Marie Goe
Vice-President/Secretary Len Augsburger invited Rusty Goe to present a lecture at the Numismatic Bibliomania Symposium at the 2021 ANA World’s Fair of Money in Rosemont, Illinois. Rusty delivered his presentation on Thursday, August 12. He entitled his message “Studying the Carson City Mint and Its Coins.” For forty-two minutes, Rusty shared his thoughts about writing and research, brief thoughts about his NLG Book of the Year The Confident Carson City Coin Collector, and stories about interesting people and interesting Carson City coins. He opened by acknowledging Hal V. Dunn, a dear friend and a fellow Carson City Mint enthusiast who died in October 2006.
Rusty Goe opening his Numismatic Bibliomania Society lecture about the Carson City Mint and its coins. Len Augsburger is seated at the front table.
During his talk Rusty provided a brief summary of how reference material regarding the Carson Mint and its coins has evolved since the 1890s to the present. He mentioned one of the men very dear to him, Harold M. Budd Sr., who blazed a trail for passionate “CC” coin enthusiasts in the first half of the 20th century.
Rusty Goe behind the lectern addressing the audience at the August 2021 NBS Symposium.
At one point during his talk, Rusty described his process of discovering a previously unknown provenance for a very special 1870-CC Liberty Seated quarter dollar that is now graded PCGS AU-55. He told stories about people connected with the Carson City Mint like T. Robert Hofer and Abraham Curry. The audience showed interest when he mentioned that Bonanza King John W. Mackay’s granddaughter, Ellin, married the famous American composer Irving Berlin, the writer of the classic “God Bless America.”
Rusty told the audience to follow the red arrows as he described diagnostics he observed when discovering that an 1870-CC quarter dollar graded PCGS AU-55 today sold in the November 1984 Bowers and Merena Emery-Nichols auction.
Two of the highlights during Rusty’s presentation involved his good fortune of meeting Harold M. Budd Sr.’s son, Harold M. Budd Jr., in 2009, and Rusty’s displaying of the famous letter from November 1950 that Louis Eliasberg Sr. sent with payment for the unique 1873-CC Without Arrows dime. Rusty finished his presentation by expressing his desire that his books will serve as building blocks leading to much greater research regarding the Carson City Mint and its coins. He is dedicated to preserving the mint’s legacy and to spreading the message that “CC” coins offer much gratification.
Tom Harrison, the Numismatic Bibliomania Society’s president, presented Rusty with a deluxe plaque at the end of his presentation as a kind gesture for Rusty’s participation in this year’s symposium.
Ever since Rusty’s three-volume The Confident Carson City Coin Collector debuted early in 2021, he has received invitations to speak and to give interviews. The Numismatic Literary Guild honored Rusty in August 2021 by awarding him the Book of the Year trophy as well as the Best Specialized Book award in the United States or Early American Coins category. During his three days at the ANA’s World’s Fair of Money convention in Rosemont, Illinois, in August Rusty signed copies of his his new book and spoke with many people about his passion for the Carson City Mint and its coins.
I send my thanks to everyone who has recognized Rusty’s grand achievement this year in bringing his ten-year book project into a reality.