WELCOME to the “Hermon A. MacNeil” — Virtual Gallery & Museum !

~ This Gallery celebrates Hermon Atkins MacNeil,  of the Beaux Arts School American classic sculptor of Native images and American history.  ~ World’s Fairs, statues, monuments, coins, and more… ~ Hot-links ( lower right) lead to works by Hermon A. MacNeil.   ~ Over 300 of stories & 4,000 photos form this virtual MacNeil Gallery stretching east to west  New York to New Mexico ~ Oregon to S. Carolina.   ~ 2016 marked the 150th Anniversary of Hermon MacNeil’s birth. ~~Do you WALK or DRIVE by MacNeil sculptures DAILY!  ~ CHECK OUT Uncle Hermon’s works!     Daniel Neil Leininger, webmaster

DO YOU walk by MacNeil Statues and NOT KNOW IT ???

Archive for August, 2023

 2023                                                     

Since 2010 this website has been dedicated to

perpetuating the Legacy of

Hermon Atkins MacNeil 

#      #     #      #      #

Jay H. Cline

 has been a majorly contributor

to that  Legacy

 

  1. He literally wrote the book on The Standing Liberty Quarter.
  2. That book became “the collector’s Bible” for that mintage. 
  3. Through four Editions (between 1975 1nd 2007) he updated, expanded, and refined his research.
  4. He ran J. H. Cline Rare Coins specializing in the The Standing Liberty Quarter for more that forty years.
  5. No other numismatist has devoted as much research, writing, publication, and business practice to the knowledge, identification and appreciation of Hermon MacNeil’s creative design.
  6. A Row of Liberty Standing Quarters is our LEAD Header.
  7. This is our 4th Posting in August 2023 telling some of the story of this amazing Numismatist. 

Jay H. Cline

After his death …

Over a 100 messages of condolence from collectors

were posted on the

Collectors Universe Website

Many who met JAY expressed their sorrow.

Many who never met him shared condolences.

Many more had only met him through his book on the SLQ.

ALL felt a sorrow and void with loss of a dedicated expert.

EXAMPLES:

  • I’m shocked and this is hard to believe. Last I saw him he was in good shape and animated; looked like he had 10-20 years more before retirement. 
  • I met him only once but he was a genuinely nice guy and easy to talk to.  Condolences to the family.
  • Sad news. Jay had a coin shop in Dayton Ohio for years. … Miss his coin stories!  RIP Jay.
  • My sympathies to Mr. Cline’s family. image
  • Immediately thought of the dealer with the Top Hat and Standing Liberty Quarters. Rest in Peace! >>
  • Find a Hundred more at CUW

 

FYI.  BELOW IS one of my previous postings on MacNeil’s Liberty Standing Quarter. 

MacNeil’s masterpiece still circulated during my childhood.  Below is my childhood story:

Collecting the Standing Liberty Quarter – Part One

The Standing Liberty Quarter

BREAKING NEWS

MacNeil’s MCKINLEY STILL STANDS

“Ohioans shut down an effort to make it harder to amend Ohio’s state constitution. Future state constitutional amendments will still pass with a simple majority, rather than the 60 percent threshold that Issue 1 proposed. Abortion-rights activists saw Issue 1’s defeat as a victory, with a November abortion-rights vote on the horizon in the Buckeye State.”   Zach Montellaro, National political reporter”. from POLITICO [https://www.politico.com/2023-election/results/ohio/ballot-measures/] Retrieved on Aug. 11, 2023,

McKinley VIEWS:

  • “I am for America because America is for the common people.”   1 ~ William McKinley
  • “The mission of the United States is one of benevolent assimilation. ~ William McKinley, December 21, 1898.   https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1224569
  • “Unlike any other nation, here the people rule, and their will is the supreme law.”  ~ William McKinley

The Statue of Wm. McKinley stands in front of the Ohio Capitol looking out over the city of Columbus. I always marvel at MacNeil’s works all over the U.S. of A.

