July 16, 2007:

"Never Looked Better"

Author:
J. Agre

Concept:
Given that this is a slightly unusual item and one which is probably not familar to most CoinWorld readers, we felt that the ad had to communicate something substantive about the coin, who it depicts, etc.

In retrospect, we should have done a better job, as the historical significance of this issue and the story behind Ferdinand and Isabella bears telling. Plus the coin was simply outstanding, and it deserved a better write-up.

On the other hand, I noticed that one of our competitors used this exact same quote to describe a foreign proof set on their website a few weeks later. Since it’s not a typical quote to describe a coin, I can only conclude they were imitating us. I suppose that’s flattering.

Captions that didn’t make the cut:
"When they weren’t busy financing Columbus, Ferdinand and Isabella still found time to pose for this coin." seemed a little like trying to cram too much information into a small space – though it did tell the story in what some might consider a clever way.

"Old gold. (really, really old)." seemed sort of fun, but it didn’t say much of anything about the coin. Still, it’s a line that has some merit for future use in my opinion.

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"Never Looked Better"