Secret U.S. coin mintmark revealed !
RogerB
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Is this a major discovery?
Did the New Orleans Mint use the wrong mintmark? Was this mistake discovered? And did it lead to closing the Mint in June 1909? Do we have to go back and change all the incorrect mintmarks to the correct ones?
So many questions....So few answers. Maybe readers have some ideas....?
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Late night at the office that day?😬
From the "Knights Who Say Ni!"
I wonder if there's a pattern out there with an "N" on it.
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I presume that we will eventually see the secret letter about 1905 silver dollars being coined.
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Ahhh...yes. And the "S" really stands for "A Shrubbery."
Actually, WillieBoyd2, the next letter is about 1905 dollars NOT being coined....Here it is:
Oh, this one is easy. Mr. Besancon was obviously a troll who pretended to be dumb about mintmarks. The Director of the Mint should have just ignored him and probably suspected he was getting played the whole time.
So, you're saying my "1905-N" silver dollar may not be real? Huh.
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Yea I agree with maybe a late night for the director there. Lol
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Or....it might be the only survivor of New Orleans Mint production made with the correct mintmark....?
This is from the 1909 volume of Miscellaneous Letters Sent from Mint HQ. The thing is filled with mundane, strange and odd responses to what might have been even stranger or odder questions. There are over 1,000 letters in the volume; and there are many other years of such things in the archive series.
Miss those blokes. Only a few left alive.
"Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?"
Responses were written by clerks and secretarial staff, the Director usually signed what was put in front of him by Miss Valentine.
RE: " 'Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?' "
Coconuts are just part of a great shell game.
This just goes to show how unknowledgable we never knew we were!
Be right back.. I'm going Coin Roll Hunting for an "N" mintmarked coin!
But - do we have to change all the "Os" to "Ns" or will that tax the 'coin doctors' too much?
Obviously, there have to be new register sets, too.
The Nanking mint is probably already firing up!
It is interesting that the Director of the Mint calls a previous coin with a date altered to 1905 a "dollar" and not a "counterfeit".
Anyway, I don't have plans for a "1905" although it might be possible at some point.
I already did the "1909-o" and next year I am planning a "1920" Morgan.
He said "ultimo". I have to find a way to start using that in everyday correspondence.
Blame it on Siri
Could have used
no
I had to look that one up. Oh, the wonderful language of the 'old days.'
See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces
Although the reference to 'N' is likely an error, I wonder what the process was to select the mint mark for New Orleans.... I do understand why it would be 'O', since that is the operative part of the appellation... However, these issues are usually discussed in some venue prior to a decision. @RogerB.... Any letters covering this aspect of the mint mark? Cheers, RickO
All this time I thought there was only ONE secret mintmark.......
Mint archives include occasional letters sent in response to citizen questions that make incorrect references to mintmarks or other basic coin attributes. Another I've seen is "C" for Carson Mint. My thought is that these were prepared as needed by staff who were not informed about mint history and were not able to research the subject. For 1909 there were over 1,000 miscellaneous letters from the public - that is in addition to another 2,000+ to various officials and departments.
Consider, also, that there are a great many letters to the public showing extensive research and clear, sometimes impolitic, answers. Letters to members of Congress are especially lengthy.
Mistakes happen. The posted letter contains one of them.
That HAS to be a typo, or a mistake by a steno. Mr. Leach definitely knew better.
Just sayin', ya know.
Pete
N and O are not close on a standard QWERTY keyboard. Somebody, and it may have been a clerk who thought that he/she knew better than the boss, must have thought that since San Francisco used the S, New Orleans must use the N.
I hope there will also be the 1920 Broken Sword Peace Dollar !
RE: "That HAS to be a typo, or a mistake by a steno. Mr. Leach definitely knew better."
It is doubtful that Frank Leach ever saw the inquiry or response.
Further, Mint HQ had a file of standard responses that were used for common inquiries. But, they were usually adjusted slightly for each reply. It was only after WW-I that mechanically reproduced "form letters" became prevalent.
Whole lot of new error coins out there.
And, maybe the San Francisco "S" was supposed to be an "F."
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