Alaska Coins from Alaska mint

JNS

JNS

Active Member
Silver Stacker
My first thread to this new site still checking all buttons, anyway i am in somewhere in Alaska right now and i found some coins in the gift shop of the hotel.

I check first the Alaska mint site but the price were too expensive. The gift shop offers 30% cheaper from original price.

I asked the lady vendor and she told me she is the one ordering them from the mint and dealers like them has 40% discount from original price from Alaska mint site.

They are on sale which is the main reason. So, i bought 11 coins and some novelties.

I will post some photos soon.
 
THE ALASKA GOLD PANNER MEDALLION – Alaska Mint
The coin design changes every year and is designed by Alaskan artist. It contains a natural gold nugget from the icy waters of Alaska and is minted by Alaska Mint.

The real Alaska gold rush was not to the Klondike (Yukon Territory, Canada) in 1898, but to the sandy beaches of Nome a thousand miles to the west in the summer of 1900.

Thousand of gold-seekers landed on the Nome beach in the space of a few weeks. The stampede lasted only on short summer and hundreds of gold-seekers went home dead broke, the government having to send them back to Seattle on army transports like wartime refugees.

In 1902, Felix Pedro discovered gold in Fairbanks, Alaska, Hundreds, perhaps thousand of men rushed to the Tanana Valley to seek their fortune. This gold, however, was buried deep and thus difficult to reach. Almos overnight, gold turned Fairbanks into a city of saloons and three story skyscrapers.

To these men and women who braved the harsh winters and summer floods of Alaska to follow a dream, the Alaska Mint dedicate this coin.
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ALASKA SPORT FISHING MEDALLION – Alaska Mint
Sport fishing is popular all over the 49th state. Southwest Alaska including Bristol Bay, lower Kuskokwin and the Alaska peninsula hold some of the greatest fishing opportunities in the North America. It is the world largest producer of Pacific Salmon and offers world class Rainbow Trout, Artic Grayling and Artic Char fishing to entice the adventurous angler.

The East Side Susitna River originating in the glaciers of the Talkeetna Mountains, offers both Chinook and Pink Salmon as well as Rainbow Trout and Arctic Grayling.

The Kenai river is the most heavily used sportfishing river in Alaska, The main river and its tributaries support multiple runs of Salmon-King, Silver, and Red-a unique occurrence in South-central Alaska. The river also supports Pink Salmomn, Rainbow Trout, Dolly Varden and other fish.

Numerous areas, such as the Russion River with its Sockeye Salmon; Rainbow Trout in the Matanuska-Susitna Valleys; King Salmon in the Kachemak Bay, all make sportfishing in Alaska an experience to remember. This medallion designed by Mike Robuck of anchorage, Alaska celebrates the adventure of a lifetime-sportfishing in Alaska.
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KING SALMON (Oncorthynchus tshawytscha)– Alaska Mint
The King Salmon, a.k.a. the Chinook salmon is Alaska’s state fish. The King is the largest of all pacific salmon, with individual fish weights frequently exceeding 30 pounds. A 126-pound King, taken in a fish trap near Petersburg, Alaska in 1949, is the largest on record. The Largest King caught by sport fisherman was a 97-pound fish taken from the Kenai River in 1986. These “kings” of Alaska’s rivers are beautiful, silvery fish, aggressive feeders and delicious to eat.

In Alaska, King Salmon are abundant from the southeastern panhandle to the Yukon River. The most popular sport-fishing locations for king salmon in southern Alaska are the rivers of the Kenai Peninsula, to which anglers from around the world flock in the summer months. Adult Kings are distinguishable by the black, irregular spotting on their back and dorsal fins and on both sides of the caudal fin. In the open sea, King salmon are hearty fish with a blue-green coloring that fades to silver as they prepare to spawn. The young fish hatch in fresh water streams and rivers, spend their adult life in the ocean, and return to their place of birth to spawn. Colors of spawning Kings include red and copper tones to almost black. Males are more deeply colored than females and have ridge back and hooked upper jaw.

The Highly prized sport fish is extensively fished by anglers. Trolling with herring is a favorite method for sea angling, while fresh water fisherman commonly uses salmon eggs and lures. The annual sport-fishing harvest of king salmon is over 76,000 fish. Cook inlet and adjacent rivers contribute more than half the catch.
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BALD EAGLES (Haliaeetus leuocephalus) – Alaska Mint
The Bald Eagle is not bald, but so named because of its distinctive white head and tail. The white plumage is not attained until the bird is five or more years of age. Immature birds lack this plumage and can be easily mistaken for the golden eagle. The bald eagle is Alaska’s largest resident bird of prey. They are found only in North America, but are more abundant in Alaska than anywhere else in the United States. Bald eagles are an endangered species through out most of the lower 48 states. Their numbers still remain healthy in Alaska.

