I think I may have a 1908 S Indian here.. can you guess why?

kiyote · February 27, 2012 2:44PM

Detective hats on, everyone!

To rip a page from LordM, I'll reveal the answer tomorrow!

MilkmanDan · February 27, 2012 2:45PM

Because it fell in the trolley tracks?

lasvegasteddy · February 27, 2012 2:47PM

if its got an s smash by the same train that smashed the obv i'd say you do...

why no reverse pic...;(

kiyote · February 27, 2012 2:49PM

You're both very, very close! And I have a reason for not showing the other side, which I'll show tomorrow!

kiyote · February 27, 2012 2:52PM

I'll make you guys a deal, if someone can guess why I think it's an "S" mint I'll post the reverse even before tomorrow!

lordmarcovan · February 27, 2012 3:03PM

Ooh, you're so devilish. Whose playbook have you been rippin' pages from, anyway?

Oh, yeah. You already said.

I notice you ain't showin' us the other side. So I'm thinkin' it's not a "train track penny", but an elongated penny, and there's a design impressed by the elongation machine on t'other side. Something Western. Maybe California related. Maybe even San Francisco related.

Pan-Pac Exposition, maybe? Hm. I dunno. You've got me suitably stumped.

Nicely played, O Suspenseful one.

kiyote · February 27, 2012 3:05PM

<< Ooh, you're so devilish. Whose playbook have you been rippin' pages from, anyway?

Oh, yeah. You already said.

I notice you ain't showin' us the other side. So I'm thinkin' it's not a "train track penny", but an elongated penny, and there's a design impressed by the elongation machine on t'other side. Something Western. Maybe California related. Maybe even San Francisco related.

Pan-Pac Exposition, maybe? Hm. I dunno. You've got me suitably stumped.

Nicely played, O Suspenseful one.

>>

I like seein' the hamsters in LordM's head spin!

Great work! There was also a clue in the filename, which was PPIE1915.

Here's the front.. a flea market pickup from Ohio nearly 20 years ago, I think.

lordmarcovan · February 27, 2012 3:11PM

Dang, I'm good.

... at making wild, lucky guesses.

PS- those poor li'l hamsters were on overdrive, as if somebody had put Red Bull or espresso in their water bottle!

PPS- cool elongate, there. You've got me squinting and lookin' for phantom mintmarks, now.

PPPS- Looks like the wreath of the host coin is around where the "5" in 1915 on the overtype is. I guess the "S" would be hiding below that "5"?

kiyote · February 27, 2012 3:13PM

Now, LordM usually ends with a really good history lesson; I can tell you that the cent likely shows the 435-foot high Tower of Jewels, which can be seen here:

It was called the Tower of Jewels because it was covered in small glass jewels, which made the entire tower shimmer and shine in the daytime and with the nighttime illumination. The jewels were sold off at the end of the fair as keepsakes. Some colors are quite rare.

Like almost every building in the fair, it was temporary and met a swift and dramatic demise.

Today, only the Palace of Fine Arts stands from the original 1915 fair, having undergone numerous renovations.

lordmarcovan · February 27, 2012 3:15PM

Very cool thread.

Better than I might've done, actually. But thanks for the compliments.

lordmarcovan · February 27, 2012 3:16PM

What's the "I" in P.P.I.E.?

"Industrial"?

Panama-Pacific Industrial Exposition?

Oh, and I never understood why they always demolished the cool buildings and stuff after those big expositions.

kiyote · February 27, 2012 3:31PM

<< What's the "I" in P.P.I.E.?

"Industrial"?

Panama-Pacific Industrial Exposition?

Oh, and I never understood why they always demolished the cool buildings and stuff after those big expositions. >>

International, actually. The buildings were mostly just plaster-- not meant to stand more than a few years at most. The Palace of Fine Arts was allowed to decay well into the 1960s, making it look like an ancient Greek ruin.

Thankfully a wealthy benefactor stepped in and paid for a more permanent structure.

lordmarcovan · February 27, 2012 3:46PM

International.

I knew that. Duh.

Speaking of temporary buildings, I used to work at the Cloister hotel on Sea Island, GA. (Site of the 2004 G-8 summit). When we had the summit, the place was a bit of a mess, since they had completely torn the hotel down and were not finished building the new one. Oddly enough, the biggest event in the resort's history happened while it was in limbo.

The original building from 1928 had never been intended to stand for more than 75 years. I was sad when they tore it down but the new hotel, oh, wow. I've worked in some swanky places, mostly four- and five-star rated, but that's the nicest. They took some of the original materials and saved the original stained glass windows and beams and everything from the old Spanish Lounge and incorporated it into the new building. Did a terrific job and spared no expense. (Which is probably why the company went bankrupt in the '08 downturn and I got laid off.)

lasvegasteddy · February 27, 2012 3:48PM

me wonders now...was there an "s" layin on the tracks that got smashed into it???
ooooooooo i know...you was visiting frisco and found it there

Meltdown · February 27, 2012 3:54PM

Great post Kiyote! And nice guess LordM !

lordmarcovan · February 27, 2012 4:02PM

Thanks. If I hadn't known he had a trick up his sleeve, I might've never gotten it. Like he said, he got the hamsters in my head whirlin' around.

Cool ephemera here. I'd never seen the little jewels and stuff. I can see how folks get sucked in to collecting not just coins and medals associated with these bygone expositions, but all the other nifty knickknacks, too.

ricko · February 27, 2012 11:17PM

Neat old coin.... I have considered collecting these, have a few of my own from places I have visited... yep, might just start a collection of these... Cheers, RickO

DorkGirl · February 27, 2012 11:55PM

Fun thread, thanks.

lasvegasteddy · February 27, 2012 11:59PM

actually its probably a triple struck 08-s
once by the mint
once by a train
once by a enlonging machine

PerryHall · February 28, 2012 12:03AM

Great thread and great elongated. That said, that coin was minted 7 years before it was elongated so a Philadelphia mint example had plenty of time to circulate to the west coast.

illini420 · February 28, 2012 12:07AM

That's pretty cool!

OldEastside · February 28, 2012 12:14AM

Good read

Steve

grip · February 28, 2012 1:28AM

<<

Good read

Steve >>

+1

seanq · February 28, 2012 1:59AM

<< Great thread and great elongated. That said, that coin was minted 7 years before it was elongated so a Philadelphia mint example had plenty of time to circulate to the west coast. >>

I was thinking the same thing, plus factor in how many people from around the country traveled to the area for the exhibition. None of which should matter, the mintmark on the cent is by far the least interesting part of the story.

Sean Reynolds

19Lyds · February 28, 2012 2:00AM

<< Now, LordM usually ends with a really good history lesson; I can tell you that the cent likely shows the 435-foot high Tower of Jewels, which can be seen here:

It was called the Tower of Jewels because it was covered in small glass jewels, which made the entire tower shimmer and shine in the daytime and with the nighttime illumination. The jewels were sold off at the end of the fair as keepsakes. Some colors are quite rare.

Like almost every building in the fair, it was temporary and met a swift and dramatic demise.

Today, only the Palace of Fine Arts stands from the original 1915 fair, having undergone numerous renovations. >>

I could be wrong but the photo of the building coming down does not look at all like the Tower of Jewels.

It appears to be one of the perimeter towers according to this photo.

pmac · February 28, 2012 5:23AM

Do you suppose it's the lone survivor of the 1908-O cent?

I think I may have a 1908 S Indian here.. can you guess why?

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