Franklin Mint creates affordable intro into world coin collecting!
MKW
The Franklin Mint is working hard to rebuild their business under new
ownership. While most coin related products are Morgan Mint carry-
overs right now...FM has developed an exclusive World Coin Folio. As
seen in the link above the price is right and the presentation
attractive. Perhaps if this does well, FM will be more willing to
consider developing some exclusive Coin of the Realm.
Frank Provasek
The Museum, the manufacturing center, and the 188 acres just 8 miles
west of Philadelphia
were all sold off. Only the name, mailing list, "intellectual
property" were bought by the Morgan Mint.
MKW
purchased all the tooling too...for many many products. Many core
people remain as well. The people who developed this coin folio are
the same ones who worked in the same area back in the 90's.
MKW
is quite stunning and something one would see in Franklin Mint's
product line in the 1970's...what I would consider FM's glory days
with superb products.
RWF
"MKW" <mwelb...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:cb0ec550-58e2-4bd8...@f20g2000yqg.googlegroups.com...
The Franklin Mint is selling gold plated Prez bux and now has started
hawking gold plated Kennedy half dollars with Obama's picture painted on
them.
The Franklin Mint once offered beautiful medals of high quality.
How the mighty have fallen.
mazorj
"RWF" <R...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:gg90kr$6gq$1...@news.motzarella.org...
In the late 1970s I was dating the daughter of a somewhat famous
westerns artist. (As a commercial artist he had created the Marlboro
Man cowboy image. His westerns paintings were selling briskly in a NY
gallery for a minimum of $7,000 a pop.) Franklin Mint commissioned
him to create a bronze sculpture of a stagecoach and horses, in the
style of Remington. They cut him a check for $50,000 and he bought a
bunch of metal-working tools for his studio. A few months later
Franklin cancelled the order but didn't ask for the money back. They
must have been awash in cash then, but if that's how they ran the
business, no wonder they ran it into the ground.
MKW
the 70's. Who was this artist? They were a great company that spent
big bucks on product development. The new group does like those
tackey colorize coins and advertises with those tacky tactics like $60
value only $19.95." Such a shame. But the one set I mentioned
first in this thread is a true FM product like would have been issued
in the past.
Its sad but I think the market just doesnt collect the high end classy
stuff like FM used to sell. Even companies with a rich history like
Royal Doulton are on hard times and have to make stuff in China..or
license their names out to others to use. People just don't
appreciate quality products anymore.
On Nov 22, 10:37 am, "mazorj" <maz...@verizon.net> wrote:
> In the late 1970s I was dating the daughter of a somewhat famous
> westerns artist. (As a commercial artist he had created the Marlboro
> Man cowboy image. His westerns paintings were selling briskly in a NY
> gallery for a minimum of $7,000 a pop.) Franklin Mint commissioned
> him to create a bronze sculpture of a stagecoach and horses, in the
> style of Remington. They cut him a check for $50,000 and he bought a
> bunch of metal-working tools for his studio. A few months later
> Franklin cancelled the order but didn't ask for the money back. They
> must have been awash in cash then, but if that's how they ran the
> business, no wonder they ran it into the ground.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
mazorj
< Thats quite interesting. FM did end up doing a pewter stagecoach in
the 70's. Who was this artist?
Gordon Phillips
MKW
embossed silver plate in 1972. They did end up doing that stagecoach
but in pewter so they got their money's worth. They even offered a
version of it in the 90's.
On Nov 22, 2:02 pm, "mazorj" <maz...@verizon.net> wrote:
> "MKW" <mwelbor...@aol.com> wrote in message
mazorj
< Excellent artist. He did some nice work for FM including their
first
embossed silver plate in 1972. They did end up doing that stagecoach
but in pewter so they got their money's worth. They even offered a
version of it in the 90's.
Did he execute that design? At the time, IIRC he spoke about bronze
as with the Remingtons. Later his daughter told me they had cancelled
the order and I lost track after we stopped seeing each other.
If you don't mind me asking, are you familiar with his work or were
you just able to look it up? When I visited the gallery in NY that
sold his paintings in the late 1970s they said "Tell him to send us
more. They go right out the door." That plus the selling price and
the $50k FM commission impressed the hell out of me at the time, but
now it's 30 years later and I run across someone still aware of his
work? That's almost spooky.
Gordon was one of those artists with a good head for business,
probably because of his work as a commercial artist. One of his
western paintings hung in his daughter's apartment as a gift and he
had bequeathed a bunch of his trial illustrations and line drawings.
He said that all told they were worth thousands, maybe even enough to
put his grandaughter through college.
MKW
about FM. Therefor I try to keep up with who designed what. I know
he did the silver plate. Maybe some other silver wall plaques...and
one of the works in the FM Portfolio of Western Art. I will double
check the Stagecoach Holdup and will post my findings but I am certain
it was him.
Is he still alive?
On Nov 23, 2:52 pm, "mazorj" <maz...@verizon.net> wrote:
> "MKW" <mwelbor...@aol.com> wrote in message
>
mazorj
< I collect FM and have accumulated a bunch of historical knowledge
about FM. Therefor I try to keep up with who designed what. I know
he did the silver plate. Maybe some other silver wall plaques...and
one of the works in the FM Portfolio of Western Art. I will double
check the Stagecoach Holdup and will post my findings but I am certain
it was him.
<
< Is he still alive?
If memory serves me right - something I can't guarantee that far
back - I heard a few years later that he had died. This would have
been in the early 1980s at the latest. It surprised me because he
appeared to be in good health the last I saw him.
There was no mention of a stagecoach "holdup" at the time, just a
coach and horses galloping along, so maybe FM changed the commission.
Anything you can find would be appreciated, including any links.
Thanks.
MKW
it...orignal work for FM.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Franklin-Mint-Gold-Medal-Portfolio-of-Western-Art_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a1205Q7c66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem310103351707QQitemZ310103351707QQptZArtQ5fPrintsQQsalenotsupported
mazorj
Here is a link to the western portfolio FM did with a Phillips work in
it...orignal work for FM.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Franklin-Mint-Gold-Medal-Portfolio-of-Western-Art_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a1205Q7c66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem310103351707QQitemZ310103351707QQptZArtQ5fPrintsQQsalenotsupported
Hah. Not only did I spend a lot of time in the same apartment complex
(his daughter's place - he had two of his own units there, one for
living, one was his studio) but I went traveling with them in that
humongous trailer. It was the biggest one Airstream made at the time,
with every imaginable luxury and a "5th wheel" coupling on the truck
bed. It was almost as big as a small semi. He'd do 1-2 road trips a
year out west for months at a time. It's amazing what minor details
are preserved on the Internet!