Art of Frank Gasparro: 10th United States Mint Chief Engraver

The Art of Frank Gasparro consists of 115 drawings, plaster models, photographs, newspaper clippings and ephemera collected by, and related to, Frank Gasparro, the 10th United States Mint Chief Engraver. Christina Hansen, Gasparro’s daughter, donated the collection in 2009 to the National Numismatic Collection (NNC).

The Gasparro collection holds a few finished presentation drawings and cast plaster coin models. Most images are rough sketches based on one of two themes: Lady Liberty and eagles. The eagles hold branches in their beaks and are surrounded by stars. Some soar in flight and others perch on rocks. Liberty’s face gazes both left and right and may wear a crown or liberty cap.

Each drawing, whether of Liberty or an eagle, changes ever so slightly. This body of work is a testament to the technological tools available to the 20th- century graphic artist. In these sketches Gasparro was not observing a live model in his studio or creating images with a computer. The designer instead used photographs from magazines and newspaper as his muse, and Xeroxes and tracing paper to make quick changes. Each time Gasparro xeroxed an image, he made a change to the drawing. A piece of tracing paper made it easy to turn the head of Liberty from facing right to left. Each drawing gives us evidence of Gasparro’s progression of an idea. 

By viewing Gasparro’s drawings as a series, one is able to follow the evolution of the coin design from the artist’s perspective. This body of work offers a visual path into the thought processes of a working 20th-century graphic artist. It did not matter that some of these “ideas” did not become coins. It is the concrete visualization of the artist’s process that gives this collection its historic value.

Frank Gasparro was born August 26, 1909, on the centennial of President Lincoln’s birth and by chance, the same year Victor David Brenner put Abraham Lincoln’s portrait on the obverse of the penny. Fifty years later in 1959, the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, Frank Gasparro placed the Lincoln Memorial (replacing the previous wheat ears design) on the reverse side of the Lincoln penny.

Douglas Martin of The New York Times quoted Christina Hansen (Gasparro’s daughter) in Gasparro’s obituary, “Frank Gasparro, 92, of Mint; Art Is on 100 Billion Pennies,” October 3, 2001, “…he originally aspired to make sculptures like those of Rodin and Michelangelo, but came to take pride in his billions of lowly pennies. He was known to show cashiers the reverse side of a penny and announce that he had designed it.” 

Gasparro’s Lincoln Memorial Reverse remained on the penny for 49 years. Used and collected by generations, it may be Gasparro’s very long fifteen minutes of fame. Gasparro’s coin designs also include the presidential coat of arms on the Kennedy half reverse; the obverse and reverse of the Eisenhower dollar; the Susan B. Anthony dollar; and multitudes of medals and commemoratives that he continued to design for the United States Mint and private mints after his retirement from federal service.

