AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL NUMISMATISTS

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V23 2020 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 23, Number 9, March 1, 2020, Article 9

Last week we discussed a sheet illustrating "How Coins Are Made" and a booklet by Walter Breen called The Minting Process from the American Institute of Professional Numismatists. I reached out to Ron Gillio, who was listed as the publisher. -Editor

I actually started the AIPN in 1968. The first booklet written by Walter Breen in 1968 (photo attached) was a complete course in numismatics with a test in the back that I sold for $10 at the time. When the person completed the course, they received a membership certificate (photo enclosed.) In 1970 we presented the course ‘The Minting Process' – the one you mention in your article. I was in my early 20s and one of the items in which I dealt heavily was error coins. I thought it would be interesting for people to read about numismatics, take tests, and learn how coins were minted and how errors could occur.

At that time I lived in Sherman Oaks, over the hill from Beverly Hills, and had a company called California Numismatic Error Exchange that focused on selling error coins. Customers that bought the courses also received a copy of my price list on error coins. As I continued doing business into the 1970s, I offered other material related to minting. One item in particular was ‘defaced 1968-S coin dies' that I purchased from Gary Young and Wayne Pratali, who were located in the bay area in those days. I offered the dies through the AIPN, in Beverly Hills at that time, and the dies sold quite well.

Going forward to current times: at the Long Beach Show last week I had a conversation with Fred Weinberg about the dies. He asked me if there were any 1968 dies that were not defaced and I told him that all were defaced and I did not recall any that were not. He went on to tell me that he bought a 1968 nickel die that was not defaced, and the details were completely visible, from a dealer who acquired it from one of my customers who bought it in the 1970s. I explained to Fred that I had thousands of dies back then and was selling so many that I could not look at them all.

Business eventually slowed down and the AIPN has not been active since about 1980.

Thank you! Submissions like this are my favorite part of The E-Sylum. When a question comes up, who better to answer than someone with direct knowledge who was there at the time? -Editor