This page displays images of all Phish memorabilia that I have designed…
Above is the SOLD OUT Maze/Bowie Coin (600) which debuted in April 2004
The Maze/Bowie Coin was my original design. The idea was to symbolically represent the state of limbo that exists (albeit briefly) during the intros of these 2 Phish songs. This duality struck me as the perfect theme upon which I could design a Phish Coin. The Maze/Bowie Coin is a flipping coin, and the idea is that when life throws a decision at you, you use this coin to make your decision for you!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Above is the SOLD OUT UVM/Coventry Coin (500) which debuted in August 2004
The UVM/Coventry Coin was never meant to be. However, when the boys pulled the plug in May of 2004 I decided if the gig was up, I had to make one final coin, my swan song of sorts. The idea behind the UVM/Coventry Coin was to symbolically bookend the career of Phish. One side represents their early days at UVM, and depicts Slade Hall (where Page played his 1st official gig as a member of Phish). The other side depicts Newport State Airport in Coventry, VT, where Phish ended.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Above is the Maze/Bowie Coin (600) which debuted in March 2009
As of 4/20/12 there are 4 Maze/Bowie Coins remaining out of 600
I made a few subtle changes to the original design for the 2nd Edition Maze/Bowie Coin. I changed the text on each side to match, and also altered the stars such that they were smaller than those on the original Maze/Bowie Coin. The 2nd Edition also has a reeded edge (like a quarter) and is slightly thicker than the original.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Above is the SOLD OUT Hampton Coin (200) which debuted in March 2009
In designing the Hampton Reunion Coin, I tried to incorporate symbology relating to a rebirth. For this reason, I placed a Phoenix on one side, representing Phish rising from the ashes to triumphantly return to the stage in March of 2009. On the venue side there is a moth (another symbol of rebirth) flying toward the full moon in the night sky above Hampton Coliseum.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Above is the SOLD OUT Red Rocks Coin (200) which debuted in July 2009
The Red Rocks Coin is filled with Phish symbolism referring to the band’s storied past at this great venue. The venue side was inspired from a photograph taken backstage at the venue. A giant iguana sits atop Creation Rock on the left, a reference to the 1993 Harpua narration at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. On the other side, Icculus awaits the Famous Mockingbird as it delivers the Helping Phriendly Book. These are also subtle references to great performances by Phish at past Red Rocks shows, not to mention the Junta live version of Icculus containing the line “This is Red Rocks… This is the Edge!” On the flip-side is a nod to the Colorado state flag, which I believe to be the best single image to represent Colorado. This side is the first one on a Phish Coin to be done in full-color.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Above is the SOLD OUT Halloween Coin (300) which debuted in October 2009
The Halloween Coin is chock full of symbolism referring to the desert venue, as well as Phish related Halloween. The Desert (life) side of the coin depicts a hot air balloon with an “8″ on it, as the Coachella Valley is a hotbed for hot air ballooning. The date palm (tree of life) is an allusion to the Save the Date theme used in the announcement of Festival 8, and serves a vital role in the agricultural economy of the Coachella Valley. The saguaro cactus is a nod to Gordo, and the peyote button symbolizes a spiritual desert journey, which many of us had at Festival 8. The Camel has a polo mallet leaning up against it in reference to the Empire Polo Club.
The Halloween (death) side of the coin depicts no less than 11 Phish songs that I felt have Halloween related symbolism. The ghost serves as the centerpiece of this side of the coin, and it has a snowman dose on its tongue and is holding a piece of meat (a nod to the second song in the Ghost Trilogy). The spider web with a fly caught in it is a reference to Geulah Papyrus, the cat is a reference to Poster Nutbag, and the witch is a reference to Axilla. The tombstone reads RIP R.W. memorializing Roger Wolfe, executed son of Errand Wolfe, rebel leader of the Lizards in Gamhendge. Piper the worm is coming out of the ground below the ghost, and a skeleton symbolizes a soul returning to earth on Dia de los Muertos (11/01/09) to beg the holy spirit (ghost) forgiveness for past transgressions. The vultures fly overhead, and the trees are a double reference to I Saw It Again (the 3rd song in the Ghost Trilogy) and Limb By Limb.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Above is the Big Cypress Coin (300) which debuted in January 2010
As of 4/20/12 there are 39 Big Cypress Coins remaining out of 300
The Big Cypress Coin was made to commemorate the 10 Year Anniversary of the Big Cypress Millennium NYE Festival in the everglades. One side of the coin represents the everglades themselves, and the other side depicts the festival site itself.
