MEET JOEL ISKOWITZ: MASTER COIN DESIGNER

You might not know his name, but you very likely do know his classic coin designs

- MIKE GAROFALO

Joel Iskowitz has had a profound impact on United States coin designs. In fact, 54 of Joel’s designs grace the obverse or reverse of numerous United States Mint coins or Congressional medals. In addition, Joel has created wonderful coins and rounds for numerous companies such as APMEX and the East India Company.

ABOUT JOEL ISKOWITZ

Iskowitz was born in 1946 in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City. As a youngster, Joel always had an interest in drawing and designs. Little did he know how well-received his designs would be and how they would take him all over the world. In 1964, Joel graduated from the Fiorello H. La Guardia High School of Music and Art, which is in Manhattan’s Upper West Side. He went on to graduate with a degree in Fine Arts from Hunter College, in New York City, in 1968.

After graduation, Joel knew he wanted to use his artistic abilities, but like most young people, he wasn’t sure exactly how he would do that. Beyond being able to draw and create images that people would be able to recognize, Joel liked to create images that told a story. That was his passion – a narrative artist.

After earning a summer scholarship to Yale, Joel attended but became disillusioned with his professors who favored abstract art. Joel, always a strong-willed individual, vastly preferred classical arts and artists. He believed these classical designs would stand the test of time, as the works of classical artists from the Renaissance period are still popular and well-known today.

ACHIEVING SUCCESS

The life of an artist seldom offers instantaneous success.