Chapter 8

My present was last.

The Twins spent a months allowance and confiscated funds from the invading throng on a beach security system. Does nifty stuff.

Daddy paid for one of the two twin engine 'Enforcers' from S&S.

I presented mom with my 'My Science Project."

"Wow, Junior ... this is neat." She was looking through the coffee table book I'd had made. Pictures of the nugget and the entire process it took Benjamin Mint to make gold coins from 'scratch.'

As she turned each page I presented her with samples of the process displayed in the pictures.

A scale model of the 'nugget' ... Very heavy, it was real gold after all.

Then a 'blob' of dipper gold from the first melt.

Next, an example of slag before the chlorine gas treatment.

An example of the platinum and silver 'leftovers' from the SodaAsh settling.

A piece of the copper before it was mixed with the gold to make it coin quality.

Pictures of the rolling machine coiling the roll of coin stock

Running the coil stock through the blank stamper ... I handed her a piece of coin stock with a coin blank punched out and the blank from the hole.

Pictures of the hydraulic coin stamper ... for that one I hand her the dies I had made with the CNC minimill in my playroom.

Then pictures of all the crews at the Mint, the loading dock men, the guards, the office staff, the roller mill people, the stamp machine crew and finally me handing Mr. Adams the check to pay for the process...

and that's when she got this chin on the floor and eyes like owls. I took her picture. She gave me the look ... you know the look..."YOU DIDN'T!"

The timer on the TV turned on and the worlds best TV salesman started selling one ounce gold coins..."Today ONLY. Certified one ounce 99.5fine gold coins. When these are gone, folks ... that's it ... only Two thousand dollars apiece. When they're gone they're gone Coin of the Realm ... the Island Princessapalia of The Wendy. Located between the United States and Canada ... blah blah blah." On and on and on ... with pictures of the island and yacht until it was nauseating.

The phones started ringing in the background with bright shining faces answering the phones and taking credit card numbers. There was a big counter running backwards from 24 thousand and it was going crazy.

In two hours it was DONE ... and no, "But wait, there's more."

Two grand apiece, twenty four thousand in 2 hours.

I presented her with the first strike coin. "Happy Birthday Mom.

"But, wait ... there's more. The Powers that Be decided you should have my old watch."

I handed her the package in a package in a package in a box in a bag wrapped in tissue with that huge size 22 pocket watch.