Great article in the Nevada Appeal this week about the Carson City Mint - also planning their 150th anniversary - so they are drumming up business and stories. It's a good read. https://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/local/talk-details-carson-city-mint-excavations/
This might be breaking some rules, but hey, it is freely visible to anyone here for a few seconds before the pay window appears...
It happened in 1998, so there are plenty of other sites that have the same story: https://carsonnow.org/story/01/15/2...cavations-unexpected-history-carson-city-mint
Who cares! I read about it years ago in Roger Burdette's book, "From Mine to Mint". The Carson City Mint routinely used an area behind the building to dump and burn waste. It was reported that old dies were also disfigured and dumped there as well. Chris
See the attached link to a VAMworld post regarding the cancelled dies.http://www.vamworld.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=465
I don't know about VAMs but one of the 20 cent piece dies has been linked to a known variety of the 1875 CC.
I'm surprised that they were readable. My understanding is that they readily rusted indoors. I have to go to Reno for business in a couple weeks, was hoping to get to tour the CC mint. Hope they aren't closed for some kind of preparations.
According to this first hand account, most were badly rusted but one large "nest" was protected by a piece of sheet metal and escaped most of the moisture.