Will or should the US Mint issue a special coin or medal recognizing the August 21 total solar eclipse?

[RWB]

This year's solar eclipse is very close to home for most of us. The 70-mile-wide path of totality stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic across the continental United States. Should there be some special US Mint medallic recognition or will private companies take care of this with creativity, grace, style, and accuracy?

[physics-fan3.14]

Ha! 

The solar eclipse is every bit as worthy as many of the other commemoratives made. 

That is to say - there isn't any reason I can see for it. 

[physics-fan3.14]

I am really looking forward to the eclipse, however. Totality passes directly over my house. 

I requested that day off from work 5 years ago. My boss thought I was joking. 

[PerryHall]

No.  Not a significant enough event.

[WoodenJefferson]

I wish to submit a design. 

Note: This is really annoying, but I decided to leave it as is 'totality' is the large diameter.

[Buffalo_Pete]

I'm sure the Mint could make a very nice coin to commemorate the event.  I envision the sun with Walking Liberty type rays being partially occluded on the obverse.  LIBERTY would be at the top, with IN GOD WE TRUST at the bottom. (Following the rim arc)

The reverse would carry the year, E PLURIBUS UNUM, denomination and a small eagle with the date of the event incused into it.

My take on this is:  If they didnt do Halley's Comet they ain't going to even think about this.

Leave it to the private mints.

Pete

 

[RWB]

How about commemorative slabs with the obverse window eclipsed and opaque leaving only a narrow ring of a corona to show the rim?

[Conder101]

Hey, if they start working on it now I'm sure they could have it ready by next year.

[RWB]

Maybe it will have full split Baily's beads ...?

[USAuPzlBxBob]

19 hours ago, physics-fan3.14 said:

I am really looking forward to the eclipse, however. Totality passes directly over my house. 

I requested that day off from work 5 years ago. My boss thought I was joking. 

Your boss was smart.  If totality passes directly over your house on this one, then 5 years ago, directly over your house it would not have been a "total" eclipse, and the difference between "total" and "partial" is literally "night" and "day."

I remember seeing a 93% total eclipse here in NJ in the 1990s, and if you hadn't been in the know, you wouldn't have even known it.  Things only got a little "dodgy," glints become little crescents, birds settled down a little.

I did go to Aruba for the one in February 1998, with my Questar Standard 3.5" telescope, and enjoyed 3 minutes, 8 seconds of totality.

I'm planning on heading south, South Carolina maybe, for this one.  Rental car is a must.  You have to be mobile.

It is a bucket list thing to do, if you have never seen one.

I'll make last second decisions that weekend before because widespread cloud cover, or a single cumulus cloud at the wrong time, can ruin everything.  Best prospects are out west where drier climates improve your chances.

I'd love a U.S. Gold coin to commemorate it.  The U.S. is the only country getting this one.

They better get cracking on the design if they're going to do it.

Not much time before now and then.

[Zebo]

No, they already produce too many coins 

[physics-fan3.14]

4 hours ago, RWB said:

Maybe it will have full split Baily's beads ...?

I would be more interested in a holographic type presentation that showed the relativistic effects of the space time continuum as light bends around the sun from stars behind it. Like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tests_of_general_relativity#Deflection_of_light_by_the_Sun

[RWB]

Mini-gravitational lensing?

[asdfgh]

Definately. It is also my birthday. That alone would require a $1000 dollar coin.

[BillJones]

On ‎4‎/‎22‎/‎2017 at 3:34 PM, Zebo said:

No, they already produce too many coins 

I agree, but if they place a low limit on the mintage and no limits on the number you can buy, it will sell out in two minutes and the flippers will make another killing. I don't want to sound totally cynical, but that's the way it seems it is these days.

[coinsbygary]

It's a 6-7 hour drive for me to the closest point just south of St. Louis and I'll need to make hotel reservations soon. That said, considering the expense I'll pay to see it, I never once thought about the prospect of an official medal to commemorate the event. Still if some numismatic souvenir is offered near the viewing site, I'll probably buy it as a memento. Except for the viewing shades which I will buy well in advance I'm sure there will be no shortage of capitalistic entrepreneurs taking advantage of the event.

[RWB]

Having seen several total solar eclipses, it has always been a humbling and awesome experience. Although this years eclipse is fairly short, it is an event to be remembered for the rest of your life. (Trashy tokens are not necessary - the vision and experience will penetrate deep into your mind.) Use correct eye protection for the noon-total phases. Sky and Telescope magazine is s good source of information.

[SkyMan]

The USPS will be making a stamp for the total eclipse.

 

http://www.collectspace.com/ubb/Forum20/HTML/001219.html

 

 

[RWB]

I remember one they did of Jupiter where they got the planet upside down....telescopic view vs direct view.

[SkyMan]

Ohhhhh, the USPS is CLASSIC on a bunch of their stamps.  I remember when they did the California Sesquicentennial stamp.  It was a picture of the coastline and in the foreground were ice plants.  Those are very common plants you see planted beside the road in So. Cal.  There's only one little problem, it's non-native.  The CA. state flower is the golden poppy.  A lot of people went ballistic over that faux pas.  

Actually my current favorite one for screw-ups (albeit a foreign screw-up) is a new poster for the Chinese Navy to celebrate it's anniversary.  It just came out recently.  It's got a picture of a Chinese aircraft carrier in the center of the poster.  On the carrier are assorted planes.  In the air in front of the bow of the carrier are assorted planes.  Steaming in an echeloned row behind the carrier are two ships.  It sounds like your basic recruitment poster, eh?  Well, the aircraft carrier is indeed a Chinese aircraft carrier.  Then the problems begin.  The aircraft on the carrier, even though they are shown with Chinese markings, are a type of plane that only the Russians have, so that's strike one.  Strike two is the planes in the air in front of the bow of the carrier are Chinese Air Force planes, the Chinese Navy does not have them.  Finally, to top it off, the two ships in the background are actually US Navy ship designs... Oooooopsie!!!  I do wonder what the Chinese Navy had to say to the company that produced the poster.  I guess it's kind of like the US sending it's Olympic Team to the Olympics in Chinese manufactured clothing.

[RWB]

This stamp might help a little....but no jump-carriers in sight.