| 2003
| ScrapBook
Subjects
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Page
Index
Links
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Link:
Landis 1964-D Peace Dollars
Link:
This Really Gets My Dander Up!
Link:
[ Sam's The Man! ]
Link:
www.GalleryMint.com
Link:
[ All Of Them From Segovia ]
Link:
18 March 2003 ScrapBook CD-ROM
Link:
[ Fill Her Up Sir? + Nickel Carver Registry ]
Link:
ONE of 11,056...YES! and I'm Back!
Link:
Two Ron Landis FIRST's
Link:
[ Banjos Galore ]
Link:
THIS Should Have Been...
Link:
Watching Nickel Carvings Gestate
A Steve Adams Creation
A Bill Zach Creation
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Enlargement scans available on WWW and ScrapBook CD-ROM.
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| 3/31
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Landis 1964-D Peace Dollars
eBay item 3015025681 (Ends Apr-02-03 19:33:14PST) -
1964-D 1oz Silver Dollar Round by Ron Landis.
This is a 1oz silver round. Back in about 1996, I asked Ron Landis of the
Gallery Mint, to engrave 6 or 7 of these. I gave them out for Xmas to some
friends of mine. Here is where the story gets interesting. One of these
novelty(?) dollars was sent to NGC to get certified! A friend of a friend
called me to verify that I had these done, which ended up back at NGC. So
it is kind of a neat thing to have. This one came back to me from a friend
that passed away. Someone out there will appreciate this story and share
it with others. cwishon@ix.netcom.com...Sunday, Mar-23-03 19:33:14PST
My corresponding friend, Chuckles, has been a Landis fan considerably longer
than the ol' FatMan. It was great to hear this story from him. One never knows
what sorts of neat Landis creations are floating around out there. Sure is great
to document another one for all y'all. Below is an example of the type of silver
round that Ron used to create these interesting specimens.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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Happy Birthday Ron!
25 March 2003
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| 3/23
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Click for
Obverse or
Reverse enlargement on CD-ROM
On 3/21/2003 this sold for $304.99+$3sh on eBay.
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This Really Gets My Dander Up!
eBay item 3012776132 (Ends Mar-21-03 18:00:00 PST) -
Very deceptive Counterfeit 1796 Bust Half.
Deceptive "1796" "Bust half, made to fool the Collector (not you though!). Well
done, this coin has VG08 details and would fit snuggly into a Type Set until the
funds for a real one are forthcoming. Made of silver.
peacockcoins...Friday, Mar-14-03 18:00:00PST
Link:Colonial-Coins:
This forum discusses Early American coinage, medals, and tokens.
While this is not a colonial, it represents another abuse of the
collector with Gallery Mint products to be on the look out for. Item
#3012776132 is now closed, but this seller got over $300 for a worn
down GMM piece. It is worn to about VG and the "copy" was not
defaced. The seller lists it as a "counterfiet" intended to deceive
the collector, so I suppose he gets some points for honesty. But not
spelling. Does ebay only allow "counterfeits" on the site from
sellers who can't spell the word?
It looks like you can put a GMM coin in a rock tumbler and get about
ten times as much for it even listing it for what it is.
Buell Ish...Sat, 22 Mar 2003 18:42:11
These things just turn my stomach. I hate to see deceit in any area of
the hobby - that's why educational functions have always been one of my
priorities. But even with a well educated collector group, there's always a
few uneducated... They called them tenpercenters in the Army - the 10% that
don't get the word. If I were the seller of that Gallery Mint coin, I would
not take that man's $. Then again, I would have described it for what it
was.
Ray Williams...Sat, 22 Mar 2003 14:25:12
The sad part is that the seller probably did it himself "in order to deceive"!
David L. Palmer...Sun, 23 Mar 2003 01:39:56
Below is my response to the above EMail from the guys on the Yahoo forum:
Link:Colonial-Coins.
This pretty much says all I need to say about this sad state of affairs.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
Thanks for pointing out the GMM altered half dollar. Those
folks who offer altered Landis creations really get my dander
up! Nobody can convince me that a Seller on eBay lists an
altered/damaged specimen and "innocently" accepts over ten
times what an unaltered/undamaged Landis creation is worth
without a lot of larceny in their heart.
