Frank Gasparro

Frank Gasparro (August 26, 1909 – September 29, 2001) was the tenth Chief Engraver of the United States Mint, holding this position from February 23, 1965, to January 16, 1981.

His father ultimately relented and had Gasparro apprentice under sculptor Giuseppe Donato, who had earlier worked for Auguste Rodin.

Gasparro graduated from South Philadelphia High School in 1927 and has been inducted into the SPHS Alumni Cultural Hall of Fame.

He attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and traveled to Europe with the aid of scholarships that allowed him to refine his craft.

His original design included the words "Lincoln Memorial" and 13 stars around the rim of the coin, which he removed at the request of staff at the Mint.

[1] Asked to produce a design for the Susan B. Anthony dollar, Gasparro found two photos of women's suffrage leader, one at age 28 and the other when she was 84.

[5] Gasparro designed his coins by finding subjects, such as objects, animals, and people from various newspaper clippings, photographs, magazines, and books.

Image of the reverse of the Lincoln cent used from 1959 to 2008, showing the Lincoln memorial with Lincoln seated at the center and Gasparro's initials to the right of the monument.
Frank Gasparro Historical Marker
Gasparro designed both the obverse (pictured) and reverse of the Susan B. Anthony dollar , which he called his "top achievement", though the coin was largely rejected by the American public