Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Isabella quarter/archive1

The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by Ian Rose 17:19, 3 November 2012 [1].

Isabella quarter

Featured article candidates/Isabella quarter/archive1

Nominator(s): Wehwalt (talk) 16:04, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I am nominating this for featured article because... I believe it meets the criteria. The Isabella quarter was the second commemorative coin struck by the US Mint, in 1893, and remains the only commemorative quarter not intended for circulation. A short tale, with the usual bureaucratic nightmare at the Mint, plus some sexism thrown in to spice it up. Enjoy.Wehwalt (talk) 16:04, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Support I performed a good article review and was impressed with the quality. So much so that after all my comments were resolved I felt that I should be adding a star instead of the circle. Also I spotchecked three refs and found no issues. Mark Arsten (talk) 16:22, 23 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for that.--Wehwalt (talk) 19:14, 23 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

~~This nomination is withdrawn to allow another article to be nominated.~~--Wehwalt (talk) 14:14, 25 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Meh, given that you're one of three co-noms on the other article in question, as a delegate I'm happy to let this one stand if you'd like to continue with it. Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 05:13, 26 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Very well, thank you.--Wehwalt (talk) 10:24, 26 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Support - A well-written article, though I don't particularly like how the Palmer picture sits in Chrome (it seems to fit in decently on Firefox). Is there a less colloquial way to phrase the sentence "The last straws for Peddle were two letters dated April 7."? Something like "What finally wore down Peddle's patience"? ceranthor 16:56, 29 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Changed per suggestion. I'll look at the Palmer photo but probably don't see what you see.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:59, 31 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks! You're lucky you got power back so quickly. I had to wait five days. ceranthor 21:21, 2 November 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Welcome back and thanks.--Wehwalt (talk) 21:44, 2 November 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Support~~Comments~~: A few prose issues:

The Board of Lady Managers ("Lady Managers") - the parenthetical repetition looks unnecessary
A few points arising from this paragraph: "In January 1893, Bertha Palmer approached the House Appropriations Committee, asking that $10,000 of the funds already designated to be paid over to the Lady Managers by the federal government be in the form of souvenir quarters, which they could sell at a premium. Congress duly passed an act on March 3, 1893, authorizing the piece, which was to be to the specifications of the quarter struck for circulation. Total mintage of the special quarter would be limited to 40,000 specimens."

Suggest replace "the piece" with "the souvenir coins"
Presumably these souvenirs would had some distinctive features rather than merely "to the specifications of the quarter struck for circulation."?

I wonder why Palmer asked Cox to produce sketches when she was determined to have a female designer?

To give her something to work from, and possibly in the interest of time. Peddle was to create the three-dimensional models, most likely in plaster, which the Mint would then scale down on a reducing lathe to the hubs from which the coining dies were made. But creating that three-dimensional sculpture, which also fit guidelines which she was given by the Mint, would be something she received credit for.--Wehwalt (talk) 18:59, 29 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

It may be a BritEng thing, but so far as I know the adverb "in-house" has a hyphen.
We have the possessive apostrophe Columbus' in the lead, and "Columbus's" in the text. To me, the latter is much preferred - but either way they should be standardised.
"While this was going on" - verbose? "Meanwhile, ..."
"Uneasy about the neutrality of "The last straws..." I suggest "Peddle's resignation was precipitated by two letters dated April 7". (I see this point has been raised, above)

Fixed.--Wehwalt (talk) 01:38, 31 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Having reviewed many coin articles, I suppose I should know what is meant by MS-50 and MS66, but I have forgotten. And, of course, others may wonder. Some explanation required, maybe?

I am going on to do a sources review, and will post momentarily. Brianboulton (talk) 18:40, 29 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Sources review

The OCLC for the Taxay book is 1357564, if you're interested.
The links to Ch. 8 of the Bowers Encyclopedia go to pages that don't mention Bowers, or the encyclopedia. I'm not questioning the links, but how should a researcher, say, convince him/herself that he/she was looking at sections from the encyclopedia?

I have added a note to the citation.

That's it: all fine otherwise. Brianboulton (talk) 18:54, 29 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I will work through these, but at present we are having a small amount of weather and it's unaccountably affecting the power supply, which has gone away once so far. There may be some delay, also for Ceranthor, thank you both for your reviews. I see nothing problematical.--Wehwalt (talk) 18:59, 29 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Take your time, we know about the weather. The headline over here was "Sandy rampages through the States" which, for some reason, caused a strange chill to run through my body... Brianboulton (talk) 20:20, 30 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

We have power restored. I will have to see what the track was, the last I heard Sandy was dead set at Newark, Delaware, where that state's university is. You can imagine what was running through my mind. I know what you mean, but fortunately, it appears that for me at least Sandy was a bit of a blowhard, as she has left me undamaged. I should be back to these soon, but am first enjoying the restoration of comfort with hot drinks and so forth.

Thank you for your patience. All these things have either been done or commented on.--Wehwalt (talk) 01:38, 31 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I'm happy with the fixes and have switched to support. I'm glad the worst effects of the storm have passed you, and hope that it soon disperses altogether. Brianboulton (talk) 10:31, 31 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you on both counts, and I agree.--Wehwalt (talk) 10:43, 31 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.