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TheHawaiianaNumismatist

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Journal Entries posted by TheHawaiianaNumismatist

  2. TheHawaiianaNumismatist
    If you Google the term "special government medal" or "sGm" or "special medals for US government agencies" your search result relating to the Bureau of the Mint or United States Mint will be empty. However, if you search the term "POTUS sGm" you will get a hit to my website (discusses a particular type of "special government medal" of which I have ongoing research).

    This empty search result  points out that these common terms  are  unused and uncommon term within the US numismatic community. However, if you review each of the  Annual Reports of the Director of the Mint (if you have the time) you will see this term is used often to describe a function of the Bureau of the Mint/United States Mint. What is a "special government medal (sGm)"?

    The term "special medals for US government agencies" relates to the third official manufacturing function of the Bureau of the Mint/United States Mint.  The three blog images provides an introduction to this third official manufacturing function of the Bureau of the Mint/United States Mint.

    The final image with the examples of "special government medals" drives the point of this blog entry. There is no numismatic work that identifies nor catalogs all  results from the third official manufacturing function of the Bureau of the Mint (or United States Mint). The final images also provides evidence of the connection between the Bureau of the Mint and multiple United States Government agencies with Frank Gasparro as the common thread as the designer of these three represented "special Government medals".
     



  3. TheHawaiianaNumismatist
    I just submitted a US copyright on an article discussing a research find I made. For those who are familiar with my discovery models, this find adds a new piece  of knowledge to the King Kalakaua 1 Coronation Medal  knowledge domain.

    Background:
    The 1882 dated King Kalakaua 1 coronation medal  has befuddled Hawaiian numismatics for decades due to its unknown mintage, designer and manufacturer. This medal is identified as:

    2RM-9 (Hawaiian Money Standard Catalog 1991 Second Edition by Donald Medcalf & Ronald Russell)
    RM-7 (Hawaiian Moeny Standard catalog  1978 First Edition by Donald Medcalf & Ronald Russell)
    108 (Hawaiian Coins, Tokens and Paper Money1961 Revised Second Edition by Maurice and Kenneth Bressett)
    9A (Hawaiian Money and Medals 1967  by Gordon Medcalf and Robert Fong)

    Research Find:
    My research has identified the designer and manufacturer, but not the mintage of the 1882 dated King Kalakaua 1 coronation medal. Hawaii specialist know that this medal is rare, especially in uncirculated grades.

    Attached are the first two pages of the copyrighted article. The key items of the research Intellectual Property (IP) has been redacted, but one partial image reveals an exact description of the 1882 dated King Kalakaua 1 coronation medal. This is the key piece of knowledge  that is part of this  "research discovery".
    One last thing, a new metal composition of 2RM-9 has been discovered !!!!.
     



  4. TheHawaiianaNumismatist
    Within the book Hawaiian Money, 2nd Edition, by Medcalf & Russell (book listed in NGC US Coin Reference, American Overseas Territories), a series of private mint issues from The Hawaiian Mint (THM), aka Royal Hawaiian Mint (RHM), are cataloged.
    Several of the original issues are not listed as per the official RHM database (it's a spreadsheet provided by the RHM documenting its issues, mintages, and specialized notes). This spreadsheet is titled Waifs in Gold Boots which was produced by the RHM and was made available to the public at their website. Unfortunately, the RHM removed it years ago. Several advance Hawaii collectors have been sharing the original Waifs in Gold Boots spreadsheet.  Knowledge is power in collectables.   I have been refreshing/updating a personal copy and calling it Waifs in Gold Boots Rev A. (don't ask, I will not share it).
    However, I made an educational video to share how to identify the Type 1 - small blemish (as defined in Hawaiian Money, 2nd Edition) issues.    Waifs in Gold Boots calls the blemish a "welt". The following video shows the "welt". The medal shown is unlisted in Hawaiian Money, 2nd Edition. The medal obverse is 2MB-1 and reverse is 2MB-5 (using the Hawaiian Money, 2nd Edition identifiers). The medal is listed in Waifs in Gold Boots. As an interesting note, the "Earth Symbols" reverse design (2MB-5) is partially used on the infamous 1998 NORFED Dollar (image shown in this journal entry).
     

