Does Anybody Have a Picture of Joseph Lesher's House in Victor Colorado?

poorguy · August 10, 2006 7:26AM

Adrian and I were in Victor, CO today and there was no identification as to which house was his. We even asked around at the visitor's center and nobody knew who Joseph Lesher was!

kranky · August 10, 2006 7:43AM

I would bet that QDB knows. And he probably has a photo too.

keets · August 10, 2006 7:48AM

you could also inquire with the ANA or perhaps Hallenbeck Coins, they're from the area. maybe even Evan Gale or one of the local outfits could help. if you can get ahold of some old Elder catalogs or the 1909-1911 magazines there might even be something. i have a few but they're all locked in the bank box.

coindeuce · August 10, 2006 9:14AM

I believe I recall an A.N.A. Numismatist article within the past two years about the Lesher Dollars which included a photo of the Lesher home. Try checking the Numismatist index of articles. I'd have to believe that the A.N.A. Library has a photo on file as well.

Gemini · August 10, 2006 11:50AM

Leshers house is located on 513 West Victor Avenue. It is a modest small 3 room house with a lean-to kitchen. Dave Bowers realized that this was the oldest standing numismatically-related building in all of Colorado. Dave bought the house and presented the deed to the ANA sometime in the early 1980's. He hoped that the house would be restored and serve as both a museum and a retreat house for staff and students. The cost of rebuilding the house was funded by sale of 1000 restruck Lesher Dollars made with one ounce of silver and numerically stamped using Leshers original numbering punches. They were struck by the Colorado Badge & Trophy Company and were sold by the ANA at $30.00 per medal. The obverse is a copy of the original Lesher Dollar while the reverse shows the house. Ed Rochette wrote "New Leshers Restore Old House" in Winter issue #58 page 38 of Bowers Rare Coin Revue where a section of the house is shown in its pre-restored condition.

kranky · August 10, 2006 12:17PM

Good work, Gemini!

I was thinking about visiting but it's over an hour drive from Colorado Springs due to the circuitous route.

CaptHenway · August 11, 2006 12:30AM

<< <i>Good work, Gemini!

I was thinking about visiting but it's over an hour drive from Colorado Springs due to the circuitous route. >>

Ah, but what a drive!!!!!
If the road is open, take the old stagecoach from up above the Broadmoor Hotel around behind Pikes Peak to Victor. Of course, I had four-wheel drive when I lived out there........
TD

eyoung429 · August 11, 2006 1:10AM

Cool, I think I may head up there....I am only 20min away.. If I do, I will take some pics and post them.

kiyote · August 11, 2006 1:25AM

Lesher: "Woooo....get ouuut of my houuuuuse...."

Zoins · October 11, 2020 8:57PM

Thread Revival Alert

@Gemini said:
Ed Rochette wrote "New Leshers Restore Old House" in Winter issue #58 page 38 of Bowers Rare Coin Revue where a section of the house is shown in its pre-restored condition.

Just ran across the photo in Rare Coin Review and this thread at the same time. Crazy!

See the full article on the NNP:

https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/561669?page=37

If anyone has other photos, please posts here.

Crackout · October 16, 2020 1:06PM

I did a little research and found one additional photo of the old house from a different view. Then I took a couple of screen shots of how it currently looks from Google street view.

messydesk · October 16, 2020 1:38PM

The big Victor Info-wall down the street talks about the town's history and heyday, making no mention of Lesher.

DCW · October 16, 2020 2:53PM

Nice thread to bump and great additional photos.

Zoins · October 16, 2020 5:04PM

Great photos @Crackout and @messydesk!

It's interesting to note that the Welcome to Victor sign doesn't mention Joseph W. Lesher. Of note, Victor was a gold mining town of about 18,000 people at its height, now with less than 400 residents.

Given that Victor was a gold mining town, I wonder how popular Lesher Dollars were as they advocated using silver.

Zoins · October 16, 2020 5:05PM

Also a huge thanks to Dave Bowers for buying the Lesher House in 1980 and donating it to the ANA.

The house looks nice after the restoration though I probably would have stained / sealed it and not painted it. I would have tried to protect it with modern sealants but not change the colors or trim style.

philographer · October 16, 2020 5:10PM

Is it still owned by the ANA? It doesn’t look like a point of interest.

Zoins · October 16, 2020 5:33PM

@philographer said:
Is it still owned by the ANA? It doesn’t look like a point of interest.

There are a lot of flowers in front of the house. I wonder who owns the house and cares for those.

DCW · October 16, 2020 7:13PM

I'd love to metal detect around that house. There are certainly alot of Lesher dollars that are unaccounted for🤔

ms70 · October 16, 2020 7:33PM

@Crackout said:
I did a little research and found one additional photo of the old house from a different view. Then I took a couple of screen shots of how it currently looks from Google street view.

What's the address?

Zoins · October 16, 2020 7:35PM

@ms70 said:

@Crackout said:
I did a little research and found one additional photo of the old house from a different view. Then I took a couple of screen shots of how it currently looks from Google street view.

What's the address?

@Gemini posted it above:

513 West Victor Avenue

messydesk · October 16, 2020 7:46PM

@Zoins said:
Great photos @Crackout and @messydesk!

Thank the Google Street View Cam for those.

Zoins · October 16, 2020 7:48PM

@messydesk said:

@Zoins said:
Great photos @Crackout and @messydesk!

Thank the Google Street View Cam for those.

Yes, I checked it out. I like the garage down the street.

BillJones · April 26, 2021 10:06AM

I spent part a day in Victor and didn’t know it was there. I have some photos of this almost ghost town. It’s good to see that the house is still standing given that people contributed money to restore.

Does Anybody Have a Picture of Joseph Lesher's House in Victor Colorado?

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