Behind the Scenes: The Making of John Paul II Centennial Commemorative Issue — behind the scenes RSS

Get an exclusive glimpse into the art of hand-engraving and modeling like never seen before and see how this first Polish release in the US and Canada came to life. The Making of John Paul II Centennial Commemorative .999 Silver Proof To truly honor the legacy of John Paul II, we chose a 1-ounce platform; anything else would seem lacking. Drawing inspiration from the iconic Double Eagle design by Saint-Gaudens, we employed a full-strength press. This technique, by exerting increased pressure, allows us to achieve a 'full strike.' The result is an exquisite 'full strike' of unrivaled sharpness and prominence. Expertly struck to proof quality, each commemorative features a mirror-like background set against a frosted foreground. This striking contrast, sharpness,...

The Hands That Say it All Hands have been both the subject and the means of artistic expression for thousands of years.  Ever since we uncovered cave wall paintings showing the hands of a couple (now dated at 25,000 years ago), hands have preoccupied artists.    In Baroque and Renaissance, we often see hands weirdly positioned on some paintings while others have subjects entirely without hands.  "One thing we learned in art school and art history classes is hands were awfully difficult to paint," says the medal artist Monika Molenda.Painters would charge more to paint a hand. (It's safe to assume the subject was wealthy if you see a hand in the picture.)Many artists perfected one position to make a...