 

Sources:

  1. 1 America, People, Common; McKinley, William (1893). “Speeches and addresses of William McKinley, from his election to Congress to the present time.”, p.194, Best Books
  2. https://www.azquotes.com/author/9869-William_McKinley

Related posts:

  1. H. A. MacNeil Sculpted the McKinley Monument at Ohio State Capitol (15.3)   The following article (by our Webmaster) was accepted for…
  2. MacNeil’s statue of Wm. McKinley stands above Screaming Protestors. (10.9) At the stately doors of the Columbus, Ohio Capitol,  protestors…
  3. DC Capitol Assault? by “Trump-it-eers!” ~~ What Would Will Rogers Say about January 6, 2021 ? (5.7) Jo Davidson was the “studio boy” for Hermon Atkins MacNeil…
  4. William McKinley –A President Assassinated by a Anarchist Protestor. (5.6) Angry Protestors at the Ohio Capitol screamed over their governor’s…
  5. ~ Missouri State Capitol Fire of February 5, 1911 ~ Resulted in new Sculptures by Hermon A. MacNeil and Others ~ MacNeil Month 2013 (5.2) On February 5, 1911 lightning struck the Missouri Capitol in…
  6. Presidents Day 2020 ~~ MacNeil Month ~~ Wm. McKinley ~~ Abe Lincoln ~~ Geo. Washington ~~ “THEY ARE ALL THERE” — H.A MacNeil’s Sculptures of 3 Presidents ~~ (4.9)  “They are still there” celebrates several re-visits and discoveries of…
Categories : Location
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  2023                        In the previous post, about Jay Cline,   

his kindness & graciousness

are quite evident.

Don Becker commented years after their meeting:

  “We had a fun dinner visiting,

maybe three hours.

We were worn out.

                   ~. ~. ~. ~. ~. ~. ~.

On July 22, 2010:   After He and Don Becker made plans to meet at the Boston American Numismatic Association meeting.

Jay also reached out to me by email.

 Emails with Jay Cline …

“My name is J. H. Cline,  and Don Becker  contacted you about me.  I am the man who wrote a book about the quarters Hermon MacNeil designed for the U.S. government.  I have specialized in 1916-1930 quarters since 1976, and have a collection of memorabilia related to Mr. MacNeil.  I am a full-time coin dealer in Florida at this time, although I  did business in Ohio for many years prior to my move down here.”

“Don and I are tentatively scheduled to meet for the first time, in Boston, on August 13th.  I look forward to spending some time with him.  I think he told me you are his first cousin?”

“Don tells me you are constructing a website.  I would like to see some of your work and would appreciate the web address when it is complete.    Where did you study?  What are your favored subjects?”

“Please reply when you have the opportunity to do so.”

J. H. Cline    

On Jul 22, 2010: I wrote back to Jay Cline mentioning:

  • That Don and I made a 40 minute presentation to about 50 family members about his collecting of SLQs since his teen years and I introduced the website giving Jay a link to it?: https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com/
  • That the website was just 3 months old.  I posted about Jay’s book, reviews, order details and  SLQ images.  LINK
  • That I Learned about “Uncle Hermon” from my mother.  Her comments about my resemblance to her father (Hermon’s cousin), Tom Henry McNeil.  I shared how my McNeil \MacNeil heritage had became the impetus for this website ~ a virtual MacNeil Gallery ~ his works across USA.
  • That the Fourth Edition of  The Standing Liberty Quarter excelled.  “Your work is the best source I have found so far on the life of Hermon Atkins MacNeil.”
  • That my own life work and family history, included engineering, ministry, teaching and chaplaincy.
  • That all these seeds have grown as I approach retirement.  I planned to travel and  photograph all the MacNeil sculptures and art that I can find.  [ The website has been a documentary of that since 2010. ]
  • Lastly, “Here’s my Wild Hair idea!  ~ 2016 is the 100th anniversary of the first SLQ, as well as, the 150 anniversary of the birth of Hermon Atkins MacNeil. “Does someone like yourself have ideas on how to mark and celebrate that year?”          Dan Leininger

Later, Jay Cline wrote back:

Hello Dan,

It was so nice to hear back from you so quickly.  I am  headed out to St. Louis for a convention, but when I return, I will take the time to carefully look over the website.  I look forward to doing that on Monday/Tuesday?

[ He gave me permission to use images from his website ]

Re: “Wild Hair”.  I’ll have to think about that.  Yes, I am life member #547 with the ANA, so I do have an opportunity to bend a few ears that could result in an anniversary project.  I’ll ask around and share the feedback with you.  We DO have time – although 2016 will be here before you blink!  I choose to work full-time through my retirement, and the days fly by.

I’ll be in touch next week.

Jay

My Emails with Jay Cline ended there!

 

Jay Cline (from http://www.slqs.com/ )

Jay was right…

“the days did fly by”

until 2015 when I saw

this obituary …

J.H. Cline, of Palm Harbor, Fla., died Jan. 8, 2015, from injuries suffered in an accident.

