Who colorizes coins for the US Mint?

Zoins

I just read that the mint doesn't colorize their own coins.

It doesn't look like the SilverTowne colorization.

Do we know who they use?

https://www.usmint.gov/news/inside-the-mint/mints-first-colorized-coins

Colorizing coins appeared in the early 1990s by nations such as Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, and Palau. Now many countries around the world make colorized coins. Canada and Australia are large producers of these coins and develop many innovative techniques for applying color. The Royal Canadian Mint was the first to produce a colorized circulating coin, the 25-cent coin, in 2004.

Coins are colorized by methods such as applying a “sticker” to the surface, adding ink or paint through a computerized “printing” process, or enameling by filling recessed areas with paint. The U.S. Mint used a third-party to colorize the Basketball commemorative coins using an automated process.

TurtleCat

CoinWorld dug it up earlier this year with a FOI request:

“After six months of being stonewalled by the U.S. Mint and the filing of a Freedom of Information Act inquiry, Coin World is finally able to identify the vendor contracted to colorize the reverses of a limited number of 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame commemorative half dollars and dollars, as well as some details of the colorization process itself.

The Mint contract, with a maximum potential value of $8,375,000 was awarded Oct. 9, 2019, to LulaRose, a division of The Clancy Group Corp. in Winchester, Massachusetts.”

TurtleCat

You can google it and read the full article on CoinWorld’s site. I know links to some publications get auto-blocked here probably for copyright so figure someone can google.

Mark

Here is a link to LulaRose, the branch of the Clancy Group Corp that colorizes coins. As you'll see, it is operating from a "secret location in New England!"
https://theclancygroup.com/companies/american-portraiture-9f7ec

1630Boston

not so secret

sellitstore

I thought that it was done by little elves in a hollow tree.

MWallace

Colorized outside the mint. Hmmm. Does that change things for collectors?

johnny9434

At least the job was kept state side

1630Boston

@Mark said:

As you'll see, it is operating from a "secret location in New England!"

2A LOWELL AVENUE, WINCHESTER,, MA, 01890 ??

Hydrant

The ladies at the local nail salon?

logger7

I thought the Secret Service was involved in fighting the defacement of US coins: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/3056

MsMorrisine

good find. we just need to convince the powers of the travesty of paint on coins.

jmlanzaf

@MWallace said:
Colorized outside the mint. Hmmm. Does that change things for collectors?

Why would it?

Should I care when they outsource the planchets? When they outsource the artwork? What if the plaster cast is made outside the Mint? All of their packaging is outsourced.

jmlanzaf

@logger7 said:
I thought the Secret Service was involved in fighting the defacement of US coins: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/3056

"defacing coins" isn't necessarily a crime.

Zoins

@jmlanzaf said:

@MWallace said:
Colorized outside the mint. Hmmm. Does that change things for collectors?

Why would it?

Should I care when they outsource the planchets? When they outsource the artwork? What if the plaster cast is made outside the Mint? All of their packaging is outsourced.

I'm sure it matters for some people. For example, some people collect coins of foreign countries that are made by the US Mint. Here, it's the minting vendor that matters more than the issuer.

jmlanzaf

@Zoins said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@MWallace said:
Colorized outside the mint. Hmmm. Does that change things for collectors?

Why would it?

Should I care when they outsource the planchets? When they outsource the artwork? What if the plaster cast is made outside the Mint? All of their packaging is outsourced.

I'm sure it matters for some people. For example, some people collect coins of foreign countries that are made by the US Mint. Here, it's the minting vendor that matters more than the issuer.

I suppose. But it seems like a pretty artificial line.

Then you definitely don't want a brasher doubloon. And anything counterstamped is out. Forget hobo nickels or potty dollars.

MWallace

@jmlanzaf said:

@MWallace said:
Colorized outside the mint. Hmmm. Does that change things for collectors?

Why would it?

Should I care when they outsource the planchets? When they outsource the artwork? What if the plaster cast is made outside the Mint? All of their packaging is outsourced.

The point I was trying to make is that a huge majority of the collecting community has not accepted colorized coins. Silver Eagles and State Quarters for example. These could be looked at in the same way. The only difference is that the Basketball coins are mint authorized and that may make it OK to some collectors, maybe even most collectors.

Zoins

@jmlanzaf said:

@Zoins said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@MWallace said:
Colorized outside the mint. Hmmm. Does that change things for collectors?

Why would it?

Should I care when they outsource the planchets? When they outsource the artwork? What if the plaster cast is made outside the Mint? All of their packaging is outsourced.

I'm sure it matters for some people. For example, some people collect coins of foreign countries that are made by the US Mint. Here, it's the minting vendor that matters more than the issuer.

