| 2004
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Page
Index
Links
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Brass? Gold? It's All Yellow!
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I Watched This Dollar Die Come Apart
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Golden ANA Summer Seminar Tokens
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Hidden Treasures from Auction1
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Prices Realized for Auction1 Posted
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Joe Rust and his racing armadillo "Future Luggage"
Link:
Schlag/Landis Patterns Bring Record Prices
Link:
[
I've Been Off Playing! ]
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Enlargement scans available on WWW and ScrapBook CD-ROM.
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4/17
2004
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A Mike Ellis photograph.
Click for
Enlargement
on CD-ROM
ANA 109th Anniversary GMM medal
Struck on the first steam press ever used by the U.S.Mint
Brass? Gold? It's All Yellow!
During my first trip to Eureka Springs to see Auction1's lots I noted that
the cataloguer had this rare, 1 of 3, token in the auction catalog as being
struck in brass. It felt HEAVY and when I turned the holder over there was
the black GMM seal on the coinflip insert that TheGuys use to indicate the
specimen is struck in gold. Being a "good boy", and likely none too bright,
I brought this to their attention so they could fix their error. They would
never have let me have this at $30 even if I had kept my mouth shut and had
won the lot... so I didn't lose anything and I kept my self-respect.
I did go on to win this specimen but at a considerably higher price. Considering
the rarity and the historic significance of being struck on the first steam
press... I am certain that I definitely got my money's worth. I don't know where
the other two gold strikes went but likely one is impounded in the ANA cabinet
and the other is certainly nailed down in some private collection. This may be
the only one to come up on the open market for the forseeable future.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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4/17
2004
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A Clifford Bolling photograph.
Click for
Enlargement
on CD-ROM
1794 GMM silver dollar recreation with obverse CUD
I Watched This Dollar Die Come Apart
This obverse die had cracked before one of my earlier trips to Eureka
Springs. When TheGuys showed it to me I asked if I could get a couple
strikes showing the cracked die. They said it wouldn't last past a very
few strikes before it came completely apart. I had my usual GMM trip
bindle with me with some proof and uncirculated Ike dollars plus some
Sacagawea dollars. As a result... I not only got a standard GMM silver
planchet strike showing this neat CUD but also strikes over proof and
uncirculated Ike dollars and an uncirculated Sacagawea dollar. Ron kept
two silver strikes for himself... one showing the exact moment when the
CUD broke away showing the lettering on the top surface of the CUD and
the specimen shown above which sold in Auction1.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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4/17
2004
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1999 and 2000 ANA Summer Seminar GMM gold tokens
Golden ANA Summer Seminar Tokens
eBay item 3904888044 (Ends Mar-30-04 18:52:09PST) -
1999 GOLD ANA Summer Seminar Medal 1 of 4 made:
In 1998 I attended the American Numismatic Association Summer Seminar. The Gallery Mint was in attendance and they produced medals to commemorate the seminar. They created dies and struck medals out of Tin (I believe) that they sold for a small fee. As I recall, most if not all of the money went to the ANA. I thought it would be neat to get medals struck in gold. I made arrangements at the beginning of the 1999 summer seminar and I donated two ounces of gold to strike four 1999 medals. The arrangement I had with the ANA was that one would be placed in the ANA museum, two would be donated to the Young Numismatist (YN) auction, and I would get to keep one. As I recall, the two medals in the ANA auction sold for $500 each. They each weigh one half of an ounce and were struck in 0.9999 fine gold.
ericl1... Mar-23-04 19:00:12PST
On Mar-29-04 at 20:24:12PST, seller added the following information:
I had previously weighed the gold coin and it was 14.947 grams of pure gold. The silver coins are approximately 10.6 grams (a little over one third ounce) each. Included is an example of each type made and sold that summer. One is a blank prior to minting. One is artifically toned. The coin covered in ash is the most interesting. This is one of the few produced when Ron from the Gallery Mint Museum heated the blanks in the embers of a small fire which he stoked by blowing through a small metal tube. When the coins were struck, the ash became imbedded in the surface of the coin. This was not a very efficient method of production and few of the coins were produced in this manner.
eBay item 3904889736 (Ends Mar-30-04 19:00:12PST) -
2000 GOLD ANA Summer Seminar Medal 1 of 4 made:
I made the same arrangement in 2000. As I recall, the two medals in the 2000 ANA auction sold for $400 each. They each weigh one third of an ounce and were struck in 0.9999 fine gold. I only had medals struck in gold in 1999 and 2000.
ericl1... Mar-23-04 18:52:09PST
On Mar-29-04 at 20:27:57PST, seller added the following information:
I carefully weighed the gold coin prior to scanning it. It weighs 10.288 grams of pure gold.