  5. TheHawaiianaNumismatist
    Back in the year 2014, I made an inquiry to NGC Support about the grading/encapsulation of medals listed in their listed numismatic bibliography titled  Hawaiian Money,  2nd Edition, by Medcalf and Russell.  My "coin club" medals were rejected (see images).
     
     
     
    I now see that Hawaii related coin club medals (Maui coin Club and Hawaii State Numismatic Association (HSNA))are now being  graded! (see image below)

    Great!!!
    I made this video about a year ago related to my completed Maui Coin Club silver medal set. Enjoy!
     
  6. TheHawaiianaNumismatist
    This is related to Hawaii !!!
    NOTE: You can tell the writing style difference of an author's journal entry  by the subject matter. On one hand you get regurgitation of previously documented information or what one owns. It's OK, but not exciting or groundbreaking. On the other hand you get thought provoking or I did not know this with a dumbfoundedness result. I hope I'm in the later category.
    Bernard von NotHaus was one of the co-founders of The Hawaiian Mint, which evolved into the Royal Hawaiian Mint, and he got into a heap of trouble with the US Government with his National Organization For the Repeal of the Federal Reserve Act (NORFED) coinage and currency.
    As a Hawaiiana numismatist, I must cover all numismatic aspects related to the Hawaiian Islands. The original NORFED Liberty dollars is such a coin. It's listed in World Price Guide at the NGC website:
    https://www.ngccoin.com/price-guide/world/united-states-10-liberty-dollars-x-201-1998-cuid-1075971-duid-1633923
    Waifs in Gold Boots, a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, was created by the Royal Hawaiian Mint to document their issues. This spreadsheet was in the public domain at one point. Anyway, listed in this spreadsheet are three design elements that tell the story of the 1998 NORFED Libery dollar.

    This is a must have reference for Hawaiiana numismatist. Note the mintage (column J) and other key numismatic information!
    The image below is a visual of my original research finding. (I used a silver specimen of the 1975 Kamehameha issue with the "EARTH" design)

    As you can plainly see, the incorporation of design elements to form the original 1998 NORFED Liberty dollar came from previous issues of the The Hawaiian Mint/Royal Hawaiian Mint.
    This research would make a splendid exhibit, along with the controversy of this first 1998 NORFED issue.
    I was in a state of dumbfoundedness when I first discovered this and the first to document this find in my personal blog a few years ago.
    Finally, the mintage of the 1998 Liberty Dollar X# 201 is 150 specimens (which is not documented anywhere , except in  Waifs in Gold Boots).
     
  7. TheHawaiianaNumismatist
    This is not a Hawaii related entry.
    The images of two pages below are from the US Mint (as you can see, Frank Gasparro has signed and dated the upper right on the first page).
    Item 1 and 2 in the document - Calls out US Mint's Presidential inaugural medal design (obverse and reverse) are to be used on the proposed half dollar.
              Note: For proper visualization, I added a image of the reverse in this blog. The presidential seal is in a reduced state.
    Item 3 in the document - Frank Gasparro indicates he has previous experience with implementing the reverse design (presidential seal)
    Item 4 in the document (2nd page) - Explains his many experiences and techniques he implemented in the reverse design.
    Conclusion: There was no way that the US Mint's Presidential inaugural medal design was the primary source for the reverse design of the Kennedy half dollar (as many half dollar collectors believe). Frank Gasparro indicated that "This seal was the culmination of many experiences with the study and execution of the American eagle in medallic work", which means he worked on the presidential seal before as a primary design element. It just happens that the Class 5 Kennedy POTUS sGm has a large presidential seal with the placement of his "FG" initials similarly located (under the right leg of the eagle) on both the Class 5 Kennedy POTUS sGm and Kennedy half dollar. 
    And just to bring out another point, the US Mint's President Johnson inaugural medal design features another presidential seal by Frank Gasparro (this time his "FG" initials is above the right leg of the eagle).






  8. TheHawaiianaNumismatist
    This is not a Hawaiian related entry....
    In all accounts, the true precursor design of the reverse side of the Kennedy half dollar is from the Class 5 Kennedy President of the United States (POTUS) special Government medal (sGm). You have to remember that this Class 5 medal was struck while President Kennedy was still alive.
    The precursor proof is the placement of the designer's initial "FG" (Frank Gasparro) in a familiar position (see video at time 1:38).
    This was one of the most interesting historical facts I uncovered in my research.
     
