Centennial Collectable Commemorative Coins

    The front of the coin depicts town founder T. C. (Thomas Cobb) Van Eaton and Soo-Too-Lick aka Indian Henry. Soo-Too-Lick's tribe lived near the present site of Eatonville on the Mashell Prairie. The identity of the tribe is open to debate as no one seems to know exactly which tribe Soo-Too-Lick belonged to. T.C.'s image on the coin is very accurate. However, there are no known photos of Soo-Too-Lick.
   According to local lore the friendly Indian was nervous about photographs because he was afraid they would used against him and might put his life in danger. Some thought he may have been somehow  involved with Chief Leschi who was hanged for being part of an uprising. Leschi was exonerated by both houses of the Washington State Legislature in 2004.
   Soo-Too-Lick befriended T. C. and told him the present town site was a good place to build a community because there wasn't a lot of snow and the Mashell River could supply clean, pure water. 
  The two men remained friends until Soo-Too-Lick's death in 1895 at age 70. T.C. died at age 87 in 1951. He is buried in the Eatonville Cemetery. Soo-Too-Lick is buried in the "Indian Cemetery" on the Mashell Prairie.

The Flip Side

                                                            Photos by David Craig

   This side of the coin shows the sun rising behind Mount Rainier, the Mashell RIver (still Eatonville's sole water source), Douglas fir trees representing the forest, a now defunct wigwam burner from the Eatonville Lumber Company and the first home in Eatonville built by T. C. Van Eaton and Nate WIlliams out of logs from the abundant timber in the area.
   Local artist David Craig designed the coins. More photos and links to vidoe at Centennial Coins

    Coins for Sale Now at Town Hall

    By Bob Walter: The Eatonville Centennial commemorative coins have been minted, and arrived in town Monday afternoon, June 29. The impressive coins are now available for purchase at the Town Hall, 201 Center Street West. There are four versions: a "bright" bronze (shown), an "antique" bronze, a silver (one troy ounce), and a silver with gold overlay. The bronze versions are priced at $10 each, the silver $30 and the silver with gold, $40. The coins will be kept at Town Hall in the safe. 
    Each coin is numbered and is encased in a plastic sleeve and hard plastic case for protection. Buyers will be given a receipt with their name and coin number. These coins are exquisitely detailed and will make a beautiful keepsakes and gifts. They were designed by Eatonville's David Craig owner of Four Winds Studio & Art Gallery located at 127 Washington Avenue North. Mayor Tom Smallwood worked with Northwest Territorial Mint in Auburn to get the coins created. Get yours before they are gone, and help support Eatonville's grand, 100-year celebration!
    The mayor, David Craig, Nancy Iams and Dixie Walter, members of the Centennial Committee toured the mint Monday and picked up the coins. Mayor Smallwood had the privilege of striking the coin shown above. The true color of the coin is a brilliant, glowing, golden shade. Lighting at the mint made it difficult to capture the actual color.

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Centennial Coins, Behind the Scenes
Photos by David Craig 

Red Hot Silver

 

   David Craig, Mayor Tom Smallwood, Nancy Iams and I were given an extensive tour of the Northwest Territorial Mint in Auburn. The mint is the only privately owned mint in the U.S. with five locations across the nation. For more information please see Custom Minting - Military Challenge Coins - Northwest Territorial Mint. 
   Above: Inside the white "box" is a 35 pound cylinder of silver being heated in one minute 35 seconds and immediately taken to a machine that makes it into a long, narrow strip of silver which looks like a mirror, this process also takes moments. To the right are silver cylinders waiting their turn in the hot box. The silver heats from the center out. This process is repeated over and over again daily. (photo by Dixie A. Walter)

 Brief Video Tour of Mint

    You can experience a tour of mint at  Centennial Commemorative Coins June 29, 2009. The mint employees about 200 people in Auburn. You can watch one member of the staff lifting red hot silver weighing 35 pounds and take the cylinder to a machine where it is quickly turned into a narrow strip. Another employee dips coins in a solution which "antiques" the product.
   Watch Smallwood stamp a coin which now belongs to him, coin creator David Craig and Nancy Iams thrilled by a first look at the newly stamped coin, a machine full of what look like silver ball bearings smooths the coin blanks and Jack, Mike Boyle, plant supervisor and Smallwood admiring the bright bronze coin.
    See more still photos of the day at the mint and striking of a coin below. 

Mayor and Craftsman

   

     Mayor Smallwood pushed the button that stamps blank coins with the design. Here Jack and Smallwood marvel at the coin the mayor has just struck.

Admiring His Work

      Smallwood finally holds in his hand the Centennial Coin he has dreamed about for years. This coin is the bright bronze version. There are also bronze, silver, antique bronze and gold/silver coins available for sale.

More Admiration

    Jack, Mike Boyle, plant supervisor and our tour guide and Smallwood discuss the beautiful coin.

 Learning About Dies

     The Eatonville group, sans David Craig who was taking photos, learn about dies from Mike. This room was lined with drawers filled with dies of various sizes and weighing tons. The mint keeps all the dies they produce.