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 Replies: 8 / Views: 2,066 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1304 Posts |
Back in the early 80's I worked on the Clarence Cannon Dam built here in Northeast Missouri about 20 miles from where I lived. I worked there for a little over a year before I was sent to another job so I wasn't around when it was completed, fast forward to a couple of weeks ago. I was working at Dyno Noble, 45 miles south of Hannibal. The brother member I was working with were talking and I mentioned I was a coin collector. He told me about a coin he had that his mother, who happens to work at a bank, gave him. He told me it was a coin that was a commemorative of the same dam I worked on. I told him I would like to get my hands on one so he called his mom and sure enough they had about 15 of them in the vault. After she found out what they would sell for we stopped at the bank last Friday and I picked up a couple of them....   As you can see they are marked .999 and weigh .71 Probably won't be worth anything but the silver content but its a part of my life, 30 years ago. I called the lakes visitor shop about the coin and the lady knew what I was talking about. She told me they sold these to raise money, just like the Stone Mountain coin. The day of the dedication of the dam they were expecting 75,000 people but it just happened to rain 5 inches. So the crowd was rather slim, the vendors lost alot of money also. Thanks for looking.  *** Moved by Staff to a more appropriate forum. *** |
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Pillar of the Community
United Arab Emirates
557 Posts |
Wornslick,
That is a very cool story and the coin is worth a lot...to you.
I find it interesting that you were able to not only hear about the coin, but actually get some as well.
Thanks for sharing.
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CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
 United States
12261 Posts |
Interesting medal. Nice acquisition! It's always an added bonus when you have a personal connection to the coin/medal/token you collect.
BTW, your piece is actually a medal vs. a coin. I would agree with your assessment of value being closely tied to its silver content. However, for a dedicated collector of such material, the value could go higher.
Are there any markings on the edge indicating the manufacturer?
Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
1304 Posts |
Thanks BLadd
Thanks to you to commems, I sure didn't know it was a medal, whats the difference between a commemorative and a medal?
I looked around the edge and didn't see any markings. The edge of one side of the medal is beveled facing the side with Mark Twains face on it.
I was told by the lady at the visitors center it was purchased by a group of men called the Mark Twain Lake Assn. to be sold.
I have checked Google and Yahoo and came up with nothing.
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CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
United States
12261 Posts |
Quote:
...what's the difference between a commemorative and a medal? The difference is actually between being a coin vs. a medal. A coin is legal tender of the nation that issued it and can be spent to purchase things (i.e., it's money), while a medal does not have any monetary status and can't directly be used to make a purchase. "Commemorative" is a term used to identify coins AND medals that celebrate or memorialize a significant person, place or event - the term is applied to both types of collectibles. Hope that helps! Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10034 Posts |
Mark Twain is one of my favorite historical figures/writer, so I like this medals. Although I do not specifically go for many medals, it was fun reading your post and your personal ties with this. Definitely a great acquisition for you.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1304 Posts |
Quote:
The difference is actually between being a coin vs. a medal. A coin is legal tender of the nation that issued it and can be spent to purchase things (i.e., it's money), while a medal does not have any monetary status and can't directly be used to make a purchase.
"Commemorative" is a term used to identify coins AND medals that celebrate or memorialize a significant person, place or event - the term is applied to both types of collectibles.
Hope that helps!
It sure did commems, I like learning something new!! Thanks Earle42, the medal sure brought back some memories of working there. |
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Moderator
United States
15403 Posts |
Nice looking medal and a fun story of your personal connection to the event being commemorated.
Thanks for sharing.
David
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2189 Posts |
Very interesting story. Glad you finally got the medal after all these years, looks like a keeper.  |
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Replies: 8 / Views: 2,066 |
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Posted 01/13/2013 12:53 pm
