Collectible to satisfy 3 interests
Now that some of us have a little time on our hands, why not think about how you can have fun with your collection. After all, there is more to collecting coins by types or date sets. Sometimes you need to think outside the folder and album and find something different.
Take, for example, the money clip pictured here. Embedded in the money clip is a version of my favorite coin, a Peace Dollar. Although the 1922 Peace Dollar may be the most accessible of the series, its presence in this money clip adds to the allure.
But wait, there’s more!
If you look above the Peace Dollar is the Indian Chief emblem of Pontiac, the former automobile division of General Motors. The emblem celebrates the silver anniversary, 25 years, of the Pontiac Motor Division.
GM introduced Pontiac as a companion marque nameplate to the Oakland Motor Division in 1926. Oakland managed Pontiac to sell cars at a lower price point than other Oakland manufactured vehicles. By 1929, Pontiac became more popular than Oakland, which led to Oakland’s closure in 1931 during the Great Depression.
Ironically, Pontiac would meet the same fate during the Great Recession. To meet the demands of regulators for accepting a $25 billion federal government loan, GM agreed to close Pontiac and Saturn, sell Saab, and close or sell Hummer as part of the restructuring. Like Oakland, Pontiac is now part of automaking lore.
The 1951 Pontiac Chieftain was a popular car. The Chieftain was available as a sedan, sedan coupe, business coupe, and deluxe convertible coupe. In 1950, Pontiac introduced the Catalina coupe that became a popular option that, in 1959, the Catalina succeeded the Chieftain as a model. The cars sold at the right price point for the burgeoning middle class of the post-war United States.
I drove a 1970 Pontiac Catalina 1977-78. It was big. It was green. It guzzled gas. We nicknamed it, “The Green Bomb.”
Turn over the money clip, and aside from seeing the reverse of the Peace Dollar, the clip is engraved, “Jack Blank Says Dollar for Dollar You can’t Beat a Pontiac.”
Jack Blank Pontiac was located at 1437 Irving Street, NW, in Washington DC. Jack Blank (1901-1980) founded Arcade Pontiac in 1937. In 1951, he renamed the dealership after buying out his partners. Blank retired as company president in 1969.
Blank was a prolific promotor. Aside from buying the rights to be the “Official Car Dealership of the Washington Redskins,” Blank created a lot of promotional items. Numismatically, collectors can find a 1964 encased cent with the dealership’s name and address. The money clip was a one-year promotion.
Blank died in 1980. The last records of the dealership were advertising in 1992 publications.
One collectible satisfies three interests. Numismatically, it is a Peace Dollar. I love the Peace Dollar. Even though this dollar was polished and is glued into an enclosure, it is still a silver dollar.
It is an advertising piece for a vintage car. My two favorite car eras are the muscle cars of the mid-1960s to the early 1970s and the cars of the art deco era. The Chieftain would be redesigned in later years, but it retains the art deco look I like.
Finally, it is part of Washington, DC history that has nothing to do with the government.
It is your turn to go out and find something that will satisfy you numismatically and other interests!
Happy Shopping Days
Now that the holidays are over, the U.S. Mint is adding to the post-holiday shopping rush by sending a note to their subscribers announcing that the 2010 Abraham Lincoln $1 Coin Cover will be available and the remaining 2009 products will go off sale on December 30. A quick check of the U.S. Mint’s catalog shows only three products left:
- United States Mint 2009 District of Columbia & U.S. Territories Quarters Proof Set™ (Q09)
- 2009 United States Mint Presidential $1 Coin & First Spouse Medal Set™ – James K. Polk (XP3)
- 2009 United States Mint Presidential $1 Coin & First Spouse Medal Set™ – Zachary Taylor (XQ3)
Buy now while supplies lasts.
Also announced is the launch of the Native American $1 Coin in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The public ceremony will be held at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) on January 12, 2011, at the Plimoth Plantation Henry Hornblower II Visitor Center.
