A major event is on the entertainment horizon that has the promise of really invigorating the coin collecting hobby. Coming this fall on PBS much in the style of Ken Burn’s Civil War, Mike Craven of Craven Entertainment in Hollywood is releasing an epic history of the United States Mint. He and former Medallic Art Company research director/historian Dick Johnson are putting the finial touches on the project this summer. Television being a visual medium required Mr. Craven to scour the National Archives, Library of Congress, and many private sources for every shred of film and every possible image of the Mint to tell its story. In the process he discovered about 20 different films related to the Mint or Treasury Department. The films cover a wide range of subjects including, The Secret Service, counterfeit detection, and various branch Mint histories. He also discovered many old newsreels that deal with the Mint that were shown in the movie theaters back before the days of television. 

As if the fact that he is producing a multi-part show for television was not enough Mr. Craven also acquired the rights to many of these films and is re-releasing them through his company. It was through the release of the first of these films on video that I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Mike over the phone. Shortly after the release of The Medal Maker I stumbled on to his website and attempted to order a copy. My belief in matters like this is that I prefer to buy direct from the source in order to support their efforts even if the item is available elsewhere at a discount. Well Mike was having problems with the site host and the html code and the order form was not working so I sent him and email. After exchanging a couple of emails we finally decided to talk over the phone.  

It was then when I discovered the depth of his enthusiasm for the hobby and of his planned epic and re-release of these original films on videotape. At the time he had only released The Medal Maker. He had two more tapes ready except for the packaging art, which was still in development. I talked him into selling me the videos anyway without the fancy covers. So in addition to The Medal Maker, I also got .900 Fine – Story of the Carson City Mint and The Granite Lady – The San Francisco Mint. I also got my name on the list for a copy of the videos that will be marketed along with the PBS show.

The Medal Maker, original produced by the Medallic Art Company in 1929, features master sculptor Laura Garden Fraser as she creates the models for the "Special Medal of Honor for the National Sculpture Society." It then follows the process of casting galvanos, making the dies, striking and finishing the medals. The original film is supplemented by narration written by Dick Johnson and presented by former U.S. Mint Chief Engraver Elizabeth Jones. This presentation won the Numismatic Literary Guild’s 1997 Video of the Year award. Shortly after receiving the video a number of Raleigh Coin Club members met at Dave Provost’s house where we viewed this excellent video together. 

A highlight of a recent coin road trip, well actually medal road trip, to Delaware was meeting Dick Johnson in person. He has formed his own company DJ Videos and is partnering with Mike Craven on the PBS project. Interestingly he was telling Dave Provost and I that now that Mike has seen the movie Titanic that he wants to rewrite the project to give it sex appeal like the movie. I’m not sure how serious he was but it sounds like he is having to rein in Mike’s enthusiasm a little. Also of interest was the fact that he was promoting the release of .900 Fine – Story of the Carson City Mint. 

.900 Fine – Story of the Carson City Mint is an original 1971 production of the General Services Administration. It is clearly dates to the seventy’s style of western movies and television shows but still has much numismatic interest. At approximately half an hour in length it stars Burgess Meredith and focuses on the gold and silver rushes in Nevada that brought about the famous CC mint-marked silver dollars the General Services Administration was in the process of selling at the time. I have watched the video a couple of times and although it is quite dated it is well worth the investment in time. I especially like the end where they show GSA workers sorting and placing the CC Silver Dollars in those prized GSA holders for sale. 

This brings us to the last of the videos The Granite Lady – The San Francisco Mint. Written by Frank Kerr, narrated by Mercedes McCambride, and produced by Ron Van Nostrad for the Treasury Department this video is also dated to the late sixties, early seventies. Through re-enactment, early photographs, and later footage this approximately 30 minute video reviews the history of San Francisco. It starts with the discovery of San Francisco Bay, the mission, the discovery of gold, early problems with private mints and the establishment of the assay office and branch mint. The Mint’s role in the aftermath of the 1903 earthquake is also highlighted. Closed and replaced in 1937 the Mint building was left to decay until under the leadership of Mint Director Mary Brooks the structure was transferred back to the Treasury Department, adapted to new use, and restored as a museum. Although the acting leaves much to be desired the numismatic content is great. Many pictures of rarities and lots and lots of gold!

These three videos are well worth inclusion in any numismatist’s library. I think the Raleigh Coin Club should consider purchasing these videos for our library.

ã Copyright Raleigh Coin Club   -  1998, 1999,2000,2001,2002

The RCC grants permission to reprint any articles not copyrighted by the author for non-profit educational purposes only, provided the Raleigh Coin Club and the author are cited as the original source.