The Youngest Person Known to Strike a U.S. Coin
A behind-the-scenes look at the Michigan Statehood Quarter’s ceremonial strike—and how a six-year-old made numismatic history at the Denver Mint.
When the U.S. Statehood Quarter series began, it set off a massive surge in coin collecting. At one point, the U.S. Mint stated there were 100 million people collecting these coins.
At shows, I talked with some dealers and collectors who had participated in the process of selection of designs for the earliest states and also the first strike ceremonies at the Philadelphia Mint. Being involved in this process for the upcoming 2004 Michigan quarter sounded like fun. I contacted the governor’s office to volunteer to serve on whatever panel he might appoint to work on the design.
To maximize the promotion of numismatics over the forthcoming issue of this coin, I also proposed that the Michigan State Numismatic Society (MSNS) also appoint its own committee to support this effort, and volunteered to chair this panel (it helps that when an organization is urged to adopt a new program that the proposer offers to do a major part of the work).
The MSNS 2004 Michigan Statehood Quarter Committee started collecting design ideas before the governor appointed the 25 members (including me) to serve on the Michigan Quarter Commission.
In early meetings of the Commission, I shared with the other members that it might be possible for them to have fun participating in the first strike ceremony of the coins at the Philadelphia Mint. As the process evolved, the governor’s liaison with the Mint had to contact Mint officials three times about the first strike ceremony. In late 2003, a response was received, noting that the event would instead be at the Denver Mint. Those who might want to participate were invited to fill out paperwork to go through a security screening, with one requirement being that attendees needed to be at least ten years old.
I filled out the requisite application for myself and my six-year-old son, Daniel. In his application, I noted that he was officially too young to participate in the strike ceremony, but asked if he could be allowed to attend as an observer. Once again, the governor’s liaison had to ask three times before finally being told, “We’ll do something.”
In early January 2004, Daniel and I flew to Denver the day before the ceremony. Some of us who arrived that day gathered in the lobby of the nearby hotel to plan the program. To my surprise and delight, Daniel was included as one of the participants who would strike coins at the ceremony.
As production of the 2004 Michigan Statehood Quarters had already begun, the event was labeled the 2004 Michigan Statehood Quarter Ceremonial Strike Ceremony. It turned out that the head of the Denver Mint was born in Muskegon, Mich., and obtained his college degree from Western Michigan University. I didn’t ask, but assumed that was why he requested to host the program at this Mint facility.
No official representing the state of Michigan was in attendance, so the Mint Superintendent had the honor of striking the first piece, which now resides in the Michigan Historical Museum in Lansing. Daniel struck the second piece, which was presented to the current Michigan governor at the public release ceremony held on January 26 (the anniversary of Michigan’s statehood). A ten-year-old son of another Commission member struck the third coin that was later presented to the prior governor who had appointed the Commission members. Then the six Commission members in attendance, in alphabetical order, struck a specimen that they were given during the public release ceremony (I struck coin #6).
In all, there were six other participants attending this event—the two sons, two spouses of Commission members, and two relatives of a Commission member who lived near the Denver Mint. The other son struck coin #14, and Daniel struck the final piece #15 to be later presented to them during the public release ceremony. The U.S. Mint photographer (we were not allowed to bring cameras onto the production floor) took pictures of each participant holding the coin they had struck with the fathers joining their son after they struck the second example.
In our local newspaper, on the day after the strike ceremony, a U.S. Mint photo of Daniel and me appeared on the front page. The accompanying story stated that someone at the U.S. Mint said that Daniel was the youngest person they knew of to ever strike a U.S. coin.
Wanting to make sure I got this information correct, I called the Mint’s press office. The staff member who helped me first said that the Mint did not keep records of the ages of people who had struck U.S. Coins. But he went on to say that Daniel was almost certainly the youngest ever and that I could truthfully say that he was the youngest person known to have struck a U.S. coin. After stating that, though, he went on to say they did not want to make a big deal over it. The purpose of the Statehood Quarter series was focused on the coins, and not to set records of successively younger participants in strike ceremonies.
Unfortunately, as a cost-saving measure, the U.S. Mint has cut back on its first strike and public release ceremonies. In April 2005, the public release ceremony for the American Innovation Dollar for Michigan, more than halfway through this program, was the first such event for this series of coins.
Last column’s numismatic trivia question.
Last time I asked— The world’s largest coin weighs about 8,800 pounds. Where is it located? On the Yap Islands in the Federated States of Micronesia are rai stones, also called fei stones, or Yapese stone money. They are carved out of limestone, shaped like a disk, and have a hole in the center. They were manufactured up into the early 20th Century. The smallest are less than two inches in diameter. Many are too large to move. The greatest one, 12 feet in diameter, 20 inches thick, and weighing 8,800 pounds, is located on the island of Rumung.
This week’s trivia question
Here is this week’s question. Which two U.S. presidents were depicted on paper money issued by the Confederate States of America? Come back next week for the answer.
Patrick A. Heller was honored as a 2019 FUN Numismatic Ambassador. He is also the recipient of the American Numismatic Association 2018 Glenn Smedley Memorial Service Award, the 2017 Exemplary Service Award, the 2012 Harry Forman National Dealer of the Year Award, and the 2008 Presidential Award. Over the years, he has also been honored by the Numismatic Literary Guild, Professional Numismatists Guild, National Coin & Bullion Association, and the Michigan State Numismatic Society. He is the communications officer of Liberty Coin Service in Lansing, Michigan, and writes “Liberty’s Outlook,” a quarterly newsletter on rare coins and precious metals subjects. He now volunteers with the National Coin & Bullion Association as its Industry Issues Advisor. Past newsletter issues can be viewed at www.libertycoinservice.com. Some of his radio commentaries, "Things You ‘Know’ That Just Aren’t So,” and “Important News You Need To Know,” can be heard at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday and Friday mornings on 1320-AM WILS in Lansing (which streams live and becomes part of the audio archives posted at www.1320wils.com).
All images courtesy of the U.S. Mint
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