The Everglades side was inspired by the Seminole Tribal legend of creation, in which the creator places a shell at the base of a tree (I chose a Big Cypress “Tree of Life”) and as the tree grew, the roots made the shell crack, and from that shell emerged all of the animals of the world. I chose an egret, an alligator and a toad as the animals in the image, as they are quintessential everglades wildlife, and sacred beings to the Seminole Tribe. The toad is a Bufos Alvarius representing a spiritual journey in the Everglades, which most people had at Big Cypress.
The Venue side of the coin depicts the stage setup used for the midnight to sunrise set, and is complete with Father Time on his bicycle, the on-stage porta-potty, and the clock-themed backdrop behind the stage. The Skywheel carnival ride looms in the distance, and a swamp airboat awaits the boys backstage as the first sunrise of the new millennium rises behind palm trees in the distance. Fireworks are exploding above the stage as a news helicopter flies overhead reporting on all of the insanity. The Hot Dog that the band rode to the stage before the all-night set, and the Meatstick Time Capsule, intended to be opened in 4020, are also depicted.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Above is the Festival $8 Bill (888) which debuted in April 2010
The idea to design an $8 Bill for Festival Eight actually came to me late night ON Halloween, so it is safe to say it was a little late! However, over the past few months, the idea kept popping into my head, so I decided to go for it. The design is based on the $1 Bill, and I tried to work in as much Phish symbolism as possible while remaining true to the original form. Basically anything that I could alter to make the Festival $8 Bill Phishy (in a subtle way) I did.
The serial number references Halloween, as do the Roman numbers at the bottom of the pyramid. I took out 5 of the 13 stars, olive leaves and arrows in the seal on the right side of the back of the Bill to make eight of each as a nod to Festival 8. Taking out the middle 5 stars actually created an unintended figure eight, which I thought was extra cool! I also removed the center tail feather of the eagle to make it so there are only 8 of them. I changed the Latin slogan below the pyramid to say “Lego Libri Servo Vita” which means “Read the Book and Save Your Life,” and the signatures at the bottom of the front side of the Festival $8 Bill are those of Marco Esquandolas and M.R. Palmer! The Department of the Treasury seal has been altered to reference the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street album cover choice for Halloween.
I originally wanted to use a visage of King Wilson, and then it hit me that Woodrow Wilson was on the now defunct $100,000 Bill, so it seemed like a nice touch. I also changed the letter in the middle of the Federal Reserve Seal to an 8, and the city of printing has been changed to Indio, CA. I changed the other serial numbers to F8 and 1030 and 1101 to represent the other two days of the festival. In Clod We Trust needs no explanation, does it?
The Festival $8 Bills were printed on Crane & Company 100% Cotton woven paper… as close to the U.S. currency as I could get without having the Feds poking around!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Above is the SOLD OUT Greek Theatre Coin (200) which debuted in June 2010
For the Greek Theatre Coin I decided to use the California State Flag a la the Colorado State Flag on the Red Rocks Coin. That idea was very well received, and I think the flag is a great way to represent the state in a singular image. The bear and star were going to be in 3-D, but the colors would not have been able to remain true to form, so I decided to go with full color in 2-D instead.
