| 2000
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Subjects
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Page
Index
Links
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Link:
Experimental Blank Planchets
Link:
One Man's Treasure Is...
Link:
Is It A Mule Or A Hinny?
Link:
The Road To Perfection
Link:
Now You'll Know Everything I Know...
Link:
What year is this anyway?
Link:
A Bit Of Numismatic Detective Work
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Enlargement scans available on WWW and ScrapBook CD-ROM.
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| 12/2
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Experimental Blank Planchets
There are LOTS of folks out there across our nation that have the
information and specimens to make a significant contribution to our goal
of documenting the Gallery Mint Museum and Ron Landis' creations and
efforts. Here is one such piece and the story behind it. Thanks Mike!
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
An experimental piece made by the Gallery Mint
was a planchet with alternating reeded and smooth edge. The new dollar
coin was to have a distinctive edge. This was to allow visually impaired
persons to be able to easily differentiate the dollar coin from the
quarter dollar. According to Ron Landis,
"These did not strike out without obliterating
the reeding almost totally, and was abandoned after hearing from the
Federation of the Blind expressing their desire for a totally smooth
edge."
After abandoning this experiment, the planchets that had been produced
were used to punch out other planchets that were used for other Gallery
Mint projects.
The alternating reeded/plain edge planchet has 13 areas of reeds
separated by 13 plain sections. Thirteen representing the number of
original states. Of the 13 areas of reeds there are 11 with four reeds
each and 2 with three reeds each for a total of 50, representative of
the 50 present states.
I have two of the planchets rings mentioned above...one with the
experimental edge and the other without.
Mike Wallace...Wed, 29 Nov 2000 16:20:13
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| 12/2
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One Man's Treasure Is...
...definitely COOL! Man! Some days are just extra special.
I just got these wonderful scans from a long time corresponding friend.
I didn't know he was "into" GMM creations. The pieces speak for
themselves... I don't need to waste time bending your ear.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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| 12/1
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Is It A Mule Or A Hinny?
OK... OK... So I get carried away sometimes! For those of you who aren't
from farm country; a mule is the offspring of a Jack (donkey) and a Mare
(horse) while a hinny, often called a horse-mule around these parts, is
the offspring of a Stallion (horse) and a Jennet (donkey.) Horse-mules
are REALLY pretty critters...nice and sleek/slim. Not good for doing any
heavy work though. Not that anyone here really cares I am sure.
I got this scan from a corresponding friend and when I asked him about
the difference in color between the two sides of this piece he replied;
The color varies little from one face to the
other, but the reflectivity is grossly different. The Chain side is
uncirculated, while the Wreath side is proof. So I present it
here for your edification just as I received it.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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| 12/1
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The Road To Perfection
This set of obverse die trial strikes gives a person just an inkling
of the long difficult process Ron goes through when producing dies for
his superb creations. Up and down...up and down...back and forth from
engraving bench to the coinage press to see how the results of his work
looks now. Makes me tired just contemplating it!
This is the most extensive set of trial strikes that I have from GMM. I
appologize in advance for the amount of white space that you may see in
this SBsubject. There simply are more scans/photos than there is
something intelligent to say about the individual pieces.
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Click on ANY photo
above for
enlargement
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I was initially concerned that these specimens might be from two
different dies; one without the lock of hair across in front of the
horn's base and one with. So I looked them over closely for other
similarities and differences.
I found a dot, the second one from the bottom in the two clips shown
here, in the left portion of the circle of dots that is off a bit to the
right on both the early (left clip) and later (right clip) die strikes.
So I am quite comfortable that this is a single die being created here.
The first and second pieces are a trial strike on a 26mm
by 29mm lead planchet and another on a roughly 29mm brass planchet. Both
pieces share a common reverse and represent a very early stage in the
creation of the obverse die. There is no lock of hair and the horn
detail is enhanced in the final die.
The third piece is a trial strike on a 32.5mm toned brass
planchet. It is not fully struck up so loses a lot of the detail that
has already been added to the obverse die at this point.
The fourth piece is a trial strike on a 32.5mm brass planchet and
was struck with considerably more pressure so we end up with a nice
clear specimen showing all detail.
