Coin Criticism
As I was counting out the till yesterday at work I had some time to think about the state quarters. Here are my picks for best (Connecticut) and worst (Ohio). Come on, Ohio, couldn't you think of something better to commemorate than people whose achievements didn't even take place in Ohio?
posted by Carolyn @ 3:20 PM
3 Comments:
Actually my office at amrep.org has taken a poll.
We agree with the best quarter design. Connecticut is the most tastefully done to scale. Runner ups are Minnesota and Massachusetts.
However, we do disagree with the Worst Quarter Design. Ohio certainly is a runner up but we consider Florida to be the worst. "Let's throw everything up on the wall and see if it sticks." It's not even to scale. "Less is more" maybe the mantra on the beaches of Miami but not in the government offices of Jacksonville.
Isn't it ironic that both those states decided our past presidential elections? Bad quarter design = bad ballot design... But I digress... Sooo I guess if you come from a state with an aesthetically inferior quarter design, you are probably destined to be the deciding vote for the leader of the free world.
You bring up some interesting points. The Florida quarter is also ugly. They used the negative space in a weird way. Neither shuttle nor ship is compelling. But I stand by my Ohio decision. The thing that irks me about it is that it does more to commemorate places other than Ohio (Kittyhawk, the Moon). Or maybe that is some kind of weird Midwestern humility.
And yes, the two battleground states had these strange designs. Do you think they also show the polarization in those states - between red/blue old/new (ship/biplane vs. shuttle/astronaut)?
There's another reason the Ohio quarter is bad: if you look at it just right, the line behind the astronaut appears to be a noose. With the limp arms, he appears to be hanging.
Also, I featured your video and talked about it on Mitchster.com, my Minneapolis Photography and culture website. Stop by and say hi if you get a chance.
Thanks!
- Mitch, Daily Minneapolis Photographer
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