On the other side, I did my best to re-create the feel of a straight-on view of the stage at the Greek Theatre. The maze at the bottom was inspired by the circle that lays in the center of the floor/pit area. I considered putting a bonfire there as a tribute to the bonfire parties thrown in the Greek Theatre before Stanford/Cal football games, but the maze won out.
The llama at center-stage pays homage to the 1st song Phish ever played at the Greek Theatre on 8/28/93. The birds above symbolize the performance of The Birds, an ancient Greek drama by Aristophanes. This play marked the 1st performance of any kind in the Greek Theatre in 1903. The clock tower in the background is depicts the landmark of Sather Tower, commonly referred to as “The Campanile” because of its stark resemblance to the Campanile di San Marco in Venice, Italy. The lightning bolts on top of each spire are a subtle nod to the Grateful Dead’s roots in the bay area.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Above is the SOLD OUT Telluride Coin (200) which debuted in June 2010
The Front side of the Telluride Coin was inspired by the classic image of the main strip in downtown Telluride, with the mountains looming in the background. The sign on the New Sheridan Hotel now says FLUFFHEAD (a nod to PT) and the clock tower reads 4:20, as do all clocks on Phish Coins. In the foreground, I put a silhouetted image of two guys crossing the street with a keyboard. This is a tribute to the classic shot of Trey and Page walking the keyboard across the street upon their arrival in Telluride in 1988.
The Back Side of the Telluride Coin depicts The Roma Bar and its two neighbors, and was inspired by an old oil painting of the building. This pays homage to the location of Phish’s 1st run of shows outside of the Northeast. The Roma Bar hosted Phish for 5 of their 6 shows on that Telluride Run.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Above is the SOLD OUT Halloween Poker Chip (666) debuted in October 2010
The Halloween Poker Chip was inspired by two things: The fact that I did a Halloween Coin for Festival 8 in 2009 and didn’t want to do another one, and the fact that the 2010 Halloween Run was held in Atlantic City. The Halloween Poker Chip is a casino grade ceramic chip just like those appearing in casinos worldwide. It weighs 10 grams and is 39 millimeters in diameter, both specs matching casino standards. Unlike traditional clay poker chips, ceramic chips have the image embedded into the chip itself… no cheap inlay stickers that can peel or wear away over time!
The Boardwalk Hall side of the Halloween Poker Chip was inspired by a vintage postcard from the heyday of Atlantic City in the 1940s. The $31 denomination was chosen in reference to the 31st of October. I felt that a dollar value needed to be on the chip and wanted to steer away from any existing chip denominations for obvious reasons. The flip side of the Halloween Poker Chip is an evil jack-o-lantern, the quintessential Halloween symbol. The rolling edge of the Halloween Poker Chip was printed in black and orange to mimic the edge spots of vintage clay casino poker chips…
____________________________________________________________________________________
Above is the 2010 NYE Coin (300) which debuted in December 2010
As of 4/20/12 there are 54 NYE 2010 Coins remaining out of 300
The 2010 NYE Coin was designed to commemorate this year’s 5 night NYE Run being held at The Worcester Centrum and Madison Square Garden. These are two of the more hallowed venues in Phish history, so I tried to work in as much symbolic imagery as possible relating to past moments in each venue. I focused on trying to work in as much NYE flavor as possible, while maintaining a cohesive design.
The Worcester Centrum Side of the NYE Coin was inspired by the 1993 NYE Run during which Phish played on a stage designed to look like an aquarium. The square shape of this setup doesn’t work well with the circular format of a coin, so I adapted it to be a fishbowl. The fishbowl is littered with Phish symbolism. The figure of Moses standing with the 10 Commandments at center stage relates to Tom Marshall’s appearance on 12/31/93 to sing the 1st line that he ever wrote for a Phish song during Run Like An Antelope. The scuba diver and the giant clam were part of the NYE gag that night, and the sperm whale is a nod to the Moby Dick encore that had everybody buzzing on 11/29/97. The surfboard next to Moses is a reference to the Wipeout Fest that went down at the Centrum almost a year later, on 11/27/98. The dates on this side of the coin were placed in the bubbles rising up from the fishbowl floor.