Robyn Einhorn
Collection Manager
National Numismatic Collection

In this page advertising coins, Frank Gasparro drew directly over images of the Peace and Morgan dollars to perfect his own prototype of Lady Liberty. The process of borrowing imagery in this manner to make your own designs was a 20th—century phenomenon.
Description (Brief)
In this page advertising coins, Frank Gasparro drew directly over images of the Peace and Morgan dollars to perfect his own prototype of Lady Liberty. The process of borrowing imagery in this manner to make your own designs was a 20th—century phenomenon. Only when reproductions and prints were cheap and easily available could this type of sampling be done.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1977
artist
Gasparro, Frank
ID Number
2009.0005.035
catalog number
2009.0005.035
accession number
2009.0005
To keep his skills sharp as an artist, Gasparro was always drawing. Every scrap of paper became a canvas to test out a new coin design.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
To keep his skills sharp as an artist, Gasparro was always drawing. Every scrap of paper became a canvas to test out a new coin design.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1977
artist
Gasparro, Frank
ID Number
2009.0005.036
catalog number
2009.0005.036
accession number
2009.0005
Gasparro used both side of this sheet of paper to make gesture drawings—drawings done quickly to capture the motion of life. Here we have a bust of a Phrygian—capped Lady Liberty on one side of the paper and a full figure on the other.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Gasparro used both side of this sheet of paper to make gesture drawings—drawings done quickly to capture the motion of life. Here we have a bust of a Phrygian—capped Lady Liberty on one side of the paper and a full figure on the other.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1975-1990
artist
Gasparro, Frank
ID Number
2009.0005.092
accession number
2009.0005
catalog number
2009.0005.092
In this marker sketch, Frank Gasparro drew an allegorical figure resmbling Liberty. She wears earrings and a crown of skyscrapers topped by a cow. Here the artist shows off his deft hand and sense of play.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
In this marker sketch, Frank Gasparro drew an allegorical figure resmbling Liberty. She wears earrings and a crown of skyscrapers topped by a cow. Here the artist shows off his deft hand and sense of play.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1975-1990
artist
Gasparro, Frank
ID Number
2009.0005.096
accession number
2009.0005
catalog number
2009.0005.096
The Gasparro Collection at the National Museum of American History demonstrates the artist's constant mental and tactile preoccupation with the next coin design. Many of his drawings illustrate allegorical figures.
Description (Brief)
The Gasparro Collection at the National Museum of American History demonstrates the artist's constant mental and tactile preoccupation with the next coin design. Many of his drawings illustrate allegorical figures. This quick design is labeled Victory "1776-1781."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1975-1990
artist
Gasparro, Frank
ID Number
2009.0005.091
accession number
2009.0005
catalog number
2009.0005.091
Here Gasparro drew a view of Freedom from the bronze statue on the dome of the United States Capitol, originally designed by Thomas Crawford in 1863. Gasparro placed the allegorical figure into a mock-up for a new coin design.
Description (Brief)
Here Gasparro drew a view of Freedom from the bronze statue on the dome of the United States Capitol, originally designed by Thomas Crawford in 1863. Gasparro placed the allegorical figure into a mock-up for a new coin design. As the Mint chief engraver, he was always looking for new ways to use American iconography on coins. The large number of drawings that were preserved in many numismatic collections are evidence that Gasparro experimented and created many more designs for coins than were actually struck.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1965
artist
Gasparro, Frank
ID Number
2009.0005.020
catalog number
2009.0005.020
accession number
2009.0005
With a few quick pencil marks, Frank Gasparro's idea is transformed from a thought to a visual representation for the obverse of the Lincoln Memorial cent.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
With a few quick pencil marks, Frank Gasparro's idea is transformed from a thought to a visual representation for the obverse of the Lincoln Memorial cent.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1958
artist
Gasparro, Frank
ID Number
2009.0005.011
catalog number
2009.0005.011
accession number
2009.0005
This drawing of Abraham Lincoln's birthplace was one of many designs made by Frank Gasparro in 1959 for the reverse image of the cent. The new coin was to honor the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth.
Description (Brief)
This drawing of Abraham Lincoln's birthplace was one of many designs made by Frank Gasparro in 1959 for the reverse image of the cent. The new coin was to honor the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. From the many sketches and ideas offered, the Mint chose the now-famous image of the Lincoln Memorial, and it remained on the reverse of the cent for the next fifty years. To celebrate the 2009 bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth, four new designs were placed on the reverse of the cent. The design, called Birth and Early Childhood in Kentuckylooks very much like Gasparro's log cabin drawing done fifty years earlier.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1958
artist
Gasparro, Frank
ID Number
2009.0005.009
catalog number
2009.0005.009
accession number
2009.0005
Using tracing paper, Gasparro could place one sheet over a drawing and make incremental changes without having to recreate the whole drawing.
Description (Brief)
Using tracing paper, Gasparro could place one sheet over a drawing and make incremental changes without having to recreate the whole drawing. In this manner Gasparro reversed the eagle in this sketch from facing right to facing left.
In this small group of artwork by Frank Gasparro are five different drawings showing the variations and stages Gasparro developed in eagle designs.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1965-1990
artist
Gasparro, Frank
ID Number
2009.0005.041
catalog number
2009.0005.041
accession number
2009.0005
Using tracing paper, Gasparro could place one sheet over a drawing and make incremental changes to that image without having to recreate the whole drawing. In this manner Gasparro perfected his designs.
Description (Brief)
