Collection Inventory

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Link: Ron Landis Carvings
Link: GMM Hobo Tokens
Link: OHNS Annual Tokens
Link: Sonny Carpenter Carvings
Link: Five Ounce Silver Medals
Link: Annual Silver Medals
Link: Various GMM Medals&Tokens
Link: Early GMM Coins
Link: 1796 Proof Set
Link: 1796 Uncirculated Set
Link: Con$ept Dollars

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Ron Landis Carvings

ES&NA Boxcar Carving c.1994 (not numbered) Click for Obverse & Reverse enlargement on CD-ROM c.1994 Ron Landis (unnumbered) 1994D  Nickel  4.9g  21.2mm The Slot Machine Boxcar    The TreasureTrove owner had purchased an old broken-down nickel slot machine years ago and had asked Joe Rust to restore it for them. Joe did his usual fantasmagorical work and while the machine was in the custody of TheGuys Ron decided to play a small joke. He carved the ES&NA boxcar shown above on a host Jefferson nickel and played the slot machine with it without telling anyone. Imagine the TTowner's surprise when their daughter won this unusual nickel while playing the slot machine.    The Eureka Springs & North Arkansas railroad exists today as a small steam engine with about a mile and a half track at the north end of town. The station is the original train station built in the late 19th or early 20th century. They have dining cars and serve meals at supper time. During the day, they take tourists down the track and back in old passenger cars. The owner died about a year ago, and I believe his family still owns it and is keeping it open. I think it's still for sale for about a million dollars.    We may be doing a project with them at some point. Remember how we used to place pennies on the track when we were kids? I want to supply them with an engraved section of track where folks can create elongated cents in this manner. We've been toying with the idea for some time, and their mechanic is all for it. It would be a unique way of producing a numismatic item. Instead of destroying a cent, it would transform it into an elongate. Ron Landis... Monday, November 24, 2003 10:24AM    This was just a "quickie" carving but Ron's natural talent clearly shows regardless. It isn't immediately apparent from this relatively small scan but Ron did "sign" this TTcarving by modifying the "RI" in "PLURIBUS" to a crude "RL." I love this TTcarving because it has both a "story" and direct ties to Eureka Springs', and thus GMM's, locality. The fact there actually is an ES&NA railway is definitely COOL! I think Caroline and I will take a ride in their dining car next year... maybe we'll take my 85 year old Mother along as she would get a big kick out of eating in a railway coach! EMail:Verne R. Walrafen Link:www.esnarailway.com Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway

"Girl With Braids" Carving 1997 #145 "Griffin" Carving 1995 #086 Est. $500 or more at auction Click on individual scans for Obverse & Reverse enlargements on CD-ROM 1997 Ron Landis #145 1937D  Nickel  5.0g  21.2mm 1995 Ron Landis #086 1936S  Nickel  4.5g  21.2mm "Girl With Braids" And "Griffin"    Ron's 1997 nickel carving #145 of a girl in braids is the fourth of a set of five carvings; Cowboy, Cameo Hobo, Bald Hobo "HOUSTON", Girl With Braids, and Clown. These were done as a demonstration in nickel carving at a numismatic convention in Houston, Texas in 1997. When you look at the enlarged scan one can tell it isn't as "finished" as he is famous for doing. Being carved as a demonstration in public and not in his private workshop certainly explains that. It is still a super neat carving with a wonderful provenance.    Ron's 1995 nickel carving #086 of a griffin is a much more "finished" carving and has extremely high relief having been carved exceptionally deeply into the host nickel. Notice that he removed roughly a half a gram of metal while carving. This SUPERIOR carving is also COOL because it brings us back to his roots in the RenFest circuit where he got his start and for which we can be thankful since it put him on the road to where he and Joe are today... a premier private U.S. mint with a national reputation for excellence. EMail:Verne R. Walrafen

