THE PLANCHETA Publication of theIndianapolis Coin Club
Issue # 453

Newsletter

September 2004

Membership numbers: ANA C-131170, CSNS L-600, ISNA LM 243

The Meetings of the Indianapolis Coin Club are held the fourth Monday of each month at
the Nora Library at 8625 Guilford Avenue in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Meetings consistof a business session, an intermission, educational program, and a numismatic auction.
Doors open at 6:00pm, meeting will begin at 7:00pm.

The next meeting will be Monday September 27, 2004
Last of 2004 Meetings: October 25th and Nove mber 29th. December 6th is our Banquet.

Indianapolis Coin Club looking for Leaders
It is that time of the year again when the Indianapolis Coin Club is looking for people to step up andbecome Officers and Members of the Board. There will be a few
openings on the board this year and we need new people to fill thosevoids. The board meets a minimum of four times per year with themeetings usually lasting an hour, sometimes longer. Many positions
are open and nominations are welcome by any member of the club.
Please, if you have any questions feel free to ask a current boardmember what the tasks and responsibilities are. You must be preparedto put some work and effort into the position that you are running for tocontinue with the success of the club. The officers positions that are up
for election follows: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary,Sargeant-at-Arms, and Editor. Along with that are three Board
Members positions.
These positions must be filled for our club to keep its Nonprofit status in the state of Indiana and to run as an organization. The
responsibilities of each position is listed in the bylaws available either
on the website at: www.indianapoliscoinclub.org or by contacting Vinton Dove for a copy. These copies arealso available at the Club meetings. So, if you would like to take part in the running of the Club, please notify
one of the members on the Nominating Committee (names listed in the Secretary’s Report on Page 4). You
must let one of the members know by November 1, 2004.

$$$$ “ALWAYS BUYING” $$$$PAYING TOP PRICES FOR ALL U.S. COINS
DON’T SELL WITHOUT GETTING OUR OFFER!!!

LARRY HYLTONBROWNSBURG, IN

ANA, ISNA-LM, CSNS-LM(317) 852-8458

VINTON G. DOVE
Certified Public Accountant
Collecting U.S. Coins Since 1952
443 Wellington Road
Indianapolis, IN 46260(317) 257-1906
Fax(317) 257-2220(317) 885-8065
885-8066 R.O.M.A. COIN

THE COIN INDEX•Coins •Stamps •Bullion •Currency•Jewelry •Supplies

BUY • SELL • APPRAISALS
Hours: M, T, Th, F 10:30 - 6:00 - Wed. & Sat. 10:30 - 3:00

857 North Madison Avenue • Greenwood, IN 46142(Between Main St. and Fry Road)
Cos Raimondi, President

Email: coinindex@sbcglobal.net

Specializing in U.S. RARE COINSORVA (ORV) DETRICK
Professional Numismatist

PO Box 267
Donnelsville, Ohio
45319-0267
Phone: 937-882-6730
Cell #: 937-284-0412
E-mail: Romacoin@aol.com
Buy/Sell Bullion: Gold & Silver

Advertise in the Indianapolis Coin Club Newsletter! The cost is $35.00 for abusiness card size ad for 12 issues!

The 2004 Indianapolis Coin Club
Officers and Board Members
President
Vinton Dove
Vice-President
Dave Reid
Secretary
Jim Goaziou
Treasurer
Tom Ferverda
EditorAmy Eberhardt(fubacoin@aol.com) ph. (317) 837-5682
Past President
Jim LuckeySgt-at-Arms
Jim Warden
Board Member 04-05
Lawrence Wistoff
Board Member 04-05
Coz Raimondi
Board Member 04-05
Charles Alber
Board Member 03-04
Karl Kreck
Board Member 03-04
Donald Black
Board Member 03-04
Allen DoveThe Monthly Planchet is the official publication of theIndianapolis Coin Club. It is published monthly in Indianapolis,
Indiana. All inquiries should be sent to ICC, P.O. Box 2897,
Indianapolis, Indiana, 46206.

