News Release

THE DENVER MINT: 100 Years of Gangsters, Gold, and Ghosts
by Lisa Ray Turner and Kimberly Field
$18.95; Softcover; 192 pages, 50 b&w illustrations
ISBN 978-1-60065-102-1 LCCN 2004005639
Distributed by: Midpoint Trade Books (212) 727-0190

CONTACT: David Hall 303-791-9024, dave at mapletreepublishing.com

A DELIGHTFUL HISTORY

DENVER, COLORADO—It’s about time someone wrote a book about the Denver Mint. 2006 marks its 100th anniversary. Thousands of tourists visit each year. And there are some extraordinary, colorful stories about the mint. But, to our knowledge, this is the first book to be published about it.

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper says that this book contains “some of the greatest stories never told about the Denver Mint. Chock-full of colorful characters and entertaining anecdotes, the book sheds new light on a beloved institution. Residents and visitors alike will love this highly readable guide to one of Denver's great treasures.”

Among the fascinating stories found in the book are the dramatic robbery attempt in the gangster-happy 1920’s, the mint employee who took gold bars by concealing them in his wooden leg, the 1964 Peace Dollar that was produced by the mint but, amazingly, was never circulated, and the eighth graders who pocketed nickels during a mint field trip.

In writing the book, authors Lisa Ray Turner and Kimberly Field were granted rare access to documents and photographs in the possession of the mint. Some of these stories have never been told to the public before, and thus the book makes a unique contribution to our national and regional history.

Lisa Ray Turner is an award-winning author of both fiction and nonfiction. She has written three novels and many magazine articles. She teaches humanities at the University of Phoenix, Denver branch. Long-time Coloradoan Kimberly Field holds a bachelor’s degree in archaeology and a master’s in Journalism. Kim has written on western water issues, earthquake prediction and the influence of volcanoes in impressionist art.
Dr. Thomas J. Noel, who wrote the foreword, is a professor of history at the University of Colorado at Denver, and the author of numerous books about Colorado history.