"Cupid Playing Banjo" Carving 1995 #091 Est. $1,000 or more at auction Click for Obverse & Reverse enlargement on CD-ROM 1995 Ron Landis #091 1921P  Silver  25.8g  38.1mm "Cupid Tuning A Banjo"    Ron has this wonderful TreasureTrove carving entered in his Link:Log of Hobo Nickels Hand Engraved by Ron Landis with the title "Cupid Playing Banjo." When I showed him this TTcarving he immediately said he had forgotten doing this "Cupid Tuning A Banjo" and was really pleased to see it again. If you look you will notice that Cupid's left hand is indeed behind the Banjo and not wrapped around the front as it would need to be if the Banjo was being played.    I personally like this TTcarving because it uses so much of George T. Morgan's Lady Liberty originally on the silver dollar. Her chin as Cupid's right knee, her nose as part of Cupid's wing, her neck as the sheet music, her hair... I could go on and on but you get the idea by now so I'll quit writing before you decide to quit reading. EMail:Verne R. Walrafen

Hobo, Dog & Locomotive Carving 1995 #098 Est. $1,000 or more at auction Click for Obverse & Reverse enlargement on CD-ROM 1995 Ron Landis #098 1978  Gold  32.2g  32.7mm "Eureka South" Krugerrand #098 Hallmark    I must have failed to record this piece. The number is correct, but since I failed to record it as soon as I finished it, I most likely forgot, and just kept the sequence going. This happened one or two other times but were corrected in the log. I will make a note in the log to add it in as #98-A. I try to record them the minute they're done, but sometimes get distracted, and forget. Thanks for clearing it up. Ron Landis... Monday, November 24, 2003 10:39AM    This fantastic TreasureTrove carving is a strong competitor for the title of Best Of Show ...or perhaps I should say Best Of Trove! This TTcarving is the only carving on gold mentioned in Ron's Link:Log of Hobo Nickels Hand Engraved by Ron Landis and clearly he put quite literally days of work into this artistic jewel. This piece is likely the most valuable TTspecimen followed closely by the carved silver dollar mentioned in the previous SBsubject. That is why they got top billing... the two lead-in SBsubject on these two TreasureTrove SBpages.    You can see from the scan of the 1978 Krugerrand shown below that Ron changed the SUID-AFRIKA o SOUTH AFRICA legend to EUREKA o SOUTH which shows his normal insight and inventiveness/creativity. EMail:Verne R. Walrafen

"Circus Elephant" Carving 1995 #127 Est. $500 or more at auction Click for Obverse & Reverse enlargement on CD-ROM 1995 Ron Landis #127 1938D  Nickel  4.8g  21.2mm "Circus Elephant" #127 Hallmark    When I first saw this carving in the TreasureTrove I held it with the "FIVE CENTS" down in the normal 6:00 position. I couldn't figure out what I was looking at... a buffalo with his head in a basket? I laid it aside for later study under a magnifying glass and better lighting.    Shortly thereafter the TTowner was flailing around looking for their "Circus Elephant On A Ball" carving and the lights suddenly came on. I had it set aside because I hadn't looked at it from the correct perspective.    I knew of this carving because Ron had included a picture of it in one of his early Collectors' Update publications. It sure was a thrill to the Ol' FatMan to encounter the actual carving "in the nickel" as it were. This is a "typical" high relief Superior Landis carving and a real joy to hold in person. EMail:Verne R. Walrafen

GMM Hobo Tokens

2 Indian/SteamEngine Token 1996 2 Hobo/EurekaSpringsBuffalo Token 1996 Indian/BrittIowaBoxcar Token 1997 Eagle/Buffalo Token 1997 Indian/SarasotaFloridaCircusCar Token 1998 Clown/Buffalo Token 1998 Viking/Buffalo Token 2000

OHNS Annual Tokens

CurlyHairHobo/Buffalo Token 1992 (on copper planchet) Indian/AllAboardSteamEngine Token 1995 (on nickel planchet)

