The eighth edition of Striking Gold in Alaska: Making Tokens from Placer Gold is available published by the author, Dick Hanscom.

The numismatic dealer in Fairbanks, Alaska, with Alaska Rare Coins also publishes the online newsletter Alaska Token & Polar Numismatist.

Hanscom has been making tokens from Alaskan placer gold since 2005.

According to online sources, “placer gold refers to gold found in loose, unconsolidated sediments like sand and gravel, typically deposited by rivers or glaciers. It’s often found in areas where gold-bearing rocks have been eroded and the gold particles transported and concentrated. Placer mining, a method of extracting this gold, utilizes water and gravity to separate the gold from the surrounding material.”

Hanscom writes that his interest in striking tokens from placer gold was triggered by a working exhibit at the American Numismatic Association’s anniversary convention in 1990 in Seattle, Washington.

A Fijian artisan wielding a hammer was hand-hammering tokens for an exhibit promoting a new bullion coin series.

The minter was licensed by the Fijian government to hand-hammer coins on gold varying in fineness between 75% and 84%, with the balance of the composition in silver. The gold pieces struck at that time were guaranteed to be at least 18-karat, or 75%, gold — the gold purity may have been higher. The coins were produced with a drop hammer between uncollared dies, a process that results in irregular shaped coins, from gold spreading past the edges of the die surfaces.

Hanscom’s book describes in detail his steps in producing tokens, from choosing designs, to the steps involved in making the dies and making planchets. He has experience in striking pieces in gold, silver, copper, tin, aluminum and platinum.

Hanscom examines sources for securing the gold for those tokens, for what purposes the tokens are issued, various weights of the tokens, and the various equipment employed.

The 6-inch by 9-inch softcover reference covers 298 pages. The 8th edition is available for $30 via priority mail or $25 via media mail.

The book’s 1st through 7th editions are available in sets for $50 via priority mail.

Orders should be sent to: Alaska Rare Coins, P.O. Box 72832, Fairbanks, AK 99707. No credit cards accepted.

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