The E-Sylum:  Volume 10, Number 4, January 28, 2007, Article 18

CARSON CITY COIN PRESS USED TO STRIKE COMMEMORATIVE MEDALS

[You can find great numismatic information in the darndest of places.
An article published this week on commemorative coins being struck
for the centennial of Yerington, NV includes a great capsule history
of the Carson City Mint's Coin Press No. 1, which is being used to strike
the coins with a "cc" mintmark.  Ya gotta love a newspaper with a
slogan like this: "Mason Valley News: The Only Newspaper in the World
that Gives a Damn about Yerington."  Apparently however, the newspaper
doesn't give a damn about plagiarism, either - a web search revealed that
the entire history of the coining press had been lifted word-for-word
without credit from the web site of the Nevada State Museum.  -Editor]

"Manufactured by Morgan and Orr in Philadelphia, who created many of
the steam-powered coining presses then in use throughout the world, the
first six-ton press arrived at the Carson Mint in 1869. As was the custom
of the day, it was painted with a large "1" to signify the first press
located in the coiner's department.

"When the press suffered a cracked arch in 1878, it was repaired at the
local shop of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad. Proud of their handiwork,
V&T machinists replaced the original brass Morgan & Orr plate with one
bearing the name of their famous railroad.

The Carson City Mint ceased coining operations in 1893 and the presses
were removed in 1899, along with all other machinery in the coiner's
department. Press No. 1 was moved to the Philadelphia Mint, where it
was remodeled in 1930 to operate with electric power. In 1945, it was
transferred to the "new" San Francisco Mint and renumbered "5" to
correspond with its place in the coining department there. Finally,
when all coin production was temporarily halted at San Francisco in
1955, the old press was due to be scrapped."

[The subsequent history of the coin press is equally interesting.  It
was called back into service at the Denver Mint in 1964 to help address
the coin shortage, and returned to the Carson City museum in 1967.  The
press has been used on a limited basis ever since and may be one of the
last operating presses of that time period. -Editor]

To read the complete article, see: Full Story

To read the Nevada State Museum web page on Coin Press No. 1, see:
Full Story

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

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