I make it a point to show the activities of these thieves in my
GMM ScrapBook and hope that education of the masses will
be of some small benefit. Obviously only a small percentage
of the bidders on eBay ever visit my ScrapBook so I know I'm
not doing much good. I really hate to see Sellers give good
folks like all y'all legitimate reason to throw rocks at the Landis
creations I personally enjoy so much. I also find it offensive
when novice buyers get ripped off like this!
Verne R. Walrafen...Sunday, March 23, 2003 12:24PM
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Click for
1920 or
1935 enlargement on CD-ROM
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Sam's The Man!
Sam Alfano is one of my most favorite active nickel carvers. The two wonderful carvings
above are recent examples of Sam's work. In fact, the 1920 nickel carving is currently
being offered on eBay. Sam not only used an uncommon host nickel but he also preserved
the LIBERTY legend which makes this carving very special indeed. I suggest you consider
bidding on this superb carving! You can do that right away by simply clicking on this
Link:HOBO
NICKEL - High Grade by Sam Alfano but be warned... bidding closes
Tuesday evening, March 25th.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
"Sam Alfano's unique training and exquisite style let students gain the
influence of 'old-world' engraving masters. Sam is a multi-talented artist
who began engraving in the early 70's. In 1982, Sam was hired by Stanley
Diefenthal of New Orleans Arms Co. to engrave his personal guns. During
this time one of the world's great engravers, Lynton McKenzie, became Sam's
personal trainer sharing with Sam with other engravers would not.
Two years later, Alfano traveled to Brescia, Italy to study the extremely
fine techniques of 'bulino' engraving from the renowned Firmo Fracassi. Few
engravers outside of Italy knew Fracassi's special techniques for rendering
photo-like scenes in steel. Today, Sam's intricately engraved designs are
often found on custom knives owned by sophisticated collectors. Sam's love
of the engraving art and willingness to share offer a unique opportunity for
the beginning or advanced student in the GRS Training Center."
Link:GLENDO Corporation - GRS
Instructors
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| 3/19
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www.GalleryMint.com
We finally have a rough version of our new website online. Our new website
manager got it up in less than a week and she even spelled all the products
right!!!
Wow!
It's far from being finished, but I'm glad to know that Rebecca's on top of
it. Next is getting all the new images up, and reducing the size of the order
form so it will print on less pages.
Ron Landis...Wednesday, March 19, 2003 12:55PM
Check it out!
Link:www.GalleryMint.com.
Just in case you need it... the old website address is:
Link:www.Coin-Gallery.com/gmm.
It sure is nice to see TheGuys are making progress on their website. This project has
been absorbing way too much of Ron's time for the past few months. I keep telling him
that his time would be better spent engraving since that is where his real talent is...
as we all know. For some reason he thinks he has to sell his mint products... something
to do with keeping the lights on and meeting payroll.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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All Of Them From Segovia
Here is what I promised. I hope you find interesting these
specimen, all of them from Segovia and from different rulers.
Click for
Enlargement on CD-ROM
albertoms@ono.com...Thursday, December 05, 2002 3:20PM
Excellent piece of 8 maravedies 1612 under Philip III. Great detail.
Unusual struck error, very excess of metal on reverse, at 4 o'clock.
Beautiful piece of 16 maravedies 1663 under Philip IIII. Portrait
issue. clearly dissaligned on reverse. Struck crack.
Scarce piece of 2 maravedies 1598 under Philip II. Restamped as 4
maravedies (IIII at the top of the castle) during the monetary reform
that took place in 1602. Restamping is so strong that flan is bent.
Nice detailed piece of 2 maravedies 1619 under Philip III. Very
disaligned but condition remains very nice.
Click for
Enlargement on CD-ROM
albertoms@ono.com...Friday, March 21, 2003 1:51PM
Large 8 maravedies 1621 under Philip IIII. Nice original tone.