I suppose. But it seems like a pretty artificial line.

Then you definitely don't want a brasher doubloon. And anything counterstamped is out. Forget hobo nickels or potty dollars.

Collecting is all about lines.

I thought Brasher counterstamped his own coins. Who did the minting and who did the counterstamping?

It might be nice for some of the companies that do aftermarket colorization to contact the work with LulaRose.

emeraldATV

Why so secret the vender, and , why basketball.
Seems to me there's more hoopla to this country than a sport.

jmlanzaf

@MWallace said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@MWallace said:
Colorized outside the mint. Hmmm. Does that change things for collectors?

Why would it?

Should I care when they outsource the planchets? When they outsource the artwork? What if the plaster cast is made outside the Mint? All of their packaging is outsourced.

The point I was trying to make is that a huge majority of the collecting community has not accepted colorized coins. Silver Eagles and State Quarters for example. These could be looked at in the same way. The only difference is that the Basketball coins are mint authorized and that may make it OK to some collectors, maybe even most collectors.

Oh, I agree with your basic premise. But people who eschew colorized coins probably don't care if the color was added inside the Mint or outside.

jmlanzaf

@Zoins said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@Zoins said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@MWallace said:
Colorized outside the mint. Hmmm. Does that change things for collectors?

Why would it?

Should I care when they outsource the planchets? When they outsource the artwork? What if the plaster cast is made outside the Mint? All of their packaging is outsourced.

I'm sure it matters for some people. For example, some people collect coins of foreign countries that are made by the US Mint. Here, it's the minting vendor that matters more than the issuer.

I suppose. But it seems like a pretty artificial line.

Then you definitely don't want a brasher doubloon. And anything counterstamped is out. Forget hobo nickels or potty dollars.

Collecting is all about lines.

I thought Brasher counterstamped his own coins. Who did the minting and who did the counterstamping?

It might be nice for some of the companies that do aftermarket colorization to contact the work with LulaRose.

Brasher did...but Brasher also wasn't "The U.S. Mint".

Zoins

@jmlanzaf said:

@Zoins said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@Zoins said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@MWallace said:
Colorized outside the mint. Hmmm. Does that change things for collectors?

Why would it?

Should I care when they outsource the planchets? When they outsource the artwork? What if the plaster cast is made outside the Mint? All of their packaging is outsourced.

I'm sure it matters for some people. For example, some people collect coins of foreign countries that are made by the US Mint. Here, it's the minting vendor that matters more than the issuer.

I suppose. But it seems like a pretty artificial line.

Then you definitely don't want a brasher doubloon. And anything counterstamped is out. Forget hobo nickels or potty dollars.

Collecting is all about lines.

I thought Brasher counterstamped his own coins. Who did the minting and who did the counterstamping?

It might be nice for some of the companies that do aftermarket colorization to contact the work with LulaRose.

Brasher did...but Brasher also wasn't "The U.S. Mint".

Well, going back to the following line, lots of people don't collect Brasher Doubloons, counterstamped coins and hobos / potty coins.

@jmlanzaf said:

Then you definitely don't want a brasher doubloon. And anything counterstamped is out. Forget hobo nickels or potty dollars.

Taking the Brasher as an example, some people do seem to draw that line while others definitely don't.

• Collectors that didn't buy it (so far): Pogue, James A. Stack, Simpson, Hansen
• Collectors that did buy it: Brand, Garrett, Parmelee, Partrick

Zoins

Colorized coins is big enough business that Canada sued Australia for patent infringement and Australia ended up licensing Canadian technology!

I wonder if LulaRose is licensing any foreign tech!

Canadian and Australian mints resolve legal battle over 'Possum Magic,' Remembrance Day coins

https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/canadian-and-australian-mints-resolve-legal-battle-over-possum-magic-remembrance-day-coins

Trouble had been brewing since almost three years ago, when the Canadian mint, a Crown corporation, first accused its Australian counterpart of using a special, patent-protected method to print red poppies onto $2 million worth of commemorative Remembrance Day coins. Last December, after about two years of talks did not result in any agreement, the Royal Canadian Mint filed a lawsuit.

The Canadians upped the ante this spring by adding five more runs of coins to the lawsuit, including one that featured designs from an Australian children’s book series called “Possum Magic.”

Among other things, the Canadian Mint was asking that the Australian Mint destroy or hand over any of the coloured dollar and two-dollar coins in its possession that had not been put out for circulation.

An April counter-claim from the Australian Mint defended the process it used to create the coins, some of which featured possums performing witchcraft, saying that the 2006 patent Canada claimed was being violated wasn’t “novelty” enough to have been granted in the first place, and should be struck altogether.

