Walt Disney's coin collection

WillieBoyd2

I visited the Disney Family Museum at the Presidio of San Francisco recently.
This museum is dedicated to the life of film animator and producer Walt Disney (1901-1966).

The museum has exhibits on his early life, service in France, animation work, Mickey Mouse,
World War II company work, and the development of the Disneyland theme park.

The museum had a couple of coin related items.

Walt Disney wanted to get into World War I but was too young for the Army.
He joined the Red Cross ambulance service and arrived in France after the war ended.
He accumulated a collection of small items, mostly coins, which he carried in a cloth bag.
The bag was still in his possession when he died in 1966.


Disney collection of small items

The coins include ones from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Great Britain, Tunisia,
US Philippines, French Indo-China, along with uniform buttons and German Notgeld tokens.

Walt Disney received a lot of awards for his cartoons and films, here is one medal from the
Venice Film Festival for a cartoon:


Venice International Film Festival "Golden Lion" awarded in 1936 for Who Killed Cck Robin?
This is a large gold medal around 3" (7.5cm) in diameter.

The Disney company produced the feature film "Treasure Island" in 1950.
It was filmed in Great Britain in cooperation with a British film company.
The story was about pirates and treasure, and "pieces of eight" were mentioned frequently.

Somebody gave Walt Disney a real Spanish "piece of eight" silver coin:



Spain silver cob 8 reales "piece of eight" 1685

LanceNewmanOCC

.
It's kind of fun to do the impossible.

Walt Disney
.

lordmarcovan

Neat pix. Thanks.

Cam40

I have one of those English pennies like the one at top left
Seated something or other

Cam40

obv

GoldenEgg

Walt Disney's widow received a 3 inch gold national medal from congress, but I don't know where it is today. I would have thought that perhaps it was there, maybe not on display?

Thanks for adding the history to the pieces as well. Very interesting.

bsshog40

I'll bet each piece had some type of memory for him. Pretty cool!

johnny9434

i like that bottom pic best. thats way neat looking

PipestonePete

grip

What a great picture of him.

WillieBoyd2

About the Walt Disney Congress gold medal:

The museum docent told us that Walt Disney received over 900 awards.
The medal might be in the display, there were walls of plaques, medals, and trophies.

epcjimi1

Thanks for the post. Interesting.

Here's to Walt -

lostincoins

Neat thank you.

BLUEJAYWAY

If I"m not mistaken Disney films have accumulated the most Oscar nominations.

WillieBoyd2

Another reason for buying a particular coin.

Walt Disney had a Spanish Potosi eight reales "cob" dated 1685.

Now, thanks to Sedwick Coins of Florida, I have one too.

Spanish America silver eight reales "cob" type 1685 Potosí (Charles II)
Silver, 39mm x 40mm, 25.11gm

Obverse:
Pillars of Hercules above waves
POTOSI ANO 1685 EL PERV (missing)
P 8 VR (mintmark, denomination, assayer)
PLV SVL TRA (Plus Ultra or "More Beyond")
VR 85 P (assayer, date, mintmark)

Reverse:
Jerusalem cross, castle upper left and lower right, lion upper right and lower left
CAROLVS II DG HISPANIAR (missing)
Denomination '8' at top, mintmark 'P' at left, assayer 'VR' at right, and date '85' at bottom

AUandAG

A genius in many ways. My father introduced me to Walt when I was 8, in 1955 at the newly opened Disneyland. (or was it 56?). My father was an artist and worked for Walt on one of the films but I don't know which one. I know my Dad did not like the work. Too confined to one thing and too repetitious. Left on good terms evidently. Gave up art for a living but always had an easel up in the living room and would paint after work and weekends. He loved water colors.
Walt had visions that he could impart to the artists....Genius for sure.
Died way too young from Lung cancer as I recall.
I would like to visit the museum myself, maybe one day.
bob

CyndieChildress

@Cam40 said:
I have one of those English pennies like the one at top left
Seated something or other