Excellent condition. Defect on the edge and unusual crack.
Large 8 maravedies 1604 under Philip III. After a proper cleaning
condition would be XF or more. No defects, beautiful piece.
Large 8 maravedies 1614 under Philip III. Nice condition. Defect on
the edge.
2 maravedies under Philip II (1556-1598) minted in old house of
Segovia. Clear aqueduct mintmark.
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My friend Alberto, in Spain, knows that I am interested in Roller Mill coin errors
so he keeps his eyes open for specimens for my collection. I purchased the first lot
shown above but see nothing in the second lot that I don't already have examples of.
If they appeal to you then you definitely would find it worth your time to contact
Alberto. He is a GREAT SOURCE for material from Segovia.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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| 3/18
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18 March 2003 ScrapBook CD-ROM
It has been way too long since I've spun off a CD-ROM of our ScrapBook. A friend
and long-time fan of our website has been beating on me to create one for him and
I've been putting him off for several months. Today he finally made me an offer I
couldn't refuse so now is the time for any of you readers to ride in on his coat
tails and order one for yourself. Remember to send your request to me here in
Kansas and not to TheGuys in Arkansas!
Now you can be sure that all this great GMM data doesn't disappear some day
when you turn on your computer.
I will send you a CD-ROM for $20 postpaid with future upgrades available
after your initial acquisition for a nominal $10 postpaid. If you are
ordering an upgrade be sure and tell me although I suspect I'll know because
of the amount of your payment.
As always, this disk has an "autostart menu" and what is really wonderful is the
speed that everything loads from the CD-ROM... no waiting for files to come down
across the Internet! Not only that but it has all the enlarged graphics files
that are not available when using the Internet version of the ScrapBook.
Personal checks are fine. This isn't a profit motivated enterprise but I
do need enough funds to purchase disks, cardstock, printer cartridges,
shipping materials, postage and other supplies.
Order from:
Verne R. Walrafen, 12000 Sunset Ridge Drive, Ozawkie,
KS 66070 and NOT from TheGuys in Arkansas.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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Click for
Old Photo,
#173,
#174 or
#175 enlargement on CD-ROM
Bill Zach Is Revisiting His Childhood Again
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Fill Her Up Sir? +
Nickel Carver Registry
I got the idea of creating my first soft hat carving from the old 1950's Gas Station
Attendants and how life used to be. "Fill her up Sir?" My next soft hat carving was
based in part on a man who used to come to house, when I was a child, on an old
Indian Motorcycle. He wore an old cap similar to the Old Photo shown above on the
left. My third carving was inspired by the motorcycle riders we all saw in the 1950's
movies. Bill Jameson...March 08, 2003 11:45AM
You know I love in-process scans of carvings... so, if you are viewing our ScrapBook
from a CD-ROM you can enjoy Bill's in-process shots of
Links:#173,
#174 and
#175.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
The influx of active nickel carvers starting in 2003 has been quite noticeable and I
was definitely losing track of who was who. Some of these new carvers show promise and
are approaching their art with thought and planning while others are dumping fists full
of quickie carvings on the general public. Everybody will eventually find their niche
so there is no need to rush to judgement.
I decided I needed a comprehensive inventory of all recent and active carvers for my
own use without any need to evaluate their current or future skill attainments. It also
seemed to me that other nickel carving collectors might find my inventory beneficial.
So... here ya go:
Link:
Nickel Carver Registry
. Now then... for
this webpage to be really useful I need both the active carvers and collectors to
give me input to expand and/or correct the individual carver's entries. On this
registry webpage all EMail addresses will utilize
Link:@ EMail Protector
to prevent SpamBots from harvesting them! My heartfelt thanks go to Sam Alfano for
teaching this old dog some new and worthwhile Java Script tricks.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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Click for Coin
Obverse,
Reverse, Slab
Front or
Back enlargement on CD-ROM
An Altered... PCI
Certified ...Gallery Mint 1793 Cent
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ONE of 11,056...YES!
