A drawing of the U.S. Mint, now the Nevada State Museum, whose first stone was laid in 1866.
The Nevada State Museum tips its hat to a seminal figure in the city’s history and continues its months-long celebration leading up to the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Carson City U.S. Branch Mint with this month’s medallion minting on Historic Coin Press No. 1.
This month’s demonstrations are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday.
The medallion features Abraham Curry, the founder of Carson City and the first superintendent of the Mint when it opened on Jan. 6, 1870. Curry was instrumental in the construction and the opening of the mint. In late 1868, he oversaw the arrival of critical machinery needed to operate the mint, including Historic Coin Press No. 1.
The coin press is the only one of its kind in existence that’s still operational in its original building (the Nevada State Museum occupies the former Mint). The last Friday of each month, volunteers power up Coin Press 1 to give visitors the opportunity to see it operate and, if they wish, to purchase a blank medallion in the museum store and have it minted on the press.
Between its opening in 1870 and its closure in 1893, the Carson City Mint produced nearly $50 million (face value) of gold and silver coins. Today, coins with the famous “CC” mint mark are highly coveted by collectors and among the most valuable in the coin-collecting world.
The Curry medallion is a limited-edition minting that will end when 2,000 medallions are struck.