| 2000
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Subjects
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Page
Index
Links
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Link:
Too Massive For The Technology
Link:
GMM Mobile Mini-Mint Creations
Link:
1796 "Burned Die" HalfCent
Link:
"Will Jones Pewter" Trial Strikes
Link:
[ Don't Be Afraid To Clean Those RenFest Medals! ]
Link:
More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About GMM's Many Chain Cents
Link:
Czapla Helps Differentiate Wreath Cent Dies
Link:
Czapla First Edition Publication Found
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Enlargement scans available on WWW and ScrapBook CD-ROM.
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| 12/16
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Click for
Obverse or
Reverse enlargement
1999 ANA
Pattern Exhibitor's Medal
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Too Massive For The Technology
When I visited with Ron Landis about this impressive 38-39mm hot struck
silver medal he told me that the dies had been made of bronze. It
rapidly became apparent that they were trying to strike too large a
piece with bronze dies. His dies simply couldn't take the pressure
required to strike such a large high relief medal. They struck 16-17
pieces with both the dies and the resultant medals becoming more and
more distorted until they were forced to give up and start over from
scratch.
When you lay this pattern piece alongside a final production medal
(shown below) it becomes apparent that the Minerva bust is subtilely
different. I would describe the pattern bust as more mature and the
regular issue bust as more youthful. The mature bust is more pleasing to
my eye but I certainly am happy with either one. Being a bit more mature
myself I suppose that might explain my preference. Ron has done his
usual superlative job on both sets of dies. It was the "regular issue"
of this ANA exhibitor's medal that got me started collecting the
GMM/Landis medals. I can't adequately express how pleased I am to
find a pattern of that very medal!
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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1999 ANA
Exhibitor's Medal
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| 12/15
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GMM Mobile Mini-Mint Creations
Joe told me you would never believe the frenzy at their convention
tables. Folks use up all GMM's prepared pewter planchets, every scrap
of webbing, all the odd coins and tokens they can find on the browse
floor, proof coins, etcetera. Many of the strikes are like the three
nice pieces shown above ...BUT... every once in a while somebody goes
the extra mile and creates something extra special like the two gold
strikes shown below.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
I own this 1996 ANA medal double struck with the
second strike off-center on a 1991 dated 1/10oz Mexican gold piece. This
is the only 1/10oz gold piece struck slightly off-center in 1996 by GMM.
It stuck to the upper die and fell to the lower die and moved to the
side a bit while striking just before the second strike of the piece.
There are four others struck correctly on Mexican 1/10oz gold pieces. I
own two of them, Bill Fivaz owns one and someone else has the other. Why
four? I showed Bill F. what I had on gold. He was so excited over mine
that he went over to the GMM booth (ANA Conv) and had one
struck. Gary Beedon...Sun, 03 Dec 2000 21:02:52
How about this 1998 ANA medal struck on a 1/10oz Mexican gold piece? It is
one of three pieces struck at the Portland ANA Convention by Joe Rust.
Gary Beedon...Sun, 03 Dec 2000 21:09:07
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| 12/15
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1796 "Burned Die" HalfCent
This excellent scan was sent to me by
EMail:Cliff Bolling
and he is not responsible for any liberties I took with it after he sent
it. In the July 1997 Gallery Mint Report, on page 5, in
ErRORS it says;
This is an unusual error that occurred during the
hardening process. The furnace temperature exceeded the limits of the
anti-scale compound that protects against such corrosion.
The compound pooled up in the die, protecting the main device, but
burned the exposed surfaces severely. There is a muddy kind of doubling
that is burned around the letters similar to the kind of erosion that
happens on extremely worn dies.
This die was not really intended to be used as a working die. Since the
main device remained intact, this die was able to serve its real purpose
as a master die to create the main device punch. In short, all the
working dies for the 1796 half cent repro were "cloned" from this
die.
GMM only offered strikes from this die to interested error collectors
for a short time. This piece was never on their price list. I am trying
to find out an estimate of the number of specimens struck and will let
you know what I find out.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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| 12/15
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Click for
Obverse or
Reverse enlargement
32mm Brass
Medal Struck From The Final Dies
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"Will Jones Pewter" Trial Strikes
MORE of those lovely trial strikes done during the creation of Ron's
dies. By now you all know I simply delight in finding these pieces.
Maybe this doesn't do a whole lot for most of you but I reckon you will
just have to be patient with me.
The obverse die trial shows a die that has yet to acquire a lot of fine
detail; additional relief, more hair strands, the "RL" on the bust
truncation, etcetera. The reverse die trial is missing not only the
fancy designs in the field but the fine detailing on the chalice. Both
of these trial strikes are superb specimens showing the work in progress.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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Click for
Obverse or
Reverse enlargement
32mm Brass
Obverse Die Trial Strike
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Click for
Obverse or
Reverse enlargement
32mm Brass
Reverse Die Trial Strike
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Don't Be Afraid To Clean Those RenFest Medals!
Say what? Did I hear correctly?
Yes... this is what Ron Landis told me as I was buying these neat
RenFest medals. He went on to tell me that when he was selling this
material at Renaissance Fairs/Festivals people wouldn't buy them unless
they were bright and shiny. Since he and Joe were touring the country in
their converted school bus their material was regularly exposed to less
than ideal environmental conditions. So they used
Brasso
on anything showing distress. This all means that... These RenFest
medals are NOT, with rare exception, what a numismatist would consider
to be in pristine condition. In fact, lots of them exhibit the very
corrosion spots that brought out the
Brasso
in the first place. I have chosen to leave the medals as I find them
beyond a bit of silicone to remove loose dirt.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen |
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| 12/14
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Click for
Full Coin
Wide
Date Proof
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Narrow
Date Proof
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Experimental
Proof
Matte Finish Field
With Periods |
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More Than You Ever Wanted To Know
About GMM's Many Chain Cents
Most of us are happy to have a single example of a GMM Chain Cent from
their uncirculated dies. We hope to "someday" be able to own a specimen
from their proof dies but sure aren't holding our breath until then.
So... it is disheartening to learn how far we have to go if we were to
ever aspire to owning all the different die varieties GMM issued.
Let's look on the bright side. IF we ever get a specimen at least
we will know which one it is. :-)
Anytime you see green text or a green border around an image you should give
credit to Mr. Czapla for his
scholarship and hard work. I am just following in his footsteps.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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Uncirculated
Carved Directly
Into Working
Die
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Uncirculated
Doubled Die Bust
High "9" In
Date
With Periods |
Uncirculated
Coin World Issue
With
Periods
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Uncirculated
Coin
World Issue
Cancelled Die |
Click for
Full Coin
Uncirculated
Wide
Date
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| 12/14
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Czapla Helps Differentiate Wreath Cent Dies
Did you ever get a nice prooflike specimen and wonder...is this a proof
or an uncirculated issue? How about seeing a scan of a lovely piece on
eBay that the Seller says is proof and wondering...REALLY??
With the Czapla photographs at hand the worry is GONE! The lovely Wreath
Cent shown above is clearly an uncirculated issue. All doubt gone. Peace
of mind at last!
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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I must add that there are two uncirculated wreath
cent obverse dies. I have one specimen from the second die which was
struck right at the end of their minting. I think the work horse first
die broke right at the end before all their orders were filled. At that
time I tried to obtain a terminal die state example of the first die but
Ron sent a specimen struck from the newer second die instead to fill my
order. Lindy Stone...Fri, 15 Dec 2000 18:48:18
Click for
Full Coin
Second
Uncirculated
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| 12/14
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Czapla First Edition Publication Found
I knew that Mr. Czapla had done extensive research into the GMM
creations but due to his untimely death I never could lay my hands on a
copy. At this writing I have momentary custody of Ron Landis' only copy
of the Czapla first edition publication.
This reference work, was created to provide
collectors with the necessary information to determine and identify the
various die varieties, die combinations and mintage of reproductions and
modern issues struck by the Gallery Mint Museum.
Michael L. Czapla, III...circa 1997
The publication is an 84 page loose leaf, punched for a three ring
binder, study broken into 12 subjects; 1) Half Cents, 2)
Large Cents, 3) Half Dimes, 4) Dimes, 5) Quarter
Dollars, 6) Half Dollars, 7) Silver Dollars, 8)
Modern Dollars, 9) Colonials, 10) Early American,
11) Gold Reproductions and 12) Mintage Summary. It was
originally available through Mr. Czapla for $17.95 postpaid. I am
currently investigating the possibility of locating a source for any
original existing prints of this research publication.
It is my opinion that Mr. Czapla included quite a few "made to order"
specimens that don't properly belong in this study alongside GMM's regular
production pieces. At least, not without being clearly noted as such.
None-the-less, this publication has beautiful LARGE (two to a 8.5x11
page) photographs and lots of information that is not available in any
other source that I am aware of.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
I've been working my way down through Ron Landis' copy of the Czapla
manuscript. Today I got up to the half dimes...section `C' and no `C'
anywhere. Started looking and sections `D' dimes, `F' half dollars and
`J' early american are also missing. Section `K' gold reproductions is
just a skeleton...not a single photograph of any of the pieces. In
section `H' Modern Dollars the "Large Date with Mintmark" pattern 1995
Liberty Flowing Hair Concept Dollar was not included and he did not even
have a photograph of the "In God We Trust" pattern although he did know
it existed. Looks like Mr. Czapla wasn't that far along when he sent Ron
his copy of the manuscript.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen...Sat, 16 Dec 2000 08:30:23
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