Sonny Carpenter Carvings

"Country Girl" Carving 1996 #007 "Pete" Carving 1997 #011 "John T." Carving 1997 #022 Click on individual scans for Obverse & Reverse enlargements on CD-ROM 1996 "Country Girl" #007 (1935)S  Nickel  4.4g  21.2mm 1997 "Pete" #011 1936D  Nickel  4.8g  21.2mm 1997 "John T." #022 1935P  Nickel  5.0g  21.2mm Sonny's "Baker's Dozen" - 3 early carved Buffs    Here are three of Sonny's early carvings on Buffalo nickels. Like virtually all new nickel carvers he either started out on "no date"/"no horn" buffalo nickels or he decided to blow the date away. He also did the same thing to the LIBERTY legend. I don't hold this against beginning nickel carvers because everybody has to start somewhere. Occasionally the subject being carved simply doesn't leave room for the LIBERTY but generally most of us collectors prefer the final carving to look as much like a "real nickel" as possible.    Sonny apparently did one good thing right from the "get-go"... probably from having observed Ron carving nickels. He signed (hallmarked), dated and numbered his carvings! He also signed the coin holder in most cases which is a great addition to the carving in my eyes. Way to go Sonny! EMail:Verne R. Walrafen

"Ball Boy" Carving 1997 #025 Woman's Head Carving 1997 #027 "Abraham" Carving 1998 #031 Click on individual scans for Obverse & Reverse enlargements on CD-ROM 1997 "Ball Boy" #025 1936P  Nickel  4.8g  21.2mm 1997 Woman's Head #027 1936P  Nickel  4.9g  21.2mm 1998 "Abraham" #031 1934P  Nickel  4.9g  21.2mm Sonny's "Baker's Dozen" - 3 later carved Buffs #025 Hallmark    As you can see from these three nickel carvings... Sonny improved quite rapidly. These carvings are significantly more "finished" and in less than a year! He wasn't up to the level of his Mentor but was making noticeable improvement in this craft.    The small "Sun-E" hallmark was both a surprise and a pleasure to discover on these TTcarvings. You need to turn the hallmark on its side to see the "Sun-E". Additionally, I found this to be a really clever hallmark... "Sun-E"<>"Sonny"!    Until I saw these carvings in the TreasureTrove I had never seen a Sonny Carpenter carving. To find thirteen of them in one collection was exciting. Does anyone reading this have other examples of Sonny's work that they can share with us? EMail:Verne R. Walrafen

Beret/Mustache Carving 1997 #016 Balding/NoWig Carving 1997 #018 "Jeff" Carving 1997 #023 "ShipMate" Carving 1997 #026 Beard/NoWig Carving 1997 #028 Click on individual scans for Obverse & Reverse enlargements on CD-ROM 1997 Beret/Mustache #016 1964D  Nickel  4.8g  21.2mm 1997 Balding/NoWig #018 1964D  Nickel  4.8g  21.2mm 1997 "Jeff" #023 1954D  Nickel  4.7g  21.2mm Sonny's "Baker's Dozen" - 5 carved Jeffs #026 Hallmark    Whenever a nickel carver decides to "move away" from using Buffalo nickels as hosts for his work he takes a risk. Some collectors have strong preferences for carvings on Buffs and most of us at least tend to prefer Buffs over other carvings.    I will readily admit that Sonny's Jeffs are noticeably better than most I have encountered in the past. I would love to have one of Sonny's Jeffs for my collection for the sake of diversity and completeness but I also admit that I'd rather have a Buff carving myself. EMail:Verne R. Walrafen 1997 "ShipMate" #026 1996D  Nickel  4.8g  21.2mm 1997 Beard/NoWig #028 1996D  Nickel  4.9g  21.2mm

"Young John" Carving 1998 #032 "Soldier" Carving c.1998 #033 Click on individual scans for Obverse & Reverse enlargements on CD-ROM 1998 "Young John" #032 1964P  Silver PROOF  12.3g  30.6mm c.1998 "Soldier" #033 1984S  Copper-nickel clad PROOF  11.2g  30.6mm Sonny's "Baker's Dozen" - 2 carved JFK proofs #032 Hallmark    Here Sonny has gone even further afield with his carving. The solid silver host JFK resulted in a much nicer carving than the copper-nickel clad host JFK did. The silver JFK has some sculpting going on which helps it of course. The other JFK really is really just simple engraved lines and is... to my old eyes ...the much less desirable of this pair of carvings. EMail:Verne R. Walrafen

