The E-Sylum:  Volume 7, Number 11, March 14, 2004, Article 14

DENVER MINT VISITOR REGISTRATION

  It's still possible to visit U.S. Mint facilities, but it takes
  advance planning.  An article in a recent issue of The
  Denver Post notes that the "Denver Mint still producing
  cash, but not many visitors."

  "As recently as three years ago, the U.S. Mint in Denver
  was one of the city's biggest tourist attractions.   With
  colossal rolls of metal, whirring conveyors and stamping
  devices that spit out coins at a dizzying rate, it left a vivid
  impression on visitors -- most of whom waited their turn
  an hour or more in a line that often stretched around the
  block, rain or shine.

  "There's something [fascinating] about being in the Mint
  and actually hearing the noise, smelling the oil and feeling
  the vibration of the machinery," says tour guide Dick Igel.

  But since the 2001 terrorist attacks, security has trimmed
  the number of visitors to several hundred a month -- all of
  whom must receive clearance weeks in advance.

  Now it appears that the Mint never may be open to same-day
  visits, a prospect that dismays local officials who consider the
  century-old building a part of the nation's heritage and a hook
  that brings people downtown.

  The continuing restrictions also disappoint walk-up tourists
  who don't realize they must obtain reservations through a
  congressional office at least two to three weeks before a tour."

  "Ironically, while the Treasury Department limits visitation to the
  coin factory in Denver and the Mint in Philadelphia, its
  paper-money plant in Washington -- the Bureau of Engraving
  and Printing -- welcomes hundreds of walk-up visitors every
  day.

  Even the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument are
  open to  same-day visitors."

  To read the full article, see: Complete Article

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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