I don't have a special blog planned this week, so I decided to go away from a script and see where this blog takes me. Warning- the topics may get strange, but its me writing. Its honestly par for the course. ...Decided to use cash to buy a bit of candy a while back and got the first of the new American Women quarters. My reaction...mixed at best. I don't know, I just don't like them...they don't have the same artistic complexity as the National Park or 50State quarters...they just don't. Possibly, this is because I don't recognize 80% of the honorees. I recognize Celia Cruz from this year, but have I listened to any of her music? No. I don't know, this series is just, meh. It may because I was spoiled with my entrance into coin collecting, with the amazing design work for the National Park series (the mighty plethora of bird included). I'm frankly honestly bored of people being on it. Our coins need a shakeup. There seems to be a new call for artists for the AIP, 18 years after the first call for artists. I've been noticing a sharp downgrade in the originality of designs (THA BIRDS). The pitch...its interesting. Its professional, but we have the tattooed up Joe Menna, our 14th Chief Engraver, as the opening. Its a solid pitch, I will not lie. However, I just can't get over Joe Menna crossing his arms. Does he notice that by crossing his arms, our eyes are drawn to his to those very big muscles and his tattoos (well, this is coin thoughts, these are my opinions, this is my brainrot). Hopefully Menna uses his artistic talents to pick the right people for the program. Some of the designs are getting stale. We need more designs like the WWI commem, and less like, ya know, tha birds. Its seems weird to me that after David Ryder left, the mint release schedule paled out, and on the old 2022 schedule, there are no crazy reverse proofs or rare privy mark proofs. Either they have been ripped from the schedule to "hide the damage" or the new director doesn't do these crazy things. If the latter is true, we must wonder, man, David Ryder. Its been a while since we muttered his name. He ran the place like a business. Remember November 14th, 2019, the 2019-S Reverse Proof Silver Dollar? The 2020 V75 Privy Mark proofs, one of which only had a minted run of 1945 and is worth 11 fold its purchase price? All relics now. In a way, I miss it. Maybe Ryder believed that any press was good press. He used those crazy rare artificial rarities to bring news to the numismatic world. More people where entering Numismatics. The ANA blog was flowing. Times where good. That ends my rambling. Goodnight.