Five Ounce Silver Medals

Medusa Medal Est. $400 at auction Click for Enlargement on CD-ROM Medusa Medal - Serial#40 Silver  158.2g(5.09oz t)  53.7-55.9mm(diameter)  6.4-8.6mm(thickness) Medusa And Perseus Click for Enlargement on CD-ROM    This huge 5oz. "Medusa" silver medal was struck in quite similar numbers as was Ron's other... smaller but thicker ...5oz. "Numismatic Arts" silver medal. For some reason I had never seen one in person previous to this find in the TreasureTrove. I knew it existed because Ron had included a picture of a specimen (shown here on the left) in one of his early Collectors' Update publications.    When the TTowner made the mistake of telling me they had a Medusa medal nothing would do until I wrangled an invite to their home to see this elusive Landis medal. It was framed behind glass but on my next trip to Eureka Springs it was graciously removed from that secure housing so I could scan it and take its vital statistics for all y'all. My hat is off to the most gracious TTowner... THANK YOU from all Landis fans!    I had difficulty scanning this medal because the deeply sculpted obverse reflected light much differently than the relatively flat reverse. The medal is actually a nice frosty light silver color but at least the scan I created shows you the wonderful detail Ron was able to capture in this superfragiliciousexpiallidociuos medal. EMail:Verne R. Walrafen

2 Numismatic Arts Medal Est. $300 each at auction Click for Enlargement on CD-ROM Winged Lady "Numismatic Arts" Medal - Serial#40 Silver  156.8g(5.04oz t)  46.7mm(diameter)  11.2mm(thickness) Do You Want That Frosty Or Bright?    I have seen this 5oz. silver "Numismatic Arts" medal come up and sell several times over the past few years. I feel it shows up fairly often because it appealed mostly to numismatic collectors and thus appears in dealer/seller hands more often than the "Medusa" medal. When non-collectors acquire numismatic items those pieces rarely find their way back into the numismatic collectors' community.    Ron had told me that they had to "process" these large medals in order to "clean them up." I assume this was done by removing unwanted excess metal by hand and then tumbling the medals to shine them up and smooth out any material removal areas. My personal preference is for numismatic specimens that have the natural luster that is generated by being struck with the dies. Here in the TreasureTrove we are fortunate to encounter examples of both medal surfaces... frosty and bright. These medals are definitely scarce enough that finding two specimens together in a collection is an unusual event. These medals have a significant amount of value tied up in just the silver alone because of their massive size. This substantial initial cost would naturally constrain sales considerably and make them scarcer than smaller silver medals.    The TreasureTrove owner also had this pair of medals framed and hanging on their wall alongside the "Medusa" medal. Again they graciously took their display apart so I could document these TTmedals for all y'all. A person meets the most fantastic people when pursuing numismatic studies... what a great life! EMail:Verne R. Walrafen Click for Enlargement on CD-ROM Winged Lady "Numismatic Arts" Medal - Serial#38 Silver  155.1g(4.99oz t)  46.7mm(diameter)  11.2mm(thickness)

Annual Silver Medals

King'sCoinHammer@TexasRenFest Medal MCMXCII(1992) #176 Most likely DIFFICULT to find 5 HandStrikingCoins@GMM Medal MCMXCIII(1993) #38/#42/#56/#361/#453 4 ActOfAril2,1792@GMM Medal MCMXCIV(1994) #38/#361/#453/#454 3 Hobo&SteamEngine@GMM Medal MCMXCV(1995) #36/#381/#453

