At ten years old, most kids would have a hard time moving to a new town. Imagine moving to a whole new country. That’s just what Adolph Alexander Weinman did. Weinman emigrated from Germany to the U.S. with his mother at only ten years old.
But the Weinman’s didn’t move to just anywhere in the U.S. The mother and son moved to New York City. It wasn’t long after Weinman arrived there, that he began a career that would impact American coinage for generations.
Five years after emigrating to the U.S. Weinman’s prolific sculpting career began. His education in the trade of sculpting started when he enrolled in night classes at Cooper Union. Cooper Union remains one of the top sculpting schools in the U.S. today. After Cooper Union, Weinman’s exceptional education continued.
The next place of study for Weinman was even more notable: The Art Students League. The Art Students League was home to many very famous instructors at that time. Weinman was lucky enough to study under none other than Augustus Saint-Gaudens.
In his early career, Weinman erected many architectural sculptures all over the East Coast. In addition to his East Coast sculptures, Weinman had statues in Detroit, Kentucky, and San Francisco. It wasn’t until Weinman was well into his forties that he designed the coins that he would become most famous for. Weinman purportedly disliked being known for coins.
The bulk of Weinman’s work was in architectural sculpture. So of course, he wanted to be known for the works he spent years creating, rather than the two times he sculpted coins. But not everyone has access to great metropolitan areas with famous statues to enjoy. Which is why beautiful currency made Weinman a famous sculptor.
After Mint Director, Robert W. Woolley, ordered new coinage in 1915, a contest to find coin designers was held. Weinman won the contest, and was awarded the design for the dime and the fifty-cent piece. The Mercury Dime, and the Walking Liberty Half Dollar were the results of Weinman’s wins. Both coins were released in 1916.
The 90% silver “Mercury Dime” as it was called, is one of Weinman’s most famous works. Unfortunately, the name Mercury Dime name is a misnomer. Weinman was actually attempting to depict the Greek goddess Liberty. The intended name of the dime was the “Winged Liberty Head Dime”
The winged cap, known as a pileus in Roman times, was symbolic of freedom. In Rome, when a slave was free, they wore this hat to convey their status as a freed slave. Weinman said he intended the addition of the hat to the design to convey "liberty of thought".
The Walking Liberty Half Dollar has lived longer than many of Weinman’s now demolished statues. The obverse design from the Walking Liberty Half Dollar is still in use.
The next place of study for Weinman was even more notable: The Art Students League. The Art Students League was home to many very famous instructors at that time. Weinman was lucky enough to study under none other than Augustus Saint-Gaudens.
In his early career, Weinman erected many architectural sculptures all over the East Coast. In addition to his East Coast sculptures, Weinman had statues in Detroit, Kentucky, and San Francisco. It wasn’t until Weinman was well into his forties that he designed the coins that he would become most famous for. Weinman purportedly disliked being known for coins.
The bulk of Weinman’s work was in architectural sculpture. So of course, he wanted to be known for the works he spent years creating, rather than the two times he sculpted coins. But not everyone has access to great metropolitan areas with famous statues to enjoy. Which is why beautiful currency made Weinman a famous sculptor.
After Mint Director, Robert W. Woolley, ordered new coinage in 1915, a contest to find coin designers was held. Weinman won the contest, and was awarded the design for the dime and the fifty-cent piece. The Mercury Dime, and the Walking Liberty Half Dollar were the results of Weinman’s wins. Both coins were released in 1916.
The 90% silver “Mercury Dime” as it was called, is one of Weinman’s most famous works. Unfortunately, the name Mercury Dime name is a misnomer. Weinman was actually attempting to depict the Greek goddess Liberty. The intended name of the dime was the “Winged Liberty Head Dime”
The winged cap, known as a pileus in Roman times, was symbolic of freedom. In Rome, when a slave was free, they wore this hat to convey their status as a freed slave. Weinman said he intended the addition of the hat to the design to convey "liberty of thought".
The Walking Liberty Half Dollar has lived longer than many of Weinman’s now demolished statues. The obverse design from the Walking Liberty Half Dollar is still in use.
One of our most famous bullion coins, the American Silver Eagle, dons the obverse design first seen on the Walking Liberty Half Dollar. Despite his inclination to be known for his architectural sculpting, Weinman’s incredible coin designs are his legacy.
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