Ultimately a judge did not have to decide which mint was in the right. With the permission of both parties the court dismissed their respective claims on Monday after they agreed to a “collaborative” cross-licensing agreement.

A joint communiqué provided to the National Post on Monday afternoon said the agreement “provides for an exchange of licenses, and allows both mints to pursue their respective activities and business interests in a mutually-beneficial manner.”

Alex Reeves, a spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mint, did not offer further detail on what that exchange would entail, or whether Canada would now be receiving any royalties for the Australians’ use of the specific colour printing method. “The terms of the agreement are confidential,” he said in response to questions.

jmlanzaf

@Zoins said:
Colorized coins is big enough business that Canada sued Australia for patent infringement and Australia ended up licensing Canadian technology!

I wonder if LulaRose is licensing any foreign tech!

Canadian and Australian mints resolve legal battle over 'Possum Magic,' Remembrance Day coins

https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/canadian-and-australian-mints-resolve-legal-battle-over-possum-magic-remembrance-day-coins

Trouble had been brewing since almost three years ago, when the Canadian mint, a Crown corporation, first accused its Australian counterpart of using a special, patent-protected method to print red poppies onto $2 million worth of commemorative Remembrance Day coins. Last December, after about two years of talks did not result in any agreement, the Royal Canadian Mint filed a lawsuit.

The Canadians upped the ante this spring by adding five more runs of coins to the lawsuit, including one that featured designs from an Australian children’s book series called “Possum Magic.”

Among other things, the Canadian Mint was asking that the Australian Mint destroy or hand over any of the coloured dollar and two-dollar coins in its possession that had not been put out for circulation.

An April counter-claim from the Australian Mint defended the process it used to create the coins, some of which featured possums performing witchcraft, saying that the 2006 patent Canada claimed was being violated wasn’t “novelty” enough to have been granted in the first place, and should be struck altogether.

Ultimately a judge did not have to decide which mint was in the right. With the permission of both parties the court dismissed their respective claims on Monday after they agreed to a “collaborative” cross-licensing agreement.

A joint communiqué provided to the National Post on Monday afternoon said the agreement “provides for an exchange of licenses, and allows both mints to pursue their respective activities and business interests in a mutually-beneficial manner.”

Alex Reeves, a spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mint, did not offer further detail on what that exchange would entail, or whether Canada would now be receiving any royalties for the Australians’ use of the specific colour printing method. “The terms of the agreement are confidential,” he said in response to questions.

Well, it goes beyond coins. There's also challenge coins and other medals that get colorized.

WAYNEAS

since they are just down the street from me
I think that I will do some dumpster diving next time I drive by

1630Boston

@WAYNEAS said:
since they are just down the street from me
I think that I will do some dumpster diving next time I drive by

Wow.............I'm in Belmont, Woburn, Burlington all of the time.................right next to Winchester.

Zoins

Wonder if we'll start seeing colorized errors and waffle cancelled coins!

WAYNEAS

@1630Boston said:

@WAYNEAS said:
since they are just down the street from me
I think that I will do some dumpster diving next time I drive by

Wow.............I'm in Belmont, Woburn, Burlington all of the time.................right next to Winchester.

Medford

Oldhoopster

@1630Boston said:

@WAYNEAS said:
since they are just down the street from me
I think that I will do some dumpster diving next time I drive by

Wow.............I'm in Belmont, Woburn, Burlington all of the time.................right next to Winchester.

Used to live a couple miles from there as well. Used to jog in the Fells and probably drove very near that place on my way there

Mr_Spud

I vote AT

Zoins

So I got curious about their coins and tried to find some others, going on the one coin photo above.

I ended up finding their direct website. I didn't look for it before as I thought they wouldn't advertise since the location was secret.

So their website is here with some interesting info: https://www.lularose.com

Here's why it matters!

US is with the Best! LulaRose does colorization for the Royal Canadian Mint!

LulaRose openly advertises / confirms their work for the US Mint and Royal Canadian Mints, including the US Basketball Hall of Fame coin.

https://www.lularose.com/history

Exclusive provider to the world’s most prestigious Mints.

LulaRose has been the primary producer of decoration, colorization, embellishment and consultation to most of the world’s major mints and central banks for over 15 years now. We produce over 4 million coins annually, between numismatic and circulation gold, silver, and base metal coins.

LulaRose sells coins directly! Will PCGS slab these?

LulaRose not only does work for governments which PCGS certifies, they do colorization on their own!

So this begs the question if PCGS will slab colorization done by the official vendor of the US Mint?

https://www.lularose.com/kismet

1630Boston

@Zoins
Nice informational find.