Various GMM Medals&Tokens

Eureka Springs Medal "HAPPY BIRTHDAY R------ P--- FEBRUARY 21, 1996" (on edge) PEACE : UNITED STATES OF MERRIMENT Medal SCARCE Two Display Box Medals (glued back to back) Michael Demling Numismatist : EAC781 : 1/1997 Token (with proof HalfCent as obverse die) Most likely DIFFICULT to find Deaccession: Nov.2003 Click for Enlargement on CD-ROM Copper  7.0g  22-22.4mm Michael Demling, Numismatist, EAC-781    Ron told me he recalled using both uncirculated and proof halfcent obverse dies to strike the Demling tokens. The token in the TreasureTrove definitely looked to me to have been struck with a proof obverse die. So... I went to GMM DieExpert Cliff Bolling and here is what he had to tell us.    I think there were only two different Proof obverse dies for the 1793 half cent. The die used on this token certainly appears to be a proof die, but it is not either of the two dies used to strike the Proof coins, it is a third die. It also does not match the only Uncirculated obverse die, so it is something I have not seen before. Neat! Shown below is a photo of the two Proof obverse dies I know about. Notice how the point of the bust and the pole are practically to the denticles on the Demling token. Clifford D Bolling... Monday, November 24, 2003 7:37PM A Clifford Bolling photograph.       Click for Enlargement on CD-ROM    Earlier I made an effort to learn more about these interesting tokens directly from Michael Demling himself and this is what he had to tell us:    I looked for my tokens and it seems I've misplaced them. We've been doing a lot of construction on the house and things have been put up in boxes.......you know the drill.    I don't recall Ron using proof and non-proof dies but I do recall that there were two different applications of the edge lettering. I also had Ron strike my token in silver and brass. Unsure about quantities. Does Ron have records of the amount he made for me? Also... I have the reverse die he prepared for the token. They were made in 1997. Michael Demling... Friday, November 14, 2003 11:18PM    I checked the edge of the TTtoken and it says TWO HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR which is the normal halfcent planchet edge. I have another trip to Eureka Springs scheduled for early December so I will let all y'all know if I can find out anything further from Timothy or Ron. EMail:Verne R. Walrafen

2 TheCollectors'Jubilee : RecollectingTheFifties : Tulsa Token Jukebox 1996 Pewter 2 CAROLUS IV Token FUN Convention 1997 Pewter GardenStateNumismaticAssn NewJerseyCent 1997 Copper ...Accession: Dec.2003 SCARCE (1of200) 2 LIBERTIE YIE YIPY : GreaterHoustonCoinClub Token LadyLibertyInCowboyHat 1997 Pewter AUGUST 7 1999 Token Rust-Alexander Mariage 1999 Pewter Most likely DIFFICULT to find Click for Enlargement on CD-ROM Pewter  4.1g  20.8-21.1mm Rust-Alexander Marriage    Until I saw this nice bright pewter token in the TreasureTrove I was blithely unaware of its existence. When I asked Ron about it I think he told me that 200 specimens were struck and distributed to the wedding guests. He told me that Mr. Alexander is from Great Britain and that many of his family members joined the happy couple in Colorado for the ceremony. So... not only were these tokens scattered to the winds, generally among non-collectors, but the winds blew a number of them across the Atlantic ocean to Europe. Good luck in ever finding a specimen for your Landis/GMM collection! EMail:Verne R. Walrafen

MercuryHead : FORT LAUDERDALE Token 2000 Pewter MercuryHead : ANA SUMMER CONFERENCE Token 2000 Pewter MercuryHead : I Visited GMM Token 2000 Pewter Extremely Common JohnsonCountyNumismaticSociety Didrachm 2000 Silver ...Accession: Dec.2003 Very Scarce 2000-P SacagaweaDollar with "RL" Counterstamp c/s:2/24/2001 Brass ...Accession: Dec.2003 VERY SCARCE (1of22) AbrahamLincolnHighSchool : 30th Reunion 2002 Copper ...Accession: Dec.2003 NewarkMuseum : "Once Upon A Dime" 2003 Pewter ...Accession: Dec.2003

Early GMM Coins

2 CentenialOfTheFirstU.S.SilverDollar(on edge) 1(7/9)94 Silver #22/#38 2 HalfEagle 1795 Gold Uncirculated HalfEagle 1795 Gold Proof(most likely) NewJerseyCent 1787 Copper (NoDiebreak WrongSize) VERY SCARCE Click for Enlargement on CD-ROM Copper  8.2g  28.2mm RARE Wrong-Sized 1787 New Jersey Cent    Michael L. Czapla, III, tells us that there were eighteen of these wrong-sized cents struck so that makes this TreasureTrove find a rare bird indeed. Ron has some "short runs" of 40-50 of such things as certain Chain Cent dies but this particular creation is right up there close to the top in rarity. This doesn't have the high dollar standing of an original work of art like the two TTcarvings at the top of this page but it is certainly an attractive piece for the serious collector of Landis/GMM creations. One of these eighteen wrong-sized specimens is included in the upcoming Link:Gallery Mint Museum Growth Fund Benefit Auction ... Part I.    We have visited these interesting wrong-sized creations in previous SBsubjects Link:Captured In Wax!, Link:Nagy, Maris, NJNS Lot#7 And The Real GMM Deerhead and Link:Landis Sample Featured In Coin World. Shown below are the two wrong-sized specimens in my midden heap. I have no particular reason to show them to all y'all here other than I though you might enjoy seeing them again here without having to follow the provided links to our older SBsubject. Enjoy! EMail:Verne R. Walrafen Click for Enlargement on CD-ROM "Wrong Sized" 28.5mm 1787 New Jersey Cent Click for Enlargement on CD-ROM "Wrong Sized" 1787/NJNS 700th Meeting Mule 28.5mm

