Indian Head gold pieces was modified by Barber, was "worthy of J.J. Audubon". Dies for the half eagle were sent to the mints in Denver and San Francisco; both western mints reported difficulties in striking the new pieces. Landis wrote to his counterparts at the other mints, advising them that the planchets, or blanks, needed to be shaved very slightly to strike properly. The new coins proved to be thinner than earlier coins of their denomination, due to the field being raised above the design. This meant that automated sorting machines could not reliably sort them when mixed with earlier coins. The new gold
Metal Couture Because of the size of the pieces, they are generally not made of precious metal as jewellery would be, as this would make them prohibitively expensive. Various types of Metal are used for making metal couture, including steel, stainless steel, copper, aluminium, but may include other materials. Metal couture was first featured in fashion shows in the early 2000s, in both mainstream, high-end couture and Alternative fashion/subcultural fashion shows. Some Metal Couture has featured in product promotional photography, stage shows, art installations and the catwa lk. Other items have featured in film stage and in the video clips of performers,