Owner Comments:
MINT MEDAL APPEARANCE/CONDITION:
Brilliant Gem
*Blazing red, lustrous gem in a grade of at least MS-65 or higher.*
MINT MEDAL BACKGROUND:
Although this issue does not appear to be cataloged by Swoger, it shares the same obverse as SWO-53II-X (33mm Bronze - Denver Mint: US Bicentennial/Colorado Centennial Commemorative Medal). — During this era, the Mint issued Mint sets in cellophane packaging. Each Denver Mint Set included this issue as an additional commemorative medal.
RARITY: Unknown; very few grades by NGC. Census report not available.
MINT MEDAL DESCRIPTION:
(Denver Minted, Bronze, 33mm, Round, Plain Edge)
OBVERSE: United States Mint / (Design of Denver Mint) / D / Denver, Colorado
REVERSE: The Department of the Treasury / (US Treasury Seal) / 1789
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
“The mint in Denver was established by an act of Congress approved April 21, 1862. It was exclusively for the coinage of gold and the sum of $75,000 was appropriated to carry into effect the provisions of the act to meet the expenses for the fiscal year 1863.
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An act was passed February 20, 1895, providing for the establishment of a mint at Denver, Colo., for the coinage of gold and silver.
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The bill making appropriations for legislative, executive, and judicial expenses of the Government for the fiscal year 1896, approved March 2, 1895, made provision for the purpose of a site and the commencement of a mint building at Denver, at a cost of $100,000, and authorized the Secretary of the Treasury to contract for the completing of a building at a cost, including site, heating, ventilating, fireproof vaults, etc., not exceeding $500,000. On April 22, 1896, a site was purchased at a cost of $60,261.71. The original appropriation for the construction of the building was not sufficient, and this was increased by additional appropriations to $800,228.01. This amount has been further increased by providing that the amount received for the sale of the old mint building, authorized by act of June 30, 1906, shall be applied to the finishing of the new building. The new building was occupied in 1904, but the coinage operations were not commenced until February, 1906.“
Credited Source: Excerpt from Annual Report of the Director of the Mint to the Secretary of the Treasury Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1906 — Washington: Government Printing Office, 1906, Page 5-7. – Historical Reference Collection United States Mint