The American Numismatic Association received a donation of autographed, specially produced 20- by 24-inch prints of artworks created by four acclaimed artists who have designed coins and medals for the United States Mint. Their artworks commemorate the famous Victory statue crafted a century ago by another acclaimed numismatic designer, Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

The presentation of the fine art prints was made to ANA President Dr. Ralph Ross and Executive Director Kim Kiick at the association’s 2023 Pittsburgh World’s Fair of Money on Aug. 9.

The artworks were created by Emily Damstra, Miley Frost, Michael Gaudioso, and John Mercanti, and were commissioned by Kevin Lipton Rare Coins in Beverly Hills, California.

The presentation of the artworks was made by Damstra along with Louis Melamed of Kevin Lipton Rare Coins and Jack McNamara, co-founder of Rare Collectibles TV.

Prints distributed at ANA show

High-quality 8- by 10-inch prints of the artwork were being made available free at the convention while supplies lasted, courtesy of Lipton and Rare Collectibles TV.

During the ANA convention, Lipton displayed one of only three privately owned reductions of Saint-Gaudens’ famous Victory masterpiece statue that has been in New York’s Central Park since 1903.  Lipton was the top bidder for the reduction of the Victory statue offered at a Christie’s auction earlier this year. The reductions, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, are “adapted from the full-size figure of Victory on Saint-Gaudens’s equestrian monument to the Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman. ...”

The original model for the Victory statue was Harriette Eugenia Anderson who later was Saint-Gaudens’ model for what are known today as America’s most beautiful coins, the Saint-Gaudens double eagles of 1907 to 1933.

About the artists

As part of the Artistic Infusion Program, Damstra has created 13 designs produced on United States coins, including the new reverse of American Eagle silver bullion coins introduced in 2021, and three designs for United States Mint medals. 

Among Frost’s many artistic accomplishments, she created the Family of Eagles design featured on the reverses of American Eagle 1-ounce and fractional gold bullion coins for 35 years, from 1986 to 2021.

A sculptor/engraver at the United States Mint from 2008 to 2020, Gaudioso’s numerous sculpting and engraving credits include the new designs introduced in 2021 for the American Eagle silver bullion coins (as sculptor), and obverses of the 2014 Warren G. Harding and the 2015 Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential dollars.

A former chief engraver of the United States Mint between 1974 and 2010, Mercanti produced more coin and medal designs than any employee in the Mint’s history. They include the original reverse design of the popular American Eagle silver bullion coins and five of the 50 State Quarters Program coins: Arkansas, Iowa, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Mercanti has also created designs for coins struck and issued by other mints.

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