Nevada State Museum lecture in Carson City focuses on ‘CC’ Mint coins

Rusty Goe has spent much of his professional life on a deep dive into the history of the U.S. Mint in Carson City. He’s written multiple books on the subject and spent thousands of hours in research, getting to know the people who worked there 150 years ago.

Through the years, Goe, a professional coin dealer, author and historian, has held countless coins with the “CC” Mint mark — some with values topping $1 million — and he knows the life stories and travels of many, many individual coins that originated in Carson City in the latter third of the 19th century.

Just seeing a coin with a CC, or just talking about the subject, raises Goe’s heartbeat.

“I just love it,” he said. “Researching the stories and the people, you feel like you know them. To me, that adds to the appeal of collecting the coins. It isn’t just filling slots in a collection.”

On Saturday, Goe will be inside the Carson City Mint building, now the Nevada State Museum, as the guest lecturer on a day filled with Mint history. His talk and other activities are part of the Museum’s Mint 150 celebration, a months-long set of programs leading up to the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Mint in February 1870.

The day’s activities include demonstrations of Coin Press No. 1, the original coin press used inside the Mint when it opened in 1870, and two special Mint Building tours with Bob Nylen, the museum’s curator of history. The tours are scheduled for 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and space is limited. Visitors can sign up for the tours starting at 9:30 a.m.

The demonstration of Coin Press No. 1 begin at 10 a.m. and will continue throughout the day. Visitors can purchase a silver blank in the museum store for $60 and have in minted on the coin press.

Goe’s lecture, titled “Carson City Coins: Their Collector Appeal, Their Celebrity Status, Their Climbing Cost,” is at 2:30 p.m. and will be followed by question-and-answer period and a book signing of his book, “James Crawford: Master of the Mint at Carson City.”

Goe said he’ll discuss several of the 111 different coins types that came from the Carson City Mint during its existence, including four of the most coveted by collectors.

Admission to the museum is $8 for adults, free for members and children 17 and younger.