I have not seen the five-ounce America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins. Aside from rarely seeing the circulating versions, I have no desire to purchase a five-ounce silver coin, especially from a series that does not inspire me.
What does inspire me is watching what the U.S. Mint has to go through in order to strike these coins. For those of us who love to watch how this works, the U.S. Mint’s YouTube channel has a video showing the production process.
Watch the video:
Imagine what it takes to strike these coins. According to the video, the U.S. Mint strikes the 3-inch planchettes twice with 430 tons of force. I also did not get the impact of the planchette size until I saw the video.
I also did not know about the edge lettering and that there were two different versions—a reverse proof-like as the bullion version and a matte finish for collectors. The reverse proof-like coins are beautiful. I wish they would do this with the regular proof coins because it would make a great collectible series.
Olympic National Park in Washington is one of the most unique National Parks because of its biodiversity. There are three distinct ecosystems in just under a million acres: sub-alpine, coastal, and forest. Cool weather and rain are regular weather indicators that makes it very comfortable to visit during the summer as long as you remember your rain gear!
On the 234th anniversary of the adoption of “Old Glory” as the U.S. flag, the U.S. Mint held its launch ceremony for the Olympic National Park Quarter at Port Angeles, Washington. Associate Director for Sales and Marketing for the U.S. Mint, B.B. Craig, was joined by Washington’s First Gentleman Mike Gregoire, Vanessa Fuller of the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Olympic National Park Superintendent Karen Gustin were joined by local school children. Ms. Fuller served as master of ceremonies and First Gentleman Gregoire read proclamation declaring June 14 “Quarter Day in the Classroom.”
The following is the B-Roll video from the release ceremony:
Catching up a bit, the U.S. Mint introduced the first 2011 coin in the America the Beautiful Quarters Program to honor Gettysburg National Military Park. The event was held at the park’s Museum and Visitor Center and was hosted by U.S. Mint Director for Sales and Marketing B.B. Craig; Gettysburg National Military Park Superintendent Bob Kirby; and Barbara Finfrock, vice chair of the Gettysburg Foundation.
The Battle of Gettysburg, the Union victory in the summer of 1863 that ended General Robert E. Lee’s second and most ambitious invasion of the North, was a turning point in the Civil War. Often referred to as the “High Water Mark of the Confederacy,” it was among the war’s bloodiest battles. It also provided President Abraham Lincoln with the setting for his most famous speech. Established by concerned citizens in 1864, the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association set out to preserve portions of the battlefield as a memorial to the Union troops that fought in the battle. In 1895, the land was transferred to the federal government and Gettysburg National Military Park was established.
The following is the B-Roll video from the quarter’s release:
Should the United States stop producing $100 bills? According to Timothy Noah, a senior writer at Slate and contributor to CBS Sunday Morning, thinks so. Here is the report that Noah filed for CBS Sunday morning on April 3, 2011:
While a compelling argument but it is not a viable one. Because the U.S. Dollar is the most stable currency even considering our current economic situation, $100 notes will be hoarded overseas and will continued to be counterfeited. It has been reported that rogue nation states like North Korea have successfully counterfeited the $100 note which is why the Bureau of Engraving and Printing is working on its redesign. Having these note continue in circulation could endanger the U.S.
Further, it is doubtful the European Union will discontinue the $euro;500 note even though it is nicknamed “the Bin Laden.” The EU central bank would love to have the euro become the standard currency, the currency all economies are based. It would give more clout in the world markets and provide more incentives for the EU bankers to convince the worldwide commodity markets to price their goods and trade in euros, not dollars.
It is a different world from 1969 when the U.S. government ceased production of the $500 note. Between new counterfeiting measures and the technology to better investigate criminals, the U.S. Secret Service is better able to bring counterfeiters to justice and work with other law enforcement organizations to stop criminals. It is not a perfect system, but making any move that could lower the U.S.’s financial status with the rest of the world will not be well received in Washington.
With the VCU versus Butler Final Four game (Go Rams!) at halftime, I was poking around YouTube watching a video friend sent then clicking around to the related videos. I stumbled across two videos a group called WalletPop, a personal finance site, created about coin making at the U.S. Mint.
The first video opens with looking at the plaster models of coin designs on display at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. This is followed by an interview with Joseph Menna showing how coins are designed using using the same 3D modeling software that is used in Hollywood to create special effects. The design process concentrates on the America the Beautiful Quarters.
Part 1
In the second video, the tour continues to the manufacturing floor where they show how the manufacturing process goes from the 2-ton roll of metal, creating blanks, making of the dies from the master die, and striking over 750 coins per minute to the finished product.
Part 2
No matter how many videos I find about the manufacturing of coins at the U.S. Mint, I am always fascinated by the process.
Super Bowl XLV is now history. The Champion Green Bay Packers are taking to Lambeau Field for a celebration with their fans. But as a numismatist, I was left with questions: Who made the “coin” used for the coin toss and what happens to it after the game?
Finding out who made the coin was easy. The Highland Mint of Melbourne, Florida designed and struck the official coin. This is the 20th consecutive Super Bowl that has used a coin specially produced by The Highland Mint. Of course The Highland Mint is selling numbered replicas of the coin with Certificates of Authenticity. In fact, the following video shows them making the coin including the gentleman near the end punching the numbers into the metal:
But where does the coin that newly elected Hall of Fame player Dieon Sanders tossed before the game go after the game? According to the NFL, the coin is taken to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. They have the coins used to open every Super Bowl.
In a subtle way, the U.S. Mint announced the retirement of Chief Engraver John M. Mercanti after 36 years with the U.S. Mint.