The Madison Square Garden Side of the NYE Coin references all of the previous NYE shows performed at MSG. The Van de Graff generator on the top of Madison Square Garden is a nod to the Gamehendge Time Factory gag performed as midnight approached on 12/31/95. The Udderball (complete with pentagram as a reference to the Harpua narration from 12/30/97) is climbing up the side of MSG, and lends to what I feel is a bit of an urban Godzilla theme. The Udderball was brought to life on an incredible half-domed projector setup that was integral to the 12/31/97 NYE countdown. The caterpillar crawling down 8th Avenue is a reference to the costumed troupe that delighted the audience throughout the 1998 NYE Run, donning an array of fabulous costumes. During the Wolfman’s Brother on 12/28/98 caterpillars crawled up on stage and “danced” around while the band destroyed MSG. The “7 crystals of snow” are a nod to the 2002 NYE gag when snowflakes began falling from the ceiling during the Seven Below performed as midnight approached on 12/31/02. I couldn’t resist making the snowflakes reminiscent of the snowflake on the Alta Ski Resort logo, one of my favorite ski resorts! The dates for the 3 Night Run appear on the top of the building running along 8th Avenue, and the large digital clock outside of MSG is set to 4:20, as are all clocks that appear on Phish Coins.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Above is the MSG Sticker (250) which debuted in December 2010
This is my first attempt at a sticker… I hope you like the classy art deco flavor. It is my interpretation of a classic Madison Square Garden logo, intertwined with a nick-name I have used for many years in reference to Madison Square Garden. It is a subtle reference to a scene favorite… from the stamp shape, to the choices of the number 25 and the British Pound symbol to denominate the stamp. Consider this my contribution to the Phish Lot world of logo knock-offs…
The MSG Sticker is a 2″ x 3″ UV protected vinyl sticker printed in a limited run of 250.
Paypal $2 per sticker to phishcoins@gmail.com and off they go!
____________________________________________________________________________________
Above is the Bethel Woods(tock) Coin (300) which debuted in May 2011
As of 4/20/12 there are 151 Bethel Coins remaining out of 300
For one side of the Bethel Woods(tock) Coin I designed a tribute to the original Woodstock logo with the acoustic guitar and dove, but worked in a Phishy spin. Instead of an acoustic guitar, I depicted as accurately as possible the new “Ocedoc” guitar currently being used by Trey. Instead of a dove, I placed the Famous Mockingbird on the neck of the guitar.
As a spin-off from the original phrase “An Aquarian Exposition in White Lake, NY” I changed it to read “A Piscean Exposition in Bethel, NY” and did so for two reasons. First, we are not actually at the dawning of the Age of Aquarius as some seemed to think in the mid 1960s, we are still in the Age of Pisces. I am not an astrology kind of guy… there is actually a scientific element to this. Secondly, the symbol for Pisces is a fish, so I couldn’t resist the double entendre. Instead of using the original “2 Days of Peace and Music” phrase, I changed it to read “3 More Days of Peace & Music” since that is exactly what will go down this upcoming Memorial Day Weekend!
As for the flip side of the Bethel Woods(tock) Coin, I created a scene that blends Memorial Day history with a dose of Gamehendge imagery and symbolism. The Rhombus in the center of the design is a tribute to the Tony Smith’s “New Piece” sculpture which can be found “somewhere” in New Jersey, in Trey’s old stomping grounds. The Rhombus serves as a tribute to the ultimate Memorial Day symbol in my eyes, The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I am calling this Rhombus “The Tomb of the Unknown Lizard” and the scene portrays a lizard rejoicing in the overthrow of King Wilson, as symbolized by the memorial wreath of poppies featuring the historic Crest of Prussia in the middle. The poppy flower has been tied to Memorial Day since the early 1900s when women used to sell them to raise money for decorating the tombs of fallen soldiers on Memorial Day. This holiday in fact was originally called “Decorating Day” for this reason.
