| 2002
| ScrapBook
Subjects
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Page
Index
Links
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Link:
2000 GMM Hobo Token Silver MULE
Link:
[ Mona And Dandy Don Move To Kansas ]
Link:
Wreath Cent Bust Comparison
Link:
An Undocumented Wreath Cent Obverse Die
Link:
[ It's Always Something! ]
Link:
Forever Making Waves!
Link:
A Really COOL Seal
Link:
I Gotta Pay Closer Attention
Link:
[ "Plukajah" Ears On Hobo Nickel Carvings ]
Link:
The Landis Factor
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Enlargement scans available on WWW and ScrapBook CD-ROM.
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| 3/31
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2000 GMM Hobo Token Silver MULE
I had given up hope a long time ago of ever acquiring a Gallery Mint
Museum Hobo Token mule struck with an Indian Obverse die and a Buffalo
Reverse die. Bet you I asked Ron a half dozen times for one of these
struck in any metal... even simply struck over a Jefferson nickel. Ron's
reason for denying me such a specimen was legitimate enough. He felt it
was too much like a legal tender US coin so it would need a COPY stamp
and he just didn't feel like it was an area that GMM should get "off
into." I tried to argue that the "HOBO TOKEN" on the reverse in place of
the normal "FIVE CENTS" should be enough to keep GMM in the clear with
the legal folks but my opinion didn't sway Ron. I finally gave up... after
all, GMM is Ron's business and I'm just a customer.
When this SILVER MULE showed up on eBay I couldn't believe my eyes. I knew
it came from the Adam Kelley lots sold late last year on eBay so the
provenance was certainly superb. I figured it was probably a 2001 Hobo
Token silver planchet struck with these two 2000 Hobo Token dies. Although...
I couldn't see why Adam would do that as he never did "fool around" much
as far as I could see. He was a very serious and professional craftsman.
When this COOL specimen arrived in my mailbox I was in for another surprise.
It was struck on a silver planchet all right but NOT a 2001 Hobo Token silver
planchet! It is much thinner than the 2001 silver creations. I am now
laboring under the assumption that Ron had a few trial strikes made from
2000 Hobo Token dies on handmade silver planchets. He probably even specified
that the Indian and Buffalo dies be used so that he didn't end up with silver
versions of the previous year's normal issue Hobo Tokens. This would have
happened while he was making plans for the 2001 Hobo Tokens to be struck on
silver rather than being struck over Jefferson Nickels as most previous years
had been created. I'd bet though that Ron never intended for this 2000 silver
MULE to escape the mint as he has these sorts of trial pieces melted down as
a matter of standard operating proceedure.
I feel fortunate to have acquired this great specimen and I consider it a
really special addition to my GMM midden heap.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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"Mona" and "Dandy Don"
pair of carved nickels by Cliff Kraft
Mona And Dandy Don Move To Kansas
SQUAW LAKE -- 24 March 2002 --
MONA (L-40) (grand daughter of Monique) after failing a
chromosome test, she left a very well paying (though seasonal) job as
a product taste tester at a kipper factory in a small Norwegian fishing
village, and became owner of the largest drive-thru lutefisk restaurant
in the area. WAY TO GO MONA! Asked her secret for success, she replied
"being able to tell when the fisk turns bad." Mona has had a nose job,
a chin tuck, an eyebrow pluck, and a quickie perm, and says she's ready
for anything. Mona is (by popular demand) dating some of our local
boycus (Fin boys.) All it costs is a can of kippers (in oil), nun of
dat mustard stuff for our "girl?" - Clifford L. Kraft
SQUAW LAKE -- 31 March 2002 --
DANDY DON (L-41) is the local cop who doesn't think
anything is funny (almost looks like Sergeant Preston.) Right now he is
all dressed up and on his way to see the "ladies." Maybe we can get him
to smile later. Don is a very nice coin with lots of alterations and
some great detail, hand carved with T.L.C. Newsworthy items gleaned
from The Upper Popple River Gazette: 1) Cliff Kraft reports
email from PayPal asking if they could plan on Verne Walrafen's deposit
being on time again this week. 2) Dandy Don, our local law, has been
terminated. After failing a breath test with respect to kippers left
in his care as evidence from Enga's Massage Lodge. Don said he would
leave tomorrow morning for Kansas to accept a driving position with
Mona's Home Delivery Lutefisk. He was overheard to say as he left;
"They call it the Sunflower State now, just wait!" - Clifford
L. Kraft
Mona arrived in Kansas with a 100g can of Brunswick Kippers (Herring
Fish Fillets) tucked under her left arm... HONEST, I'm not
pulling your leg. Do you suppose they would make good catfish bait?