Using tracing paper, Gasparro could place one sheet over a drawing and make incremental changes to that image without having to recreate the whole drawing. In this manner Gasparro perfected his designs. The small hole in the center of this tracing (produced by using a protractor to make the circle) and the straight line that comes from the center through the top middle of the drawing (the radius)indicate center. Center guidelines helped the artist to organize the type and composition on the coin.
In this small group of artwork by Frank Gasparro are five different drawings showing the variations and stages Gasparro developed in eagle designs.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1965-1990
artist
Gasparro, Frank
ID Number
2009.0005.037
catalog number
2009.0005.037
accession number
2009.0005
Drawing quick sketches Gasparro was able to transfer the ideas in his head into visual images on a sheet of paper. From this energetic start, Gasparro established his composition, subject, and placement for the necessary words on the coin.
Description (Brief)
Drawing quick sketches Gasparro was able to transfer the ideas in his head into visual images on a sheet of paper. From this energetic start, Gasparro established his composition, subject, and placement for the necessary words on the coin. From this jumping—off point, he drew many stages until he had a refined drawing ready to become a coin.
In this small group of artwork by Frank Gasparro are five different drawings showing the variations and stages Gasparro developed in eagle designs.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1965-1990
artist
Gasparro, Frank
ID Number
2009.0005.042
catalog number
2009.0005.042
accession number
2009.0005
Each drawing makes a change. In this variation of the proposed reverse image for a United States dollar coin, an eagle perched on a rock with its wings spread, holding an olive branch in its beak.
Description (Brief)
Each drawing makes a change. In this variation of the proposed reverse image for a United States dollar coin, an eagle perched on a rock with its wings spread, holding an olive branch in its beak. The eagle appears to burst through the rays of the sun in the background.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1965-1990
artist
Gasparro, Frank
ID Number
2009.0005.059
accession number
2009.0005
catalog number
2009.0005.059
Although Gasparro made many drawings of eagles for the reverse of the new dollar coin, the mint ultimately chose to use a reverse that was very similar to that on the 1971—1974 Dwight D. Eisenhower dollar (an adaptation of the Apollo II insignia,) for the Susan B.
Description (Brief)
Although Gasparro made many drawings of eagles for the reverse of the new dollar coin, the mint ultimately chose to use a reverse that was very similar to that on the 1971—1974 Dwight D. Eisenhower dollar (an adaptation of the Apollo II insignia,) for the Susan B. Anthony dollar.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1965-1990
artist
Gasparro, Frank
ID Number
2009.0005.043
catalog number
2009.0005.043
accession number
2009.0005
This image may have been one Frank Gasparro showed to get approval from the Mint to create the Lincoln Memorial cent.
Description (Brief)
This image may have been one Frank Gasparro showed to get approval from the Mint to create the Lincoln Memorial cent. The fine detail in this drawing includes a miniscule statue of Abraham Lincoln, wreathes and boughs decorating the monument, and carefully executed lines showing perspective on the steps and in the columns. The inclusion of Gasparro's signature (on the bottom right corner of the image) shows us that Gasparro felt this drawing was more important than many of his multitude of drawings.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1958
artist
Gasparro, Frank
ID Number
2009.0005.013
catalog number
2009.0005.013
accession number
2009.0005
Gasparro drew and redrew his ideas until he produced that one image chosen to grace a coin. Here, on a refined view of the reverse for the Lincoln Memorial cent, is a mark where eventually the coin will display the second image of President Lincoln.
Description (Brief)
Gasparro drew and redrew his ideas until he produced that one image chosen to grace a coin. Here, on a refined view of the reverse for the Lincoln Memorial cent, is a mark where eventually the coin will display the second image of President Lincoln. The first image is Victor David Brenner's famous 1909 portrait on the obverse. The Lincoln Memorial cent was the first coin to have a portrait of the same person on both sides.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1958
artist
Gasparro, Frank
ID Number
2009.0005.012
catalog number
2009.0005.012
accession number
2009.0005
In this rendition of the dollar, Susan B. Anthony faces left. She has a ridge on her nose and a softened jaw line that shows a realistic aging woman. In the final design, Anthony faced right and was given a younger look by smoothing out her nose and jaw line.
Description (Brief)
In this rendition of the dollar, Susan B. Anthony faces left. She has a ridge on her nose and a softened jaw line that shows a realistic aging woman. In the final design, Anthony faced right and was given a younger look by smoothing out her nose and jaw line. To help distinguish the new dollar from a quarter the round coin was given eleven sides.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1979
artist
Gasparro, Frank
ID Number
2009.0005.113
accession number
2009.0005
catalog number
2009.0005.113
The Susan B. Anthony coin was the first American coin to illustrate an actual woman, rather than an allegorical or mythological figure. In this rendition of the dollar, Susan B.
Description (Brief)
The Susan B. Anthony coin was the first American coin to illustrate an actual woman, rather than an allegorical or mythological figure. In this rendition of the dollar, Susan B. Anthony faces right; the ridge on her nose and her softened jaw line is less pronounced than in earlier drawings.
The Susan B. Anthony coin was produced and distributed from the year 1979 through 1991, and then made one last year in 1999. Right from the beginning there was a problem with the new dollar because it was almost the same size as the quarter, and although the United States Mint gave the new dollar an eleven-sided edge to distinguish the dollar from the round quarter, people still confused the two coins. In the end, the Susan B. Anthony dollar never caught on as a spendable dollar for the general public.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1979
artist
Gasparro, Frank
ID Number
2009.0005.114
accession number
2009.0005
catalog number
2009.0005.114

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