NGC INTERVIEW: DON EVERHART

 

Everhart was employed by the US Mint from 2004 to July 2017, when he retired as lead sculptor. Everhart has been involved in the creation of hundreds of coins, including some of the most memorable US Mint issues of the last decade including the distinctive eagle design that he engraved for the reverse of the 2015-W American Liberty High Relief $100 and the 2016 American Liberty Silver Medals.

Did you ever think you would become a coin designer and sculptor?
Not once. I thought I would be an illustrator of album covers in New York. This was totally serendipitous when I took off from work and went down there. My whole career path changed completely. It was a crossroads in my career, and I didn't really realize it at the time until I looked back at it and recognized that's where I branched off and really got into coins.

What was your inspiration when designing the March of Dimes coin?
In the case of the March of Dimes, I felt that the subject matter had to relay what their ultimate drive was, which is protecting the young. So, I was racking my brain at the Mint one day trying to figure out how I'm going to solve this problem.

I was working on it for hours and then this idea flashed in my head. My daughter is a professional photographer, and when she had her second child, she took the baby home and took a picture of the child with her husband's hand. The baby didn't take up much more than that hand, and it was sleeping.

I thought it was a great image because it conveys that the child is dependent on his parents for everything. I thought it really described the role of March of Dimes very well. Interesting thing about it, it was a family effort. You had me, the sculptor, working off the design from my daughter's photograph showing her husband holding her son. So, it was four of us in the same family that helped produce the idea for the coin.

To read the complete article, see:
NGC Signer Spotlight: Don Everhart (https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/12161/signer-spotlight-ngc-don-everhart/)

To read earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
DON EVERHART AT THE U.S. MINT (https://www.coinbooks.org/v21/esylum_v21n16a10.html)
WEST POINT STRIKES MARCH OF DIMES SILVER DOLLAR (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n11a14.html)

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