  9. TheHawaiianaNumismatist
    This blog entry is not Hawaiian related....
    While performing research on my book on the   http://www.potus-sgm.com/   I tracked down the dual torch design of Frank Gasparro (I previously shared this research find at another numismatic website and wanted to share it here).  In the image:
    Left is the obverse of a Class 2 Eisenhower President of the United States  (POTUS) special Government medal (sGm) with the dual torch by Frank Gasparro and manufactured by the Bureau of the Mint in 1960.
    Middle is the reverse of the President Kennedy inauguration medal with the dual torch by Frank Gasparro and manufactured by the Bureau of the Mint in 1961.
    Right is the reverse of the General MacArthur congressional gold medal with dual torch by Frank Gasparro and manufactured by the Bureau of the Mint in 1962.
    Imagine that! Mr. Gasparro used the dual torch design in consecutive years (1960, 1961, and 1962) on three medal types (special Government medal, inauguration medal, and a congressional medal).
    If you interested in what is a POTUS sGm, visit the website link above.
     

  10. TheHawaiianaNumismatist
    Perhaps a  new numismatic collecting category is required? Blunder collecting...
    As it can be explained, a few intact specimens slipped by the manufacturer who eagerly holed-out the "49" as to remove the obvious timing blunder as Alaska became the  49th state. This is not an error. It's an unfortunate timing of the Alaska statehood event when this SCD was struck.
    Actually, SCD HK-722A can be claimed as a specimen from the Territory of Hawaii period (and while the US had only 48 states).
    Why does the NGC census reflect a population of 4 for So Called Dollar (SCD) HK-722A?
    NGC does not grade holed specimens, but rather pushes them into the NGC DETAILS realm. Hence the low population of intact HK-722A in the NGC census.
    I enjoy seeing newbie collector faces when I tell them this specimen is from the alternate reality of the United States of which Hawaii was the 49th state and Alaska was never a state...
     
     


  11. TheHawaiianaNumismatist
    When I saw the Hawaii Uniface SCD HK-537 being offered for sale I jumped at the chance to own it. I've look hard and far to have one in my collection.
    This well known dealer convinced my to purchase the Alaska Uniface SCD HK-536 in order to keep them as a pair. It was good that I listened to him.
    These two medals are currently the only pair graded by NGC (or any other TPG company).

  13. TheHawaiianaNumismatist
    How can an entire US Mint series be discovered?
    I created six numismatic discovery models for a numismatic book I'm working on. The first three models explains the different types of US numismatic discoveries (these models can be tailored for specific area of US numismatics or non-US numismatics). I shared my first three models at my ANA blog (link below).
    www.money.org/collector/drdarryl/blog/us-numismatics-discovery-models-part-1-2
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  14. TheHawaiianaNumismatist
    This is how a new US Mint series was discovered!
    www.money.org/collector/drdarryl/blog/us-numismatics-discovery-models-part-2
    The image below is of the Class 2 series of the President of the United States special Government medal (POTUS sGm) series.
    Each POTUS sGm is presidential artifact (see link in my ANA blog).

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  15. TheHawaiianaNumismatist
    Acquired from a collector in France.
    The DVD of my Money Talks presentation at the 2015 ANA World's Fair of Money is available for borrowing from the ANA Library. The first book that cataloged this "lost" presidential medal series is ISBN 1511786744.
    The image is a composite of a snippet of my ANA presentation slide (lower portion) and of my latest acquisition from a collector in France.
    It's a remarkable acquisition in that it supports my original research findings (in my book) in that President Eisenhower awarded his "appreciatory medal" in France from September 2 - 4, 1959.
    My acquisition is a three-piece set with: original presidential envelope, card from President Eisenhower, and the President Eisenhower Class 1 medal (DDE-C1-02). The first intact set to be located and identified.
    Surviving mintage is 436 specimens (after President Eisenhower's end of 2nd term destruction of unused medals). DDE-C1-02 was issued in the Federal Republic of Germany, United Kingdom, and France from August 26, 1959 through September 7, 1959.
    NGC has previously graded this type of medal (I have a NGC MS65 specimen).

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  16. TheHawaiianaNumismatist
    Still waiting for a reply...
    To make a long story short:
    1. On 09/06/15 I asked about the grading and encapsulation of a silver Hawaiian medal. Two gold version were encapsulated by NGC and can be seen at the Ira & Larry Goldberg Sept. 7, 2009 auction.
     