I was hoping Dandy Don would show up with the monthly payroll from the
Kipper factory until I realized that the factory was back in the old
country. The drive-thru lutefisk restaurant didn't even have enough
cashflow to keep the lights on so I reckon that option is out. Keeping
up with the personal history of all the folks around Squaw Lake can be
difficult from this far a remove. Mona and Dandy Don will have to settle
for sharing living accomodations with Fatima and her handler Hadji Ali.
I have been led to understand that camels smell a bit rank. I do know if
you let a camel get his head in your tent pretty soon you have the whole
camel in the tent with you.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
"Hadji Ali" and "Fatima"
double carved nickel by Cliff Kraft
OZAWKIE -- Special Edition 2 April 2002 --
Authorities report today that recently discharged Squaw Lake Law Enforcement
Officer Dandy Don has absconded with the payroll from Boycus Lutefisk
Enterprises (specializing in mailorder Lutefisk TV dinners), formerly
Mona's Drive-thru Lutefisk Restaurant, and that it is known to be
hidden in a 2x2 envelope in his personal luggage. Former associates of
Officer Don rushed to provide clues to his escape and destination plans
in hopes of collecting the substantial 2% recovery reward posted by the
new owners. Based on information previously reported right here for you,
our valued readers, the search net has been concentrated on those overland
routes headed into the badlands of the Kanza Territories in America's
Heartland. Officer Don's purported paramour, former Squaw Lake Restauranteur
Mona, has gone into hiding somewhere in the Ozawkie area and has suspected
ties to a local numismatic syndicate that Kansas authorities have under
close surveillance. It is presumed that Officer Don is fleeing to join Mona,
perhaps with the help of the infamous Hadji Ali who is known to provide
untracable transportation, by as yet unidentified means, to any who can meet
his substantial prices. Hadji Ali, AKA Hi Jolly, is a seventh generation
American who has strong family ties in the area of Quartzsite, Arizona. The
Ali family has had de facto protection from the U.S.Military since the
mid-nineteenth-century when they pioneered in early stealth technology
applied to military transportation research. Since the Ali family has
firmly entrenched influence at the highest levels of the U.S.Government, and
has a history of being supported by appropriations from the U.S.Congress,
it is little wonder that Homeland Security officials brushed aside any
suggestion of mounting a full scale interdiction to put Hi Jolly out of
business and capture Officer Don. An undisclosed highly placed Homeland
Security source stated that he couldn't justify the allocation of an
estimated $1,378,945,344.72 operational budget necessary to target Hi
Jolly, and recover the reported $0.50 Boycus payroll, unless they could
get White House approval to draw funds from his training and office
furnishings budgets. He was overheard speculating that the Boycus CEO has
a history of overstating estimated losses for insurance claim purposes
anyway. - The FatMan
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HI JOLLY -Randy Sparks?
Hi Jolly was a camel driver long time ago,
he followed Mister Blaine away out west.
Didn't mind the burning sand in that god forsaken land
but he didn't mind the purty gals the best.
Singin Hi Jolly Hey Jolly 20 miles a day by golly
20 more before the morning light.
Hi Jolly Hey I gotta be on my way I
told my gal I'd be home by Sunday night.
There's purty girls in Alberquerque, least that's what they say,
there's purty girls in Tucumcari too.
But honey I ain't blind but I don't pay them any mind
'cause I'm savin' all my lovin' just for you.
The old folks down in Arizona tell us that it's true
you can see Hi Jolly's ghost a travelin' still.
When the desert moon is bright he comes ridin' through the night
leadin' 4 and 20 camels cross the hill.
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| 3/31
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A Clifford Bolling photograph.
1793 Wreath Cents
Second
Proof and Second Uncirculated Obverse Dies
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Click for
Proof
or
Uncirculated
Second Die
enlargements
on CD-ROM
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Wreath Cent Bust Comparison
Lindy Stone suggested that the Second Uncirculated Obverse Die's (SUOD)
bust was the same as the proof die Cliff Bolling purchased a while back.
So I asked Cliff what he thought and he sent me these scans. It is true
that the SUOD bust is more similar to the proof bust than it is to the
First Uncirculated Obverse Die's bust. However... Cliff and I are both
of the opinion that the two busts we are looking at here are distinctly
different. We need to find an example of the First Proof so we can look
closely at that bust. The scans I have looked at would seem to be
different than the SUOD bust also. Maybe I can look at Ron's Wreath Cent
dies on my next trip to Eureka Springs!
A Clifford Bolling photograph.
Second Proof and
Second Uncirculated Bust Close-ups
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Click for
Enlargement
on CD-ROM
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Cliff is certainly doing well with his numismatic photography. It is
interesting how different the same specimen can look depending just on
the lighting used at the time. The scan shown below is an excellent
example of how drastic this can be. THANKS for the scans Cliff!
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
A Clifford Bolling photograph.
The SAME proof specimen
under different lighting conditions
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Click for
Obverse
and
Reverse
enlargements
on CD-ROM
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| 3/30
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A Clifford Bolling photograph.
Both 1793 Wreath Cent
Obverse Dies
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Click for
First Die
or
Second Die
enlargements
on CD-ROM
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An Undocumented Wreath Cent Obverse Die
My Numismatic Buddy Cliff Bolling recently rediscovered that
GMM Numismatic Researcher Michael Czapla was unaware of when
he was working on his manuscript. Lindy Stone had told us he received
a wreath cent with a different obverse die when he tried to purchase
a terminal die state wreath cent. I reported this observation to you
along with a scan in a December2000 SBsubject
Link:Czapla Helps Differentiate Wreath Cent
Dies. Cliff and I have been watching for examples of this
second type of wreath cent for well over a year now without success
so we are assuming it was an extremely limited mintage. The most
obvious difference between the two dies is the "93" in 1793 is low
on the First Die and high on Second Die strikes.
However... there are other distinct differences including the bust
itself. I wish I knew more about the history of this interesting die.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
A Clifford Bolling photograph.
1793 Wreath Cent With
Second Obverse Die
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Click for
Obverse,
Reverse
or
Date Area
enlargements
on CD-ROM
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It's Always Something!
I am always wandering off into various numismatic byways. Naturally this
steals time away from generating subjects for the ScrapBook. Sorry folks...
I just can't help myself. I got over 100 movie money notes last week and
worked on folding them into my collection notebook for a day, all night and
all the next day. Haven't done that since my college days and I can tell you
that it takes me a lot longer to bounce back now. I have another 60 notes
wending their way to me via USPS so they shouldn't take so many hours to
merge into my collection. I'll get back to GMM creations eventually...
honest I will!
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
Contributed by ...
Richard J. Reed,
PMB#444, 5824 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota, FL 34233-5065
FAX:(941)371-8768
EMail:rjreed@misterbanknote.com
Website:www.misterbanknote.com
Pricelist:Hollywood Movie Money Retail Price List
Early in 2001, we were fortunate to acquire a real interesting group
of Hollywood movie money, also known as stage money or stage notes.
These are facsimiles or total fantasies made to appear as currency
in the movies and television. I believe there was a law on the books
prohibiting the depiction of actual United States paper money in
films at one time. This law, plus the difficulty of controlling a
large quantity of real money on the set, required the use of stage
notes. It is also likely that defunct genuine currencies such as old
Confederate and Mexican revolution money were used in the early days
of Hollywood for this purpose. The story goes that there just wasn't
enough to handle all of Tinseltown's needs after a while, so the
fake prop notes were made up.
The notes we acquired came from Ellis Props & Graphics Partners,
which closed recently after being in business since 1908. Over the
past century, props provided by Ellis have been used in many famous
movies and well-known TV shows such as Ben-Hur, Titanic, and The
Wild, Wild West. In early June, 2000, the company's prop holdings
were auctioned off at the Universal Hilton and on the Internet. We
acquired our notes from a gentleman who purchased many, if not all,
of the prop notes.
We have a vast assortment of all different types of movie prop notes
representing banknotes from Mexico, the United States, the Confederacy,
France, England, Egypt, Cuba, Italy, and Vietnam, among other locales!
Some of the stage notes are direct copies of genuine bills. Others are
altered to say "FOR MOTION PICTURE USE ONLY" or might have subtle
alterations, or are total fabrications. Obviously the U.S. bills are
not faithful reproductions due to the anti-counterfeiting laws! Most
of the notes are in nice condition; however, some were obviously used
or stored carelessly and have some folds, crinkles, tears, dirt, etc.
just like a real note that circulates. The variety of different items
found and the entertainment they provide to paper money collectors make
them a popular adjunct to the hobby. Also, imagine what great
actor/actress may have held your note in a scene somewhere!
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| 3/9
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Clifford Bolling photographs.
PEACE
First3
Regular1
Regular3
Regular4
Regular5
Gallery Mint Museum Dollar Obverse Dies
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Click for
Top Left
PEACE,
Top Middle
Obv.F3,
Top RIght
Obv.R1,
Bottom Middle
Obv.R4,
Bottom Right
Obv.R5
on CD-ROM
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Forever Making Waves!
Link:Here
is a photo
(only if you are viewing this webpage from a GMM ScrapBook CD-ROM - vrw)
showing the bottom curl on the
following GMM dollars; the 1996 PEACE, 1796 first design obverse 3, 1796
regular design obverse 1, 1796 regular design obverse 4, and the latest
1796 regular design obverse 5. All except the latest obverse 5 die show
a three line curl between the bottom curl and the next higher curl. The
GMM proof dies all have this addition, and all the first design dies,
too. All original 1796 obverse dollar dies also exhibit this extra curl.
The missing "three line curl" on the latest 1796 GMM dollar is a genuine
error/variety. I talked to Timothy at the Mint and he wasn't aware that
there had been an omission on this die, and he said he would talk to Ron
about it. He didn't know what Ron would do about it, either continue to
use this die as is, or add the 3 line curl to this die, or retire this
die and create a new one. Am I forever making
waves, or what? Mostly, I'm looking for a good excuse for
taking more pictures. - Clifford D. Bolling...Fri, 8 Mar 2002
12:27:15
I had a small scale scan (the lower left one with a very thin border)
of the 1796 regular design obverse 3 curl so I stuck it in with Cliff's
new scans for the sake of more completeness.
I reckon Cliff is more of a Numismatist than I am because the missing
three line curl doesn't bother me a bit. I figure the die "is what it is"
and doesn't need correction. Ron may take a different view however since
he always works so dilligently to insure that his recreations are as much
like the originals as physically possible. I don't mind waves as long as
it isn't somebody's blood that is splashing around.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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| 3/8
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A Clifford Bolling photograph.
Gallery Mint Museum Small
Screwpress Seal
"RL" is Ron's personal hallmark.
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Click for
Enlargement
on CD-ROM
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A Really COOL Seal
Ah... NOT the furry kind of course even though they are COOL too!
