| 2003
| ScrapBook
Subjects
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Page
Index
Links
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Link:
My FIRST Slabbed GMM Creations!
Link:
A Fun Time CONTINUES At The 2003 FUN Show
Link:
Double 'd' Is Not A Cattle Brand
Link:
[ Someday You Will Be A Real Boy ]
Link:
Is The King's Coin Hammer Still Operational?
Link:
[ Traditional Subject - Nontraditional Carver ]
Link:
The 350th Anniversary Of The Boston Mint
Link:
[ Critter Carvings ]
Link:
Just Plain Fun!!
Link:
[ Better Than Riding The Rails To Florida ]
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Enlargement scans available on WWW and ScrapBook CD-ROM.
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Click for
Enlargement
on CD-ROM
1938
Schlag Pattern Nickel GMM Recreation
§
FSNC-02 #5 of 1,938 struck
§
"Matte and Proof" .999 Fine Silver Pair
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My FIRST Slabbed GMM Creations!
We learned about these Schlag pattern nickel recreations from GMM a couple
months back and provided all y'all with extensive information in SBsubject
Link:
The
Jefferson Full Step Nickel Club. Here is an
LinkOrder Form
that you can print out and send by SnailMail to the folks at the
FSNC. For those of you who desire to know more about the FSNC
itself you can visit their
LinkFull Step Nickel Club Homepage.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
Click for
Enlargement
on CD-ROM
52554713012FSNC00005
52554813012FSNC00105
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A Fun Time CONTINUES At The 2003 FUN Show
What a super day!!! Totally unexpectedly I received these three tokens in the mail.
My life long numismatic dealer friend Don Bailey attended FUN2003 and captured these
fantastic tokens for me. It is thoughtful occurrences like this that make my life a
continuing voyage of pleasure and discovery.
I couldn't be more tickled if I had swallowed a feather duster.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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Double 'd' Is Not A Cattle Brand
There is a superb research article entitled
Double "d" - My Favorite New Jersey Copper, by Buell Ish, in
LinkTHE Colonial Coin Collectors
Club's The C4 Newsletter, Vol6 No3 Fall 1998.
In that interesting article Buell investigates, with the help of TheGuys, how
his original double "d" reverse New Jersey cent could have been created. The
article is much too long to attempt to quote verbatim but I recommend you
track down a copy of this excellent newsletter and read the article for
yourself.
I have captured here for you three of the illustrations used in the article. Above
left is Buel's d/d double reverse coin, above right is Gallery Mint's g/g
double reverse copy coin and below is Gallery Mint's 51g copy coin showing
backwards and incused reverse. This should give you a taste of Buell's scholarship
and make you hungry to experience the full meal as it were. Buell has many observations
to share with us about these interesting specimens. Don't miss this article... it is
worth the effort to track down!
Click for
Enlargement
on CD-ROM
( The images in this SBsubject are NOT shown to scale. )
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I have captured all the article pages with my scanner but this creates HUGE
graphics files so they will be available ONLY on the CD-ROM version of the
GMM ScrapBook...
LinksCover pages
12-13,
14-15,
16-17,
18-19,
20-21,
22-23 or
24-25.
This isn't helpful to 99% of the ScrapBook's readers because I have only
had demand for a very limited number of CD-ROMs and I expect this trend to
continue for the foreseeable future.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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PinocciHobo Scan
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StrawHat Carving
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Someday You Will Be A Real Boy
Steve Adams should charge extra for the fantastic experience a purchase from him
always turns out to be... at very least one should expect to pay an entertainment
tax. Steve created the StrawHat carving shown here on the right and then he sent
me the PinocciHobo scan shown here on the left. He was just playing with his
graphics software but I would have been well pleased to have the Pinocchio version
as a carving. Of course... the StrawHat carving is also COOL!
Steve knows that I much prefer nickel carvings with the LIBERTY legend left intact.
I got this EMail message from The Grand Master himself:
LIBERTY will come with StrawHat. I saved it for you. You might be amused to have a
LIBERTY all to itself. It looks a little condensed after being engraved off, but it
is legible. Steven G. Adams...Friday, January 17, 2003 6:15PM
As I said... buying a nickel carving from Steve truly is a fantastic experience!
The full quote from the 1940 movie Pinocchio is:
Prove yourself brave, truthful and unselfish and
someday you will be a real boy.
Link:Verne R. Walrafen
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Click for
Enlargement
on CD-ROM
The King's Coin Hammer (In background.)
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Is The King's Coin Hammer Still Operational?
The drop hammer shown with the Green Man painted on it is not my drop hammer.
The one I built is much more complicated with large wooden gears and a
turnstile type wind up mechanism and a large lever to release the weight.
You can see part of it in the background of the same photograph. It is stained
a dark brown. We are building another one based on the same design that will
be set up in the lobby of the new mint, but it will be much cooler than the one
I built for Texas Ren Fest. Ron Landis...Sunday, January 05, 2003 1:09PM
Sure glad Ron Landis jumped in and straightened me out as I was prepared to
believe that the Quick Silver Mint and the King's Coin Hammer were one and
the same piece of equipment (the one with the Green Man painted on it.)
WHEW... narrow escape!
I hadn't lightened the photograph up enough to see what was in the background.
I think my monitor shows scans much darker than is generally the case with
most people's equipment. If I am making the scans much too light please let
me know... I don't want to blind all y'all.
Click for
Enlargement
on CD-ROM
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Quick Silver Mint (Set up in front of the King's Coin Hammer.)
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Tudor Rose
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If you check out
Link:Elena's Quick Silver Mint
you will find they strike Mythical Coins and Medallions created by artists
and engravers Michael Stewart and Rick Heinen. These are struck in bronze, silver
and gold for those folks who are "into" Renaissance Festivals and/or Faires. Their
creations fall into the following broad categories; Family Tree, Mythical Beings,
Animal Spirits, Ancient Symbols, Celtic Symbols, Native American Symbols, Medieval
Zodiac Signs and Runic Talismans.
Shown here on the left is an example of a Quick Silver medal, their Tudor
Rose - Heraldic emblem of Queen Elizabeth symbolizing the virgin with a
pure heart... the flower of eternal life.
The painting on the Quick Silver drop hammer is clearly a depiction of the Green
Man whose image is to be found carved in churches and cathedrals all over Britain
and Europe. The Green Man is the popular, leafy-faced image of the wild God of
Nature. He's not one God, but an archetype of the pagan God of the Wild. Pan,
Stag King, Robin Hood, and even the Swamp Thing are all incarnations of the
Green Man.
The photo displayed at
Link:www.trogg.net/TexRenFest99/Mint.jpg
(shown above on the left)
is a Quick Silver Mint and was in place at the Texas Renn Faire in the early 1990's.
Quick Silver assumed the responsibilities of Ron Landis after he relocated and we
maintain a presence there today.
Elena V. Cooper...Saturday, January 04, 2003 7:52PM
Edwin Johnston did the initial online research that provided me with the resources
to delve into this long standing subject of personal interest to the old FatMan. I
simply wouldn't have gotten this SBsubject accomplished without his help. THANKS
EDWIN!
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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Initial Chisel Work
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2003 SGA#1
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Traditional Subject - Nontraditional Carver
Here is my very first nickel carving of the new year. I couldn't be more pleased!
I asked Steve Adams for a more traditional subject carving. Although I love many
of the more inventive and imaginative carvings being done by our currently active
nickel carvers... I definitely find carvings done in a traditional style both
desirable and appealing. Add that to the fact that this is a Steve Adams creation
and I am happier than an opossum in a persimmon tree. I can only hope that
Steve takes my "nontraditional carver" comment as the compliment I sincerely mean
it to be. Simply... I hold the opinion that Steve's work is hands-down better
than ANY of the earlier/traditional carvers.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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Click for
Punch,
Punch Face or
Tools
enlargement on CD-ROM
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2002 "New England" Punch
Inspired by the
1652 NE punches used to produce Threepence, Sixpence and Shillings in Massachusetts.
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The 350th Anniversary Of The Boston Mint
I had wanted to do something for 2002 to commemorate the 350th
anniversary of the Boston Mint. Lou Jordan wrote an awesome book this past
year about the Mint and John Hull. There's lots of new information in it. I
wanted to do something myself though so I called the Gallery Mint and ordered
a "NE" punch. My initial thoughts were that I'd counterstamp a couple thousand
2000 Massachusetts quarters and distribute them around Boston and possibly
attract media attention so that the general public would become aware of the
anniversary. A great thought but work and distance prevented it.
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Click for
New Hampshire Quarter
enlargement on CD-ROM
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GMM Trial Piece
- with Ron Landis' personal "RL" hallmark.
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Along with the punch, I also received a New Hampshire quarter with five
impressions of the 2002 NE punch. This is what the Gallery Mint had done to test
the punch.
To see a differently lighted enlargement click this
Link:GMM Trial Piece
if you are viewing this using a GMM ScrapBook CD-ROM.
Speaking with them on the phone, they had said that the design end
of the punch was hardened and the opposite end was not. This was for safety
reasons - the unhardened end would be less brittle and less likely to chip
when I struck it. On the side of the punch is a star. I guessed this was for
punch orientation - I would place my thumb over the star and the punch would be
lined up in the correct direction. It sure would have been special if
Ron Landis had used one of his personal hallmark punches instead of a star punch
for this purpose. That way the 2002 NE punch would have been "signed" as it were.
| 2002 "NE" COUNTERSTAMPED COINS |
| Date | Host Coin | Number | Notes |
| 2000 |
25¢ NH |
1 |
GMM Trial Piece |
| 2001 |
25¢ NY |
80 |
2002 ANA New York |
| 2000 |
25¢ MA |
120 |
2002 C4 Boston |
| 1999 |
25¢ GA |
1 |
KS |
| 2001 |
25¢ VT |
1 |
TC |
| 2002 |
25¢ TN
25¢ OH |
1
1 |
BS
MH |
| 1852 |
Large Cent |
1 |
QDB |
| 1788 |
1997 GSNA Medal |
2 |
VW |
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Connecticut Coppers |
2 |
DP,RM |
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210 |
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Link:State
Quarters by State |
At the 2002 ANA convention in New York City,
LinkTHE Colonial Coin Collectors Club
(C4) held a general membership meeting. At the end of that meeting, I brought
out a small anvil, a 2 pound sledge hammer, my punch and two rolls of 2001 New York
quarters. I struck all 80 quarters with the 2002 NE punch and they were distributed
to all present. I guess I looked a little funny on my knees on the floor -
swinging the hammer but it was a hit and everyone enjoyed receiving one.
At the C4 Convention in Boston this past November (2002), I was again on
the floor - hammer in hand - right before the auction and in the auction room.
At that event I struck 80 fresh 2000 Massachusetts quarters and brought 30 prestruck
2000 Massachusetts quarters with me. So that brought the total of 2000 Massachusetts
quarters counterstamped to 120 (including a few I gave out previously.) Again,
the counterstruck coins were a hit. I wandered up and down the isles of bidders
passing out the quarters.
Ray sent me a 2002 NE c/s 2000 Massachusetts quarter which I showed to all y'all on
SBpage48 in a SBsubject entitled
LinkTHE Colonial Coin Collectors Club,
which makes this link look identical to C4's homepage link provided previously
in this SBsubject... sorry about that. Lack of prior planning I reckon.
I struck nine (9) special coins for a few people; a GA 25¢,
a VT 25¢, a TN 25¢, a OH 25¢, two GSNA Medals and two
Connecticut Coppers. To keep anonymity, I recorded just the initials of
the recipients next to these nine special coins.
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Click for medal with
Obverse or
Reverse 2002 NE c/s
enlargement on CD-ROM
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Both 2002 NE counterstamped 1997 GSNA Medals
One with an Obv.c/s and the other with a Rev.c/s
( These are two of only 200 GSNA Medals issued in 1997. )
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I still don't know what I'm going to do with the die but no more coins
will be counterstamped with it. I may keep it or donate it to the Gallery Mint
Museum or the ANS. There's no rush to make a decision about that yet. It looks
as though my out of pocket expenses for this endeavor was $51 in quarters, a
personal amount for the Large Cent and Connecticut Coppers, and $150 for the
punch. Ray Williams...Saturday, January 04, 2003 4:10PM
The 2002 "NE" punch measures 5mm x 5mm when stamped on a coin. It can't be confused
with the original punch. There have been rumors of NE counterstamps on contemporary
Spanish Silver coins, but I don't know if this is true. I stamped no Spanish coins.
Ray Williams...Saturday, January 04, 2003 4:27PM
It is a joy to "work with" Ray on a project... he does all the work and my
contribution is simply to cut-n-paste his superb material into a SBsubject.
THANKS RAY!
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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Landis Sample Featured In Coin World
Here we have the original NJNS 700th Meeting Mule... the infamous
"Lot#7" from the Spring 1996 NJNS Auction. As I postulated in
Link:Nagy, Maris, NJNS Lot#7 And The Real GMM Deerhead
you will note that just the very tips of the dentils show around the outside edge
of the obverse on this "Lot#7" specimen. If you look at the excerpt from SBpage32...
posted at the bottom of this SB subject ...you can see the mockup I made with just
the very tips of the dentils showing. I can't remember the last time I was actually
correct in one of my postulations... sure feels good!
( Note: The enlarged scans show what would appear to be straight planchet clips
which are NOT a feature of the specimen itself but a result of the scans failing to
covering the entire coin. I filled in the edges a couple places on the smaller scan
displayed above. )
Click for
Obverse or
Reverse enlargement on
CD-ROM
"Wrong Sized" 1787/NJNS 700th
Meeting Mule 28.5mm
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This "Lot#7" specimen and my Hardcastle "Wrong Sized" 1787/NJNS 700th Meeting Mule
would make a wonderful pair to draw to.
Click for
Obverse or
Reverse enlargement on
CD-ROM
"Wrong Sized" 28.5mm 1787
New Jersey Cent
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If we were to add in my "Wrong Sized" 1787 New Jersey cent it would make a
"hat trick" to die for... no pun intended.
I want to thank Harry Rescigno, Dennis Wierzba and Ray Williams for their
participation in this research project. Without fine gentlemen like these guys
I would have been left twisting slowly in the wind. THANKS FOR SHARING GUYS!
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
Just the very tips of the dentils
(excerpt from SBpage32)
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.
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Critter Carvings
eBay item 3301874990 (Ends Dec-29-02 20:03:24PST) -
HOBO NICKEL LEE's BO's "PAT & MIKE".
Meet "PAT & MIKE" (L-93) a pair of local yearling racoon, who I am sure are fast
asleep under a brush pile (or some kind of protection) not far from here, but if
they were out and about, they probably would, with dogs barking and cans rattling,
be checking the garbage behind the local cafe. I have watched when one couldn't
open a garbage can, he would leave, and within minutes two would appear and get
the job done. If the dogs showed up they would head for the trees or that high
wooden fence and let the dogs bark untill someone called or collected them. Even
without a stretch of warm weather to bring them out, we are still able to take
a good look at them on their 1937 host coin. That's PAT in front. Well
behaved, most of the time. These hand carved young ones would like to relocate
further south so they could spend more time with the dogs, rather than sleeping
their life away. Clifford Kraft...Tuesday, Dec-24-02 20:03:24PST
I REALLY wanted to add these two wonderful racoon trouble makers (above on
the left) to my midden heap but I just didn't bid high enough. Cliff just gets
better and better creating his critter carvings.
Speaking of "critter carvings" I encountered a really neat toad
(above on the right) posted on
LinkHobo Nickels For Sale
and it was immediately obvious that the carver could me none other than Mike Pezak.
eBay item 1376203057 (Ends Sep-01-02 15:07:39PDT) -
HOBO NICKEL LEE's BO's "FELIX".
This is "Felix" (L-62) the fastest thing on four legs, who came to our area
looking for a career in "Cat Racing". We do have "Horse Racing", and did manage
to get "Felix" entered in a dog race as a (Uganden Longtailed Schnauzer). She
just cleaned up, 70 mph and corners like a Ferarri, but she did not like being
painted up and really hated having to wear that plastic nose. She has been
making ends meet by doing pest control jobs, any kind. Her specialty being after
dark work, which she unconditionally guarantees. If you have a howling cat or a
barking dog problem, give Felix one night out in your area and you'll find out
how quiet it can be after dark. The only thing she likes better than cold
Lutefisk is warm Rottweiler, and keeps all her modifications and alterations on
a 1937 XF buffalo. Here is your chance to get in on the ground floor of "Cat
Racing". Clifford Kraft...Sunday, Aug-25-02 15:07:39PDT
I sent Cliff the cheetah scan (above on the left) and asked him if he recognized
it. He replied: That's our local dog catcher! Corresponding with Cliff is
one of the major accruements, enjoyments even, in my life.
eBay item 3300474168 (Ends Dec-22-02 17:37:13PST) -
HOBO NICKEL LEE's BO's "ALICE".
Say hello to "Alice" "his mother wanted a girl". (L-83) Those of us that know
him, both out of courtesy and respect call him "AL". "AL" is an African
elephant, "old wavy ears" not one of those Asian "wimps". In fact both the chief
and Black Diamond were remarking on the size of that "sucker", so big that he
takes up both sides of his host coin. Lucky for us "AL" is quiet and well
behaved, and said he has no fear of Mice, no matter how vicious or terrifing. He
is all hand carved with the date, liberty, and E pluribus unum left in tact.
"Only the characters have been changed". "AL" comes complete with trunk, tusks,
and tail. I believe a smile is included but you best check to be sure. A broom
and shovel are available, but optional. Our boy is a super coin.
Clifford Kraft...Sunday, Dec-15-02 17:37:13PST
As badly as I wanted the racoon trouble making brothers, I wanted Al even worse.
AGAIN I failed to bid high enough... Al went to live with the same fine
person who adopted Pat and Mike. Al's adoption fee was well over $200 and, as
Cliff says, That's a lot of night crawlers!
Now I am patiently waiting for one of our talented active carvers to create a really
cool Western Ornate, Terrapene Ornata Ornata, box turtle... we have a lot of these
neat little critters here in the Kansa Territories.
With these two rose nickel carvings it is patently obvious that we have crossed the
line from Fauna to Flora ...but... Cliff is into diversity and his genius and talent
still shine through regardless of which taxonomic classification he selects.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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Just Plain Fun!!
eBay item 3301960941 (Ends Dec-30-02 17:40:46 PST) -
GALLERY MINT LARGE CENT OVER SILVER EAGLE.
An amazing Gallery Mint "error" of which supposedly only 8 were made!! 1793
Liberty Cap large cent, several years out of production now, struck over a 1993
US Silver Eagle. A truly remarkable visual effect and a piece that's just plain
fun!! top100golf...Wednesday, Dec-25-02 17:40:46PST
There really isn't a lot to say about this pièce de caprice. It is a nice heavy
silver piece for certain but there isn't much middle ground on this sort of GMM
creation... either you love it or you hate it has been my experience. The exact
200 year differential between the host coin and the overstrike design is a nice
touch... makes it a form of bicentennial issue as it were.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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Better Than Riding The Rails To Florida
Bill (Jameson) Zach tells me that he is headed for FUN2003, January 9-12, in Orlando,
Florida and that he is restoring the old tradition of selling nickel carvings to pay
his way. He has the five nickels shown above in his tobacco pouch and will be headed
out before too long... and his wife refuses to ride the rails to get there!
I have been informed that if Bill doesn't have to drag his carvings all the way to Florida
he would be happy to give any interested buyers a price break. Don't expect to steal them
though as these are clearly real masterpieces. Just getting in line ahead of all the folks
at FUN2003 ought to be enough of a break as it is. Here is your chance to snap up your
favorite(s) from the selection shown above. How often do you get to pick the carving(s)
you want from a group? You can
EMail:Bill Zach
or call him at: 270-376-5591. Bill says that he will send you more detailed scans
if the enlargements I have posted behind the carving number links aren't adequate for your
purposes... those enlargements will go away sometime in early January and will only be
available on the CD-ROM after that.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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