The E-Sylum:  Volume 4, Number 42, October 14, 2001, Article 3

FRANK GASPARRO DIES    

  Dick Johnson wrote the following obituary of the late Chief   
  Engraver Frank Gasparro for the American Medallic Sculpture   
  Association.  It is published here with permission:     

  Frank Gasparro, who held America's highest office for   
  creating coins and medals died September 29, 2001.  He was   
  92 years old and remained active, teaching a recent class at   
  Philadelphia's Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial, as he had   
  done for 47 years.    

  Famous for creating America's coin that Americans came to   
  hate, the Susan B. Anthony dollar in 1979, he was also the   
  artist who redesigned the reverse of the Lincoln cent on its 50th   
  anniversary, in 1959.  This occurred during his own 50th year   
  and the 150th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln.   
  His FG initials appear on his Lincoln Monument reverse struck   
  on billions of cents.    

  At the other extreme he was the medallic artist for the coin of   
  greatest  denomination struck in America, a 1987 Bahamas   
  $2,500 gold coin bearing Columbus and Isabella for Franklin   
  Mint.    

  As Chief Engraver at the U.S. Mint he created eight circulating   
  coins (all or part) and four commemorative coins (both sides,   
  or he did the obverse with the reverse by another artist). He   
  also produced the models for coins of Guatemala, Cuba,   
  Philippines struck at the Philadelphia Mint, and Panama proof   
  coins struck by Franklin Mint.    

  His medallic work included five presidential medals for President   
  Eisenhower through Carter, 19 Assay medals, nine Secretaries   
  of the Treasury, three portraits of his immediate superiors -- all   
  women --  Directors of the Mint, two military decorations and,   
  privately, two American Numismatic Association badges.    

  And it will be near impossible for any American sculptor to top   
  the value of one of his medals -- the official 1976 Nation's   
  Bicentennial Medal, one variety of which was struck in 13.18   
  troy ounces of solid gold selling today for the equivalent of a 
  small car!    

  Frank Gasparro will be listed in the new directory of American   
  coin and medal artists being compiled by AMSA member   
  Dick Johnson. "Frank's entry contains 488 lines," states the   
  compiler, "he had approved the entry and wrote me two weeks   
  ago. It is sad he died when he was such a productive medallist,"   
  he said, "but his memory lives on as his medallic works will   
  exist for thousands of years!"   

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization 
promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor 
at this address: whomren@coinlibrary.com

To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum