| 2001
| ScrapBook
Subjects
|
Page
Index
Links
|
Link:
Nagy, Maris, NJNS Lot#7 And The Real GMM Deerhead
Link:
A Pantograph For The Guys?
Link:
Maris62.5 Before And After
Link:
Creating Castaing Machine Cheeks
Link:
Death By Clashing
Link:
Death Of A Die ... AKA "Death Dollars"
Link:
[ Frank Gasparro Medal Sought! ]
Link:
The S.S. Central America
|
|
Enlargement scans available on WWW and ScrapBook CD-ROM.
|
|
| 11/19
|
Click for
Enlargement on CD-ROM
Maris#34
"Deerhead" Electrotype
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Nagy, Maris, NJNS Lot#7 And The Real GMM Deerhead
First off, let's talk about
Link:The Coins of Colonial and Early
America, A Project of the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic
Endowment University of Notre Dame, Department of Special Collections, by
Louis Jordan. The level of information to be found there quite
simply boggles this old man's poor tired brain. With-in that extensive
website I found
Link:New
Jersey Coppers 1786-1790 and there I found
Link:New
Jersey Die Charts which gives you links to a circa 1940 photograph of the
Stephen K. Nagy plate of electrotypes of NJ specimens on large zinc sheets. This
plate is known today as the Maris plate because it was used to illustrate Maris's
New Jersey book which, while certainly available from a multitude of sources, I
found offered here:
Link:Coins
of New Jersey by E. Maris.
Some of the individual electrotypes in those four photographs are extremely dark
so I dropped the scans into my graphics editor and, if you are reading this from
a Gallery Mint Museum ScrapBook CD-ROM, you can use the following
links to view the modified
Link:Upper Left,
Link:Upper Right,
Link:Lower Left and
Link:Lower Right quadrant scans ...or...
the following links to view the original Notre Dame
Link:UL,
Link:UR,
Link:LL and
Link:LR quadrant scans from the CD-ROM.
For your convenience here are links to view the WWW original Notre Dame
Link:UL,
Link:UR,
Link:LL and
Link:LR
quadrant scans but be patient because they are HUGE files.
The reason I went searching for Nagy/Maris references was because I was told that
the Maris#34 obverse die was called, by Maris and thus by those who specialize in
this neat area of numismatics, the "Deerhead" die. I also knew that, in my SBsubject
Link:New Jersey Maris8F NJNS 1996 Auction, I had
documented LOT #7: "Deerhead Obverse with NJNS Reverse Mule. This is
the Deerhead obverse featured in Coin World. Presumable the only one made."
I puzzled over why no mention was made if it was struck from a 1787 dated die
instead of the 1786 dated die used for the other 99 strikes. THEN the lights
came on... Deerhead meant Maris#34 which meant 1787 to experts like the fine
folks of the New Jersey Numismatic Society (NJNS). There was no need for
them to elaborate that the Deerhead specimen had a different date from the
normal issue strikes.
Moving on, let's discuss "The Real GMM Deerhead" die.
The GMM deerhead die was my first "practice die", is
a very loose interpretation of the original deerhead and does not have the
WM intitials. Only a few of the GMM deerhead pieces were struck, and then I
annealed the die to do some retouching on it. I never did the retouch, and
forgot that the die was no longer hard. I think I may have struck one for the
NJNS which pretty much destroyed the die. Ron Landis...Mon, 19 Nov 2001
11:22:30
Click for
"Wrong Sized" 1787,
The Real GMM Dearhead or
NJNS Lot#7 Mockup enlargement on
CD-ROM
"Wrong Sized" 1787
The Real GMM Dearhead
NJNS Lot#7 Mockup
Shown above... left and center ...are the two dies that I felt were candidates
for having been used to strike the NJNS Lot#7 "Deerhead" specimen. Ron tells
me that his Deerhead die is the center image above ...BUT... did the folks at
NJNS take the "Deerhead" nomenclature from a flip insert that Ron or Adam wrote
on ...OR... did they call their Lot#7 "Deerhead", independent of what the GMM
Guys would have called it, simply because it was a 1787 die while all the other
strikes used a 1786 obverse die?
My initial assumption was that the "Wrong Sized" 1787 die was the die used
for the NJNS Lot#7 Deerhead specimen because it was the same diameter as the
NJNS 700th Meeting reverse die. Take note of the right image above that I
created as a mockup to show how much smaller the NJNS 700th Meeting reverse
die (and the "Wrong Sized" 1787 obverse die) are than The Real GMM Deerhead
obverse die. Just the very tips of the dentils would have been evident
around the circumference of the struck specimen if The Real GMM Deerhead die
was truly used.
Can anybody look at, photograph or scan the NJNS Lot#7
specimen and help us resolve this quandry?
Click for
Obverse or
Reverse enlargement on
CD-ROM
"Wrong Sized" 1787/NJNS 700th
Meeting Mule 28.5mm
|
Additional support for my assumption came when I purchased a
"Wrong Sized" 1787/NJNS 700th Meeting Mule
specimen from the Hardcastle hoard in a recent eBay auction. It sure "sounded"
like an example of the NJNS Lot#7 specimen to me. Not only that... but the
horse's forelock looks like a deer's antler to this old man... note the closeup
scan below. I even see a similar "antler" on the Maris#34 electrotype although
I admit that it is very weak in that image. Perhaps my eyes are playing tricks
on me!
Since my recently acquired mule came from the Hardcastle hoard I figured that,
while he was striking the NJNS Lot#7 Deerhead specimen, he simply struck two
and held one back for himself. I've learned that apparently logical assumptions
can get a fellow in a lot of hot water... my wife taught me that one!
Click for
Obverse or
Reverse enlargement on
CD-ROM
"Wrong Sized" 28.5mm 1787
New Jersey Cent
You most likely think that all this pretty much exhausts the GOOD NEWS! but
I am here to tell you that, if so, then you are sadly mistaken my friend. It turns
out that... while excavating in my midden heap in search of research material
for this SBsubject ...I came across a different specimen struck with
this very same "Wrong Sized" 1787 obverse die. Please... I am forgetful but not
THAT forgetful. I knew I had this COOL specimen but I had nothing intelligent
to say about it and I had no inkling that this might be the "NJNS Lot#7" Deerhead
die!
I had described Ron's "Wrong Sized" 1787 obverse die (the correct size would
have been 31mm) in the SBsubject
Link:Captured In Wax! in which I said; "The first
impression is of the die Ron created based on the size of the previous 1986 New
Jersey cent he had produced. It is roughly 28.5mm in diameter and was never used
in a production mode. I would consider it to be a pattern die although a rather
unusual pattern because of the reason it was not used. Ron discarded this attempt
when he found out that the size of the original coin was considerably larger...he
had to start over from scratch."
Finally, shown above is a "Wrong Sized" 1787
specimen complete with the reverse die that was created for that obverse die.
This may be the first time anyone has published these "Wrong Sized" 1787 New
Jersey Cent obverse and reverse dies together even though Czapla says there
were 18 specimens struck from these dies! There was a composite picture published
in a GMM flyer circa 1994 or 1995 that included the obverse die without any
comment on the piece that I am aware of. That composite picture was shown here
in the ScrapBook in the SBsubject
Link:Searching Old GMM Publicationns. I also understand
that there was a picture published in Coin World but I do not know if it showed
both dies or just the obverse die. In fact, not having seen the Coin World article
I'm not even certain it showed either of these dies.
Can anybody direct me to a copy of that Coin World article,
presumably circa 1994 or 1995?
Having this pair of very special specimens is another high point in my GMM
collecting experience! If ANYONE has additional information that would alter
any of my conclusions about these pieces then PLEASE contact me so I can set
the record straight before my ignorance and suppositions do irreparable damage.
Remember... "Quoting one is plagiarism; Quoting many is research."
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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| 11/17
|
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A Pantograph For The Guys?
Here is what the eBay Seller had to say about this COOL machine:
COIN REDUCING MACHINE:
This is a reducing machine in working condition for
production of metals, coins etc... makes very accurate reproduction of the
original artist model. abmachinery...Nov-02-01 06:20:43
When I checked out the Seller's website they had this machine listed
under the Pantograph subtitle. My dictionary says; pan·to·graph n.
An instrument for copying a plane figure to a desired scale, consisting
of styluses for tracing and copying mounted on four jointed rods in the
form of a parallelogram with extended sides. I'm not certain if "plane
figure" is the wording I'd use for what this reducing machine does since
it reduces a three-dimensional model of a coin/medal to a different scale
three-dimensional version of the model. Maybe they just didn't have a good
subtitle to put a coin reducing machine in!
Anyway... it is my understanding that the guys have purchased this COOL machine
to add to their museum. Knowing Ron and Joe I'd guess it won't just sit around
but will be put into production. I look forward to seeing what new creations
they come up with now that they are adding this machine's capabilities to their
repertoire.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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|
|
| 11/16
|
1787 New Jersey cent
BEFORE and AFTER the added die crack.
|
Click for
Wax BEFORE
or
Copper AFTER
enlargement
on CD-ROM
|
-
Maris62.5 Before And After
It pays to keep your eyes open when excavating Ron Landis' midden heap. I was
fortunate to find a wax impression of GMM's Maris62.5 1787 New Jersey cent, which
ceased production on 31 August 1997, that was created during the engraving of the
die BEFORE Ron added the simulated die crack. As you all certainly must know by
now... I am enamored by anything different and unusual related to GMM and my
friend and master engraver Ron Landis. This outstanding wax die impression
certainly qualifies!
My corresponding friend Cliff Bolling has this to say about the Maris62.5
issue: It seems the obverse of the 1787 NJ piece was
struck 2 ways, first with the die crack much less prominent, going behind
the lower plow beam, and then re-engraved to strengthen the crack, making
it go over the lower plow beam. I have about 15 of the 1787's and all are
the first type. According to the mintage figures, only 515 were struck
from the earlier version and 1,609 from the re-engraved version. How come
I only have the earlier variety? I don't think I have seen the
strengthened die crack version... perhaps someone can enlighten us on this
subject. Or... perhaps the Czapla documention Cliff is reading is incorrect.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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|
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| 11/10
|
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Creating Castaing Machine Cheeks
While rummaging around in a directory on the Gallery Mint Museum's home
website I found these two interesting graphics files. The first one
(shown above) clearly illustrates how Castaing machine/edge mill dies are
created. The Castaing machine is a device invented by French engineer Jean
Castaing, which added the edge lettering and devices to early U.S. coins
before they were struck. This machine was used until close collar dies
were introduced which applied the edge device in the striking process. The
final dies (shown at the bottom of the picture) apply incuse edge lettering
to the edge of coin blanks (Type1 planchets) to form coin planchets (Type2
planchets) with upset edges and edge lettering. The second one
(shown below) is a rare view of a group of GMM hubs and master dies entitled
"Die Sinker's Hell". I found it interesting although not nearly as cool as
the previous one showing how edge mill dies are created.
I hope you find these of some small interest.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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| 11/9
|
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Death By Clashing
Unlike death by lashing it doesn't take more than one to get the job done!
My friend Cliff Bolling sent me these great scans of three GMM dollars he just
acquired from the Hardcastle hoard. These three specimens all share the same
obverse die which Michael L. Czapla, III, called the First Uncirculated Obverse
and he tells us that this obverse die was used from 10/26/96 through 2/19/97.
Above is a clashed die dollar specimen struck on 1/18/97 at the end of the die's
life. I have seen two of these pieces and both had hand-written inserts with
1/18/97 on them. Mr. Czapla has documented that only 10 specimens were struck
after this die set was
clashed.
Below is a specimen from the same set of dies before they were damaged by being
clashed and a specimen struck from the same obverse die paired with the Small
Letter proof reverse die that was converted to an uncirculated die. This is a
wonderful set to have the good fortune to acquire and I envy Cliff...
congratulations my friend!
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
| |
|
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| 11/7
|
Obverses
Click for
larger
First
Left
cracked
die state,
Second
Middle
partial cud
die state
or
Third
Right
partial cud
die state
scan
on CD-ROM
|
|
Reverses
Click for
larger
First
Left
cracked
die state,
Second
Middle
partial cud
die state
or
Third
Right
partial cud
die state
scan
on CD-ROM
|
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Death Of A Die ... AKA "Death Dollars"
No... not the deadly "Death Dollars" of Muera Huerta fame. Anyone
caught carrying one of those infamous coins, by the Mexican Federalistas
during the 1910-1917 Mexican Revolution, are rumored to have been stood
up against the nearest adobe wall and shot. These less deadly GMM
"Death Dollar" creations carry no such ownership penalty.
In a recent eBay auction I managed to capture four of the five stunning
1796 dollar strikes from Adam Hardcastle's hoard shown here. I already
had the one I didn't get this time on eBay (the middle one shown above)
so I didn't compete for it and it went to another GMM collector.
The obverse die that came to pieces as these Death Dollars were created
is the one Michael L. Czapla, III, called the Third Uncirculated Obverse
die which is his Second Obverse Proof Obverse die that was converted to
an Uncirculated die.
I have taken some, hopefully slight, editing liberties with Mark Honea's
descriptions of these five eBay lots in order to eliminate the repetitive
text there-in. Here is the "meat" of what Mark had to tell us, on October
25, 2001, about these GMM creations:
These five lots trace the end of the production life of a 1796 Draped Bust
Dollar die, as produced by the Gallery Mint Museum. All five pieces being
offered here are struck from the same obverse die (in varying stages of
disintegration). The first piece is struck from a Small Letters reverse
die, while the last four are all struck from the same Large Letters
reverse die (which is also going through its own problems). As with all of
the Gallery Mint's products, these are struck on a planchet of the original
specifications (.8924+ Pure Silver), and using the same technology as that
available to the early U.S. Mint (i.e., on a Screw Press).
In the first stage,
which began on the 19th of March, 1997, there is a die break visible on
the obverse, which begins at approximately 5:00, and then runs upwards
along the perimeter of the coin (through the stars and the majority of
LIBERTY, stopping just after passing through the "I" in LIBERTY).
In the second stage,
which began on the 25th of August, 1997, the first large die break on the
obverse has extended upwards through Liberty's bust at 5:00, and a piece
of the die has actually broken away from 5:00 to 3:30. In addition, the
smaller die break below Liberty from stage one has now extended upwards
behind Her, ending even with the bow in the ribbon in Her hair. On the
reverse (the first struck with the Large Letters die), there is a die
break which begins in the "E" in STATES, and extends downward through the
left side of the wreath, ending below the bow at the bottom of the wreath.
In the third stage,
which began in September, 1997, the first large die break on the obverse
now extends at the top through all of LIBERTY, and a secondary break
extends from between "I" and "B" upwards to the rim. In addition, the
smaller die break below Liberty from stage one has now extended upwards
all the way to the "LI" in LIBERTY. The reverse (the second struck with
the Large Letters die), is the same stage as it was in Stage Two.
Approximately 10 pieces were struck
with the obverse and reverse dies at this stage of disintegration.
In the fourth stage,
which began on the 1st of October, 1997, the dies were "Clashed", or
struck together without a planchet in between them. This caused additional
extensions of both the obverse and reverse die breaks from Stage Three,
in addition to transferring a great degree of the reverse dies' design to
the obverse die, and vice versa. The reverse (the third struck with the
Large Letters die), has several additional die breaks beyond those from
Stage Three. Approximately 8 pieces were
struck with the obverse and reverse dies at this stage of disintegration.
In the fifth stage,
which began on the 4th of October, 1997. The dies breaks on both the
obverse and reverse are even more extensive than from Stage Four, but
the really dramatic aspect of this final stage is the extension of the
"Cud" from Stage Two. This Cud is now HUGE, and extends from 5:00 all
the way upwards to 11:30. The reverse (the fourth struck with the Large
Letters die), has more severe die breaks than those from Stage Four.
Approximately 5 pieces were struck
with the obverse and reverse dies at this stage of disintegration.
Mr. Czapla provided the following mintage documentation in his
Summary of Gallery Mint Reproductions ... 1796 Liberty
Draped Bust Dollar - Standard Issue:
Obverse Die Breaks (various progressions) ... 41
First Stage Obverse Cud ... 10
Second Stage Obverse Cud ... 12
Single Clash Dies & Massive Obverse Cud ... 8
(1)
Double Clash Dies & Massive Obverse Cud ... 5
(1) We suspect these single clash strikes may
have been from 5:00-3:30 Cud
dies not Massive Cud dies. Should we find
a single clash strike from
Massive Cud dies then we will modify
our stated suspicion of course.
I have previously provided Mr. Czapla's detailed description of the
circumstances surrounding the creation of the final stage, MASSIVE CUD,
strikes from this set of dies at
Link:The End Of A Die's Life.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
|
Obverses
Click for
Fourth
Left
partial cud
clashed
die state
or
Fifth
Right
full cud
DOUBLE
clashed
die state
enlargement
on
CD-ROM
|
|
Reverses
Click for
Fourth
Left
partial cud
clashed
die state
or
Fifth
Right
full cud
DOUBLE
clashed
die state
enlargement
on
CD-ROM
|
|
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Frank Gasparro Medal Sought!
Following is what my friend Mike Wallace has to say about the beautiful
bust of liberty used on the 1969 ANA Convention medal (shown at left):
Frank Gasparro was the U.S. Mint's chief engraver
when discussion of a smaller-sized dollar coin came about. Gasparro hoped
he would get the opportunity to create a classic design. He prepare sketches
and models for an obverse featuring a flowing hair Miss Liberty with a pole
and cap behind her head. Gasparro's proposed reverse design featured an
eagle flying over a mountain, 13 stars and the sun's rays (shown
above). The obverse motif is the same one used on
the medals (39mm bronze, 39mm silver and 20mm bronze)
that Gasparro designed for the 1969 American
Numismatic Association's convention medal (shown at left and
right). Mike Wallace
Link:Frank
Gasparro's Proposed Liberty Head Design.
Was the 1969 ANA Convention Badge created with
Gasparro's Liberty Head Design also?
I suspect it was and I am interested in acquiring specimens of both the
1969 ANA badges and medals.
If you have any information or suggestions as to how a person might
accomplish this goal please contact me.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
Just as I expected... Richard Sutter just EMailed me the following two SUPER
scans. Thanks Richard!
I finally found all three medals and both
badges!
Verne R. Walrafen - December 2001
|
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| 10/24
|
Hey Buddy!
Ya got change for a $50?
|
Click for
$50 gold
Obverse
or
Reverse
enlargement
on CD-ROM
|
Ron Landis
wearing
his
preferred headgear!
|
Ron's additions to the ribbon that
was on the original die.
|
|
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The S.S. Central America
When the United States Mail Steamship Central
America sank in deep water off the coast of the Carolinas during a
monstrous 1857 hurricane... Well... there isn't any need
for me to replicate the EXTENSIVE and well written text available to
you at
Link:America's Lost
Treasure The S.S. Central America: OVERVIEW. It is absolutely
worth your time to read the super set of webpages available to us there.
Now then... what has all this to do with Ron Landis and the Gallery
Mint Museum? Ron, Joe, Timothy and Adam spent several weeks in
California striking 2.5 ounce $50 gold pieces from August 20 to
September 12, 2001. Ron created the working dies from the original
Kellogg & Company $50 dies used in 1855. They even hauled their
16,000-pound press, previously used at the San Francisco Mint between
1973 and 1998, BACK to California to strike these wonderful
creations.
If you check out
Link:America's Lost
Treasure The S.S. Central America: Commemorative "coins" you
will learn what they have been working on so diligently for several
months now. I got to hold two of the large gold bars recovered from
the S.S. Central America in my lap on one of my trips to Eureka,
Springs last year. I watched as the guys preserved the ingots'
historical assayers' marks for posterity. They carefully cut and
milled the faces of the bars to retain the top layer of gold that
contained the fundamental information, such as the ingot's weight
and fineness, as well as the Kellogg & Humbert imprint. It was really
cool to see gold chips spinning out of the saw cut as the bars were
sliced. Additionally, I got to hold the original $50 dies from 1855...
talk about a real sense of history.
If you have some spare small change then you might be interested in
acquiring one of the roughly 5,000 gold pieces that the guys struck
in California. Check out:
Link:Bowers and
Merena Galleries. If you accidentially get two shipped to you I
sure could use one for Christmas! Maybe your significant other would
consider buying us each one for the holidays because we have been so
good this year.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
|
1855 $50 Gold
SS Central
America
Commemorative
Mintages |
|
Proof strikes |
| 2001 |
Day |
| 8/20 |
1 |
493 |
| 8/21 |
2 |
84 |
| 8/22 |
3 |
126 |
| 8/23 |
4 |
109 |
| 8/24 |
5 |
25 |
| 8/25 |
6 |
128 |
| 8/26 |
7 |
200 |
| 8/27 |
8 |
156 |
| 8/28 |
9 |
50 |
| 8/29 |
10 |
93 |
| 8/30 |
11 |
56 |
| 8/31 |
12 |
483 |
| 9/01 |
13 |
105 |
| 9/02 |
14 |
209 |
| 9/03 |
15 |
487 |
| 9/04 |
16 |
64 |
| 9/05 |
17 |
123 |
| 9/06 |
18 |
203 |
| 9/07 |
19 |
223 |
| 9/08 |
20 |
101 |
| 9/09 |
21 |
104 |
| 9/10 |
22 |
153 |
| 9/11 |
23 |
99 |
| 9/12 |
24 |
587 |
| Total |
4,461 |
Uncirculated
strikes |
| 2001 |
Day |
| 8/26 |
7 |
100 |
| 9/03 |
15 |
93 |
| 9/07 |
19 |
99 |
| 9/12 |
24 |
200 |
| Total |
492
|
|
|
|
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