He was owner of J.H. Cline Rare Coins. Mr. Cline specialized in Standing Liberty quarter dollars for more than 40 years.

In 1975 he published Standing Liberty Quarters. The fourth edition of the book was published in 2007.

Mr. Cline “began collecting coins in high school with a few Indian Head cents. His first Standing Liberty Quarter was a severely cleaned 1918-S from a friend who asked the great sum of 35¢ for the coin. He bought that piece in the early 1950’s,” his website states.

Mr. Cline is survived by his wife, Vicki, two daughters, and three sons.

Mrs. Cline told Coin World that per her husband’s instructions, “a private memorial service may be held at a later date.”

Mr. Cline began his full-time career in numismatics in 1964. He spent 31 years operating his own coin shop, Cline’s Rare Coins on Salem Avenue in Dayton, Ohio, before moving to Palm Harbor.

Mr. Cline was a life member of the American Numismatic Association. He was also a member of the Indiana State Numismatic Association, National Silver Dollar Roundtable, Florida United Numismatists, Central States Numismatic Society, and other coin clubs.

Source: Retrieved from World Coin News   https://www.coinworld.com/news/us-coins/longtime-coin-dealer-j-h-cline-dies.html

Saddened by that news, I went ahead

with plans for my Wild Hair idea! … the

Hermon Atkins MacNeil Medallion

celebrating 2016

as both a Centennial

the first minting of

of the Liberty Standing Quarter

and a Sesquicentennial

the birth of “Uncle”

Hermon Atkins MacNeil

 

Standing Liberty Quarter ~ 1916-2016  100th Anniversary of First Minting Year

Hermon A. MacNeil Medallion 150th Birth Anniversary ~ 1866-1947 ~

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

CLICK HERE to purchase a

MacNeil Medallion of the

Standing Liberty Quarter  

on eBay  photos  above

SOURCES:

 
  1. Coinworld.com/news from https://www.coinworld.com/news/us-coins/longtime-coin-dealer-j-h-cline-dies.html
  2. Jay Cline from http://www.slqs.com
 
  1. CLINE #2: An Evening with Jay H. Cline ~ 2010 ~ Expert on MacNeil’s S.L.Q. ~ Signed His 4th Edition! (7.6) The American Numismatic Association met in Boston in 2010. A…
  2. Jay H. Cline ~ Loved the Standing Liberty Quarter~ #1 of 4 Stories. (6.2) AUGUST 2023 Jay H. Cline devoted his entire life and…
  3. Standing Liberty Quarter – Jay H. Cline’s Life-long Love (6.1) J. H. Cline’s 45 year admiration of Hermon A. MacNeil’s…
Categories : Location
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MacNeil’s Standing Liberty

J. H. Cline (19, Author/Expert ~ Standing Liberty Quarter

The American Numismatic Association met in Boston in 2010.

A private Dinner with

Jay H. Cline

would be the best dream for any SLQ collector.

Well, that dream became a real blessing for my nephew, Donald S. Becker of Bangor, Maine, a Project Engineer there with Haley Ward, Inc.  Don remembers that event this way:

Don Becker, PE,  Project Engineer with Haley Ward in Bangor, ME

“It was the American Numismatic Association meeting in Boston for the first time since 1982.  Jay told me I should come as it was the best coin show event there is.  He was always willing to visit by email and talk about coins and Hermon MacNeil.  … “

“I had already contacted him to let him know how much I enjoyed the chapter [on Hermon] in the book and he wanted to discuss anything I knew about Hermon and anything about artistic talent in the Leininger, McNeil family.”

By email Don had found out that Jay Cline would be there.  So, Don offered to buy Jay dinner if  “he meet me to sign my book.”  Don remembered that evening:

“We had dinner at Abe & Louie’s on 793 Boylston Street…. The restaurant is still there … and is a very nice venue.”

Front Door of Abe & Louie’s where Jay Cline and Don met.

 

Dining Room at Abe & Louie’s Restaurant, Boston, Mass.

I used to receive Cline’s price list on SLQ quarters which was his specialty.

It was a enjoyable dinner and…

he signed my copy of his book.

Jay Cline signed: “To Donald. Best Wishes. J. H. Cline. A.N.A. Boston. 8/13/10”

It was something I thought would be neat to do.

The national coin show was very large and dramatic.

