"From Mine to Mint" - Book 2 0

[RWB]

Many collectors are familiar with the book From Mine to Mint which was published a few years ago. The purpose was to provide material on US Mint operations, management, equipment and processes, thereby helping us better understand how the place worked.

I am now assembling information for a follow-on book, un-creatively titled "More Mine to Mint" (or something like that). Although it will be a while before it is ready for publication, I'd like to encourage collectors to contact me with suggestions for topics or Mint processes not discussed in the first book.

Thanks in advance!

(Members are free to repost this on other message boards, if they wish.)

RWB

[bstrauss3]

Two come to mind

 

• Bi-metallic coins - how they are made (sort of like how do they get the filling into the Twinky)
• CNC die manufacturing - if every die is an original yet an exact copy down to the resolution of the tooling and stepping of the CNC motor

Thanks - looking forward!

 

-----Burton

[RWB]

Burton - Thanks for the suggestions. The first will be fun to research - I'll schedule a snack at the Twinkie factory. The second revolves around changes in technology that no longer require use of a stepping motor or gear train.

(The questions bring up a point about modern technology in use at world mints, not just the USA versus historical US Mint technology. Will have to think about this.)

[physics-fan3.14]

Historically, Roger, your research has focused on pre-1964 technology. 

I think it would be very interesting and important for the hobby to have a second volume which features modern technology and processes. That might be harder to get information on, for security reasons and whatnot, but if it's possible it would be interesting. 

[RWB]

To be honest, I hoped that someone else - maybe someone from the US Mint - would write the "modern mint" version. They could provide hands-on information. This is something we completely lack about older technology, operations and processes. No notebooks or diaries of 19th century die setters, die sinkers, cutters, machinists, etc. are known to exist (with one incomplete example from San Francisco.)

There isn't much  of a "security" concern with modern equipment - most of it is patent and trade secret stuff, and the details are far below any practical level for collectors.

Edited December 13, 2019 by RWB