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The E-Sylum: Volume 16, Number 47, November 17, 2013, Article 22

OLYMPIC COMMITTEE NIXES MEDALS STRUCK FROM CANCELLED DIES

X-cancelled mint die
Web site visitor phantom50 writes:

I found your article via the web. It discussed the company Quality Silver Bullion and how they minted a series of 100 sets of medals with a cancelled 1995 Atlanta Olympic die. I just wanted to let you know that they are now selling the dies via eBay and it sounds like they ran into problems with the USOC and the series was cancelled. It would be interesting to see how many medal sets made it into public hands before the series was cancelled. My estimates show 24 sets were sold; data from their last eBay sale stated the following: NOTE: SETS 2-11; 13; 20; 24; 26; 30; 47; 50; 60; 80; 88; 95, 96; 99 and 100 HAVE BEEN SOLD.

The article in the September 15, 2013 issue discussed how someone had taken a cancelled U.S. Mint die for the 1995 Atlanta Olympic Track & Field Dollar and struck commemorative medals. An article in the next issue quoted a Coin World piece on the legality of issuing such medals. Guess we weren't the only ones to raise an eyebrow over this. -Editor

The eBay listing states:

Olympic coin die Cancelled 1995 Proof Atlanta Olympics Track & Field Die - As seen in Coin World Magazine! Die number P5-646408.

Used to strike Silver, Silver/Copper and Silver/Brass Bimetallic Medals.

See our other items for the Cancelled Reverse Die.

Items included in this sale are: the cancelled die; the original gold plastic cap and black velour bag; Certificate of Authenticity; a Genuine 1995-P Proof Track & Field Silver Dollar with its original mint packaging and certificate.

The medals shown are not for sale - they are only to display the medals that were struck using this die and the reverse engraved by us.

The sale of the medals was discontinued by request of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).

So it wasn't the U.S. Mint that put the kibosh on the project, but the United States Olympic Committee. -Editor

Phantom50 adds:

I did talk to the representative via eBay and he confirmed that there were only 24 sets sold and the winning buyer of the Atlanta die will be able to replace their numbered set with the one marked #001 (if they purchased one of the 24 sets, he stated.)

I'm just curious about this whole deal because I find it odd that the USOC now has a problem with the dies being used, as it somewhat sets a precedence for all of the other dies that were sold in 1997. I'm just a collector and found the attempt of QSB to be rather interesting. And being one of the (lucky?) 24 people to buy a set originally, I find the whole outcome here to be quite interesting.

Hopefully more of the story will come out as I enjoyed your article and CoinWorld's article on the subject. It looked like all the legal hurdles were settled, but now that the USOC decided against the use of their logo/rings it would great to have a follow-up on the subject.

To read the complete eBay lot description, see: 1995-P ATLANTA OLYMPICS Track & Field Cancelled Die - w/Proof Silver Dollar (www.ebay.com/itm/1995-P-ATLANTA-OLYMPICS-Track-Field-Cancelled-Die-w-Proof-Silver-Dollar-/321249453339?)

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
MEDALS STRUCK WITH CANCELLED 1995 OLYMPIC DOLLAR DIE (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v16n38a19.html)
ON THE LEGALITY OF USING CANCELLED MINT DIES (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v16n41a10.html)

Kolbe-Fanning website ad2new


Wayne Homren, Editor

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The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com

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