Finally, in keeping with their new policy of making annual products available earlier in the year, the U.S. Mint announced the release data of the 2011 annual sets:
- January 11: 2011 United States Mint Proof Set
- January 25: 2011 United States Mint Silver Proof Set
- February 8: 2011 United States Mint Uncirculated Coin Set
The U.S. Mint said that if you sign up for an online subscription for these products by January 4, 2011 you will receive these 2011 issues as your first sets.
Happy Shopping!
A Tragic Loss: Cameron Kiefer Dies
It is with great sadness to report that Cameron Kiefer, 28, died on Tuesday, December 21, 2010 from an apparent suicide. Cameron was an accomplished numismatist who had won the 2001 CSNA Literary Award and the ANA Outstanding Young Numismatist of the Year in 2002. Subsequently he became a grader at the Independent Coin Grading Company when it was located in Colorado Springs. Cameron resigned from ICG in March 2008 to become a full-time coin dealer.
I briefly became acquainted with Cameron after I posted the story about his departure from ICG. After a few email exchanges where he seemed excitedly nervous, I wished him luck and said that I hope we can do business in the future. Running a business did not come easy for Cameron which may have lead to his unfortunate decision.
Cameron Kiefer was married and left behind two children, reported to be three and one years old. My sincere condolences go out to his family and wish for better times ahead.
UPDATE: Obituary and funeral information may be found at the Horan & McConaty Funeral Home.
Ed Moy Resigns As Director of the U.S. Mint
Yesterday, the U.S. Mint issued a press release announcing that Director Edmund C. Moy submitted his resignation effective on January 9, 2011. Moy was appointed as the 38th Director of the U.S. Mint in September 2006 after being appointed by President George W. Bush and being confirmed by the Senate. His five year term was to expire on September 5, 2011.
Moy will join L&L Energy, Inc., a Seattle-based company with coal mining and distribution businesses in China. In a press release issued today, Moy will join the company on January 10, 2011 as Vice President of Corporate Infrastructure. L&L Energy said that Moy’s responsibility will “include corporate development, global logistics, and general administration.”
In his remarks, Moy said, “I’m proud of the progress we’ve made over four and a half years. The Mint is a better place and delivering more value to the American taxpayers.” However, the failures of the public face of the U.S. Mint was very evident during Moy’s tenure. From problems with the U.S. Mint’s website to the debacle over not having enough bullion planchets to meet demands of investor and collectors, there is enough to question how successful Moy’s tenure was at the U.S. Mint.
The U.S. Mint has had missteps in customer server that anecdotal evidence of the comments that appear in my Inbox suggests has not been resolved. In fact, a search of any of the online collector’s forums will show that customer service has not improved in the last two years.
Finally, I have questioned Moy’s leadership ability to manage the U.S. Mint when the Fiscal Year 2009 Annual Report showed that U.S. Mint’s operating costs rose significantly in FY09 even though the demand for its products were reduced. In my analysis I noted that in FY09 it cost the U.S. Mint 1.1-percent more to produce 40-percent fewer coins than in FY08. CEOs have been fired for this type of negative turn around!
It has been recent history that appointed members of an administration resign their posts at the end of the president’s term. Moy did not resign opting to try to fulfill his term. Over time, I have accused Moy of being more of a bureaucrat than a leader. This was a change from his predecessor, Henrietta Holsman Fore, a Bush appointee who had experience with manufacturing in the private sector and a history of successful government service.
With Moy’s resignation, President Barack Obama has the opportunity to appoint a new director with the skills to manage the world’s largest coin manufacturer. In an open letter I wrote when he was President-Elect I suggested that the next Director of the U.S. Mint be a leader whose experience includes manufacturing, supply chain management, and customer service.
I realize that this may not be a top priority for the president. In the current political climate, it is possible that the appointment will not be made until after the holidays. Even if the president was to announce the appointment tomorrow, the lame duck session is about to end meaning that the confirmation will be taken up by the Senate of the 112th Congress. In the mean time, Deputy Director Andrew D. Brunhart will become acting U.S. Mint Director. Brunhart, the former General Manager of the community-owned water and sewer company in the Maryland suburbs, may not be up to the job based on his performance at the water and sewer company. The business infrastructure at the water and sewer company has continued to under perform based on the policies and structure he left leaving questions as to whether Brunhart could manage the U.S. Mint for an extended period of time.