The Rhombus was a sacred site at which the Lizards would pray to Icculus. The sky above has the clouds parting with the sun between, representing The Divided Sky, and the two “Gateways to Gamehendge” are represented by the Nitrous Oxide tank with the word “Kung” written on it. The Helping Friendly Book lies on the ground, having been retrieved by the Famous Mockingbird, and the tree to the right of the Rhombus is a Weeping Fikus, commonly known as the “Tree of Knowledge” which is mentioned in Colonel Forbin’s Ascent.
I hope you like the design, as it is littered with Phish symbolism! As all Phish Coins are, the Bethel Woods(tock) Coin is antique silver in color, 1.75″ in diameter, has a reeded edge (like a quarter) and is sequentially numbered from 1-300.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Above is the Super Ball IX “Superball” (999) which debuted in May 2011
Above is the Super Ball $9 Bill (999) which debuted in June 2011
I have to admit that I was hoping after Festival 8 that Phish would use a #9 in the name of their next festival. They obviously did, so I present to you what will likely be my last attempt at a Phishy take on U.S. currency… The Super Ball $9 Bill!
While I used the $1 Bill as the inspiration for the Festival $8 Bill, I settled on a vintage $5 Bill as the “template” for the Super Ball $9 Bill. As with the Festival $8 Bill, I tried to stay as true to the layout of the currency while littering as much Phish symbolism as possible into the design.
Regarding the front side of the Super Ball $9 Bill, the serial numbers mark the dates of the festival. The “printing” city is Watkins Glen, NY. Rutherford B. Hayes (dead presidents only) symbolizes Rutherford the Brave. The Chairman of the Festival is Harvey P. Hood (who we know as Harry Hood) founder of the H.P. Hood Dairy Company. Errand Wolfe is the Secretary of the Treasury, as he would have been in charge of the finances of the Lizards after the death of Mr. Palmer and the overthrow of King Wilson.
The black seal on the front side contains the Latin phrase “LEGO LIBRI SERVO VITA” which translates to “READ THE BOOK & SAVE YOUR LIFE” and the Roman number “IX” to represent Super Ball IX. Underneath this seal is the latin phrase “E QUATTUOR UNUM” which is a Phishy off-shoot of the phrase “E PLURIBUS UNUM” which appears on U.S. Currency. While “E PLURIBUS UNUM” means “FROM MANY… ONE” the phrase “E QUATTUOR UNUM” means “FROM FOUR… ONE” which to me is really what Phish is all about, the sum of all parts is greater than any single element. The green seal has checkered flags and reads “WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL” where Super Ball IX was held.
As for the back side of the Super Ball $9 Bill, I changed the name of the Lincoln Memorial to Forbin Memorial, and altered the structure to resemble the Self Storage USA Building used for the secret set late night on 7/2/11. I also put “SBIX” in the lower boxes where the word “FIVE” would normally appear. The number 83 in the lower right references the year that Phish was formed, and the phrase “IN CLOD WE TRUST” appears across the banner at the top of the back side of the Super Ball $9 Bill too. That needs no explanation ; )
The Super Ball $9 Bill is priced the same as the Festival $8 Bill. They are $5 each, and are printed on 100% Cotton Rag Paper from Crane & Company, who makes the paper used for U.S. Currency today! Each bill comes in a museum grade vinyl currency sleeve to protect your “investment.”
Prices with Shipping: 1 = $6, 2 = $11, 3 = $17, 4 = $22, 5 = 28, 6 = $33, 7 = $39, 8 = $44, 9 = $50, 10 = $55…
Paypal to phishcoins@gmail.com is preferred, or email me if you want to send a USPS Money Order.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Above is the Lake Tahoe Poker Chip (300) which debuted in August 2011
As of 4/20/12 there are 109 Lake Tahoe Poker Chips remaining out of 300 .