The Monthly Planchet, September 2004

Table of Contents
Looking for Leaders -CoverAdvertisers-Page 2

“Oak Island” article-Page 3

Secretary’s Report-Page 4

Treasurer’s Report-

Page 4

Letter to the Editor-

Page 5

Upcoming Shows-

Page 5

Page 2

Oak Island Mystery Solved
Dan Blankenship says he has evidence the isle has
millions in gold and silver
After 38 years of searching, an Oak Island treasure hunter believes he’s
solved the mystery of the famous Nova Scotia island.
Dan Blankenship says he has uncovered evidence that proves the 32
Hectare Island is the repository for millions in silver and gold left behind bymarauding Spaniard's in the mid-16th century.
“I’ve never spoken publicly before because I didn’t want to have to put inthis much work and end up being wrong,” he said. “In the last six weeks I’ve
been able to confirm all my suspicions and I can say definitively who did it,
how they did it, and where they did it, but, until I get down there I can’t say
exactly what is there.”Blankenship was 42 when he gave up a Miami-based contracting business MISSING LINKS - Dan Blankenshipdisplays some chains from Oak Island.
and brought his family to the province’s South Shore, confident he couldsolve the mystery that had eluded searchers for more than 165 years.
For three decades, he has toiled in the mud, the snow, and the heat of summer drilling tunnels and trying to
make connections between a series of unusually shaped rocks scattered about the rocky island.
In 1971 he was almost killed when a steel-reinforced shaft in which he was working buckled, nearly trapping
him more than 45 meters below the surface. He hasn’t recovered a dime’s worth of treasure, but the robust 80
year old said with the new information he has gathered, the riches could be brought to the surface within sevenmonths. The early story of Oak Island is well known around the world. Three boys from the area wereexploring the island in 1795 when they came across a depression in the ground near an oak tree.
They dug in the dirt in hopes of finding treasure, but hit a wooden platform. They lifted it and continued todig, only to find another platform a few meters deeper. Subsequent efforts by everyone from locals to John
Wayne and Franklin Delano Roosevelt turned up tantalizing items such as bits of chain, parchment and coconut
husks, but all were defeated by what seemed to be an intricate series of flood tunnels designed to protect
whatever was at the bottom of the pit.
When Blankenship began as director of field work for the treasure-hunting syndicate headed by Montreal
businessman David Tobias, he started his search at the famed money pit site, but his interest in other parts of theisland grew as the years passed.
Blankenship now dismisses the money pit as “an elaborate decoy” and suggests the bulk of the treasure islocated in a series of tunnels running deep beneath one end of the island. He has long suspected there weretunnels deep beneath the island, but had no proof until he came across evidence of three, meter-wide holes heclaims once served as air shafts for the tunnels.
He was prompted to look for the shafts after the previously unreported discovery of stone icons by a small
Norwegian exploration team that worked on the island in June. He believes the European team was hoping toconfirm the island was the repository for the Shakespearean works of Francis Bacon, but he believes hissubsequent find points to Spanish treasure.
He located the shafts based on measurements taken from the position of a series of oddly shaped multi-tonestones. First discovered by rival treasure hunter Fred Nolan of Bedford, NS., the rocks form the shape of a giant
cross that Blankenship believed is a key to the mystery.
The veteran treasure hunter’s problem is he doesn't have a Treasure Trove license giving him permission topursue his effort. All exploration requires a license from the province and all licenses for searches in the area
expired in July, said Rick Ratcliffe, the province’s registrar of mineral and petroleum titles. New requests havenot been approved.
Under the Treasure Trove Act, the province is entitled to one-10th of the find or the equivalent monetaryvalue. Four people, including Blankenship have applied to the government for the five year permits.
The Monthly Planchet, September 2004

