CELEBRATE 100 YEARS OF THE BUFFALO NICKEL AT THE MONEY MUSEUM
SEE A $2.5 MILLION NICKEL, HOBO NICKEL CARVING DEMONSTRATIONS BY ADAM LEECH

The American Numismatic Association Money Museum will celebrate 100 Years of the Buffalo Nickel with a free open house from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 27, which will include coin-making and hobo nickel-carving demonstrations, free museum admission, as well as children’s classes and games. The event culminates National Coin Week, April 21-27.

When it debuted in 1913, the Buffalo nickel was considered the first truly American coin design, with a Native American portrait on the front and an American bison on the back.

“A little more than 100 years ago, a bison named Black Diamond served as a model for sculptor James Earle Fraser’s Buffalo nickel design,” said Andy Dickes, the Money Museum’s collections manager. “The coin’s beautiful Native American obverse and buffalo reverse make it uniquely American, extremely popular and a great theme for celebrating National Coin Week. Black Diamond shines again in 2013.”

HOBO NICKEL-CARVING DEMONSTRATIONS

Local artist Adam Leech will give hobo nickel carving demonstrations, showing how a Buffalo nickel can be turned into a small sculpture. The tradition started as early as the 1850s and grew in popularity with the Buffalo nickel’s 1913 release.

Leech will discuss the history of hobo nickels, modern and vintage hobo carvers, and the tools and techniques employed in their creation. Visitors can try out basic and more sophisticated tools used to make hobo nickels at several hands-on stations.

Plus, Leech will screen the trailer for “A Nickel and a Nail: The Original Hobo Nickel Story,” the documentary he is currently making.

Demonstrations will begin at noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.

COIN-MAKING DEMONSTRATIONS

The museum’s Mini-Mint lets visitors see how coins were made from the 1500s to 1800s. Museum staff will demonstrate the process of rolling metal, stamping out round blanks, preparing them and pressing a design into the metal. On April 27, all visitors age 12 and under will take home a special National Coin Week medallette made in the Mini-Mint.

Demonstrations will begin at noon, 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

MONEY MUSEUM EXHIBITS

Visitors will be able to tour the museum’s exhibits for free, including getting a look at the famous 1913 Liberty Head Nickel, which is valued at $2.5 million. The only other 1913 Liberty Head Nickel in a museum collection is at the Smithsonian.

These famous nickels should have never existed: In 1913, the buffalo nickel design replaced the Liberty Head design. A Philadelphia mint worker named Samuel W. Brown is suspected of altering the coin die with the bogus date, pressing the coins and smuggling them out of the mint. Since then, the five nickels’ lore and popularity has grown, with examples fetching as much as $3.7 million at auction.

CLASSES AND GAMES FOR CHILDREN

Children ages 14 and under will be able to spin the ANA prize wheel to win a piece of exotic currency, coins or other prizes. One lucky visitor’s name will be drawn at 3 p.m. to win 30 seconds in the Cash Cube to grab all the money they can.

The Kids Zone will hold four classes for children, ages 4-12, on “Money and the Federal Reserve,” along with a buffalo nickel activity.

All children visiting the Money Museum during National Coin Week, can take a money quiz, search for answers in the museum and win a prize for finishing.

Anyone interested can take part in a National Coin Week video trivia challenge, and one lucky participant will win a 2008 American Buffalo proof tenth-ounce gold $5 coin. Find out more atwww.money.org/NationalCoinWeek.

The Money Museum is located at 818 N. Cascade Ave. in Colorado Springs. Hours are 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, students or military and free for children 12 and under. For more information or to schedule a tour, call 719-632-2646 (COIN).

As the nation’s largest museum dedicated solely to numismatics, the museum uses money as a means to explore culture, art, science and history. Learn the stories behind the money and see how 2,600 years of human experience is reflected in money.

The museum collection consists of 250,000 objects encompassing the history of money, from its earliest uses in the Lydian Empire to the modern day. This includes paper money, coins, tokens and medals from all over the world.

The American Numismatic Association is a congressionally chartered nonprofit educational organization dedicated to encouraging people to study and collect money and related items. The ANA helps its 27,000 members and the public discover and explore the world of money through its vast array of education and outreach programs, as well as its museum, library, publications, conventions and seminars. For more information, call 719-632-2646 or go to www.money.org.

 Schedule of Events

100 Years of the Buffalo Nickel | Saturday, April 27:           

10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.: Free admission to view Money Museum exhibits, including a $2.5 million 1913 Liberty Head Nickel.

10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.: Children visiting the Money Museum can take a money quiz, search the museum for answers to questions, and win a prize at the end.

10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.: Children ages 14 and under can spin the ANA prize wheel to win money from around the world and other prizes.

10:30 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.: The Kids Zone will present four classes on the Federal Reserve for children ages 4-12. Register for classes online at www.money.org/KidsZone.

Noon – 4 p.m.: Local artist Adam Leech will give demonstrations of hobo nickel carving, turning a buffalo nickel into a piece of art. Leech will also screen the trailer of his upcoming documentary, “A Nickel and a Nail.” Demonstrations will begin at the top of each hour.

Noon – 4p.m.: Live coin-making demonstrations will be given at the Mini-Mint in the museum’s lower gallery. Visitors age 12 and under will take home a National Coin Week medallette struck in the Mini-Mint. Demonstrations will begin at noon, 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

3 p.m.:One visitor will win entry into the ANA’s Cash Cube and given 30 seconds to grab all the cash they can.

Originally Release Date: April 3, 2013

ANA Contacts: Phone: 719-482-9872

                       Email: pr@money.org