Information about Frank Gasparro

Frank Gasparro was the tenth Chief Engraver of the United States Mint, holding this position from 23 February 1965 to 16 January 1981.

A Philadelphia native, Gasparro studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and apprenticed under sculptor Giuseppe Donato, a former student of Auguste Rodin. His nearly four-decade tenure at the U.S. Mint produced some of America's most recognizable 20th-century coinage.

Lincoln Memorial Cent reverse (1959 - 2008): Gasparro's redesign of the penny's reverse, featuring the Lincoln Memorial, replaced the Wheat Ears design for Lincoln's 150th birth anniversary. His initials "FG" appear discreetly near the memorial's lower right.
Kennedy Half Dollar reverse (1964 - present): He crafted the heraldic eagle with shield and arrows, complementing Gilroy Roberts' obverse portrait.
Eisenhower Dollar obverse (1971 - 1978): Gasparro designed the obverse portrait.
Susan B. Anthony Dollar (1979 - 1999): Gasparro created both sides of this first U.S. small-dollar coin.

Gasparro also produced presidential medals from Lyndon Johnson to Jimmy Carter, the 1980 Summer Olympics medal, and the 1979 Congressional John Wayne medal-the Mint's best-selling medal at the time. His archives, including sketches of Liberty and eagles using Xerox and tracing-paper techniques, reside at the Smithsonian's National Numismatic Collection.

Known for quipping "It's in your pocket" about his ubiquitous penny design, Gasparro received the American Numismatic Association's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001.

After his retirement from the mint he continued to design medals for both private and public groups.