Wow! Nice coin

CyndieChildress

@AUandAG said:
A genius in many ways. My father introduced me to Walt when I was 8, in 1955 at the newly opened Disneyland. (or was it 56?). My father was an artist and worked for Walt on one of the films but I don't know which one. I know my Dad did not like the work. Too confined to one thing and too repetitious. Left on good terms evidently. Gave up art for a living but always had an easel up in the living room and would paint after work and weekends. He loved water colors.
Walt had visions that he could impart to the artists....Genius for sure.
Died way too young from Lung cancer as I recall.
I would like to visit the museum myself, maybe one day.
bob

How cool! Something to pass down to the grand babies

ricko

I have been to Disney Land and Disney World, and seen many of his movies/cartoons, and read the comic books when I was a kid....He certainly had an impact on America. Cheers, RickO

asheland

Great thread!

Peace_dollar88

Cool! I am a big fan of Walt Disney and the Disney corporation. I collect Disney Dollars when I come across them at shows or LCS. Interesting info. Thanks for sharing!

BillJones

@AUandAG said:
A genius in many ways. My father introduced me to Walt when I was 8, in 1955 at the newly opened Disneyland. (or was it 56?). My father was an artist and worked for Walt on one of the films but I don't know which one. I know my Dad did not like the work. Too confined to one thing and too repetitious. Left on good terms evidently. Gave up art for a living but always had an easel up in the living room and would paint after work and weekends. He loved water colors.
Walt had visions that he could impart to the artists....Genius for sure.
Died way too young from Lung cancer as I recall.
I would like to visit the museum myself, maybe one day.
bob

It sounds like your father may have gotten stuck coloring in cartoon production cells or something like that.

My wife's uncle was a Disney artist in California. His primary job was to design the gift shop bags for the stores, but he another more interesting job that he carried into his retirement. Each year the Disney company held a bash for local politicians that was called “The Five Card Draw and Sour Mash Society.” In addition to meal and probably some liquid lubrication, they were given one these figurines. My wife’s Uncle Bob designed and sculpted them.

Here is one of three we have.

291fifth

Is the Walt Disney autograph shown in one of the posts authentic? He was known to have signed many autographs but was also known to have had many items signed by secretaries, etc. I don't know how to tell the difference.

BillJones

All I know about the Disney signature is that he dotted his "Is" with a big circle which I have read indicates a big ego. He was a great man and a great entertainer, but I don't know that I could have worked him if I had had any artistic talent, which I don't have. It seemed like he sucked talent from other people and took credit for it for himself. Somehow it dates back to where one of his former employers stole the cartoon character "Oswald the Rabbit" from him.

He went out created "Mortimer Mouse" and Walt's wife suggested that he change the name to "Micky" and the rest is history.

cmerlo1

Very cool post.

I've always wanted to add a Disney autograph to my framed Fantasia collection. It consists of an original 1940 program plus the autographs of Deems Taylor, the host (typed letter on CBS stationery, signed) and Leopold Stokowski, the orchestra conductor (signed check). While Taylor and Stokowski were the two live people to appear in the film (besides the orchestra), Disney did not. He did voice Mickey Mouse in it, though, and was the creative force for the movie, which many call his masterpiece.

CyndieChildress

@cmerlo1 said:
Very cool post.

I've always wanted to add a Disney autograph to my framed Fantasia collection. It consists of an original 1940 program plus the autographs of Deems Taylor, the host (typed letter on CBS stationery, signed) and Leopold Stokowski, the orchestra conductor (signed check). While Taylor and Stokowski were the two live people to appear in the film (besides the orchestra), Disney did not. He did voice Mickey Mouse in it, though, and was the creative force for the movie, which many call his masterpiece.

Very cool

abcde12345

Definitely, use the new Doily slabs for those coins. The ribbons can be sold to pay for the grading so it's a win/win.

ColonelJessup

Jay Miller, my old-time partner, bought lifetime passes for his nascent family of four over 30 years ago.
No surprise that his MFA daughter Rachel has now been an Imagineer for several years

And I'll bet every one of Walt's coins had a memory in it.