Actually the Seller of this Photograde Coin Institute (PCI),
Link:www.pcicoins.com, slabbed specimen was
correct in saying that he was offering one of 11,056 specimens struck but only
because the Gallery Mint intentionally matched the original mintage of 1793 cents
when they created their reproductions of this famous early U.S. cent. Obviously
the Seller thought it was one of the original 11,056 and not one of Ron's 11,056.
Life is full of these odd occurrences.
I can't believe that the professionals at PCI allowed this altered GMM COPY to be
certified. That certainly doesn't speak well for how dependably they attribute the
real coinage specimens that actually do deserve certification. I normally lead off
these SBsubjects with the comments of the Seller of eBay items but in this case I
wanted my own commentary right up front in your face so you didn't start off reading
and get an incorrect impression right from the get-go. This is an ALTERED GMM
1793 cent folks! By the way... this fabricated specimen not only fooled PCI but
it fooled enough bidders for them to push the high bid to $3,550 before the Seller
pulled the item off eBay.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
eBay item 3008200485 (Ends Feb-17-03 18:36:04 PST) -
Rare 1 of 11,056 1793 Liberty Cap PCI N15.
Very Rare ONE of 11,056 1793 Liberty Cap Large Cent---PCI Rated FN15 (Fine 15). You
are bidding on one rare 1793 Liberty Cap large one cent rated FN15 (Fine 15) Corroded.
Certified encapsulation and rating by PCI. Mintage only 11,056. 10 day money back
guarantee of 100% satisfaction less shipping, insurance and eBay fees.
The photos speak for themselves---rarity makes this coin worth the price. When most
coins are minted in the Millions, this coin is over 200 years old and who knows how
many are still in circulation? If there were 10% in circulation only 1,105 collectors
could own one 1793 Liberty Cap in any condition-well you could do math from here,
i.e. 5% only 552, less than 5%? For example the NGC has only graded 5! of them see
Link:www.ngccoin.com.
I also called PCGS they advised they have had only 41 graded!
The PCGS site list this at $6,800
Link:www.pcgs.com.
The following site list retail at $11,000
Link:www.numismedia.com.
The coin dealer gray sheet for 10/11/02 list wholesale at $6,000.
Alpha72...Feb-14-03 18:04:41PST
On Feb-17-03 at 12:48:03PST, seller added the following information:
I have called PCI today and they verified that they graded this coin and that it
is an authentic 1793 Liberty Cap however due to the following 3 Emails this will
be pulled off auction with-in 24hrs to pursue further investigation into its
authenticity. Any questions email me at bfr@inter-linc.net.
I apologize for any inconvenience.
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Email 1:
None of the diagnostics match the known 1793 Liberty Caps.
There are 4 known obverses and 2 known reverses for the 93 caps. I'm adding the
key points from one of my reference books.
Obverse 12 - A Full millimeter of the staff shows clearly between hair and cap.
The lower end of the staff is heavy, bold, and rounded at the tip, tapering
toward the throat and less than its own diameter from the bust.Two beads are
directly or centrally over the I of LIBERTY. The letters of the legend are very
close to the border, the L in particular almost touching the beads.
Obverse 13 - The cracked die Liberty Cap. A straight, heavy crack running from the
border above E to the border just to the right of the 3, divides this obverse
into two almost equal parts. No examples are known without the crack.
Obverse 14 - On this die, a bead perfectly dots the I of LIBERTY and this is the
best distinguishing characteristic. Note: There are other things but on the
picture you had on the listing, it did not appear that the I was perfectly
dotted.
Obverse 15 - Ninety-six beads in circle. End of pole to cap and stand of 7
point directly to bead. Single bead centered above loop of R. I almost dotted.
Note: on yours the 7 and pole are not correct.
Also the head style used on 93 Caps and a very few 94 Caps is referred to as the
head of 93. The head style on yours just doesn't look like a head of 93. I've
included a bitmap picture of a group of 93 Caps that was sold at auction
recently. This was the biggest accumulation of 93 Caps by one person ever.
