| 2003
| ScrapBook
Subjects
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Page
Index
Links
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Link:
How Do You Make A Pewter Lincoln Cent?
Link:
A Set Of Capped Die Pewter Tokens and A Set Of Fanciful Pewter Tokens
Link:
"Just" A Brockage Pair! and "Just" A Mated Pair!
Link:
[ Hutt River Province ]
Link:
Maria Theresa Strikes Again
Link:
The Mad Hatter's Hat Band
Link:
Here's Something Different
Link:
MiniMint At 2003 ANA Summer Seminar
Link:
[ Brother Can You Spare a Dime? ]
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Enlargement scans available on WWW and ScrapBook CD-ROM.
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This WebPage Dedicated to the GMM MiniMint
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Presented here are seven GMM MiniMint SBsubjects.
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...only made possible by the expertise and generosity of
Michael L. Ellis,
Esquire
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| 7/31
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A Mike Ellis photograph.
Click for
Enlargement
on CD-ROM
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How Do You Make A Pewter Lincoln Cent?
I made four 1974 PEWTER cents... only have one and only two looked
good. They look like ALUMINUM cents! It is actually a
counter brockage of a 1974-D with the D removed on the original
cent by Ron. I tell you... I just learn more all the time with
these guys. I am learning that too many of the type coins in slabs
showing up as brockages, etcetera, are simple fakes! These are
very easy to reproduce with a screw press! I have long been
suspicious of them and I feel sorry for the grading services for
slabbing so many of them these days. Oh well....
Michael Ellis... Sunday, July 27, 2003 5:53PM
The 1974 pewter Lincoln cent has the "dies" shown with it. Of course
this is merely a double sided counter brockage but it is way cool!
Remember... it was a 1974-D cent that was used to make the die tokens
but I gave it to the kid who loaned it to me. His name is David Smock
and he is confined to a wheel chair. David was the director of the YN
Auction the second week. He has one of the four that were struck.
Michael Ellis... Tuesday, July 29, 2003 11:29AM
Hard to believe that one can create "dies" of pewter using two pewter
planchets sandwiched around a Lincoln Cent. That these "dies" can then
be used in turn to strike other pewter tokens is a good thing to learn.
Of course they don't have much working life but when you are only after
a one or two basically unique specimens they obviously do the job.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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A Mike Ellis photograph.
Click for
Enlargement
on CD-ROM
Obverse "Die"(token)
(on the left)
Reverse "Die"(token) (on the right)
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| 7/31
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A Mike Ellis photograph.
Click for
Enlargement
on CD-ROM
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A Set Of Capped Die Pewter Tokens
Here is a very nice capped die and one of the accompanying pieces
produced while striking it. I'm not sure how many strikes were used
as Tim made it for me. It is approximately 3/16ths of an inch deep!
Notice the accompanying struck through capped die has a late stage
brockage on one side and a mid stage counter brockage on the other.
Also notice the edge lettering on the upturned edge. This is an
excellent example of a "bottle cap" actually known as a capped die.
Michael Ellis... Tuesday, July 29, 2003 10:52AM
I have a nice capped die pewter token someplace myself but the
struck through piece got discarded. I reckon this is the usual
senario because it normally isn't a very pretty piece so most
collectors just grab the "bottle cap" token and ignore the other
one. Nice to see the set. Thanks Mike!
A Mike Ellis photograph.
Click for
Obverses
enlargement on CD-ROM
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A Set Of Fanciful Pewter Tokens
Here are a couple of pretty "standard" pièces de caprice but they are well
struck and look really good displayed alongside the normally struck token.
These sorts of tokens shouldn't be as difficult to acquire as experience
tells me they are. It is just that most folks that see a token struck for
them... or do it themselves ...are loath to ever turn loose of it. It isn't
a matter of the collector value but simply the memories engendered by the
token that are so valuable to each of us.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
A Mike Ellis photograph.
Click for
Reverses
enlargement on CD-ROM
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| 7/31
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A Mike Ellis photograph.
Click for
Enlargement
on CD-ROM
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"Just" A Brockage Pair!
Here is a nice first strike brockage and the token used to produce
it. I am sure there were several of these made. Probably dozens!
Tim Grat has become quite knowledgeable and incredibly accommodating
and I firmly believe he should be given much more credit for his
contributions at GMM. He has been their coiner for six years now
and is every bit as nice and fun as Ron and Joe! Oh yeah, the
brockage was made by first striking a normal token then placing a
planchet on top and striking again. Here are the two pieces
involved and they do fit together like a hand in a glove.
Michael Ellis... Tuesday, July 29, 2003 9:38AM
A Mike Ellis photograph.
Click for
Obverse or
Reverse
enlargement on CD-ROM
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"Just" A Mated Pair!
Here is a mated pair of 2003 Summer Seminar tokens. I couldn't
get them to lay on the scanner flat enough, but I think our
viewers will get the picture.
