Visited the Durham Western Heritage museum in Omaha today. The big traveling exhibit was a James Cameron deep sea exhibit about the Titanic exploration. But my main interest was a permanent display of the Byron Reed coin collection featuring the King of American coins a 1804 silver dollar. Also many ancient coins and pattern pieces. Just a few pictures for now. If your ever in the area this museum is a pleasant way to pass a few hours It is housed in the old Union Train station and also features many train/rail exhibits that would interest a few of the members here ( @dwhiz ).
Indeed, nice. For those in the CO Springs area or visiting, you can also see three or four examples of the 1804 dollar at the ANA Museum...along with incredible displays of collections of US and world coins. It was the "King" 1804 dollar, along with a few other iconic US coins, that first mesmerized me as a boy.
Cool collection, and I've heard about it before. I'd love to see it; I've heard there are some really great coins in the set. But really, is the 1804 Dollar still the "King"? I know that, at one point, it was undisputed. The 1913 so-called nickel gave it a run for it's money. For awhile, the controversial, overpriced, and speculative 1794 Dollar was the reigning champ. I'd argue, for the past decade or two, the 1933 St. Gauden's has got to be the King.
@green18, I believe it's this reference " It is housed in the old Union Train station and also features many train/rail exhibits that would interest a few of the members here."
@green18 I sure would like to visit it. It would be nice if I was there when UP 4014 Big Boy was in Omaha
Nice pic's, I enjoyed your show-n-tell. Thanks for sharing something that I most likely will never see in person.
The curator/staff did a nice job of displaying the coins. I often see displays that the coins are just laying flat on or next to a typed card of description, so kudos to the museum. Thanks for taking the time to post to post this.
The fact that the 1804 dollar was a restrike minted decades after the year 1804 always bothered me. That alone should disqualify it for that title IMHO. 1913 V nickel is popular but has never demanded enough to warrant that title on its own, either. IMO the 1933 St. Gaudens is the true king of US coins.
Well... Museums are nice and all and that is the reason that I take a step back from the display to consider the context. I mean, I grew up with museums and took my daughter to them as she grew up. The fact is that museums tell stories and an old newspaper person might say that mostly they just deliver cheesecake and headlines without much body copy below the fold. Even accepting the questionable origin of the first 1804 Dollar, the later copies made for collectors must remain of dubious historical value. The Russian word is "novodel" for "new made" referring to copies and replicas, often in the wrong metals, that 19th century nobles had the Imperial mint make for their collections. Yes, it seems that our passions run to fakes, frauds, and forgeries. Everyone loves a rogue. Well, it was said once upon a time that for many years the museum curator carefully wiped away the tarnish from the Byron Reed 1804 Dollar and the hairlines earned it an AU Details when it first resurfaced. A few submissions and auctions later, it is now Proof 65. Right, but see physics-fan3.14 above. Remember that the 1913 V Nickel is also a fraud, not a Mint issue. As for the 1933 Saint Gaudens $20, I suppose the King Farouk coin would be the only original. I know the story behind the others, of course. It remains that the US Mint never intended to release them for circulation. Maybe they belong in the Pollock book as patterns but that's about it.
The Class I 1804 dollars are cool because they were minted using the last official date. Dollar coins took a good long break and weren't minted for several decades, because they weren't needed. I guess you could technically call it a "restrike," but it was an official mint product produced for documented reasons and issued in official sets (given to important diplomatic contacts). The Class II and III coins are where I start to get suspicious...