Reverse K - This reverse can be recognized at a glance, as the central part
is raised or elevated so that ONE CENT, a considerable part of the left wreath, and
some of the inner leaves of the right wreath are always weak. A leaf terminates
0.5mm from the right foot of M, and points directly at the center of the bottom
of that letter. The border has eighty-five beads. Note: As I recall the
leaves on yours were close but didn't match this description.
Reverse L - Readily distinguished from the K reverse by the position of the
leaf under ME of America. The leaf runs almost parallel to the bottoms of the two
letters, and points at the bottom of the adjacent A.
Not mentioned in the diagnostics but which I noticed on your coin is that the
fraction on the reverse is "away from the dots". ON the two known reverses the
100 of the 1/100 fraction sit right on top of the dots almost touching them.
The other thing that makes me suspicious is the gouge on the reverse above the
word ONE. That is the area where the Gallery Mint museum stamped in the word
COPY on the ones they made.
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Email 2:
It was made in Eureka Springs Arkansas, about fifty miles from you. The word
'COPY' at the top of the wreath on reverse has been gouged out and the piece has
been deliberately corroded to look old.
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Email 3:
It has been compared to all known 1793 Liberty Caps and does not match any of
them. The chance of it being a previously unknown variety is nill. It is a
counterfeit that should never have been slabbed.
I'm Back!
eBay item 3012300274 (Ends Mar-18-03 20:30:00PST) -
1793 liberty cap one cent (pci) FN15 corroded.
This 1793 coin is in error it has the face of a 1794. I am selling the coin for a
friend. He is very old and does not have a computer, so if you have any questions
I will get you a answer from him. jpw1945dog...Saturday, Mar-08-03 20:30:00PST
Just in case you might think this is a different specimen, if you are viewing this
SBsubject from a CD-ROM, you can check out the following
Link:obverse
Link:obverse photographs. Trust me... this is the
same altered specimen back again from the trash bin. This time five different
bidders pushed the price up to $2,025 before the Seller pulled this fabrication
off eBay. The high bidder rebid four additional time attempting to ascertain the
Seller's reserve bid on this specimen. Reckon when big bucks are involved folks
simply can't resist the temptation and won't give up the possibility of a financial
windfall without a fight.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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Click for
Obverse or
Reverse enlargement on CD-ROM
Ron Landis' FIRST Experiment
In Nickel Carving
Circa 1989-90 Landis Carving (unsigned)
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Two Ron Landis FIRST's
Ron told me he was so embarassed by his first couple of attempts at carving nickels
that he refused to sign them. Lucky for us the collector who purchased many of his
first carvings captured the above specimen and documented what it was. The owner of
this historic carving told me;
Ron did it after taking the Art of Engraving class at the ANA Summer
Seminar and hearing a talk by Bill Fivaz on Hobo Nickels.
I did these two or three carvings somewhere around 1989 or 1990. I had read something
about them, and heard that modern carvings were selling in the $5 range. I tried a
few of them, and quickly gave up, realizing it was way too much work for $5. After
seeing Bill Fivaz's presentation a few years later at the ANA summer seminar, I went
home and began carving in earnest. I started signing, numbering and dating each piece.
The numbered series started in about August of 1993.
Ron Landis...Monday, March 03, 2003 10:05AM
Actually... even though it is admittedly crude ...it is better, or at least more
interesting, than many carvings done by beginning nickel carvers. HOWEVER... everybody
has to start somewhere and the measure of success is not the quality of their first
attempts but whether or not they continue to strive for improvement throughout their
career.
You can tell by the self portrait carving shown below that Ron improved dramatically
in a few short years and he has never looked back. Every carving Ron has done since
has clearly shown his constant pursuit of perfection. You can see incontrovertible
proof of this by checking out Ron's 2003 self portrait craving
Link:The Best Hobo Tokens Yet!
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
Click for
Obverse or
Reverse enlargement on CD-ROM
Ron Landis' FIRST Self Portrait
Nickel Carving
1994 Landis Carving #050
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A Sam Alfano Original
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A Bill Zach Original
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Banjos Galore
Dave Schenkman continues to expand his collection of banjo related subject/theme
nickel carvings with masterpieces from the best of our currently active nickel
carvers. Building a topical collection in any collecting area creates a particularly
attractive and desireable show piece. Maybe Dave will take the time to display this
fantastic set of nickel carvings at a future numismatic convention. It should
undoubtedly be a real award winner... most particularly because he certainly would
be in the position to enhance his showcase with unique banjo related collectables.
