FixerFred & ObscureMint
So you’ve got a cache of those old 18th‑century copper press parts buried in the attic, right? Think we can improvise a mini‑mint from them and pull out a coin that would make the Smithsonian’s head spin. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever found hidden in a vault that still works?
Sure thing. The most insane thing I unearthed was a 1723 silver‑press set in a vault beneath an old Paris bank. It was still running—gears still turning after a century of dust. The press had a copper die dated 1723, stamped with a royal seal that matched a long‑lost treaty. A coin produced by that machine would have made the Smithsonian’s head spin, and the thing was still alive enough to crank out a coin if you gave it a push.