NewJerseyCent 1787 Copper (SimulatedDiebreak CorrectSize) 2 NewJerseyCent 1788 Copper "DeathDollar" First partical CUD stage. 1796 Silver SCARCE 2 HalfCent 1793 Copper Uncirculated HalfCent 1793 Copper Proof #081 ChainCent 1793 Brass Uncirculated Moon&StarsEdge AMERI. Deaccession: Dec.2003 Click for Enlargement on CD-ROM Brass  17.4g  29.5-30mm  CoinDieAlignment Chain Cent On Brass RenFest Planchet    The TreasureTrove has four chain cent specimens. In my haste I picked out two of the four specimens to scan because they had unusual placement of the COPY counterstamp and I have learned that most generally this is an indicator that something unusual is afoot. One cent I didn't select turned out to be from the "DoubleDie HighNine" / AMERICA uncirculated (U2) dies... 1 of only 50 struck. It was so "prooflike" that I first took it to be a proof specimen... particularly since it has AMERICA and not AMERI. on the reverse die.    The TTcent shown above is from TheGuys' "WideDate" / AMERI. uncirculated (U4) workhorse dies... 1 of 3,860 struck. It is quite interesting however because it was struck on a previously existing RenFest brass planchet with the infamous "Moon and Stars" engrailed edge. A really cool specimen but it begs the question of why it was struck. It is common practice at GMM to accomplish trial strikes of their dies prior to placing them into normal production. When TheGuys do that they normally don't have the proper planchets prepared for the creation yet and simply grab up any existing planchet laying around that is generally of the proper size. Without documentation we can't prove it but this TTcent "feels" like a trial strike for TheGuys' workhorse chain cent dies.    I believe a 1995 Con$ept exists struck on this same type of planchet. Using these brass RenFest planchets for one of the three first experimental chain cent dies would also have been logical. Something else to keep my eyes pealed for! Those first strikes were done in small batches of 50, 50 and 40 pieces. The four different uncirculated chain cents are described in Link:"Direct Carved" UNCIRCULATED Chain Cent. Click for Enlargement on CD-ROM    In addition to having an unusual edge this cent was also quite distinctly double struck which adds to its interest to the Ol' FatMan anyway. For those of you who haven't seen the "Moon and Stars" engrailed edge you can see it here below. If you have good eyes you can see... from left to right ...two stars, the moon, two stars, Saturn and one star. EMail:Verne R. Walrafen Click for Enlargement on CD-ROM

ChainCent 1793 Copper Uncirculated PlainEdge AMERI. Click for Enlargement on CD-ROM Copper  13.9g  27.9mm  CoinDieAlignment Plain Edged Chain Cent Pocket Piece    Here is another TTcent from TheGuys' "WideDate" / AMERI. uncirculated (U4) workhorse dies... 1 of 3,860 struck. It is unusual because it has a plain edge which is something I have never seen as far as I can remember. TheGuys are really careful to create "perfect" products. Very few of their customers would "special order" a cent with something so trivial as a plain edge. The fact that this piece appears to have been carried as a "pocket piece" would give further credence to the assumption that this wasn't a pièce de caprice. It "feels" more like a die trial that was then pocketed since it didn't have the correct edge. A bit of supposition here obviously but not too big a stretch I reckon. EMail:Verne R. Walrafen