Page 3

Treasurer’s Report

Secretary’s ReportAugust 2004

for the meeting on August 23rd, 2004

Income:President Dove opened the meetingat 7:05pm. Secretary and Treasurer’s
reports were presented by Jim
Goaziou and Tom Ferverda respectively. Both wereapproved as read.
Visitors Dennis Bruhl, Jeff Sutton and Kevin
Sweeney were welcomed to the meeting.
Amy Eberhardt has agreed to take over theresponsibility and work of providing refreshments
while Charles Alber recovers from illness.
Allen Dove reported that the date for the Banquet
will be Monday, December 6th.
The program for the evening was provided byVinton Dove, Dave Reid and Jim Goaziou whoattended the ANA convention in Pittsburgh.
Dave Reid told the club about the 1866 No Arrows
Dollar, 2 - 1913 Liberty Nickels, a King of SiamProof Set, and a large group of 1795 Dollars on
display at the convention. He stated prices werevery high, inflated, really no bargains. Also that
attendance seemed good but the Saturday Nooncrowd was small; average age seemed to be 50’s and60’s and very few young persons and children were
noticed. The Bureau of Printing and Engraving,U.S. Postal Service, World Mints and many clubs
and organizations were represented.
Vinton Dove reported on some of the outstanding
exhibits including a complete set of Mint State ThreeDollar Gold pieces.
Jim Goaziou further discussed some of theexhibits, I.C.C. Programs upcoming and asked formembers to consider running for office in theupcoming election.
President Dove announced that the Nominating
Committee will be himself, Dave Reid and Tom
Ferverda for the November election.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:35pm.
Respectfully Submitted,J.W. Goaziou, Secretary

The Monthly Planchet, September 2004

Membership$24.0050/50$21.00Newsletter Ad $35.00$80.00
Expenses:
Liability Insurance
Newsletter Printing
Newsletter Postage$250.00$ 22.74$ 20.35$293.09

Net Monthly Loss($213.09)

Checking Account Balance
I.C.C - CD’s
235153241105248114$4,590.33$5,076.50$5,063.01$5,061.03 (est due 9/6/04)$15,200.54

Respectfully Submitted,Tom Ferverda, Treasurer

The educational
Programfor September “State of theHobby”
presentation byCoz Raimondi!
Page 4

Letter to the Editor
ANA Meets in Pittsburgh
The American Numismatic Association held its“World’s Fair of Money” show at the David Lawrence
Civic Center in Pittsburgh, PA August 18-22. As an
attendee, I made several observations.
If you like to look at nice coins, the ANA show has
more to see than the Smithsonian Institute. First, you cansee Mint State and Proof Coins from the 1850’s to thepresent day, right there on the bourse floor. Most are“slabbed” or certified coins, so you know they are
genuine. Also, the dealers will hand you the coins (intheir holders), so you can get a really close look at them.
This is very exciting, and it is educational. I never knew
what a Matte Proof coin looked like until I bought one,(from a dealer I trusted), but then I went to the ANAshow and saw more than a half-dozen of them. Ofcourse, the ISNA show, right here in Indianapolis, will
have many of the same coins, although the selection will
not be as large.
Superior Galleries brought a display of US SilverDollars, dating from 1794 to 1803, and had about 50
examples. The coins were all certified, most of themby PCGS, and virtually all of the coins wereExtremely Fine or About Uncirculated condition. Itwas breathtaking!
There is also an Exhibit area, and there was acomplete set of US Three Dollar Gold pieces in one ofthe exhibits. The set was mostly Proof and Mint State,and all of the coins were certified. It was very
impressive!
Most of the coin certification and grading services
had tables at the show, and I had one of my purchases
graded by ANACS, for free. Of course, they did notencapsulate the coin, since that would have costmoney, but I was very happy to have an expert grader
give me his opinion of my coin’s condition. (ForFREE!)
I also met the owners of Capital Plastics, Inc., themaker of the 3-layer coin holders.
It was a very impressive show, and I recommend toeveryone that they attend one show, at least sometime
during their life.
Vinton Dove
Indianapolis, IN

Upcoming Shows

10th - “71st Street Coin Show” - Indianapolis
IN K of C Hall 2100 East 71st St. off Key
stone Ave. Hours: 9am-3:45pm

1234567890

3rd - “Logansport Coin & Collectibles Show”
Logansport IN Holiday Inn U.S. 24 East.
Hours: 10am-4pm

ICC Auction
Don’t forget to bringyour auction items andsome money to themeeting!
Going, Going, Gone....

16th - “Comfort Suites” - South Bend IN off ofSR 31/33 North Exit 77 Toll Road, North ofRoseland. Hours: 10am-5pm
17th - “Lafayette Coin Show” - Lafayette IN
Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds, 1401 Teal
Rd. Hours 9am-4pm
24th - “Evansville Coin Club” - Evansville IN
C.K. Newsome Community Center 100 East
Walnut St. Hours: 9am-4pm

The Monthly Planchet, September 2004

“Off to another Coin Show”

Page 51234567890

October