I also posted this on the CU forum, but thought you'd all like to see what it's like at this show too! My son, Troy, and I arrived at the show to set up around 4pm. It was a little difficult maneuvering around all the one-way streets, but we finally arrived at the back of the Old Mint building to unload and set up. It was somewhat confusing trying to find an appropriate place to park to unload but I have to tell you there were plenty of security guards and even two pit bulls to oversee the unloading. Then when we arrived inside the basement of the building, there were several people and signs guiding us to the appropriate floor and room to set up. When you get off the elevator to the 1st floor, there are several rooms where groups of about 4-6 dealers in each room off one hallway. The building does have a very old feel and musty smell to it, and it is really neat knowing it was built way back in 1870 and used to house SO MUCH MONEY! After we were set up, Rick, Troy, and my other son's girlfriend who came to the city to see us since she is in school at UC Davis, all took a brief self-guided tour of the basement where the old vaults are that held the money. All the rooms were empty except for one room that held some very old mining equipment that looked like a big huge steamship wheel and a gold kiln. But there were placques and photos listing and/or showing what used to be housed in the empty vault rooms. In one room, there was a photo taken in 1910 showing a room completely filled with huge stacks of bags of coins piled at least 6 feet high. You could still see evidence that the heavy coins were stacked against on the walls. And what is really cool is that all the original vault doors still remain in tact. Each door looks like a huge old safe door, almost a foot thick. Below are some photos I took with my Blackberry, but since the lighting was pretty poor, the photos are kind of dark. The first one is of Rick Snow, me and Troy in front an old fireplace that looks like a sort of kiln where I believe gold was melted for coins and powered by a steamship looking wheel. The second one shows the wheel and machinery a little more clearly. The next few photos are showing the really neat vault doors - it's hard to see how old, big and thick they really are. I'll try to post more tomorrow after the actual show begins!
That's very cool. I would love to tour the old mint. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to the show report.
Very nice. Thanks for posting pics. I believe the first two pics are ore crushers. That giant wheel turns a system of pistons, which you can see there are five, so it's a small machine, which are attached to basically large hammers that crush ore to powder to extract metals. I imagine that was left over from the assay days of the mint. Guy~
The whole thing looks rather gothic... almost like a torture chamber ! Working conditions in those days were much , much tougher than today. We have it easy.
Thanks for posting those pics! I would have loved to make it to that show, great history in that building.
Great photo's. Looks like a really neat place to visit and especially a great place for a coin show. Keep us posted.
So today was quite busy, lots of traffic, lots of familiar faces too! Some forum members (PCGS and CoinTalk.com) stopped by and everyone I spoke with was having a good time exploring this old building. They are giving various tours throughout the day. I bought a few neat pieces, but one I am thrilled with is one I bought from the Lutzel collection Rick has - it's an OFF CENTER 1894/1894 (super bold overdate) in PCGS AU55! No photos yet, but will post one after Todd photos it for me! I am very excited about this coin as I doubt I will ever find another one like it! Any way, you asked for more photos, so here they are! The front of the Old Mint Building The lobby placque describing the building Picture of an old photo of the Coining Room Cisco, the very cute but badaxx security pitbull with his security buddies The hallway where each dealer room is attached to And ME!
Thanks for the great pictures, a really interesting building. Nice looking dispaly cases, are they Oak? I do a lot of woodworking and build some cases for a local dealer.
Thanks Mr. Guy, and yes, they are oak cases with glass tops, the type that doesn't fall to pieces if it gets broken. I had them specially made and the guy does a great job. The bottoms are inlaid as are the glass tops, and the edges are all dovetailed. And he glued red velvet onto the bottoms and even made a little oak stick with rubber tips to hold up the case tops. I love having them, as they do stand out, but boy are they heavy to lug around. The public hasn't come in yet (Saturday) but the weather is absolutely gorgeous here today, sunny and warm. Yesterday was rainy and cold. We have high hopes of a good turn out today. It's really a very interesting and neat place to hold a show. I wasn't sure all the separate rooms would work well, but it seems to be doing just fine. And they are giving all kinds of tours and video presentations about the history of the building. It's a one-of-a kind experience, and I recommend it to anyone who's in the area - seeing how our coinage was made from a century and a half ago is fascinating, really.
I wonder if they'll use the location for any future shows. Given enough advance warning, I'd drive the 900 miles upstate just to go inside the building. Guy~
The show was a blast, and meeting Charmy was a definite high point! Just as charming, warm, and positive as the persona she projects here, online, but so much more engaging when you can look her in the eye as you chat! I certainly hope this becomes an annual event, and encourage any who can attend an Old-Mint-based show in the future to do so.
