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CHRISTIAN GOBRECHT HEADSTONE DEDICATIONLiberty Seated Collectors president Len Augsburger passed along this press release about the recent unveiling ceremony of the new headstone for the third Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint, Christian Gobrecht. -Editor 
Event Program
U.S. Mint Staff, Liberty Seated Collectors Dedicate Christian Gobrecht Headstone
Sponsored by the Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC), a new headstone was placed at the Christian Gobrecht grave at Lawnview Cemetery in Rockledge, PA, on November 13. In attendance were LSCC members, U.S. Mint personnel, and descendants of the Gobrecht family. Benjamin Franklin, in the person of Pat McBride, was present, while the American Numismatic Society was represented by Resolute Americana Curator Jesse Kraft. Speakers included Liberty Seated Collectors (LSCC) president Len Augsburger, past LSCC vice-president Bill Bugert, American Numismatic Association president Tom Uram, U.S. Mint Chief Engraver Joe Menna, and the Honorable Ventris C. Gibson, U.S. Mint Director. Uram produced a challenge coin for the event, which was distributed to attendees. Originally interred at Philadelphia's Monument Cemetery in north central Philadelphia, the remains of Gobrecht and his family were moved in 1956, when the Monument Cemetery property was transferred by the city of Philadelphia to Temple University. Bill Bugert, writing in the July 2008 Gobrecht Journal, detailed his investigation into the location of the Gobrecht plot. The documentary trail , beginning with Monument Cemetery, eventually led Bugert to Lawnview Memorial Park in Rockledge, PA. There, Bugert discovered that the original Gobrecht family headstone had been discarded during the 1956 move of remains from Philadelphia to Rockledge, PA. A marker reading simply "GOBRECHT" now marked the family plot, hardly a fitting tribute to the Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint. In 2023, LSCC Vice-President Dennis Fortier spearheaded the effort to commission a new headstone, which has now been placed at Lawnview Park. 
Mint Director Ventris Gibson signs the event guest book 
Chief Engraver Joe Menna speaks 
Philadelphia Mint Superintendent Robert Kurzyna, Mint Director Ventris Gibson, Chief Engraver Joe Menna 
Local media views the new headstone 
What a wonderful and memorable event. Many thanks to all involved in making it happen, particularly Bill Bugert, whose research set all this in motion. -Editor
Link to July 2008 Gobrecht Journal:
Wayne 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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