The Lake Tahoe Poker Chip was a no-brainer for me after how well received the Halloween Poker Chip was! I was simply waiting for another appropriate opportunity for a Poker Chip, and this was the run. I tried to stay in the realm of the theme I used for the Halloween Poker Chip by using a vintage look of Harvey’s Casino from its heyday in the 1950s. The building pictured on this chip was actually destroyed in the early 1980s when a bomb was detonated in the casino area after an eccentric California millionaire tried to extort 3 million dollars from Harvey’s Casino after losing that much in a bad streak of gambling! The location and dates of the shows appear on the marquees of the casino, and the four starts in the sky symbolize the members of Phish.
For the flip side of the Lake Tahoe Poker Chip, I did my best to use a quintessential image of the beauty of Lake Tahoe. In the water to the right of the isand in the lake, you can see Tahoe Tessie swimming by. Tahoe Tessie exists in Lake Tahoe folklore dating back to the days of the Washoe tribe of Native Americans, who have many tales alluding to a large creature lurking in the depths of Lake Tahoe, which they called “Da-Ow-A-Ga.” Leave it to the white explorers of the area to slaughter this pronunciation and thus incorrectly name it Lake Tahoe! The use of the $46 denomination on the chip was inspired by the fact that the Lake Tahoe region first flourished as an American city as a result of the Coal and Gold Mining occurring in Northern California. The reference to coal in this song made this the perfect fit. Sadly, Lake Tahoe was used as a hub for the Timber industry to supply these mines with wood for the construction of these mines.
I chose to use blue accents on the Lake Tahoe Poker Chip in honor of the catch phrase “Keep Tahoe Blue” which is used in the efforts to maintain Lake Tahoe as a pristine Alpine Lake. As such, I will be donating a portion of the proceeds from the Lake Tahoe Poker Chip to the League to Save Lake Tahoe. This is a theme I plan to continue with any future projects I undertake.
Prices for the Lake Tahoe Poker Chip are $10 each on the lot.
This Poker Chip is priced as follows with USPS Delivery Confirmation Shipping: 1=$13, 2=$24, 3=$35, 4=$46, 5=$57, 6=$68, 7=$79, 8=$90, 9=$101, 10=$112
Paypal to phishcoins@gmail.com is the easiest way to order the Lake Tahoe Poker Chip, or email me to send a USPS Money Order.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Above is the ‘Buffalo Bill’ Wooden Nickel (1000) which debuts in August 2011
The Buffalo Bill Wooden Nickel is based off of an idea I have had for awhile, but have been waiting for the right shows for one. When the Colorado Run was announced, it seemed perfectly fitting to design a Wooden Nickel for. Seeing as the traditional Wooden Nickel contained the image of a Buffalo in it, what better place than Colorado for a Buffalo inspired item! However, instead of having a Native American head on the flip side, it struck me that the Wooden Nickel should have the face of Buffalo Bill on it.
The Buffalo Bill Wooden Nickel commemorated the Colorado Run this upcoming Labor Day Weekend, while also paying homage to an elusive crowd favorite. I chose to depict Buffalo Bill as a young man with a pensive look on his face. This seemed to go perfectly with the opening line of the song “Looking for owls? The young man asked…” Buffalo Bill had strong ties to the Denver area, actually passing away there in 1917.
For the flip side, I did my best to recreate the look of the classic Buffalo Nickel minted between the years of 1913 and 1938. The fact that most of the Buffalo Nickels produced were minted in the city of Denver just added to the appropriateness of the design. The buffalo has a “PH” ranch style brand logo on its rear hip area, as is customarily done on ranches to identify herds of cattle. Above the buffalo is the location of the Colorado Run, and below the buffalo are the dates of the shows. However, I came up with a Phishy spin for the “E Pluribus Unum” phrase which appears on all U.S. Coins and means “From many… one.” I changed this phrase to read “E Quattuor Unum” meaning “From four… one” which to me best represents what Phish is all about! The sum of the parts are greater than any single component… Isn’t that what makes them so special?
