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WHO WILL BE THE NEXT U.S. MINT DIRECTOR?
In a Numismatic News editorial published November 10, 2106, editor Dave Harper ponders the fate of principal deputy director of the U.S. Mint Rhett Jeppson.
-Editor
The Mint director’s position is one of roughly 4,000 in the executive branch to be appointed by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Since Moy left office, two names have been sent to the Senate to succeed Moy, but neither one was confirmed. The most recent name sent up Capitol Hill is that of Rhett Jeppson, who is principal deputy director of the United States Mint. The Senate got it last year. Jeppson is performing the duties of the director without actually having the title. Perhaps in the lame duck session of Congress held before 2016 ends, he will get the title as well as the responsibility. Perhaps not. The reason I mention the possibility is rooted in history.
The precedent Dave cites is Treasury Secretary Joseph Barr, confirmed at the end of LBJ's term. He took office December 21, 1968 but left with the incoming administration of Richard Nixon on January 20, 1969. Although he only served for about a month his signature appeared on the Series 1963B $1 Federal Reserve Note. Many people, my own family members included, hoarded these notes, thinking that they must be rare and valuable. Not so, of course. Millions were printed and remain common today, helped along by all those hoarders. He goes on to thank Jeppson for his service to date. -Editor For Jeppson, there is no possibility of a bank note. However, he will leave his mark on the Mint in another way. His Oct. 13 meeting in Philadelphia, where the best and brightest in the numismatic and related fields gathered, is a serious beginning for mapping our collective future. What is to be done to an institution whose collector base has fallen in half? What is to be done to bring in new blood? The answer to these questions when they come will likely be traced back to the Oct. 13 initiative. For that, Jeppson should be well pleased. Many changes are coming at us in 2017 and in future years. This will happen no matter who is chosen to lead the United States Mint. The ultimate question is whether these changes will be forced on us by events, or whether there will be some thoughtful input from the nation’s coin collectors. For giving us a voice in the process, let’s say thank you to Jeppson. Agreed. Here's hoping there will be further such discussion sessions, regardless of who ends up leading the Mint. -Editor
To read the complete article, see:
An article published on Coin Update by Lou Golino October 31, 2016 discusses his proposals for changes in U.S. Mint operations following the conference. Topics include Mintages, Reusing Classic designs, and the Role of Congress.
-Editor
To read the complete article, see:
THE BOOK BAZARREWayne Homren, Editor 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 To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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