Lola Montez is probably the most famous of all Grass Valley Nevada City inhabitants past and present, although many of the rich and notorious and famous have come through, including Mark Twain, who stayed at the Holbrooke Hotel, the oldest continuing operation hotel since the Gold Rush. It was built in 1862 — a fortunate date for a coin merchant; 1862 is a common Indian Head Penny date and can be had in nice condition for a song. But let me tell you how to turn this single penny into a small fortune in no time at all…
First of all, you have to know where you seem to be. What I mean by that is, do you know where you live?
Before you chuckle at my dullness, answer me this riddle:
What 3 famous or notorious people are associated with your Home Town?
And another riddle; please answer this one, too:
What are the three most famous landmarks in your Home Town?
If you can’t answer those questions, keep looking until you can. Then we can talk. If no one special ever was born or raised or settled in your Home Town, then where’s the next-nearest cross-street? Pick out something within easy mileage reach with your car. If the answer is “Disneyland” or “The Eiffel Tower”, you need some serious brain-work.
Try to land on a date that follows after 1859, the first Indian Head penny, or you’ll run into some serious cost factors, and tourists won’t pay anything over $9.95 for anything, including a ton of pure solid gold or a lifetime supply of food, clothing, medicine and shelter. Go figure.
Okay, so now we’ve got three locals who made good — or even, better, made bad. Notoriety beats fame every time, just like a Smith & Wesson beats four aces, every durn time.
My three locals would be Lola Montez, Lotta Crabtree and Black Bart (Charles Earl Bowles or Boles).
Let’s take the first one first:
Lola Montez — 1818-1861 — The death-date I can handle; 1861 is a five dollar Indian Head penny, but in AG3, it could get down to $3 apiece in a 1000 coin deal. This is a good bet for Grass Valley especially, because the Visitor Gallery of the Chamber of Commerce is right there in the Lola Montez House in Grass Valley!
Not only that, but there’s a gift shop, not unexpectedly. Chambers of Commerce tend to need a small amount of cash income to supplement the zero income they get from the state or local government. It’s hard to serve as a Chamber of Commerce volunteer, but even harder to work at it for a living. Stuff like this Lola Montez Penny makes it easier and fun.
Coins are easy to associate with the time, place and people. Coins lock onto events and record them in “legoministic” format, recoverable by psychics and mediums.
Many times, a coin is the key to a historical wave of change.
If you live on the island of Delos, you’re in luck; I’m flush in Delos currency at the moment, and the market for ancient Greek coins is down, so it’s a good buying time, especially if you’re not selling the coin.
Oh, you should never sell the coin.
Sell the dream, the stuff of which coins are woven, or something to that effect. Shakespeare said it best, when he said, “All the world’s a coin”. I think that’s what he said. It’s so confusing; he said so much.
And about so little.
I won’t write about Lola Montez; 1818-1861 — I’ll let you find her story on the internet, and I promise you won’t be bored. Her death-date is best for coin cost, but a high-grade coin set can be made with both dates in XF or better, for probably less than $950 retail. If you settle, as I did, on the death-date and leave out the birthdate coin, you get a cost of around $3-$5, making it feasible for a Chamber of Commerce product.
Then there’s Lotta Crabtree; 1847-1924 — , another local legend who made good; her story turns out well. Again, that birthdate coin is going to be very costly, around $37 apiece, so it’s not a good date for a souvenir coin. But the death-date, 1924, is cheap as dirt, even in a nice looking coin, meaning low grade but good details.
Black Bart “The Poet” was born in 1829 and lived to become Grass Valley’s most notable local Old West Gold Rush Gentleman Bandit.
Throughout his career as a “road agent”, or “highwayman” or “stagecoach robber”, he apparently never fired a weapon, never hurt anyone in his robberies, did time for them, was released, and lived out the remainder of his life at 65 Horatio Street in New York City’s Greenwich Village.
You wouldn’t want to try to obtain a number of birthdate coins for him; cost is prohibitive and the availability is uneven. He died in 1917 in NYC, so that’s an ideal coin — it is very cheap even in high-grade.
I’ll be making up these sets as tests for YOU to apply in your Home Town.
Remember, it’s not the money. Sure, that’s a nice add-on factor, but it’s not about money. It’s about propagation of Prosperity Path. I’ll be talking about the Prosperity Path Coin Merchant Trophy Booth at today’s ICW, along with answering interview questions from a reporter overseas.
See You At The Top!!!
gorby