TRIVIA: West Point Tour & Coin Event!

Clinker · 11-13-2009, 09:39 AM

In 2002, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point was honored for its 200th anniversary, and a bicentennial commemorative silver dollar was issued and unveiled on March 16 of that year, featuring a cadet color guard on the obverse and the helmet of Pallas Athena on the reverse. Who produced the coin? There could be no other mint facility qualified to produce the coin except the West Point Mint. The West Point Mint struck 101, 236 Brilliant Uncirculated and 282,743 Proofs for collectors.

Here's a photo of the courtesy of Coin Page and the United States Mint (with links to the reverse and enlargement links to both sides of the coin). Notice the "W" mint mark on the reverse directly below the three line "E PLURIBUS UNUM."

http://www.coinpage.com/coin-image-1166.html

Guess what? Our next coin photo is of the 2007 $50 Gold Buffalo struck at West Point ("W" mint mark in obverse field below longest feather) because it became a new milestone in the history of the United States of America numismatics in that it is the first 24 karat one-ounce gold coin!

To introduce the $50 Gold Buffalo, a special tour of the West Point Mint was set up for the media and coin brokers. One of the media invitees was the Journel News of White Plains, New York. They sent a reporter to cover the rare event and the reporter's article was published in the Journal on June 21, 2006.

Here's that article:

"Who knew? Just 5 miles north of Bear Mountain is $7.92 billion in gold bullion, right next to a golf course. One of the best-kept secrets in the Lower Hudson Valley is the existence of the U.S. Mint at West Point. There are no public tours. The place doesn't promote itself. Hidden in a sloping field behind a gray storage shed for golf carts, the heavily fortified facility isn't even visible from its entrance off state Route 218. The smallest of the four mints operated by the U.S. Treasury, the West Point Mint yielded a few of its secrets yesterday. Coin brokers and the media were invited for a rare tour of the plant in connection with the official release of the American Buffalo, the nation's first 24-karat, one-ounce gold coin."

"It employs 200 people, about 75 of whom are armed officers. It is a slow process entering the mint, and a slow process leaving it. The plant is surrounded with two lengths of 30-foot-high fencing topped with barbed wire. Visitors pass through an outdoor turnstile monitored by a guard, and into a small building with more guards and a metal detector. They then walk across a broad paved lot to the plant itself, a windowless concrete warehouse of a building with truckbays and still more guards and another metal detector."

"It was a festive mood at the plant yesterday. Many of the employees looked on while mint officials talked about the American Buffalo with the visitors and demonstrated its manufacture on two of the nine mechanical presses on site."

Here's the photo courtesy of Coin Page and the United States Mint:

http://www.coinpage.com/coin-image-7683.html

Thought you ought to know...

Clinker

TheBigH · 11-13-2009, 09:53 AM

Thanks, Clinker. The West Point commemorative is one of my favorite moderns.

**green18** · 11-13-2009, 10:09 AM

Enjoyable read Clinker. West Point facility is the Area 51 of the mints...

Collect89 · 11-13-2009, 10:17 AM

Hello Clinker.

Thank you for the nice read.

There is another US facility that placed the W mint mark on coins. I discovered this when I was looking up a 19th century coin from Peru. The Peru coin was made in Waterbury Connecticut.

Very best regards,
collect89

USS656 · 11-13-2009, 11:37 AM

Great post. Having just toured the Denver mint I can relate to the security.

Did you know that Fort Knox holds 60% of the US bullion while the Denver Mint and West Point each store 20% of the US gold. This according to the tour guide.

As always thanks for the trivia!

Darryl

**Art** · 11-13-2009, 11:45 AM

Interesting info. A tour of West Point would be a fun experience. I wasn't aware of the tour for the release of the Buffalo in 2006.

Clinker · 11-13-2009, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Collect89

Hello Clinker.

Thank you for the nice read.

There is another US facility that placed the W mint mark on coins. I discovered this when I was looking up a 19th century coin from Peru. The Peru coin was made in Waterbury Connecticut.

Very best regards,
collect89

Many coins are struck for other countries and businesses in other countries by private mints in all parts of the world, as well as the old USA. Most don't bear mint marks or privy marks, but a few do like the Waterbury Mint in Connecticut and the Heaton Mint near London, England.
Thanks for sharing that. I might do a future article on private mints in the USA who strike coins for other nations (w/wo mint marks or privy marks...

Clinker

Clinker · 11-13-2009, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Art

Interesting info. A tour of West Point would be a fun experience. I wasn't aware of the tour for the release of the Buffalo in 2006.

I didn't know about the tour and the early release of the Gold Buffalo $50 in 2006 ubtil a few days ago. Thought I should share the research with all Coin Talk mem,bers...

Clinker

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