At 12 noon on Saturday, February 20, 1915, President Woodrow Wilson pressed a gold telegraph key in Washington, D.C., sending a signal pulsing 3,000 miles across the country to an antenna on top of the Tower of Jewels in San Francisco. This was the 435-foot-tall centerpiece of the soon-to-open Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The National Park […]
From the Colonel’s Desk: The famous last words of Kentucky’s “Iron Man Veep,” Alben W. Barkley
Alben William Barkley was born in a log cabin to a poor tenant-farming family in Graves County, Kentucky, on November 24, 1877. He spent much of his youth in farm labor, going to the local county school when he could, between the fall harvest and the next spring planting. In 1892 young Mr. Barkley convinced […]
From the Colonel’s Desk—Isaac Shelby: The Man, the Medal, the Mysteries
This installment of “From the Colonel’s Desk” comes from the pen of award-winning author Robert W. Shippee, a longtime collector and researcher. His book Pleasure and Profit: 100 Lessons for Building and Selling a Collection of Rare Coins maps his adventures in legal tender; here, he explores an important American medal rooted in Kentucky. The […]
From the Colonel’s Desk: Introducing Colonel Jeff Garrett
I’m pleased to devote my first “From the Colonel’s Desk” column of 2023 to a longtime friend and one of the newest members of the ranks of Kentucky Colonels: professional numismatist Jeff C. Garrett. Quoting from the Governor’s Office, “The highest honor awarded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky is that of Kentucky Colonel.” The Honorable […]
From the Colonel’s Desk: No place like home
This installment of “From the Colonel’s Desk” comes from the pen of Col. John Riley, Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels (commissioned 1985), a longtime numismatist who hails from the Bluegrass State. Chasing tokens, medals, mirrors, and other exonumia related to the Bluegrass State presents some interesting diversions off the beaten path. Curious to the ear […]
From the Colonel’s Desk: The Guide Book of United States Coins’ Kentucky connection
For many decades, starting in the 1930s, the city of Racine, Wisconsin, was home to the numismatic powerhouse of Whitman Publishing—the firm that popularized coin collecting during the Great Depression and World War II, mass-marketed coin boards and coin folders, and created the best-selling Guide Book of United States Coins (the hobby’s popular “Red Book”). […]
From the Colonel’s Desk: Coming soon—Abraham Lincoln’s Presidential medal, crafted in fine silver
For hundreds of years, the United States Mint has produced commemoratives known as national medals—not legal-tender coins, but coin-like items of special significance. These serve as tributes to great Americans, souvenirs of important places, mementos of solemn occasions and events, and celebrations of anniversaries, accomplishments, and milestones. One category of these commemoratives is a series […]
From the Colonel’s Desk: A medal for Kentucky’s “greatest”—and recognition for an unsung hero
Frederick T. Stoner of Louisville, Kentucky, passed away more than 40 years ago, in 1981. His granddaughter says that he didn’t get the accolades he deserved while he was alive. Stoner might not be a household name, but he had a big impact in the Bluegrass State and on the world. As a boxing trainer, […]
From the Colonel’s Desk: A Kentucky lottery winner “passes it along”
By now, you may have heard about Crystal Dunn of Louisville, Kentucky. Her behavior this month definitely deserves the publicity it’s received. On Thursday night, July 7, 2022, as she does from time to time, Crystal placed a bet in an online game, the Kentucky Lottery’s “Bank Buster Jackpot Instant Play.” She wasn’t expecting her […]
From the Colonel’s Desk: Token roundup—tracking the “Kentucky cent” at auction
One year ago this week, in this column, we took a look at the famous 18th-century copper pieces popularly known as Kentucky tokens or Kentucky cents. (See “Kentucky on Top of the World (or at least the United States),” June 10, 2021.) These interesting half-dollar-sized tokens were minted in England not long after the Revolutionary […]
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