James Crawford: Master of the Mint at Carson City: A Short Full Life - Hardcover

Goe, Rusty

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0974616923 ISBN 13: 9780974616926

Publisher: Southgate Coins, 2007

Synopsis

Book by Goe, Rusty

About this title

From the Publisher:

Even readers that are unfamiliar with James Crawford, or the mint at which he served, will enjoy the experience of learning about how some of the most famous coins in history were produced; and about how political chicanery affected the monetary system of the United States. Yet aside from coin making and political rascality, readers will appreciate the many human-interest stories scattered throughout the pages of this enchanting biography. James Crawford loved life and certainly lived it to its fullest measure. Whether out in the woods on a hunting expedition, participating in a sporting tournament, attending a masquerade ball, vacationing at beautiful Lake Tahoe, escorting a dignitary around town, presenting a speech at a Republican rally, or playing a practical joke on a friend, Crawford always found himself at the center of attention. And, just as those who were close to him admired, respected and loved him, readers will also become enamored with him by the time they have turned to the last page in this exhaustive volume.

Complementing the absorbing narrative is a virtual visual-feast of images, including dozens of coins from the Carson City Mint, and numerous pictures of persons, places, and old newspaper clippings. Rusty Goe spiced up his first major work, "The Mint on Carson Street," which won Book of the Year honors from two prestigious numismatic organizations (PNG and NLG) in 2004, with a similarly profuse presentation of images, and he has not detoured from this award-winning style in this new biography on James Crawford. Adding an authoritative edge to this prodigious work are the 2,250 footnotes incorporated into the book.

This riveting book will appeal to a diversified readership, including lovers of Nevada history, Old West history, U.S. monetary system history, U.S. Mint history, and biographies of famous Americans. It provides an extensive history of the Carson Mint. It gives background information on Morgan silver dollars and the short-lived twenty-cent pieces, as well as all of the other gold and silver coins produced at the Carson City Mint.

It is an essential companion resource to Rusty Goe's 2004 Book-of-the-Year title, "The Mint on Carson Street." It is filled with over 650 pages of meticulously researched information.

No other book comes even close to this book in describing behind-the-scenes activity at a U.S. mint.

The book features an abundant assortment of images (Approximately 300), some of which are appearing in print for the first time.

It is by far the most comprehensive biography of any figure related to numismatics to date.

From the Back Cover:

For ten years-from 1874 through 1885-James Crawford supervised the production of approximately 48 million coins with a face value of nearly $33 million at the legendary Carson City Mint. While collectors are all-too- familiar with these pieces of silver and gold money with the "CC" mintmark, unfortunately there is little known about the men and women involved in creating them. In "James Crawford: Master of the Mint at Carson City, a Short Full Life," the author has brought life to one of the most extraordinary figures in the annals of Nevada's coin factory.

This instructive and illuminating volume provides an insider's grasp into the life and times of James Crawford. From his early years in Kentucky and Illinois to his pursuit of riches in California's Gold Rush Country, to his initial entry into Nevada, to his ascendancy to the superintendancy of the Carson City Mint, this book traces one man's journey through the corridors of history. Drawing heavily from hundreds of newspaper articles spanning a period of three decades, this unique learning experience will reveal everything you always wanted to know as well as everything you ought to know about a truly exemplary individual.

The pages of this book are spiced with stories of investigations conducted by the Treasury Department into charges of embezzlement and misconduct at the San Francisco and Carson City Mints, as well as accounts of a tragic accident that almost ruined James Crawford's life. Extensive information about coinage from the Carson City Mint is provided, including statistics about a twenty-cent piece valued in 2007 at $500,000, and details about the celebrated "CC" silver dollars sold by the U. S. government during the 1970s.

From cover to cover, this gripping, definitive work on the man who served as superintendent at the Carson Mint longer than any other will unlock secrets to the coining process, and at the same time familiarize you with a person you will surely come to admire and respect. Whether you have ever heard of James Crawford, or not, this touching tribute will draw you closer to him in a way that will cause you to never forget him or the mint where he fulfilled his destiny.

About this edition

• Publisher: Southgate Coins
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0974616923
• ISBN 13: 9780974616926
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 658