I wish Ed Moy success in his new endeavor and enjoy the coffee out in Seattle. Even though it is more of a tourist destination, the Pike Place Market is still one of my favorite destinations and hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Just watch for the flying fish!
Portrait of Ed Moy courtesy of the U.S. Mint.
Soda, Chips, Candy Bar, Gold?
Town Center Mall in Boca Raton, Florida is not a run-of-the-mill shopping plaza. With upscale stores like Neiman Marcus, Bloomindale’s, Nordstrom, and Tiffany and Company, there are plenty of opportunities to overspend this holiday season. Now, you can diversify your portfolio by buying gold… from a vending machine!
PMX Gold LLC, the wholly-owned subsidiary of the mining company PMX Communities Inc. worked with Ex Oriente Lux AG to bring the Gold to go® vending machine to the United States. Installed at the Town Center Mall, the machine will dispense 1 gram, 5 gram, 10 gram, 1 ounce, and 250 gram gold bars from Credit Suisse; 1/10 ounce, 1/4 ounce, and 1 ounce Krugerrands; and 1/10 ounce and 1 ounce American Eagle Gold bullion coins.
Gold is dispensed in a black gift box whose price is based on the current spot price that updates wirelessly every 10 minutes. Customers are guided through their purchases using a touch screen that allows them to select the amount of gold they want to purchase. PMX Gold LLC and Simon Properties, owner of the Town Center Mall, will make money of a commission that ranges between 4 and 15 percent depending on the item’s weight. Currently, the machine only accepts cash, but that may change in the future.
The machine will be guarded by am armed security person and monitored by cameras.
This report was broadcast on WPTV, News Channel 5 in Orlando:
Another video from the Orlando Sentinel:
Gold to Go made news when it installed its first Gold ATM at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. Currently, there are 11 machines in Germany, one in Spain, Italy, United Arab Emirates, and now the United States. Ex Oriente Lux reports that their machines in Europe take in 250,000 to 300,000 Euros per month.
Thomas Geisslei, CEO of Gold to Go, say that the company wants to install more than 30 machines within the United States in the next year. This way, you can decide whether you want that latte or a gold bar.
U.S. Mint Redesigns Their Websites
In the quite of the night, the U.S. Mint flipped their virtual switch to unveil a website for both their main site and their online catalog and e-commerce site. The new design used the new logo and branding features the branding consulting firm Siegel+Gale and the U.S. Mint unveiled in August.
When visiting the redesigned site, the front page is simply laid out and more striking. The black background and updated design is more inviting. Half of the opening screen is dominated by a rotation slide show with images that general visitors and other collectors would find inviting. In fact, the image used to guide the user to view their coin and medals programs features classics such as a Morgan and Peace Dollars. Under the slideshow is a sliding visual menu with the current coins that are links to their information page. It is is a nice element.
The new design appears to be with the theme only and not the underlying organization of their site. Text and other visual features of each page are the same as they were yesterday except surrounded by the new theme. Even though they were designed using the old theme, they visually fit with on the new site.
Everything that was said about the main U.S. Mint website also goes to their online catalog and e-commerce site. The new darker theme works with the current catalog information and seems to work as it did prior to the change. Hopefully, the U.S. Mint changed the backend of the site in order to make their customer service better.
No change was made to the America the Beautiful® Quarters Program microsite. It was well designed from the beginning and used the same basic theme as introduced today.
One nit on the catalog site is that the Product and Services lists on the left side has no order to them. Reordering those menu lists to be alphabetized would be beneficial to the site. If they want to put the “Last Opportunity” menu item at the top of the list and highlight it in some way, that would work. Otherwise, an alphabetized list would work better.
Overall, the U.S. Mint’s redesigned site gets a grade of MS 66 for its freshness, luster, and striking visual balance. They earn points for keeping the underlying structure while there are some little things to work on, including adding additional historic information. Kudos to the U.S. Mint for a job well done!
Logo image courtesy of the U.S. Mint.
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