    2. I provided supporting documentation from an ANA Periodical (June 1960) that the silver version and gold version were designed and manufactured by Precious Medals Hawaii (original designer amd manufacturer).
    3. This is the orginal NGC reply "Thanks for your question. At this time, NGC does not grade items minted by the Royal Hawaiian mint."
    4. My rebuttal (I recommend that every save a copy of messages exchanged with NGC):
    1) Medals shown are not a product of the Royal Hawaiian Mint. They are a product of Precious Medals Hawaii (PMH). PMH has no affiliation with the Royal Hawaiian Mint. The PMH hallmark can be plainly seen on the bottom reverse (on both the gold and silver medals)
    2) The 1980 American Numismatic Association clipping provides an accurate pedigree of the original manufacturer, Precious Medals Hawaii.
    3) Medals struck by Precious Medals Hawaii have been previously graded/encapsulated by NGC so these medal are not setting a precedence of being the first.
    4) As shown ( Ira & Larry Goldberg Auctioneers catalog dated September 7, 2009), two Precious Medals Hawaii gold medals were graded/encapsulated by NGC.
    5) I perceive a preferential treatment toward large auction houses in getting "esoteric" type medals graded/encapsulated with my example of the Ira & Larry Goldberg Auctioneers catalog dated September 7, 2009. Is this true?
    6) NGC does grade several Royal Hawaiian Mint issues as identified by their Krause numbers as indicated in their book title Unusual World Coins. Was this recently changed?
    7) Several medals listed in the Medcalf & Russell book, Hawaiian Money Second Edition, are in fact Royal Hawaiian Mint issues. If not all items listed in the Medcalf & Russell book do not qualify to be graded/encapsulated, I recommend that you put a note on your webpage that states this fact.
    8) Was my original question actually forwarded to a grader that specializes with medals from Hawaii?
    9) As a non-paying NGC member (I'm using my ANA membership to get items encapsulated/graded), I would like items 1 through 7Should I contact the ANA to notify them that clarification from their perspective
    Today is 11/7/2015 and I have not seen a updated reply to me.

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  18. TheHawaiianaNumismatist
    Not a typo...
    Today (August 21, 2015) is the anniversary of Hawaii Admission Day or Statehood Day. Hawaii is actually the 50th State.
    However, So-called dollar HK-722a claims Hawaii is the 49th State (sorry Alaska). See image.
    Most HK-722a are holded to obliterate this "49" design error (overzealous designer, manufacturer, and issuer).
    The image is an intact specimen I purchased last month.
    It's my submittal candidate for HK-722a top pop. NGC population is a mere 3 specimens with a top pop grade of MS 63.
    Even the major reference book So-Called Dollars by Harold E. Hibler and Charles V. Kappen has a holed specimen as a plate medal.

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  19. TheHawaiianaNumismatist
    Newly documented Presidential Award medals ...
    Seems interest has been sparked with the release of my latest book:
    Authoritative Numismatic Reference: Presidential Medal of Appreciation Award Medals 1958-1963, ISBN 1511786744.
    Even the American Numismatic Association Facebook page has posted a link to the COINWeek write-up....

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  20. TheHawaiianaNumismatist
    Numismatic research sharing time....
    My book launch was a few days ago. Image is of the eight Eisenhower Class 2 award medals (I established 5 Classes in my book). By far the Class 2 medals are my favorite as they are the same size, composition, and weight as a U.S. Morgan silver dollar. These medals were struck by the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia.
    NGC previously graded and encapsulated my DDE-C2-07 (1960 Eisenhower State of Hawai'i Visit Award Medal).
    Let me remind you that these are not commemorative medals (struck after President Eisenhower left office). These are actual medals awarded by a sitting President of the United States during his tenure in office. The end of second term event ensured (mention later) ensured that all unused medals were destroyed after President Eisenhower left office.
    The medal's reverse design indicates where President Eisenhower awarded his medal, with a few exceptions.
    South America includes: Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. I actually repatriated one medal from a Uruguay collector this year.
    June 1960 includes: State of Alaska, Philippines, and Formosa (Taiwan).
    Summit Paris is actually a conference event that collapsed.
    Newport is for Newport, Rhode Island. This is President Eisenhower's Summer White House location.
    Technically, President Eisenhower cancelled his trip to Japan due to the "Hagerty Incident". White House Press Secretary James Hagerty had to be rescued by a U.S. Marine helicopter after his motorcade was mobbed by anti-American protesters (opposed the amended Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan). Only 500 medals were struck with 90 that survived the Eisenhower end of 2nd term medal destruction event.
    Historically, these medals are intriguing. More importantly, my completed research documented general numismatic information for the first time for the entire 22 presidential award medal series.
    The Eisenhower Class 2 award medals are my favorite from the 5 Classes.

