January 24, 2011: "Not a Mark on His Cheek"

Author:
J. Agre

Concept:
The most interesting / unusual / noteworthy aspect of the featured coin (aside from it being a stone cold gem example of the considerably less common No Period type with lovely antique brown color) is that it displays about the most pristine, unmarked cheek we have ever seen on any coin.

Which is unusual, since the cheek is the highest point of the design, and usually the first spot to pick up a mark, or nick, or trace of rub.

It is also kind of important, since that is the prime focal area smack dab in the middle of the obverse, and any flaw there will be instantly noticeable. But not on this coin.

Captions that didn’t make the cut:
Our first effort "Gem No Period. Period." was rejected for being both not very good AND almost certainly confusing, not an ideal combination in our view.

So we opted for the final version to your left.