The fifth piece is a demonstration strike on a hand-cut 24mm by
27mm toned brass planchet. I admit that it is certainly possible that
this specimen is also a trial strike but I am guessing that it
represents the final purpose of the die.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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Click on ANY photo
above for
enlargement
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| 11/30
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Western Reserve Numismatic Coin Club
75th Anniversary
Counterstamp |
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Now You'll Know Everything I Know...
...at least about the WRNC counterstamp that I found out about in August
2000 and, about which, I have learned nothing since!
First, what Gino told me that started me searching...
I own several of one of Ron Landis' first works
of art in counterstamps. We commissioned him to prepare dies and strike
coins for the celebration of our 75th anniversary of the Western Reserve
Numismatic Coin Club to compliment the counterstamps we did in 1941 and
1971. I've never sold any of my WRNC counterstamps. I just buy them when
any are offered. I did sell one of my duplicates of the 1941 in a Bob
Slawsky auction a couple of years ago and it brought $1000. That is not
as much as I had hoped for as they usually bring $1200-$1500.
Gino...Wed, 30 Aug 2000 19:38:38
Now then... if I could get a graphics file of a scan or digital photo of
this counterstamp I'd sure be pleased as punch (no pun intended!) It
would be nice to know some dates to put with this information. Mainly I
just want to know when the Landis counterstamp was engraved, delivered,
and/or used and generally what pieces were struck with the
counterstamp.
Is it a punch (just a single die)
or a pair of dies
so that both sides of the coin get an
impression?
Pictures or scans of the 1941 and 1971 counterstamps and what sort of
pieces were stuck would provide some depth to this SBsubject.
Oh yeah... I do know one more thing! Gino told me they struck
some nickels with the 75th anniversary counterstamp...but I'd bet you
won't find a beautiful Type I 1913 Buffalo Nickel in that group!
:-)
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
Footnote: The positions of the empty holes above are directly
opposite each other even though it looks like random placement at first
glance.
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| 11/30
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What year is this anyway?
When Ron needed an obverse die for the New York Numismatic Club Medal he
decided to create it using the work he had already done for the 1796
Liberty Cap cent. MUCH quicker that way!
Well...haste makes waste and all that...he accidently overpunched the
1796 with 1999. I don't know if any pieces got struck using the 1999 die
but when he discovered his error he repunched the last digit with an "8"
to make the date 1998. This makes a COOL and unusual GMM creation!
Does anyone have a New York
Numismatic Club Medal
they would consider parting with for my
collection?
I have been lead to understand that Dr. Marie H. Martin, formerly an
employee of the American Numismatic Society, had some hand in having
this medal created for NYNC but I have been unable to establish contact
with her. If you know how I can reach her I would REALLY
appreciate receiving a quick EMail with anything you can tell me.
Somewhere along the line this multipunched obverse die got struck with a
more normal ONE CENT reverse die...perhaps as another of the neat
die trial pieces I delight in finding. Ron sold it to me on my first
pilgrimage to Eureka Springs and am I ever tickled. "Pickled tink!"
as my Mama used to say.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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| 11/30
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A Bit Of Numismatic Detective Work
hal·berd (-bàrd) also hal·bert
(-bàrt) noun. A weapon of the 15th and 16th centuries having an
axlike blade and a steel spike mounted on the end of a long shaft.
[French hallebarde, from Old French alabarde, from Old Italian alabarda,
from Middle High German helmbarde, halmbarte : helm, handle + barte, ax
(from Old High German barta).]
What does this have to do with
numismatics?
I'm glad you asked!
Check out the reverse of this pendant. Nothing special...just the sort
of thing you might expect to find on the back of any jewelry. Ah...
think back...doesn't this seem familiar? Like we have seen something
like this someplace before?
YES...on most dies that Ron felt moved to sign he used "RL" formed in
this general shape. Now it seems readily apparent why he picked the
unusual shape...he started out with the "©" sign and formed the letters
to that. Then when he dropped the "©" sign he maintained the shape of
the letters.
I admit...this is all supposition on my part. If I am wrong then perhaps
Ron will drop me a note and set me straight.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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Halberd
Pendant |
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RenFest
Unicorn |
RenFest
Gryphon |
RenFest
Pegasus |
Hobo
Token |
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