Treasurer Simcha Kuritzky reported on Club finances, which remain sound. He reminded all members who have not already done so to pay their dues as soon as possible. Simcha also announced that the Baltimore coin show will occur on the weekend of 15-16 March, and the ANA Spring Show will be the following weekend in Charlotte.
President Wayne Mitchell warned members that a "roll coin con artist" is active in the Maryland area --- he takes a stack of round discs of metal, puts a quarter at each end, and passes them off as complete $10 rolls of coins. Beware! Wayne also described the Coin World news program as seen via the Internet, and recommended the 4pm daily show.
Door prize winners this month were Bob Eisemann, Joel Schadegg, and Mary Weaver. The Gold Raffle was won by Jack Cross.
The Bison Chip drawing named Ed Russell, giving him the first "leg" toward the prize. Remember, you must be present when your name is called in order to win a Bison Chip.
The March 2003 MCCC meeting adjourned at 9:29pm, after an active auction. The able auctioneer was Ken Swab.
Mr. Johnson pursued a History minor at Northern Michigan University, where he graduated with a major in Speech. He worked in the area, was drafted into the Army, and served in the radio and television fields while in uniform. When he left the military he got a masters at Michigan State and began a career in broadcast journalism.
"How does someone who is a TV newscaster become Director of the US Mint?" Mr. Johnson asked. "That's something that my TV friends would like to know!" He told of working at WOWO, "The Big Business of Farming" radio station in Ft. Wayne Indiana, and then moving to West Palm Beach Florida where he was a television announcer. From there, his path took him back to Grand Rapids Michigan, and then to Green Bay Wisconsin in 1981.
After years of covering politics, Mr. Johnson decided to run for office himself. He was elected in 1996 --- the first Democrat from that district in 20 years --- and so became a target for a Republican Party counter-attack which took him out of office in 1998.
Under the Clinton Administration Mr. Johnson served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs in the Department of Agriculture. He was in line for a job as the USDA representative to the Food and Drug Administration of the United Nations, a post in Rome Italy, when the job of Mint Director opened up with the retirement of Philip Diehl in 1999. As Mr. Johnson described the situation (with good humor) he was preparing for the Rome assignment when he was suddenly told by the White House personnel office that someone else wanted that job --- someone who was a Friend of Bill from Arkansas. At that point, the Mint Directorship looked suddenly more interesting!
So Mr. Johnson began the arduous process of preparing for Senate Confirmation, a necessity for the position of Mint Director. In May 1999 he filled out the paperwork --- "16 double-sided pages of forms" --- which required details of his financial and political background. Then followed an in-depth FBI background investigation. After he passed those hurdles the Clinton Administration "floated" his name in a small Washington Post article, a "trial balloon" launched in June 1999.
When that aroused no opposition, Mr. Johnson reported, in August 1999 his formal nomination was sent to the Senate --- where nothing happened for many weeks. Mr. Johnson used his connections, including Congressman David Obey of Wisconsin, to keep the process from slowing to a glacial pace. By the time for the dedication of the 1999 Christmas Tree he was still waiting.
But Mr. Johnson persevered and used connections which he had developed during his term of office --- so after some behind-the-scenes horse-trading and lobbying the hearings on his nomination were finally held in February 2000. He was approved by the Committee, but then his nomination was put on hold by a Senator. Who? Why? Nobody could say. "You just happen to be a pawn in the game," Mr. Johnson said.
But after further delay, on 23 May 2000 Jay Johnson's appointment to be the Director of the US Mint was finally approved by the Senate. He was sworn in on the next day. After the ceremony, he asked, "Isn't there a State Quarter kick-off tomorrow?" When told that there was, in Columbia, South Carolina, Mr. Johnson headed there immediately.
The Commemorative State Quarter program is big, in Mr. Johnson's judgment. "This is the most significant numismatic change in numismatic history," he observed. "It has made the word 'numismatist' popular. ... The idea of a collectible, circulating commemorative coin --- 'Is it a breath mint? Is it a candy mint? It's two mints in one!'" The Fifty State Quarter series is like that, Mr. Johnson suggested.
Jay Johnson went on to tell what he collected as Mint Director: "Coins from other mint directors!" Every two years the directors of various mints around the world get together. The next gathering will be in 2004 in San Francisco; the 2002 conclave was in Japan. He attended the 2000 meeting in Australia, and found it superb. The various mints bring coin samples and exchange them. Mr. Johnson displayed and discussed many examples, including proof coinage from Norway, Japan, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Lithuania, South Africa, Bulgaria, and Cuba.
Mr. Johnson finished his presentation by describing the Buffalo Dollar, "the fastest selling coin in US history." It raised $500,000 in two weeks for the American Indian Museum. The volume of phone calls from collectors attempting to purchase the coin overwhelmed US Mint facilities.
In response to questions from the audience, Mr. Johnson said that as Mint Director he was allowed to purchase "first strike" coins at the ceremonies where they are issued. In one case, "Phil Gramm got #1 --- I got #7." (There are usually about 25 "first strike" coins.) When asked whether he would like to be Mint Director again some day, Mr. Johnson answered, "Yes --- but I don't think that it's likely to happen."
The biggest challenge that the US Mint faces? "Increase the circulation and use of the Golden Dollar. It would save a lot of money in a lot of places." Eighteen of the twenty top Metro systems in the country use them. But for many reasons, Mr. Johnson explained, it's hard to stop printing dollar bills. Political resistance is fierce, and private opposition, by paper and ink manufacturers, is similarly stiff. But dollar coins could save $500 million per year compared to paper money.
Mr. Johnson concluded his talk to a round of applause. For the MCCC auction, he donated a souvenir money pouch from the US Mint and a special small bag which had contained commemorative State Quarters. All had been given away except for one, which he showed to the audience and guaranteed to have only been handled by the Director of the Mint. Mr. Johnson's donations items provoked vigorous bidding in the auction which followed.
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