Day 1 at the ANA Summer Seminar. I ran into Ken Hopple who runs the Nevada State Museum in the former Carson City Mint building. Ken operates Coin Press No. 1 for demonstration purposes and to make collector medals. Ken usually brings some of his wares to Summer Seminar for the YN Auction. A couple of years he brought lead "coins" struck with actual cancelled reverse dies that were used to strike CC Morgan Dollars. (The "coins" were struck in lead due to the delicate condition of the dies. The dies had been tossed outside the Mint building and were dug up after more than a century in the ground.) This year Ken brought 70 brass medals that commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Pony Express. (He told me the Pony Express route did cross a portion of northern Colorado so that was enough of a Colorado connection for him.) The dies were provided by an outside company. He struck only 90 of these medals and sold 20 to museum visitors who got to watch him strike them. I bought one of the medals for a small donation to the museum. The medal is high quality and has mirror fields. Some may find it interesting that the medal has a CC mintmark on both the obverse AND the reverse. Enjoy!
Oddly enough me and destergem were discussing a similar topic on if the CC on a particular medal was legal. http://www.cointalk.com/t115730/ For this medal though, I really like the obverse, it is pretty neat, and I also like how the mint mark is on both sides, can't see that I've seen that anywhere else Very cool Hobo
Way cool. I'm wondering if they, Nevada State Musuem, made some kind of deal with the US Mint to make the medals and such that they do. Personally I think they are really cool and if I get out there again they will have a new customer for them.
Hobo, I would be interested. My sister-in-law who lived in Carson City just recently moved, other wise I would ask her to check. Give precedence to the younger crowd who might want one. Thanks Jim
next summer when i got to vegas, i am going to try and get out to carson city. actually not try, but make sure i get to go. not sure how far it is, but i don't care! i will just give the girl a bunch of money if she don't to go, so she can blow it at the expensive designer stores. plus i am going to propose when we are there, so that should make up for my little trip to CC. do they have like a gift shop were you can buy medals like these? i really want one that was struck there and has the CC mm.
It's quite a drive. LV to CC is about 450 miles and about 8 or 9 hours. I drove to LV in January and thought about driving back through Reno and the Lake Tahoe area. I gave up that notion when I saw it doubled the mileage back home. The last time I was in Carson City (1988 or '89) I don't think the museum was open. I don't know if they have a gift shop but I'm sure they do. The Pony Express 150th Anniversary medal is a limited edition of 90 medals. Ken plans to sell the remaining 70 at the ANA Summer Seminar so they will not be available at the gift shop (if it exists). I will try to get one from Ken for you if you like.
The drive from Vegas to Reno is one lonely and dry stretch of road. Yikes....it might be 450 miles, but seems like 1000. You do, however, pass by a couple "oldest profession" establishments that are in the middle of nowhere. I didn't stop (really, I didn't) but found it curious how out in the boonies they were.
