Back in the day-security at the US Mint.

imrich · Jul 17, 2012

Substantiative Enlightenment!!

Conder101 said: ↑

actually they did make it to the cashiers window. Roger Burdette found documents in the National Archives that show where after the first batch of 33 double eagles were struck 62 1932 double eagles from the Cashiers office that were considered defective were exchanged for 1933 double eagles. So they did have them at the Cashiers window.

Pretty much correct for the rank and file employees but the officers would often "bend" the rules for themselves. This is why possibly all the 1964 SMS coins supposedly came from Mint Director Adams estate. Why Chief engraver Sinnock's collection had all kinds of twentieth century patterns and matte proof commemorative half dollars that were never made. Why Director Linderman had an 1804 Class III dollar (The only one that can't be traced back to William Idler and Capt Haseltine). Director Snowden used to restrike rare coins and patterns to trade for Washington pieces not in the Mint collection. Rank had it's privileges, or at least they thought so.

Could precious metals be smuggled out of the mint? Yes I know of a few cases. There was one Philadelphia mint employee who over a period of time smuggled out a considerable amount of gold by hiding the bars inside his wooden leg. Then there was an employee at the San Francisco mint whose job it was to be the rat catcher. He would catch and kill rats inside the mint, cut them open and fill them with double eagles then sew them back up. He would then dispose of the corpses by throwing them over the mint wall. Then when he went home he would collect the bodies (after all who is going to run off with a bunch of dead rats.) I don't know if he stole it or if it was just from bad practices but when the first assayer Albion Cox died, when they settled up his accounts they discovered multi thousands of dollars of gold and silver missing. (Cox had been involved with the New Jersey State coinage and had had to flee to England to avoid being put into debtors prison here. Somehow though this was the man we had to have for our assayer so we got him to come back to America, I don't know how they made the debtors prison problem go away, then he couldn't post the bond to allow him to work with gold and silver so another Mint officer had to post it. Then when he died they discover his books are significantly off. Oddly enough the other officer never had to forfeit the bond and they eventually just administratively "fixed" the books.)

It wasn't gold or silver but in 1922 at the Denver mint a daring daylight robbery took place and a large sum of paper currency being stored at the mint was stolen as it was in the process of being moved from Mint storage to another location. In the gunfight that took place at least one mint guard was killed and one of the robbers was hit. His body was found still in the car when the car was found several days later.
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Great Post!!

I feel affirmed and informed!!

You expanded on some items to which I eluded. Regardless of how items were produced, or who removed them from the premises, material removed from a facility contrary/without legislated approval or direction, is stolen government property. Lack of prosecution doesn't preclude future legal action against heirs/assigns. This is the crux of government argument for confiscation/retention, which I suspect litigation would affirm.

Thanks for the enjoyable in-depth enlightening post. :thumb:

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