What comes to mind when you look at this photo?

Here is a thought:

We "sell" all our coins to Rusty. We and Southgate Coins buy the museum with the proceeds, and put our coins on display too. That way we own the museum, we can keep our coins and Rusty can create and sell his book. :woohoo:

After reading Drummers post I will hold off sending a letter to the museum. I also would not want to jeopardize anything that Rusty may be working on at the museum.

Loosechange

Hi Loose Change

I like your thinking....I do however think that a few well worded letters to the NSM (Nevada State Museum) might help to propel them into giving in to "the greater good" (which is the preservation and display of the Biltz collection) so that future generations can view them in a proper display manner. Encapsulation by PCGS or NGC would help in the coin preservation as well.

Read Carsonite's reply post here in this section (posted earlier today) and you can easily see that if the NSM would only take him up on his great ideas offer, it'd be a win win situation for all concerned.

I compare this situation to Dr. Zawi Awas (spelling?) who is in charge of all things regarding ancient Egypt, the Pharoahs and the history. No digging, examinations of mummies or anything regarding that subject can be done without his permission. Dr. Awas is smart enough to know that he must at times put aside differences (political or otherwise) for "the greater good" and he will allow mummies to be CT scanned or diggings to be performed by westerners and their science. This is for the long term preservation of that special history and art of that great civilization which really belongs to all mankind.

So,the same for the "CC" coins Biltz collection. The NSM collection truly belongs to all the citizens....under the guidance of course of the NSM, but it was intended by the "Duke of Nevada" (Norm Biltz), himself to have his collection be on display and never leave Nevada. This was agreed upon by WF bank (who purchased the collection from Biltz) and then again by the NSM when the collection was donated to them in 1999. Part of that obligation on the part of the NSM is to do their proper part in the care/preservation and display of that great collection, and paving the way for future generations to enjoy it to the fullest.

By allowing Rusty to do his part as he volunteered to do,the NSM would be fulfilling their obligation to display and preserve that collection. I do wish that the NSM would adopt a little bit of the attitude of Egypt's Dr. Awas.

Perhaps some well-mannered, correctly worded letters to the NSM may just help prompt them to do the right thing here....as I mentioned, it would be a win win situation for everyone. I will wait to see what Carsonite says regarding letters sent to the NSM before I send anything though...I think that would be the proper thing to do here.

the drummer

Please, dont get me started!

The Norman Biltz Collection is a national treasure and a foundation of the numismatic history of Nevada. In my humble opinion, this collection is more important, historically, to the State of Nevada and to CC enthusiasts than is the Eliasbergs collection of Carson City coins.

Many of our club members know that Rusty and Marie Goe have bent over backwards to assist the Nevada State Museum with the Norman Biltz collection, the Dr. Simeon Lee collection as well as many other Carson City coins and related artifacts that have been entrusted to the museum. But for reasons none of us can decipher, the museum has shunned their many extremely generous offers to better understand, display and ultimately benefit from these incredible Carson City coin collections.

In the Summer 2010 edition of Currys Chronicle (Pages 64-67), I wrote a Letter To The Editor entitled "A Numismatic Faux Pas" which discussed another of the museum's perplexing actions when they brought in 16 year old teenager, Will Robins, from New York State, to "professionally" assess the museums coin collections and other numismatic artifacts. The article describes some of Rusty Goes many incredible offers to donate his professional expertise and his personal financial support for display and research projects, all with the intention of helping the museum maximize the publics understanding and viewing of these important collections.

Rusty Goe is perhaps the worlds leading expert on Carson City coinage. He is unquestionably the most prolific author and researcher of Carson City coinage, CC mint history and the early Nevada society surrounding these subjects. So we can only imagine how frustrating it has been for Rusty to stand by and watch the museums many strange actions and poor handling of these world class collections.

But despite Rusty Goes and the C4OAs continual support and patronage, the museum has only offered a cold shoulder in return...a reaction no one understands.
Be that as it may, Rusty has continued to exude only good will and patient support for the Nevada State Museum.

I believe it is important for us C4OA members follow Rustys lead. Someday, the Nevada State Museums leadership will change and we want to make sure that new curators see Rusty Goe and the C4OA as allies, not antagonists.

Belay Off

Hi Belay

Well said!!!!

the drummer

At the risk of sounding contrarian (when I am really not), I would suggest caution if one should contact the museum officials regarding this affair.

I know nothing about the personalities of the museum management but I have to wonder whether the priorities of the museum are in alignment with our numismatic interests. The museum has been transformed into more than a showcase of the mint's history. If you would please direct your attention to the introduction of the museum on the website here:

www.museums.nevadaculture.org/index.php?...le&id=486&Itemid=439

where the following statement can be found:

"Welcome to the Nevada State Museum in Carson City, celebrating the state's natural & cultural history and featuring the historic Carson City Mint."

We can clearly infer that the museum's mission is much more expansive than the numismatic history. This suggests that the museum's management must also align their meager resources to accommodate competing purposes.

This statement clearly states that the numismatic history of the museum is a mere sub-mission. We don't have to guess at this. Instead follow the "Exhibit" link. You will note that although the leading sentences highlight the numismatic contributions of the mint, the bulk of the exhibit statements that follow describe other major subjects such as the mammoth skeleton, the human history of the Great Basin, etc.

Yet, one would think that an offer of a free/no-cost resource would not be turned down by a resource-constrained organization.

The inference path suggests that the relationship between the management of the museum and Rusty has transcended into the unquantifiable beyond a mere accounting of pluses and minuses of a balance sheet.

I'm not saying that it's right. I just think that it's a big problem that is not fixable by us.