DICK JOHNSON: ANA HALL OF FAME FALLS FLAT

The ANA sent an illustration this week to its members of its wall containing the portrait image of all the Hall of Famers of the numismatic field.

However the wall falls flat -- each portrait is flat -- I can't tell if the image of every prominent numismatist is a photograph or some other permanent form. But they are all uniformly flat.

It may come as a surprise to the designers of this wall that numismatics is a study of RELIEF. -- images that rise from their background. like the design of most every coin, medal or token rises from its background.. Only paper money in numismatics is a study of flat images.

How much better -- more fitting and appropriate -- it would have been to have a RELIEF PORTRAIT of each of the Hall of Fame winners.

Surprise! It could even utilize that RELIEF PORTRAIT as the image -- as the model -- for a medal. A series of famous numismatists of the field issued by ANA would make an ideal theme for a numismatic series. Marketing such a collectors set would be a dynamic method of raising funds for the association.

For more information on the ANA Hall of Fame, see: Numismatic Hall of Fame (www.money.org/membership/awards/numismatic-hall-of-fame.aspx)

Wayne Homren, Editor

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