Don continued his comments:

Don Becker Collected his first Standing Liberty Quarter in his teens, like Jay Cline did.

“Abe & Louie’s is located near the  Hynes Convention Center, on Boylston Street, in Boston.The original founders retired when it was still part of the Backbay Restaurant Group.Yet the restaurant is still there.  … It is a very nice restaurant.

[Owned now by Tavistock Restaurant Collection]

On April 15, 2013 the second blast site of the Boston Marathon Bombing was just a few buildings away.”

 

Boston’s Commonwealth Street ~ Yellow Circle marks Abe & Louie’s ~ Finish line of Marathon.   Retrieved from https://abeandlouies.com/ on 6-9-2023    “I went as it was a national coin exhibition annual event somewhere close I could attend and included large US gold coin exhibition I wanted to see.”

~. ~.  ~.  ~.  ~.  ~.  ~. 

Bonus Images from Don:

Projects for Haley Ward in the Maine woods:

Don added two photos from his recent projects at Katahdin Woods and Water National Monument Visitors Contact Station projects.

Click link for MORE ~ Katahdin Woods and Waters Scenic Byway, National Park Service

A Trail created through Katahdin Woods

Water National Monument Visitors Contact Station project in T3 R7 WELS

Related posts:

  1. Standing Liberty Quarter – Jay H. Cline’s Life-long Love (11.2) J. H. Cline’s 45 year admiration of Hermon A. MacNeil’s…
  2. Jay H. Cline ~ Loved the Standing Liberty Quarter~ #1 of 4 Stories. (8.3) AUGUST 2023 Jay H. Cline devoted his entire life and…

Sources: 

  1. https://abeandlouies.com/history/.
  2. Don Becker, PE,  Project Engineer with Haley Ward in Bangor, ME

AUGUST 2023

screenshot of ANA Museum, Robert B. Kelley.

ANA Museum Photo / Robert B. Kelley

Jay H. Cline devoted his entire life and career to the Standing Liberty Quarter designed by Hermon MacNeil.

We will devote four postings in August 2023 to this dedicated numismatist. 

Serious collectors and MacNeil enthusiasts will also enjoy Cline’s book.

Cline  wrote the first definitive volume on MacNeil’s Standing Liberty Quarter.  He told his own story as a young boy collecting his first of MacNeil’s quarter design.

He became a coin dealer.  MacNeil’s work became his specialty and love.   He researched, wrote, revised his book through Four Editions.

Stay TUNED Here at HAM for MORE

 https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com/

~. ~. ~. ~. ~. ~. ~. ~. ~. ~. ~

Related posts:

  1. Standing Liberty Quarter – Jay H. Cline’s Life-long Love (26.7) J. H. Cline’s 45 year admiration of Hermon A. MacNeil’s…
  2. Hermon MacNeil’s “Standing Liberty Quarter” Praised As Favorite (16.8) Ninety-four years after its first minting, the MacNeil “Standing Liberty…
  3. Standing Liberty Quarter ~ MacNeil’s First Design (16.1) Hermon MacNeil’s first concept for the new Liberty Standing Quarter…
  4. MacNeil’s “Standing Liberty Quarter” and “I’ve Got a Secret” April 4, 1966 (15.8) 100 years after the birth of Hermon MacNeil and fifty…
  5. Edward A. Van Orden, “Collecting a Masterpiece; an Introduction to the Standing Liberty quarter” (15.5) ~~ SLQ ~~ Part One ~~ In September 2019 the…
  6. RE-APPEARANCE of Hermon MacNeil’s 0wn “Personal 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter” ~ Part 2 (14.3) The first Standing Liberty Quarter struck in 1916 was given…

WHAT YOU FIND HERE.

Here is ONE place to go to see sculpture of Hermon A. MacNeil & his students. Located in cities from east to west coast, found indoors and out, public and private, these creations point us toward the history and values that root Americans.

Daniel Neil Leininger ~ HAMacNeil@gmail.com
Hosting & Tech Support: Leiturgia Communications, Inc.           WATCH US GROW

WE DESIRE YOUR DIGITAL PHOTOS – Suggestions

1. Take digital photos of the work from all angles, including setting.
2. Take close up photos of details that you like
3. Look for MacNeil’s signature. Photograph it too! See examples above.
4. Please, include a photo of you & others beside the work.
5. Tell your story of adventure. It adds personal interest.
6. Send photos to ~ Webmaster at: HAMacNeil@gmail.com