Several months ago I acquired a "1 of 4" 2002 ANA Summer Seminar gold token. It was my expectation that this would be the only such piece I would ever own. Then two earlier pieces, shown here, popped up on eBay. I bid on them immediately and nobody else showed any interest in them what-so-ever at that price level. I thought I had it MADE IN THE SHADE! Then in the last seconds a second bidder blew me away on the 1999 specimen. At that point I figured both pieces would go to the same new home... however, the 2000 specimen closed without any challenge to my bid. One never knows what will happen on eBay!
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
1999 ANA Summer Seminar GMM token set
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4/17
2004
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Mike Ellis photographs.
Click for
Quarter
or
Counterstamp
enlargement on CD-ROM
ANA 110th Anniversary GMM c/s Georgia quarter
Minimum Bid:
$8.00
Price Realized:
$165.00($189.75)
Hidden Treasures from Auction1
Well... V-Dubya knew this counterstamped Georgia quarter was done with the first c/s punch that broke after only a couple strikes. Ron replaced the broken punch with one that had the date on the wrong side of the capital dome... right was RIGHT and left was WRONG! You can readily see that this specimen has the date on the right/RIGHT side of the capital dome. Unfortunately for me another bidder valued it higher than I did so I came in second... out of the money. The cataloguer didn't know what this specimen was so I would have won it at $33 if it weren't for the single smart bidder who bid more than I did. I think the fact I promulgated the existance of this rare c/s quarter in this GMM ScrapBook cost me this piece... a small price to pay for all the enjoyment I get out of building these SBsubjects.
Mike Ellis photographs.
Click for
Under Type
or
Token
enlargement on CD-ROM
1992 OHNS Hobo Token (1992/1995 Mule)
Minimum Bid:
$20.00
Price Realized:
$78.65($90.45)
Ouch... this wonderful token slipped right on by me. I looked at it and told myself; "Ah... a 1992 OHNS token... I've got that one!" WRONG!!! My best guess is that this token was a trial strike of Ron's new 1995 OHNS reverse die struck during the normal production process. Ron often test strikes his newly created dies by simply picking up some other same sized existing die as the mate for the test. I blew right on by this 1992/1995 Mule Token die trial struck over a Jefferson nickel. I even wondered why it was being bid up to such high levels... I figured $50 should be about the top value. Now I know why!
A Mike Ellis photograph.
Click for
Enlargement
on CD-ROM
1787 New Jersey "Wrong Sized" Maris 62.5
Minimum Bid:
$18.00
Price Realized:
$45.10($51.87)
Dang... the cataloguer put a higher value on the standard 1787 specimen, Lot#011, 1 of 2,222 than for this specimen, 1 of 18, struck from Ron's "wrong sized" 1787 dies. I was fortunate to discover this rarity while viewing the auction lots on the auction's closing day. I got some wonderful specimens in Auction1 but this lot has to be right up there at the top as my personal "BEST BUY!"
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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Gallery Mint Museum Growth Fund
Benefit Auction
...Part I
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[ GMM]
Gallery Mint Museum Auction1
[Auction1]
(479)253-5055 - closes April 8, 2004
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4/9
2004
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Prices Realized for Auction1 Posted
You can click
Linkhere to visit the "Prices Realized" webpage TheGuys have posted on their website. There are a few lots that remain available for direct sale from this auction... give TheGuys a call if you are interested in any of them. If I had enough funds I'd purchase many of them myself but I totally blew my budget on the lots I already won.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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3/25
2004
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Click for
Enlargement
on CD-ROM
Joe Rust and his racing armadillo "Future Luggage"
Whether flying his champion chicken "Peerless Bouillon" out of mailboxes or competing with his fighting rabbit "Spicy Hasenpfeffer"... you can always find Joe doing something out in the woods. Lately it has been swinging a hammer and pouring concrete but it is always something productive. These two solid silver tokens from the bench of Ron Landis commemorate another lucrative sideline that Joe apparently has been pursuing as of late... racing armadillos. What's next... a world class pumpkin cannon? (You really don't believe all this do you?) Anyway... Ron has come up with a great pair of hobo token dies to continue his nine year tradition of striking annual GMM Hobo Tokens.
