Gallery Mint Museum Sold!

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by Tom Maringer, Dec 6, 2006.

  1. Tom Maringer

    Tom Maringer Senior Member

    As many people know, Gallery Mint Museum in Eureka Springs Arkansas was the creation of Joe Rust and Ron Landis. Following Joes's recent passing, Ron has decided to sell his interest in both the museum and production operations. I received the following press release via email recently and thought I would share it.

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    For Release: December 1, 2006

    Gallery Mint Changes Ownership, Expands Services

    (Eureka Springs, AR)—Gallery Mint Inc., the private mint founded by master engraver Ron Landis and his late partner Joe Rust fifteen years ago, has been sold to a limited liability corporation that includes former GMI employees. The new company, Striker Token and Medal, LLC, will continue operating in the same plant in northwest Arkansas and will continue producing the company’s signature high-quality reproduction coinage.

    In addition to offering reproduction coins, Striker will also now accept private commissions from individuals, businesses and coin clubs interested in low-volume runs of tokens and medals. “There is a strong interest from coin collectors in having just a few medals or tokens made for their own use,” said former GMI employee Timothy Grat, now mint master for the Striker. “We can access our library of over 2,000 dies to help each collector customize his or her own piece.”

    Grat said he is “stoked” about the new Mini-mint demonstration that Striker will be offering to coin show organizers and event promoters around the country. “We have totally redesigned the Mini-mint demonstration that was so popular at coin shows for the past years,” said Grat. “The new minting exhibits have been significantly upgraded and now go from a one-person demonstration of hand-hammered coinage, to a full production, four-person performance of all seven steps in the minting process.” He said that there will also be static exhibits that tell the story of minting even when the machines are not being operated. The new exhibits and demonstration is scheduled to debut at the 50th Annual Money Show of the Southwest in Houston in late January, 2007.

    Rust and Landis formed Gallery Mint Museum in 1992. In 2005, the company split into two different organizations: Gallery Mint Museum Foundation (GMMF), a non-profit corporation dedicated to the preservation of the art and technology of the minting process, and Gallery Mint Incorporated (GMI), a for-profit business. This sale completes the separation of the two entities. “Now that GMI has been purchased by Striker, there should not be any more confusion over the Gallery Mint name,” said Grat. “The only Gallery Mint is the non-profit museum.”

    The sale of GMI includes all of the minting equipment, dies and rights of reproduction to those dies. The company mailing address will remain the same but there is a new telephone system and WATS number. Landis will continue his association with the new company as a consultant.

    Grat said that all orders placed with GMI will be honored by Striker and the company will also stand by the limited production of past GMI offerings. “If it was a limited edition coin made by Gallery Mint, we will honor that limitation and not produce any more of those specific reproductions.”

    For more information about purchasing reproduction coinage or placing an order for tokens or medals, contact Striker at 1-888-688-3330, email them at info@striker-mfg.com or write Striker Token and Medal, LLC, PO Box 706, Eureka Springs, AR 72632. The company’s website www.striker-mfg.com, will allow on-line purchasing of the company product line and will be operational shortly.

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