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  21. TheHawaiianaNumismatist
    Want to learn more?
    Yesterday, the American Numismatic Association confirmed that my submitted Money Talk topic was accepted for presentation at the upcoming ANA 2015 World's Fair of Money in Chicago!
    I'll be showing images of the gold & silver U.S. Mint medals that were forced to be destroyed (part of the U.S. Mint's "non-disclosure" series of medals).
    The main focus of my presentation is to present information about the U.S. Mint's "non-disclosure" series of medals. This U.S. Mint series has eluded being documented by U.S. numismatists and U.S. historians.
    The U.S. Mint has neither publicly disclosed general numismatic information nor provided any information whatsoever about this "non-disclosure" medal series that they designed and manufactured.
    I know exactly why it's a "non-disclosure" series and why the U.S. Mint is still keeping it under wraps . It will be explained and supporting evidence will be shared at the ANA 2015 World's Fair of Money in Chicago.
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  22. TheHawaiianaNumismatist
    Help requested...
    Aloha,
    I have a very busy blog website (TheHawaiianaNumismatist.com) and get many requests relating to Hawaii coins, medals, and tokens.
    I am tracking down a NGC point of contact for high resolution images for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indians. (They have periodically held Hawaiian events and displayed Hawaiian culture items). They are seeking specific images of Kingdom of Hawaii coins.
    Contact me ASAP with NGC point of contact so that I can forward it to my Smithsonian contact or email for the Smithsonian contact email address.
    Message was also posted on the message board being monitored in ASK NGC.
     
    Darryl
  23. TheHawaiianaNumismatist
    Accurate mintage provided to Honeycutt H-525 & Basso B-898...
    See image. DDE-12 (medal in image) information taken from my book: The Dwight D. Eisenhower Appreciation Medals, ISBN 1495348229.
    The Philippines numismatic reference books cataloged the Eisenhower visit medal, but does not provide additional information.
    DDE-12 was struck by the US Mint in Philadelphia. Obverse and reverse designs by Frank Gasparro. Medal was used during President Eisenhower's trip to Taiwan, Philippines, and State of Alaska. Base on my research notes, roughly 225 medals were distributed in the Philippines.
    This is a very interesting US Mint medal series now that it has been uncovered after being hidden for over 5 decades. Standard US silver dollar planchets were used for the medal. Google "NGC Registry Eisenhower POTUS Appreciation Medals" to see more extractions from my book.
    Dr. Honeycutt was provided with my DDE-12 information and he indicated it will be included on his next book update.
    Medal in the image is in my personal collection.

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  24. TheHawaiianaNumismatist
    HTML is Not Working in ALL Registry Sets.
    I was about to review one of my Registry sets and found it in a code like state (not executing the inserted HTML codes).
    What's up?
    Seems someone disabled HTML in all registry set or your website experienced a security breach
    Please post a status (disabled on purpose or security breach).
    Please post a status (estimate time of repair or actions to recover from security breach).
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  25. TheHawaiianaNumismatist
    Day 4 of 17 day vacation on East Coast, USA
    Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hau'oli Makahiki Hou = Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
    Unfortunately, I was not invited on Air Force One with the President and his family for the holidays in Hawai'i (also my home state).
    Speaking of Presidents, I did update the Dwight D. Eisenhower Wikipedia page (Legacy and memory section).
    1) Added text about the history of the Eisenhower POTUS appreciation medals.
    2) Added example images of an Eisenhower POTUS appreciation medals.
    3) Added a link to my NGC Registry set on the Eisenhower POTUS appreciation medals.
    Has anyone actually embedded a Wikipedia link to the NGC Registry before?
    Type in "Wiki Eisenhower"in your search engine.
    The working link is also in the first Discuss on Chat Boards of this Journal entry.
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