Bald eagles are normally found along Alaska’s coast, off Shore Island, and interior lakes and rivers. In late fall and early winter thousand of birds can be observed in the Chilkat Valley near Haines, Alaska. They gather to feed on spawned-out salmon. In 1972, the Alaska Legislature established a stretched of the Chilkat River as a critical bald eagle habitat to ensure the protection of the large number of birds that are found there in the winter. In 1982, this area was established as the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve.
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Few more coins and readings

GRIZZLY BEAR – Alaska Mint
Adventure in Alaska would not be complete without the Grizzly Bear. When hiking and fishing in Alaska, the possibilities of seeing this enormous animal provides mixed feelings of excitement and dread. As large and powerful as this animal is, it moves silently through the thick brush riverbanks and with unbelievable speed across the tundra. Hikers are encourage to sing, whistle or carry a can with stones to provide enough noise that the bear isn’t surprised by the visitors.

There are few animals as cute as a small bear cub as a small bear cub playing on the tundra, But care must be taken, for where a cub is playing, you can be sure that the mother is near by. And Grizzly mothers, like all mothers, are very protective of their children. When bear attacks do occur it is usually when the sow feels that her cubs are in danger.
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SEA OTTER – Alaska Mint
The North American Otter can be found from the coast of Southeast Canada all the way to the Gulf of Alaska – Including the Aleutian Islands. It has been hunted for centuries because of its valuable fur. Now under strict protection, they were once almost exterminated by Russian fur trappers.

Otters can be found in their homes, known as a holt or in sheltered waters which enable them to spend much of their time floating on their backs. They do not often come ashore, but stormy weather may drive them on to the rocks.

The diet of sea otters is almost entirely sea urchin, mollusks, crabs and small fish. They bring their food, along with a stone, from the bottom of the sea and use the stone to smash open the shell fish, using their chest as a dining table.
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STELLAR (or Northern) SEA LIONS (Eumetopias jubatus) – Alaska Mint

The Stellar Sea Lion inhabits the North Pacific Ocean and is the largest member of the family of “otaridae” or “eared seals.”
Sea Lions have external ears and rear flippers which turn forward allowing them to “walk” with a gait similar to land animals.

They are called Sea Lions because they resemble the terrestrial lion of Africa and Asia. Large adult male Stellar Sea Lions have disproportionate large necks and shoulders, giving them the appearance of having manes as do lions.

The average weight of an adult male is 1,245 and the body length average 10 feet, 8 inches. Adult females average 579 pound in weight and 8 feet, 8 inches in leght.

Seasonal movements occur generally from exposed areas in summer to protected areas in winter. Stellar Sea Lions can move over long distances. The longest recorded movements were approximately 900 miles. This was taken from an animal marked at Marmot Island near Kodiak and taken near Ketchikan.

As marine carnivores, Stellar Sea Lions eat a wide variety of fish such as Pollock, flounder, herring, capelin, pacific cod, salmon, rockfish, sculpins and invertebrates such as squid and octopus.
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MOOSE (Alces alces) – Alaska Mint

Moose are the world’s largest member of deer family. Moose are generally associated with northern forest in North America, Europe and Russia. They’re most abundant in recently burned areas that contain willow and birch shrubs, on timber line plateaus, or along major rivers.

Moose are long-legged and heavy-bodied with a drooping nose, a “bell” or dewlap under chin, and a small tail. Their color ranges from golden brown to almost black, depending upon the season and the age of the animal. Newborn calves weigh 28-35 pounds and within five months grow to over 300 pounds. Males in prime condition weigh 1,200 to 1,600 pounds. Adult females weigh 800 to 1,300 pounds. Only the bulls have antlers. Moose occasionally produce trophy-size antlers when they are 6 or 7 years old, with the largest antlers grown at approximately 10 to 12 years of age. In the wild, moose rarely live more than 16 years of age.

During Fall and winter, moose consume large quantitates of willow, birch and aspen twigs. Spring is the time of grazing as well as browsing. Moose eat a variety of foods, particularly sedges, equistum (horsetail), pond weeds and grasses. During summer moose feed on vegetation in shallow ponds, forbs, and the leaves of birch, willow and aspen. Most moose make seasonal movements to calving, rutting and wintering areas. They travel anywhere from only a few miles to as many as 60 miles during transitions
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KILLER WHALES (Orcinus orca) – Alaska Mint
They are found most commonly in the waters of the continental shelf from Southeast Alaska through the Aleutian Island, and northward into Chukchi and Beaufort seas. The larges member of the family known as dolphins, are called Killer Whales because they attack and consume whales or other larger prey, such as seals and sea lions. Adult Killer Whale can grow to a length of approximately 27 feet (7metters) and a weight of ten (10) tons. They are predominantly black in color with large white patches under the jaw and above each eye. Killer Whales in the Northwest and Alaska occur in groups called pods. Most pods in Alaska are fewer than 40 animals. When preying on large animals, the pod may act like a pack, attacking on all sides.
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