ChainCent 1793 Copper Uncirculated AMERI. ChainCent 1793 Copper Uncirculated(Prooflike) AMERICA SCARCE(1of50) WreathCent 1793 Copper Proof (first die : coinflip insert missing) LibertyCapCent 1793 Copper Uncirculated (first die : LargeHead) 2 LibertyCapCent 1793 Copper Uncirculated (second die : SmallHead) 3 LibertyCapCent 1793 Copper Proof (coinflip inserts missing) DrapedBustDollar 1804 Silver Uncirculated (part of two piece set) DrapedBustDollar 1804 Silver Proof (part of two piece set) AthenianDidrachm Gold Likely Unique Click for Enlargement on CD-ROM Gold  15.6g(0.50oz t)  17.8-18mm An Athenian Didrachm In Solid GOLD    This little button of gold feels very small when you handle it. It is smaller than the small pewter tokens TheGuys strike on their MiniMint. It is the size of a U.S. dime although dramatically thicker than that familiar coin. Because of that... it is a full half ounce of gold which is a significant amount of value in the gold content alone. That is why this beautiful creation is so RARE... few folks are willing to invest the funds necessary to have it created. This is a fantastic numismatic specimen and one the TreasureTrove owner is justifiably proud of. EMail:Verne R. Walrafen

1796 Proof Set

HalfCent(no pole) 1796 Copper #38 HalfCent(with pole) 1796 Copper #38 HalfCent(with pole) 1796 Silver #313 Possibly Unique Click for Enlargement on CD-ROM Silver  7.3g  23.6mm A 1796 "With Pole" HalfCent SILVER Proof    This wonderful silver proof may well be unique. If it isn't... then it certainly is "practically unique."   ;-)   It always amuses me when I see/hear folks say "almost unique", "virtually unique" or similar qualifiers attached to unique. This is one word that simply can't be qualified... either something is unique or it isn't!    Fortunately the TTowner kept the original coinflip insert so that the provenance of this specimen is unquestioned. I absolutely hate it when a coin's owner discards the original envelopes and such when they resell a specimen. Both small dealers and large auction houses have been guilty of this in the past. Some of the leading auction houses are now starting to realize the value of provenance and keeping these materials for the new purchaser. It all depends on who they have preparing a collection's lots for resale.    Everyone should remember that none of us truly own numismatic specimens. We are simply caretakers of them for future generations of collectors! EMail:Verne R. Walrafen

LibertyCapCent 1796 Copper #38 DrapedBustCent 1796 Copper #38 HalfDime 1796 Silver #38 Dime 1796 Silver #38 Quarter 1796 Silver #38 HalfDollar(15 stars) 1796 Silver #38 HalfDollar(16 stars) 1796 Silver #38 Dollar(14 stars) 1796 Silver #38 VERY SCARCE QuarterEagle(no stars) 1796 Gold #26 QuarterEagle(stars) 1796 Gold #26 HalfEagle 1796 Gold #26 Eagle 1796 Gold #26

1796 Uncirculated Set

HalfCent(no pole : simulated die crack) 1796 Copper (1) HalfCent(with pole) 1796 Copper (2) LibertyCapCent 1796 Copper (3) DrapedBustCent 1796 Copper (4) HalfDime 1796 Silver (5) Dime 1796 Silver (6) Quarter(16 stars) 1796 Silver (7) 2 Quarter(16 stars) 1796 Silver HalfDollar(15 stars) 1796 Silver (8) HalfDollar(15 stars) 1796 Silver HalfDollar(16 stars) 1796 Silver (9) Dollar 1796 Silver (10) Dollar 1796 Silver QuarterEagle(no stars) 1796 Gold (11) QuarterEagle(stars) 1796 Gold (12) HalfEagle 1796 Gold (13) Eagle 1796 Gold (14) (##) In an early version of GMM's 14 piece Walnut Display Case.

Con$ept Dollars

2 LadyLiberty Con$ept 1995 Brass 10 LadyLiberty Con$ept 2000 Brass Piefort(double thickness) 8 StatueOfLiberty Con$ept(13-rays) 2000 Brass Piefort(double thickness) Verne R. Walrafen - November 26, 2003