The Buffalo Bill Wooden Nickel was printed on wooden nickels 1.5″ in diameter, just like the ones issued by the U.S. Government during the Great Depression. Wooden nickels would later become popular promotional items for events, so I decided to resurrect the idea for this sure-to-be-special run, I hope you like it!
The Buffalo Bill Wooden Nickels were printed in a limited run of 1000, and are only $5 each on the lot.
They are priced as follows with USPS Delivery Confirmation Shipping: 1=$7, 2=$12, 3=$17, 4=$23, 5=$28, 6=$33, 7=$39, 8=$44, 9=$49, 10=$55, 11=$60, 12=$65, 13=$71, 14=$76, 15=$81, 16=$87, 17-$92, 18=$97, 19=$103, 20=$108
Paypal to phishcoins@gmail.com is the easiest way to order these, or email me if you would like to send a USPS Money Order.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Above is the “IT” Sticker (100) which debuted in July 2011
This sticker is actually my first design idea ever, dating back to the summer of 2003. I missed the deadline to submit it to Phish for their design contest, but now I can use it. Had it been submitted, I would have given up my rights to it… The basic idea of this design was to create a simple, yet meaningful design. The street sign symbolizes what actually happens at any show: There are ups and downs, but things always end on a positive note!
The “IT” Sticker is a 3″ x 3″ UV protected vinyl sticker printed in a limited run of 100.
Paypal $2 per sticker (any variety) to phishcoins@gmail.com and off they go!
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Above is the 2011 NYE Run Coin (300) which debuted in December 2011
As of 4/20/12 there are 83 NYE 2011 Coins remaining out of 300.
The inspiration for the 2011 NYE Coin was simple. I wanted the coin to be very NYC, while incorporating symbolism relating to both Phish and Madison Square Garden.
On one side, I re-worked the classic design of a New York City manhole cover. The circular and silver nature of the manhole cover struck me as the perfect fit for one side of this coin. As a child growing up in New York City, manhole covers like this were among my first fascinations, as I wondered what lay beneath them. Instead of reading “N.Y.C. SEWER” however, the manhole cover reads “N.Y.C. NEW YEARS.” It turns out that “NEW YEARS” is actually an anagram for “A N.Y. SEWER,” so there is a bit of double entendre there. This design also drifts into the realm of the maze design on my original coin.
On the other side, I decided to pay homage to the Duke Ellington standard “Take the ‘A’ Train” that Phish covered 118 times between 1987 and 1994. Only 8 cover songs have been performed live more times by Phish, so the song holds its own in Phish lore. This side of the coin depicts a 1920s ‘A’ Train emerging from a tunnel as it pulls into Penn Station, which is a stop for patrons attending M.S.G. The subway is littered with symbolism relating to the band, the venue and shows themselves. The four lights on the front of the subway car contain the letters “J, E, M & P” in them. The dates for the 2011 New Years Run appear on the door, and I threw a couple of my favorite lot stickers onto the train, suggesting that it had been tagged by a phan. The sign at the top of the train reads “MSG” and the words “NYC” & “NYE” appear in the oval lights on the ‘A’ Train.
The 2011 NYE Coin has an antique silver finish, is 1.75″ in diameter, 4 millimeters thick, has reeded edges, and was be minted in a run of 300 sequentially numbered coins.
The 2011 NYE Coin is $20 in person or priced as follows shipped.
Prices with USPS Delivery Confirmation Shipping & Handling:
1=$24 : 2=$45 : 3=$66 : 4=$87 : 5=$108 : 6=$129 : 7=$150
All Inquiries, Paypal Payments & USPS Money Order Requests to: phishcoins@gmail.com
Please Submit Paypal Payments as a “Personal” > “Payment Owed” if possible.
