actually robbed on the "inside"?

Greetings Collectors,

In this, what will be my final journal entry for the Collectors Society fiscal year which ends in less than 24 hours, I also conclude this little history lesson on a mint that was a long time "in the making". As I laid in bed last night, I thought about these events surrounding the Denver Mint. The vast majority of those events, I had no clue of. My mind raced through a "multitude" of things concerning not only the mint and all of the "D" minted coins that were made there since 1906 but the thought that just about every coin series out there from 1906 onward have some D's that are highly sought after coins. When I grew up, I was raised in a "leave it to Beaver" type atmosphere, as in, Mom stayed home and Dad went to work. I had one sister who was two years and eleven months to the day younger than I. It may strike some of you strange, that I had as little to do with her as humanly possible. In the evening after supper and before bed, I would have to lock my door to get away from her 'cause she would "bug" the living out of me. We both laugh about those days now. When I was locked in my room, I always had a half dozen or so books from the local public and school library. I would read for hours on end. In thoses days between age eight up to age 11-12, my main topics of interest were in two areas. Anything and everything "Civil War" Pre & post. Being from the south, I liked the "Pre" more than the post. Actually anything up to the battle of Gettysburg, because from then on, the results of most battles did not set well with me. The other topic and maybe even on a grander scale was, Archaeology. This covered a wide expanse. My coins fit right into this area along with my favorite studies of Howard Carter finding King Tuts tomb and Cortez and Pizzarro obtaining all of that GOLD from the Inca's and the Aztecs. Anything old, the looking, the finding, the studying, all of that and all of the "history" to go along with it. I know that is the reason that this study of late problably interests me a whole lot more than it does some of you. History of all kinds "RULES". Anyway I just want to thank you once again for putting up with me and for reading.

The Denver Mint was a long time coming into its own. Many events steared the "hurry up and wait" attitude towards the Mint. I kinda hate that they (the US Government) didn't allow "Clark & Gruber" to continue on minting their coins, if all the government was gonna do is use the place to weigh gold and silver. It seems like a "waste" to me but "that's me". The robbery was at first facinating, but since $5 dollar bills were stolen, and not even from inside, but from the outside was somewhat of a letdown. If I could have written some "fiction", I would have had all kinds of rare coins from the inside taken, and of course recovered, but only after a long daring "cat and mouse" hunt, ending up via a sting. And I would have much rathered no-one getting hurt in the process. I have looked long and hard concerning the never re-couped $120,000 in brand new five dollar bills. With the sereal numbers known and criminals not usually being the "sharpest" pencils in the box, none of these notes were ever recovered. This is very "strange" to me. Lastly but not leastly, why was not a single person ever charged? They found $80,000 with a lawyer in MN. What's up with all that? Many unanswered questions, if you ask me. On the "bright side" I see this as something that will keep me busy for some time to come, looking for the answers.

As the mint was up and running, producing lots of coins every year from 1906 on, except of course dimes in 1916, $2.50 gold in 1911, half dollars in 1921 & 1938, quarters in 1932, nickels in 1950 and you know about the pennies in 1922. Lots and lots of realy cool coins came out of the Denver Mint. These I have named are just a few of the more widely known ones. There are Liberty Standing quarters with a "D", and lots of "D" mint Buffalo nickels and I don't even want to think of some of the "awesome" rarities in the $20 Saint Gaudens area. Oh to have lived in Denver, having been born there in 1890 to a somewhat wealthy family, and to have been a coin collector. This would have made me 16 years old, with access to a little money, when the mint started operations and from there on, you can do the math. Just let me have my choice of "one dozen" coins from the time I was 20 (1910) for 30 more years to age 50. All I can say is "WOW".

Only one more exciting thing happened at the Denver Mint that is worth telling about, that's if you take out all those mintings of the coins just mentioned. We had one more case of "stealing".

Yes it seems that a mint employee, a one "Orville Harrington" was caught "red-handed" in 1920 buring gold in his back yard at his home. Orville was being watched by the "secret service" because a quantity of "anodes" was missing. Anodes, a by-product of the "gold coin" minting process, was not piling up as it should have been, so began the task of more closly watching the workers. Anodes was "pure gold" scrap, and when Orville was apprehended, shovel in hand, he was in the middle of burying, what ended up being $80,000 total of pure gold in his backyard. No details were given as to how he was able to get the gold out of the mint. Just the fact that is was getting out and Orville was a suspect, one of several. Poor ole Orville got a 10-year sentence in the Colorodo Federal prison system. He was paroled however, after searving only 3 1/2 years.

The Denver mint underwent various periods of remodeling and was enlarged several times. In 1934 it took on an additional role as a "Government Gold Bullion Depository" and in that year, many billions of dollars in gold bars were transfered from San Fransisco to Denver, thought to be a much safer location, with it being in the "center" of the country. Today Denver is known for housing the worlds "second largest" holding of gold bullion, exceeded only by the Federal Gold Repository at Ft. Knox Kentucky.

Today the "heartbeat" of the Denver Mint is still housed in that original 1904 building, with the front having changed little. The inside is a whole different story in that it has the most sofisticated coining equipment on the planet. In 2008 the Denver Mint alone struck about 5.37 billion coins, a quantity that, believe it or not, is well below its full manufacturing capacity.

For tours you need about a three week notice and would have to be arranged through the web sites I gave in my previous post. From what I read it seems that single passes can be given out daily on a first come, first serve basis. I hope you have enjoyed this conclusion regarding the Denver Mint and a little of its history. I leave you with a Kennedy half I got in change today. The little girl apologized when she handed it to me, as it was either that, or a handfull of nickels. I told her the "half" would be just fine.

Happy Collecting,

WKF