1892 Proof IHC Giveaway Raw

@Bump1111 The only thing that has changed is the cost...way way up...for getting the chance to be taught by grad students. Lol But in reading that it is good to know some things remain the same.

I have one more story to share - one that has a personal component:

In about 1892 a small beetle native to Central or South America made its way across the Mexican border in the vicinity of Brownsville, Texas and spread rapidly across the cotton growing regions. By the 1920s Anthonomus grandis, the boll weevil, was causing more economic damage than any agricultural pest in U.S. history. The boll weevil feeds on cotton pollen but does its damage by laying eggs on cotton flower buds, called "squares," or on the young developing cotton boll. Cotton buds are surrounded by three or sometimes four bracts that provide the beetle with a platform. The infected bud or boll stops developing and often falls off as the beetle larvae eat it, and so damages the cotton crop. The destruction of cotton fields by the boll weevil spread from Texas across the South and Southwest so that by the Great Depression, cotton farmers had already suffered from many years of devastatingly poor harvests.

Today the adaptable nature of humans faced with adversity is making life tough for the boll weevil. An eradication program started in the 1970s is coming close to driving the boll weevil out of the U.S. By using a variety of strategies throughout the year, such as pheromone traps in the spring, hand picking of infected cotton buds during the growing season, plowing under the cotton stalks after harvest, and low levels of pesticides when the insect is short of food in the fall, boll weevils have been eradicated in all states except Texas. In many areas cotton can now be grown with little or no application of pesticides. The southern part of Texas, where the boll weevil first crossed into the U.S., is the last stand of the boll weevil north of the border. The eradication program is now being used in northern Mexico, benefiting both Mexican farmers and farmers in the U.S. by continuing to expand the boll-weevil-free areas.

My late father was one of the USDA-APHIS agents who initially developed this eradication methodology and the resulting program. The program was first instituted in our home state of North Carolina in the 1970s. I also had a part in the program. During my summer vacations while in college, I worked for the USDA scouting cotton fields in SE North Carolina, baiting the pheromone traps and collecting population data on the weevils.

For further reading:
https://www.cotton.org/tech/pest/bo...ication2.cfm



Boll Weevil Monument, Enterprise, Alabama




Edited for further info.

In 1892 Lizzie Borden was on trial on the suspicion of murdering her mother and father with an ax. She was acquitted later that year leaving the murder mystery unsolved.

(Did I make it back in time? I got so caught up in those rabbit holes I lost track of time.)

This entry isn't about the financial Panic of 1893, although that was what helped preserve the history of the First US Mint.

This obscure entry is about the failure of a Philadelphia electric contractor (OD Pierce) that didn't survive the "Panic" of 1893. The contractor hired a 20-year-old, fresh from business school, by the name of Frank H Stewart on May 15, 1892, who was hoping to ultimately claim his dream job as a bookkeeper! (Instead, by the time he died he ended up with the unofficial title "Master of The Mint".)

Frank H. Stewart ended up writing the Pierce product catalog (the first electrical product catalog in Philly) and did so well he was promoted to sales. Electricity was in its infancy back then.

When the OD Pierce company failed Stewart took his meager savings ($500.00) an investment from his Pop for $200, and the Pierce client list and opened shop. The "Frank H Stewart Manufacturer and Dealer in General Electric Supplies" became very successful quickly and was eventually located at No. 35 North Seventh Street by 1895.

This was fortunate for everyone with an interest in US numismatics because this address was adjacent to the very first US Mint (we are currently on Number Four in Philly).

Stewart eventually bought the First US Mint properties (multiple lots totaling about 5000sf comprised the first mint grounds) because his electric supply company was growing so rapidly and he needed more space.

As business boomed Stewart realized the tired old buildings needed to come down and a new modern one built. He tried in vain to get different governmental agencies to save the First Mint buildings. When none did, he actually recorded the goings-on with photos and saved many artifacts from the original buildings as they came down. Some items he found included two boarded-up coin vaults, multiple dies, and even a pair of silver plug cents from 1792 that fell through some floorboards and were perched on top of a beam.
(This isn't his.)

Stewart also commissioned paintings you may have heard about.
Washington Inspecting the First Money Coined by the United States.


The First US Mint Building.


A photo of the First US Mint Building about 1908 taken by Frank H. Stewart.



So, even though he destroyed the first US Mint buildings to make way for modern (1909 era) he had the presence of mind and took the time to preserve much of its history and archaeology as it came down.

Source:
"The Secret History of the First U.S. Mint: How Frank H. Stewart Destroyed, And Then Saved A National Treasure" 2011 by Leonard Augsburger (Author), Joel J. Orosz (Author)

If you are interested you can visit these rabbit holes that are the Newman Numismatic Portal.
Find out more about the First US Mint and Frank H. Stewart at the Newman Numismatic portal.
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/PersonDetail/1858

https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/searc...0Olde%20Mint


Thanks for this contest because it really gives us all a chance to view into each other's minds and see part of what makes us tick.

EDIT: Forgot some images of paintings most are familiar with.

This part of the contest is over. The following members will move on to have their entry voted upon in a poll- hfjacinto, TNG, Spence, trdhrdr007, jimbucks, Bump111, CoinCollector888, bill069, Zurie,and Jason39305. The poll will run for ten days and your fellow CCF members will decide the winner. Good luck!

Thank you very much DoctorBurnzy for the fun contest.
That amazing prize is over the top. Lots of fun participating and reading.

Good luck everyone!

@Bump111 You are most welcome. Enjoy being its caretaker! By having it in hand you can see how the photos I have...didn't do it justice. It's spectacular.