Postponed Railway Reflections minting to take place Saturday

Though the Railway Reflections International Art Expo ran from July to August, part of it will take place Saturday.

The medallion minting or, rather, ingot minting, was supposed to take place on Aug. 2 at the Marshall Mint in Virginia City, but an employee learning how to run the press had an accident with it and damaged it. So the creation of 100 silver commemorative ingots to benefit the reconstruction of the V&T Railway had to wait.

The silver ingot will be minted at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Marshall Mint, 98 North C St., Virginia City.

The ingots each will be made of one ounce of .999 percent pure silver, and 100 of them will be struck. Those who purchase the 2008 ingot will have first chance to purchase the 2009 editions and beyond.

The ingots will be sold for $100 each, and will come in a display case with a numbered card for authenticity.

Steve Saylor, the Dayton artist who designed the ingot and who organized the Railway Reflections art expo said about 47 ingots have been reserved.

Visitors are welcome at the pressing of the ingots, he said.

Marshall Mint owner Hugh Roy Marshall said the ingots will be pressed on a DiMao press, manufactured in Italy in the early 1950s that can stamp a medallion or ingot on both sides. The silver ingots begin with a rough coating so that when the press comes down on it, it leaves a very polished impression, he said.

The DiMao press can press 150 ingots or medallions per hour, he said.

- Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or call 881-7351.