Forgotten Colorado Silver: Joseph Lesher's Defiant Coins (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781540217158)

At the turn of the last century, miner Joseph Lesher attempted to raise the price of silver by privately minting octagonal "Referendum souvenir medal" coins with values of $1.25 or $1. They were common in Victor, Cripple Creek, Denver and other places in Colorado in the days after William Jennings Bryan fought unsuccessfully for free silver. Surviving an initial dust-up with the Secret Service, Lesher found a loophole to place them in circulation in 1900 and 1901. Today, coin collectors pay more than $1,000 for one. This is the story of Joseph Lesher and his audacious private mint, along with the merchants in the mining towns and elsewhere who supported him.

Author: Robert D. Leonard Jr. , Ken Hallenbeck Jr.
ISBN-10: 1540217159
ISBN-13: 9781540217158
Publisher: History Press Library Editions
Language: English
Published: 07/10/2017
Pages: 130
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.76lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.38d