I understand that Ron is considering inviting guest nickel carvers to create carvings to be used in the creation of some of his future annual Hobo Tokens. Now THAT would be exciting!
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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3/23
2004
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Click for
Uncirculated
Obv,
Rev,
Proof
Obv
or
Rev
enlargement on CD-ROM
Ron Landis' Recreation of Felix Schlag's
1938 Jefferson Nickel Award Winning Design
Schlag/Landis Patterns Bring Record Prices
There is a Seller on eBay offering "SEGS Matte & Proof Concept
Jefferson Pattern!" sets which can be ordered from the FSNC folks
for $80...
LinkOrder Form.
These first came to my attention when one sold on
Link:
Thursday, Mar-18-04 11:08:15PST for
$595.80! I couldn't believe my eyes. There were nine bidders who were
willing to give $80 or more for this set... six of which were at $250 or more.
The three bidders in the $450-$600 range blew my mind. The winning bidder even
put in a cover bid above his winning bid... WEIRD!
$595.80 rienzope(412)
$585.80 ken072359(153)
$455.00 harborcoin(2827)
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$270.00 doiler(97)
$250.01 member45236987(92)
$250.00 8id(55)
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$215.77 trickplay666(99)
$133.33 rstelcc1(1556)
$ 80.00 boss429yogi(36)
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Then his next offering sold on
Link:
Saturday, Mar-20-04 12:05:25PST for
$255.00 with eBay's Buy-It-Now option.
So now I am watching his most recent offering which closes on
Link:
Wednesday, Mar-24-04 08:22:51PST.
At this writing the high bid is a meer $127.50 so I'll come back and insert
the final price realized here... [ $132.81
]. Weird stuff happens on eBay!
At this writing less than half the issue limit of 1,938 uncirculated strikes and 1,938 proof strikes have been struck or even ordered struck. These lovely little pieces don't get enough publicity for them to sell out rapidly. With the new Lewis and Clark Jefferson nickel craze these historic creations could go overnight if some mainline numismatic publication were to feature them prominently. We'll see what happens.
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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I've Been Off Playing!
To some it might seem like working but building a computer language routine
and forcing it to do precisely what you want to do has always been fun for me.
I always did like puzzles as a kid and I guess I never grew up.
Yesterday I finished up the OHNS webpage of links,
Link:Nickel Carving
Vignettes,
which provides access to all the nickel carving sidebars in this GMM ScrapBook.
Readers of this ScrapBook will find the new webpage useful as an index to pick
and choose nickel carving SBsidebars of interest.
It struck me today that I could include the HTML code off the
Link:www.HoboNickels.org
website here in this SBsidebar. I had to change the color scheme to work with
our ScrapBook but all the links shown below are active and will take you to the
appropriate OHNS webpage. Enjoy!
While we are at I figure you might enjoy a couple cool subjects from,
Link:Latest News & Events
- 2004,
so here you go...
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A challenging project overall -
My set of three Lewis&Clark nickel carvings is done, and as much as I hate to say this, it took well over a year from start to finish to get the three completed. The portraits took the longest... 7 days total time. You can see I put my name pretty big on it. I wish I had been using the stereo microscope then, I feel I could have done a better job, much like Jefferson. My technique is improving, as are the tools I am using. Jefferson took 3 1/2 days, but I don't exactly remember how long the L&C compass design took. A guess would be 3 to 4 days. No quickie carvings here.
It seems my work is evolving lately, so God forbid any major distractions this year, I should be able to produce some more nice work. Portraits are always tough... especially doubles. The reference there is the standard paintings of these two, but I don't know who that artist is. The L&C compass carving was a design I conjured up and was challenging because of the stacked and small elements. The Thomas Jefferson carving is a cropped version of the peace medal... I like the simplicity of it. Naturally all three are for the same client. A challenging project overall. ~ Steve Adams ...
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My favorite hands-down is the Jefferson carving. It has everything needed to have been a pattern for the 1938 nickel selection committee! A 1938 date would have been cool but the 1937 date could easily have been the date of such a supposed pattern. SUPER NEATO!!!
EMail:Verne R. Walrafen
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