Dave has some fantastic banjos... check out
Link:Dave's Personal Banjos
and
Link:Gallery of Interesting
Pre-War Gibsons.
I understand that Dave has over one hundred seventy five (175) new and used banjos in
his inventory. I don't know if the twenty (20) banjos in the two groups just mentioned
here are included in that total or not. I do know that none of the instruments in
these two groups are for sale.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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THIS Should Have Been...
eBay item 3008778040 (Ends Feb-24-03 19:53:14 PST) -
PCI Rainbow Toned 1995 Concept Dollar!
THIS should have been our new dollar coin! The Gallery Mint got this one right
when they submitted it for approval when Congress was bantering back and forth
regarding a new "Golden Dollar". Twice the thickness of a SBA or Sacawagea and
twice as attractive too in my humble opinion. Mintage is 2,500 coins.
(Actually the mintage was 1,371 pieces. - vrw)
The beauty here is this one was stored for a few years outside it's Gallery Mint
flip and has aquired an array of rainbow toning that truly accents the cool design.
A real pleaser! PCI has authenticated and given it the GEM grade of MS65.
ClassicModerns...Feb-17-03 19:53:14PST
This beautiful toned specimen of Ron's 1995 Con$ept brought the substantial sum of
$127.50. The graphic file provided on eBay was so dark on my terminal that this
specimen could easily have been struck in copper. I lightened the scan up with my
software and this offering certainly appears to be as described... a toned regular
brass specimen.
Actually this Concept Dollar design was never submitted to Congress but ClassicModerns
got it right that this should have been our new golden dollar design in my opinion. It
is my favorite design of the readily available Ron Landis Con$epts. If truth be told...
Ron hit it out of the park his first time at bat when he created his 1995 IN GOD WE
TRUST Con$ept patterns but that is a story oft-repeated late at night and is always
accompanied with loud wracking sobs and tears. Now THAT should have been...
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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Watching Nickel Carvings Gestate
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Steve's Original Artwork
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A Steve Adams Creation
You know about my interest in banjos. I own a banjo shop and also play banjo
in a bluegrass band. And... of course I've been involved in numismatics for
over 50 years. I love Steve's work, and naturally wanted one of his carvings.
When I contacted him he asked me for ideas, so I took some pictures of early
and modern banjo players and sent them to him. Steve EMailed me his preliminary
drawing, and there was nothing I wanted changed. It's a really neat carving,
isn't it?
By the way that Hobo Avery Bryn carving is neat. I haven't yet decided on the
name for my piece, but feel it should be named for a banjo player. After I get
it I'll decide. David E. Schenkman,
Turtle Hill Banjo Company, P.O.Box 265, Bryantown, MD 20617
301-274-3441 ...Thursday, February 27, 2003 9:23AM
Since Dave's banjo player carving and my Hobo Avery Bryn carving were on Steve's
work bench at the same time I tried to convince both Dave and Steve that this
banjo player was actually Hobo Avery Bryn Himself. Well... that didn't fly but it
was fun to think about and suggest to the guys.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
Ron McCord Himself
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A Bill Zach Creation
I've known Bill Jameson a little over 3 years. We've had the privilege of visiting
him and his wife and they visited my wife and me this past summer. He told me that
he'd like to do a portrait "BO" of me. We found out that we have a common strong
belief in the Lord and Bill said I'm going to carve you looking up as to looking
for the Lord's return. I liked that for LUKE 21:28 says "Now when these things
happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."
Ron McCord...Thursday, February 27, 2003 6:22PM
Bill is a multi-talented individual so it is difficult to justify emphasizing one
particular facet ...however... I still strongly feel that history will record that
one of Bill's major contributions to the nickel carving art form will be his portrait
carvings.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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