Mel Wacks’ counterstamp
pictures the Eastern Hemisphere (Europe, Africa, Middle East and India), which includes many places
where the Maria Theresa Taler has circulated, surrounded by “BICENTALER
1780-1980” plus the initials “MRW.” My records indicate that 200 were made.
MW8 “BICENTALER 1780-1980”
The 1980 Summer Olympics were
held in Moscow.
The United States and 64 other countries boycotted the games because of the
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, though athletes from some boycotting countries
participated in the games, under the Olympic Flag. Eighty nations participated
including East Germany and the rest of the Soviet bloc. A limited edition of 800 counterstamped coins were
made exclusively for a German dealer. He supplied 20 Mark Ernst Abbe East Germany
brilliant uncirculated coins and I supplied the counterstamps. Ernst Abbe (1840-1905) was
a brilliant German mathematician and physicist who made several of the most
important contributions to the design of lenses for optical microscopy. The counterstamp design consists of two nude Olympian
runners, similar to those depicted on an ancient Greek vase, c. 525, plus the
Olympic motto: “CITIUS ALTIUS FORTIUS” (Faster, Higher, Stronger) and “1980
MOSCOW GAMES” plus a tiny Olympic flame with XIX below, and Mel Wacks’ initials
“MRW.”
MW9 “CITIUS ALTIUS FORTIUS/1980 MOSCOW GAMES”
Two counterstamped coins were issued to commemorate
the 1980 Winter Olympics, held in Lake
Placid, New York. This was the second time the upstate New York village
hosted the Games, the first being in 1932. Records indicate that 2000 1971 Proof Silver Ike Dollars were counterstamped with
a design depicting
a downhill skier, 5 snowflakes, the Olympic flame with XIII below, the initials
“MRW,” and the inscription “FASTER ● HIGHER ● STRONGER LAKE PLACID
● FEB. 13-24, 1980.” The winners of the large hill skiing event were
Jouko of Finland
(Gold), Hubert Neuper of Austria
(Silver) and Jari Puikkonen of Finland
(Bronze).
MW10 “FASTER ● HIGHER
● STRONGER LAKE PLACID ● FEB. 13-24, 1980”
The die was then cancelled. While the “Ski Dollar”
was planned before the Games, the decision to create a second issue was not
made until the United States’
dramatic victory over the Soviet Union in ice
hockey excited the entire country – including me. The USA vs. USSR game, called the "Miracle on
Ice" in the United States, is the best-remembered game of the tournament
and the best-remembered international hockey game ever in the United States.
The last minute 4-3 win was the USA's penultimate game of the tournament's
round-robin medal round. The USA's final game, against Finland, was the game
which clinched the gold medal for the United States, with a 4-2 win.
The counterstamped design featured a silhouetted
hockey player swinging his stick, along with the Olympic flame with XIII below,
the initials “MRW,” and the inscription “1980 GOLD MEDAL WINNERS ● USA
HOCKEY TEAM.” The coins were gold-plated uncirculated 1776-1976 Bicentennial
Eisenhower Clad Dollars. After the edition limit of 1,000 was reached, the die
was cancelled.
MW11 “1980 GOLD MEDAL
WINNERS ● USA
HOCKEY TEAM”
January 20, 1981 was an historic day – that
was the inspiration of two counterstamped coins – one planned and the other
done at the spur of the moment. That is the beauty of counterstamps – they can
go from conception to production in a matter of weeks.
Ronald Reagan had won
election as the 40th President, carrying 44 states with 489
electoral votes to 49 electoral votes for President Jimmy Carter (representing
six states and Washington D.C.).
The
planned issue was produced on brilliant
uncirculated 1776-1976 Bicentennial Eisenhower Dollars, that were stamped with
“RONALD W. REAGAN INAUGURATED 40TH PRESIDENT JANUARY 20, 1981” and the initials
“SNW – MRW” (Shari Nan Wacks and Mel Roy Wacks), plus a meticulously rendered
portrayal of the White House by Adam Cool. Records indicate that 500 were made
on 40% silver coins and at least 150 on clad dollars.
MW12 “RONALD W. REAGAN INAUGURATED 40TH
PRESIDENT JANUARY 20, 1981”
The spontaneous
issue celebrated the surprise release of the 52 U.S. hostages by Iran. Sixty-six
Americans had been taken captive when Iranian militants seized the U.S. Embassy
in Tehran on November 4, 1979, including three who were at the Iranian Foreign
Ministry. Six Americans escaped, 13 were released on November 19 and 20, 1979,
and one was released on July 11, 1980. At least 125 pieces (of the 444
authorized) Proof 1971 Eisenhower Silver Dollars were counterstamped “FREEDOM
FOR THE 52 AMERICAN HOSTAGES JANUARY 20, 1981” along with a ribbon around an
oak tree and “© WACKS.” During the Iran hostage crisis, the yellow ribbon was
used as a symbol of support for the hostages held at the U.S. embassy in
Tehran. This symbolism began in December 1979, when Penelope Laingen, wife of
the most senior foreign service officer being held hostage, tied a yellow
ribbon around a tree on the lawn of her Maryland home, likely inspired by the
hit song "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree."
MW13 “FREEDOM FOR THE 52 AMERICAN HOSTAGES JANUARY 20, 1981”
