with leaves of oak and lily.

Not to be outdone, Lucas-Morris also did not disappoint.

Her reverse design features a fleur-de-lis framed by crossing U.S. and American Legion flags, continuing the theme from the obverse. The strengthin her design is in its simplicity and tasteful use of negative space.

Instead of arguing against the lack of diversity in the past (among America's coin designers) or about perceived political correctness in today'scoin design, I instead call for a celebration of a triumph for both diversity and excellent coin design. The future will likely include anincreasingly diverse population, but that does not mean that the past will not be honored. The answer to the clash between past and present is notfurther acrimony, but timelessness, and the 2019 American Legion commemorative silver dollar is here to deliver a timeless design crafted by newhands.

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Timelessdesigns emerging from a new generation: The American Legion commemorative silver dollar(http://news.coinupdate.com/timeless-designs-emerging-from-a-new-generation-the-american-legion-commemorative-silver-dollar/)