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My Summer Seminar and Colorado Springs Coin Show Report

dcarrdcarr Posts: 7,936 ✭✭✭✭✭
I did not take any classes at the Summer Seminar.
But for the past three years the Modern Minting class has come to Moonlight Mint for an all-day field trip.
The day before their visit, I was rebuilding my sandblast cabinet ducting and came off my step-stool awkwardly, spraining my foot.
There was a slightly smaller group this year - about 8 people. Even though hobbled by my foot injury, a good time was had by all, and much information was absorbed. The students got to strike their own Moonlight Mint 2014 Open House tokens. Here is one struck on a 2014-D President Dollar:
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I rode with the class on the bus back to Colorado Springs to attend the banquet Wednesday evening.
ANA Executive director Kim Kiick and ANA Board President Walter Ostromecki were both out and about, and appeared to be on top of things, although I did not really interact much with either. This is in contrast to when Cipoletti was in charge, but you'd never see his face at any ANA event.

After the banquet a bunch of folks gathered outside the dorms for socializing. I ran into Mike Ellis and asked him about the Jeff Shevlin situation. I explained that I was very upset about the whole thing since Jeff is a friend of mine. He explained his position. While I don't agree with the boards actions, I did apologize to Mike for a comment I made previously on this forum. He was very gracious about that.

The next day I took the free shuttle from the dorms to the Colorado Springs Coin Show, where I made the rounds with the aid of a crutch and bought a few intersting things:

For my collection of coin press tokens and medals, I bought this rare 1855 Morgan & Orr Peru copper. Morgan & Orr is famous for making the "most powerful coining press in the world" for the San Francisco Mint in the 1870s. When I bought it, it was in a capsule and I thought the edge looked a little odd. Later when I took it out of the capsule at home, I discovered that it was a tilted partial-collar strike ! This is especially ironic given that it was an advertising piece for Morgan & Orr minting equipment !
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For no particular reason, other than the fact that I'd never seen a "North America Life" encased postage token before (and the condition was fairly nice), I bought this one. The 1-cent denomination is the most common of these (although still scarce). But I didn't realize when I bought it that there are two types of this merchant token: straight "INSURANCE" and curved "INSURANCE". As it turns out the one I bought is the scarcer of the two.
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One of my favorite so-called-dollars is the 1933 Montana silver. This one was lightly cleaned, but the price was definitely right, so I took it home. These large "dollars" are fairly heavy and quite soft (due to the pure silver content). As such, many are dinged and dented. This one, not.
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When looking at it closer at home, I first noticed an apparent gouge on the exergue line on the left:
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Then something strange about the letters, the "O" in MONTANA in particular:
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Finally, I looked at the "M" on the mountainside. Apparently, this medal received at least three light secondary (rotated) die impressions (on the one side only) after the inital main strike ! :
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So what looked like minor damage in a few places was actually due to secondary die contact.

A fun few days, even though my foot hurts.

Comments

  • BoosibriBoosibri Posts: 11,840 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Nice reports and interesting purchases. Thanks for sharing. Hope your foot feels better!
  • FlatwoodsFlatwoods Posts: 4,122 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Sounds like a fun few days. Those are my kind of new purchases!
  • GritsManGritsMan Posts: 2,599 ✭✭✭
    Thanks for the cool report, Daniel. Very sorry about your foot--especially given it was in the line of duty--but hope it recovers soon. I'm hoping to attend these events one of these years, and am sure your "students" had a blast on their field trip with you!
    Winner of the Coveted Devil Award June 8th, 2010
  • DUIGUYDUIGUY Posts: 7,252 ✭✭✭
    image
    “A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly."



    - Marcus Tullius Cicero, 106-43 BC
  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Thanks for an excellent report and interesting acquisitions...Cheers, RickO
  • epcjimi1epcjimi1 Posts: 3,489 ✭✭✭
    Interesting pieces. I'm going to get to one of the MM open houses, hopefully next year.
  • DaveGDaveG Posts: 3,535
    Thanks for the great report and really impressive pictures.

    Congratulations on your purchases - nice pieces and not very common, I would think.

    That's a really impressive open house medallion, too!

    Check out the Southern Gold Society

  • LakesammmanLakesammman Posts: 17,282 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Nice report and purchases - hope the ankle heals quickly for you. image
    "My friends who see my collection sometimes ask what something costs. I tell them and they are in awe at my stupidity." (Baccaruda, 12/03).I find it hard to believe that he (Trump) rushed to some hotel to meet girls of loose morals, although ours are undoubtedly the best in the world. (Putin 1/17) Gone but not forgotten. IGWT, Speedy, Bear, BigE, HokieFore, John Burns, Russ, TahoeDale, Dahlonega, Astrorat, Stewart Blay, Oldhoopster, Broadstruck, Ricko.
  • JazzmanJABJazzmanJAB Posts: 1,025 ✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Nice report and purchases - hope the ankle heals quickly for you. image >>




    +1

    Take Care.

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