Michael Ellis... Tuesday, July 29, 2003 10:46AM
While it is true that brockage and mated pairs of tokens are quite
commonly made on the MiniMint... these are particularly well struck
up pairs and worthy of the space and time required to show them to
all y'all here.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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A Mike Ellis photograph.
LEFT Token
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A Mike Ellis photograph.
RIGHT Token
Click for
LEFT or
RIGHT Token
enlargement on CD-ROM
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A Mike Ellis photograph.
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Click for
Enlargement on CD-ROM
Mike Ellis photographs.
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Hutt River Province
This specimen is a test strike... die trial ...on an extra thick strip
of pewter. The die is genuine and for a one hundred dollar gold piece
for the Hutt River Province in Australia, approximately 1900 I believe.
There were VERY few of these struck, perhaps only three. The die belongs
to Lane Brunner. He can tell you exactly how many were struck. Of course,
the reverse (actually obverse I'm guessing) is uniface as Lane had only
the one die. I'm not sure if any actual coins were struck with this die
or not but supposedly there were. More research may be necessary. I guess
you can call it Australian territorial gold.
Michael Ellis... Tuesday, July 29, 2003 9:00AM
The Hutt River Province dies were purchased off eBay about 6-9 months
ago. From what I understand, the HRP was a group of Australians who
found a loophole in the law that allowed them to secede from the
government and produce their own coinage. The die I have is a reverse
die for their $100 gold coin. I was told the seller "found it at a
flea market". It is a nice piece, uncancelled, but the surface is
slightly pitted. Tim struck four to six trials of the die in pewter.
Lane J. Brunner... Friday, August 01, 2003 10:31AM
I really don't have anything intelligent to say about this interesting
die trial specimen. I didn't make this a GMM SBsubject, but rather just
a sidebar, since... even though it was struck using the MiniMint
...Ron really didn't have anything to do with the die itself obviously.
Perhaps some of you readers/numismatic scholars can provide us with some
interesting facts about this die. Always nice to learn something new. I
try and do that at least once each day.
The webpage
Link:Hutt
River Province Principality
provides extensive details about Hutt River history. Additionally...
there are five webpages showing their coinage starting with
Link:
Coins of the Hutt River Province. These webpages load rather
slowly because of all the graphics files used but there is a TON
of interesting and detailed numismatic information provided.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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Year: 1976
Metal: 24 carat gold
Condition: Proof
Designer: Christine Normat
Mint: Lombardo Mint
Mintage: 500 (?)
Diameter: 25 mm
Denomination: $100
Edge Type: unreeded
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| 7/31
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A Mike Ellis photograph.
Click for
Enlargement on CD-ROM
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Maria Theresa Strikes Again
Here are two tokens struck with contemporary, hand engraved
Maria Theresa Thaler dies measuring 19mm. We could only place
one die (the hammer) in at a time as both would have been too
long. Not sure how many were struck. I have but the one pair
but these dies also belong to Lane Bruner and he may know how
many were struck. Not too many... I'm sure! Some for my class
and some for his. The GMM will likely never be able to make
these again. My class was The Modern Minting Process
with James Wiles and myself instructing and Lane's newly offered
class was Coins in the Classroom taught by Don Kagin and
Lane. These two classes had 11 and 7 students respectively.
Michael Ellis... Tuesday, July 29, 2003 10:44AM
As to the mini-thaler dies... I picked these up from an
individual who was using them to practice engraving. They are
about 19mm in diameter and a "replica" of the Maria Theresa
thaler. They are a nice set of hand-engraved dies. We struck
less than two dozen examples of the obverse and reverse combined
with the 2003 ANA GMM error class reverse. I do not know the exact
count as some "spectators" were taking examples as Tim struck them.
None were struck using the "normal" 2003 ANA dies.
Lane J. Brunner... Friday, August 01, 2003 10:31AM
I have never had such a direct pipeline into the activities at the
ANA Summer Seminar... this is fantastic! I always suspected that
all sorts of inventive things were done using the MiniMint but now
we get to see some of them thanks to Mike and Lane. WOW!!! I
am totally blown away by all this neat stuff. Hope you are
enjoying it as much as I am!
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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| 7/31
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Mike Ellis photographs.
Click for
Enlargement on CD-ROM
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The Mad Hatter's Hat Band
I'm receiving a barrage of messages from folks as I send these
pictures. Yesterday I sent pictures of a "creation" we called
the "Exonumia festooned, Palm frond, stove pipe hat" for the
YN auction the second week. On it, as a hat band, was a pewter
strip of the GMM tokens from the 2003 ANA Summer Seminar! I
hope you can see it in the picture. From left to right:
1)
Chuck "Buddha" Irwin, donator of the hat;
2)
Debbie Williams, constructor of the hat;
3)
Colonel Joe Boling, successful bidder of the hat; and
4)
"The Mad Hatter" aka Jack Jackson, aka Mike Ellis, aka ME!
and the devilish master mind behind the hat!
Joe says he is going to use the hat at some kind of festival in
Seattle in September. He has a one man play he does and will be
using it as a prop. The play: Joe Boling - The Play!
