Author : Robert D. Leonard Jr.
Publisher : Arcadia Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1625857969
Total Pages : 128 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (258 download)
Book Synopsis Forgotten Colorado Silver by : Robert D. Leonard Jr.
Download or read book Forgotten Colorado Silver written by Robert D. Leonard Jr. and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2017-07-10 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the turn of the last century, miner Joseph Lesher attempted to raise the price of silver by privately minting octagonal "Referendum souvenir medal" coins with values of $1.25 or $1. They were common in Victor, Cripple Creek, Denver and other places in Colorado in the days after William Jennings Bryan fought unsuccessfully for free silver. Surviving an initial dust-up with the Secret Service, Lesher found a loophole to place them in circulation in 1900 and 1901. Today, coin collectors pay more than $1,000 for one. This is the story of Joseph Lesher and his audacious private mint, along with the merchants in the mining towns and elsewhere who supported him.