I knew that Cliff had sent me a scan not too long ago of a different GMM
seal and so I went looking. I found it... so that saves me a lot of time
that I'd have to invest to find and scan this same seal from one of my own
pieces. I really appreciate it when Cliff sends me scans ...as it makes my
life MUCH simpler... THANKS Cliff!
This "RL" GMM seal is especially nice in my opinion. I love the wreath as
it is quite similar to the 1793 Wreath Cent reverse die that Ron created.
Additionally I am always pleased to find any specimen with Ron's personal
"RL" hallmark included in the design. If my rememberer isn't broken I think
I recall Cliff telling me that this uniface strike is on a GMM one cent
planchet complete with edge lettering. That gives this great specimen
additional appeal in my book!
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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| 3/7
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A Clifford Bolling photograph.
Both Different 1992 Gallery
Mint Museum Large Screwpress Seals
"ES" is Ron's "Eureka Springs" mintmark.
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Click for
enlargement
on
CD-ROM
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I Gotta Pay Closer Attention
Obviously Cliff pays much closer attention than I do as he recently
pointed out to me that TheGuys have two different "ES" GMM seal dies.
Somewhere I have another seal die or perhaps even a couple others and
I'll have to look them up for you. There is also a Royal Mint seal die
in my midden heap someplace. However, I wasn't aware that there were
two "ES" GMM seal dies that were so similar. As usual with Ron's
work... both are really SUPER creations. If you are viewing this from
a GMM ScrapBook CD-ROM then you are invited to check out the
Link:1787 Fugio Die Copper Test Strip
that these two seal dies were used on. Cliff's test strip also shows both
of the Fugio dies that were used to create the Fugio Cents at GMM. One die
has a period behind the 1787 date while the other die does not.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
A Clifford Bolling photograph.
The same two seal dies shown in situ on Cliff's test strip.
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Click for
enlargement
on
CD-ROM
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Paonessa
Landis Unknown Kraft Alfano
Jameson Adams Hutchison
"Plukajah" Ears On Hobo Nickel Carvings
Everybody has ears as we all know. Steven Alpert tells us that;
The ear is a feature that the hobonickel artist
had to create from scratch, as there is no ear on the original coin.
Thus there is a wide variety in the size, shape, placement, and appearance
of ears on hobo nickels. The better artists made nicely detailed ears,
with internal features (ridges and depressions) and earlobes. Some early
hobo nickel artists have been nicknamed based on the distinctive style
of the ears they made (such as "Peanut Ear").
Our modern carvers work hard to create realistic ears and I decided to
show a few examples to all y'all here. Of course no carver does his ears
just one way throughout their carving career. Arthur Hutchison is an
excellent example of the variety of ears that an artist produces... and
he has LOTS of other ears I haven't shown you below. This is just a
sampling naturally.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
A broad sampling of Arthur
Hutchison's carved ears.
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| 3/1
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A Clifford Bolling photograph.
GMM Stanton Token Struck In
Copper - 22.5mm
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Click for
enlargement
on
CD-ROM
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The Landis Factor
I don't know what it is about this simple little token that appeals to me.
When pressed to explain this to Cliff I finally attributed it to "the Landis
factor." Only Ron could create such an elegant engraving for such a simple
and basically mundane function. It is similar to the difference one feels
when comparing a cherry wood desk created by a New England craftsman to a
pressed wood desk sold by K-Mart. They may provide the same functionality
but there simply isn't any comparison possible. This is a very low mintage
issue and Cliff was fortunate to pick up this pair of tokens at an
exceptionaly good price. Way to go Cliff!
If you are viewing this from a GMM ScrapBook CD-ROM then you are invited
to visit an in-depth SBsubject on the Stanton tokens entitled
Link:Elect J.T.Stanton For ANA In 1995.
Sorry those scans are no longer posted on the Internet although the text
of that SBsubject is still there of course.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
A Clifford Bolling photograph.
GMM Stanton Token Struck In
Brass - 22.5mm
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Click for
enlargement
on
CD-ROM
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