Michael Ellis... Tuesday, July 29, 2003 9:30AM
A Mike Ellis photograph.
Click for
Enlargement on CD-ROM
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I think it was Buddha, when originally trying to make the "hat band,"
who created this test strip. That is why I am keeping it as he is a
very dear friend of mine. Buddha does not see well these days so Bob
Bing took over duties of making the hat band for Buddha. It makes for
an interesting test strip. Notice the strongest image is double struck
as well. As always, I am delighted to contribute to THE GMM FAN SITE!
Michael Ellis... Tuesday, July 29, 2003 11:01AM
A Mike Ellis photograph.
Click for
Enlargement on CD-ROM
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When you have expert help like Mike Ellis building a SBsubject is a
snap. Corresponding with such knowledgeable and generous folks as
Mike makes my life much richer. Thanks for everything Mike!
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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| 7/31
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A Mike Ellis photograph.
Click for
Enlargement on CD-ROM
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Here's Something Different
The bronze medal is one commissioned (not through GMM) by Capt.
David C. Klinger, USN, Ret. He is a retired Navy Submarine
Commander! He was my "quad mate" at the Summer Seminar the one
week I was there last year and both weeks this year. Of six beds
in the whole quad, only Dave and I resided there both weeks. It
is a Military Payment Certificate Club "Challenge Coin." These
medals, when presented by an authorized challenger, entitle the
challenger to a free drink if the person challenged does not have
his medal on his person! They make for great fun and few people
outside of the MPC membership are "authorized" to participate.
I was given three such coins this year (only one of Dave's) so
am honored to be included though I am not a member of MPC. I
loved the star on Dave's medal so decided to brockage it. This
is the only such set in existence.
Michael Ellis... Tuesday, July 29, 2003 9:09AM
You can tell that when Mike goes to Colorado Springs he has a
fantastic time. Obviously he knows how to PARTY! I never
knew how these military challenge coins/tokens worked... these
must have come along after I did my stint in the Navy. Maybe they
existed then but being a non-drinker I obviously wouldn't have
encountered them.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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| 7/31
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A Ron Landis photograph.
Click for
Enlargement on CD-ROM
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MiniMint At 2003 ANA Summer Seminar
I'm including an image of the MiniMint at the recent ANA summer seminar.
It was taken at one of the "Creative Errors" mini-seminars. Students get
to spend three hours making their own error coins and playing with the
equipment. I don't know who has more fun, the collectors making the
stuff, or me watching them like little kids in a candy store.
Ron Landis... Friday, July 18, 2003 3:51PM
Again this year... Ron and Joe continue their generous support of
those of us interested in numismatics, in one aspect or another,
and of the American Numismatic Association itself. Someday
I hope to be on the inside looking out instead of being... like now
...on the outside looking in with my nose pressed up against the
Candy Store window.
I only made one set of dies for this year's seminar. They were
used for the tokens made for both banquets, and the second errors
seminar. The first errors seminar, we mated the Indian Head side
with the Creative Errors reverse, but realized there was no date
with this combination, so we changed it for the next class to the
regular die mating.
Ron Landis... Tuesday, July 29, 2003 12:11PM
So this means that there is another VERY limited edition
token... undated this time but struck at the first 2003 ANA Error
Seminar at Colorado Springs ...that we need to keep our eyes
pealed for in the future.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
The illustration... shown here on the right ...is a
mockup I made to show what the undated Error Seminar tokens look like
and is not a scan of an actual token.
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Brother Can You Spare a Dime?
eBay item 3037115768 (Ends Jul-27-03 17:51:32PDT) -
HOBO NICKEL LEE's BO's "BUDDY".
It's the late fall of 1932 and a lot more people are looking for
work than are finding it. F.D.R. is coming up with his "New Deal,"
Crosby has just recorded his "Brother Can You Spare a Dime?" and
"Buddy" (L-110) is on the street panhandling... singing his own
"Brother Can You Spare a Dime?" Buddy has found that military
people, especially soldiers, are the best to approach. I suppose
because he knows they are working and are much more likely to have
spare change in their pocket, he also knows it's almost time for
the area's "Hobo Abatement Program" to go into effect. It's called
"Winter." Buddy is looking -- looking very hard for any way he
can go south. He, along with all his worldly possessions, are on
his person and this 1937 BU coin. We wish you the best "Buddy."
(If you're wondering... the hat is a size 7 1/2.)
Clifford Kraft... Jul-22-03 17:51:32 PDT
Summer is here and the heat is definitely ON here in the
Kansa Territories. Things have been a bit slow lately on eBay with
regards to carved nickels. Then up pops Cliff Kraft with this SUPER
carving. I am pleased to learn that I am not the only fan of his
fantastic carvings... here is a note from Master Carver Steve Adams:
I feel compelled to tell you how much I enjoy seeing Cliff's carvings
lately. He is showing a tremendous improvement in skill. He has always
been creative, but now he is much more capable. In my opinion he has
shown the most improvement of all of us lately.
Steve Adams... Wednesday, July 23, 2003 9:55PM
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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