The announcement was made in a tribute video to Mercanti as the U.S. Mint’s first post to their YouTube Channel. The video includes former U.S. Mint Director Ed Moy, and Sculpture and Engravers Don Everhart, Joe Menna, the back and side of Charles Vickers.
When asked what he will do in retirement, Mercanti said he will write a book, represent or consult with other mints and similar organizations, and he wants to be involved with educating young numismatists. “I think there’s a history in coins,” Mercanti said, “and I want to put that out there and I want to work with a lot of young people to get that history out there and inspire them to collect. I think that’s important.”
Note to the American Numismatic Association: it would be in the organization’s best interest to contact Mercanti to get him involved with his educational desires. Mercanti wool be an asset to the ANA in areas like the Summer Seminar or at the conventions. In fact, with the new fall National Money Show that will be held in Pittsburgh, why not invite Mercanti to cross the state to be a featured instructor during the show. It would be a real incentive for me to make the 5 hour drive from the D.C. area to attend the show!
The Battle of Gettyburg was the pivotal battle of the Civil War. The three day battle (July 1-3, 1863) started when Confederate General Robert E. Lee attacked the Union position in an attempt to invade the North after successful battles in Northern Virginia. Gettysburg was defended by Major General George G. Meade who arrived at Gettysburg three days before the battle began. The Confederate Army began its Retreat from Gettysburg on July 4, 1863 following the resounding defeat after (Maj. Gen. George) Pickett’s Charge on Cemetery Hill.
The Battle of Gettysburg is considered the turning point of the American Civil War because of the morale boost it provided the Union forces. But when the battle was over, there was no mistaking the cost of this battle in that between 46,000 and 51,000 Americans died on the battlefield.
The Gettysburg National Cemetery was dedicated on November 19, 1863 with speeches from Edward Everett and President Abraham Lincoln. Everett’s two-hour formal speech at the event preceded Lincoln’s 271-word Gettysburg Address, a speech that proved Lincoln was not a good prognosticator: “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here….”
The Gettysburg National Military Park came into existence on February 11, 1895 when President Grover Cleveland signed the legislation into law. Originally, the law required the park was to be administered by the War Department. In 1933, control was passed to the National Park Service.
On January 25, 2011, the U.S. Mint launched the The Gettysburg National Military Park Quarter held at park’s Museum and Visitors Center. U.S. Mint Associate Director for Sales and Marketing B. B. Craig and Gettysburg National Military Park Superintendent Bob Kirby co-hosted the event, with Barbara Finfrock, vice chair of the Gettysburg Foundation, serving as master of ceremonies.
The reverse of the quarter depicts the 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry Monument, which is located on the battle line of the Union Army at Cemetery Ridge. It was designed by Artistic Infusion Program Master Designer Joel Iskowitz and engraved by U.S. Mint Sculptor-Engraver Phebe Hemphill.
As with previous releases, the U.S. Mint released an edited B-roll video of the launch with highlights, scenery, production footage.
This is the first quarter in the America the Beautiful Quarters Program representing a piece of United States history. We should always note and long remember what happened in Gettysburg and learn about the events leading up to the worst conflict in U.S. history so that we may never relive that history again.
Last March, the Professional Coin Grading Service announced the PCGS Secure Plus service. Coins graded through Secure Plus will be scanned by an optical device that will map the surface of the coin creating a digital signature of its characteristics that can be used for later reference. The digital signature is a unique identification of the coin that can withstand potential coin doctoring and to prevent the users from removing the coin from the slab to try to have it graded higher. It can also be used to determine if the coin was doctored from its previous submission such as being artificially toned.
Recently, PCGS created a video demonstrating the scanner used to fingerprint and detect re-submitted coins. In the demonstration, PCGS shows how it detected a coin that had previously been submitted then artificially toned before being re-submitted. Here is the video:
I thought the device would be a little bigger. But that is the beauty of modern technology. In the past, I wrote, “Computers are great tools. Imaging technologies enhanced by computers can do wonderful things. To apply this technology to coin grading and analysis would be a fantastic addition to the industry. Can you imagine being able to take the technology to major shows and for a small fee, provide on sight diagnostics for coins before submitting them to the grading services?” PCGS is one step closer to that possibility!
When I returned to coin collecting a few years ago from my hiatus that began before I went to college I discovered there was more to collecting than buying shiny objects of copper and silver. I found that there was a confluence of history and politics that was also an interest. My return to numismatics coincided with my returning to school to get a masters degree that included public policy as part of the curriculum. It was perfect for a political junkie. So when something is written or broadcast that adds to my quest to learn about history that includes numismatics, my interest piques.
At the end of November, I was channel surfing and found a documentary on one of the C-SPAN channels about the History of U.S. Currency. The show featured an interview with Franklin Noll, Consultant in the Bureau of Engraving and Printing Historical Resource Center. It was a different look at the BEP since it did not go into the process of printing money but the final result and the evolution of the BEP.
Using pieces of the BEP’s archive, Noll traces the history of the bureau from its founding in 1861 to the modern small currency. Noll begins by showing some of the pre-BEP printed notes and how the government needed to control its currency in order to help fund the Civil War. He showed the first notes that were printed by a “New York Printer” under the authority of the new bureau. Noll does not mention that the New York printer was the American Banknote Company.
One think I learned was that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the only president who had a direct influence on any aspect of currency design. When presented with the proof for the small one dollar Federal Reserve Note, FDR requested that the BEP switch the Great Seal and the Heraldic Eagle so that the eagle is on the right side of the note. FDR felt that this would be better since the eagle’s head would face the center of the note. Otherwise, the eagle’s head would be facing off the note. Noll showed the actual proof sheet that FDR wrote his request.
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