Have you ever seen 1 million silver dollars?

It was long before I began collecting coins, but the tale of the Million Silver Dollar Exhibit at the 1962 Seattle World's Fair is fascinating nonetheless.

Three Washington numismatists were behind bringing the coins to the fair. The three, who had formed Northwest Historic Medals Inc. to strike a series of medals commemorating the great water-power dams in the Pacific Northwest, had approached the Century 21 committee, organizers of the fair, with plans for producing a set of medals to promote each of the seven planned exhibits at the fair. Along with an already-authorized U.S. Mint medal, Northwest said the eight-medal set would make a great souvenir of the fair.

To cinch the deal, they had one other idea that really got the committee enthused. “If numismatics is going to take part in this Fair, the three reasoned, it ought to take part in a big way. The more money the better,” as the September 1962 issue of Coins magazine explained.

“Almost everyone dreams and talks about a million dollars, but how many people have ever seen that amount of cash in one place at one time?

"Why not have a display featuring one million silver dollars? Here, all in one, would be the most money the visitors would ever see, coupled with an intriguing chapter of American history."

Having received encouragement from the committee, the next step was to find the 1 million silver dollars.

Although the silver dollar is today well liked by collectors, high mintages and a lack of use led to bags upon bags remaining in government vaults through much of the 20th century. So getting the coins was a financial and logistical concern, but not impossible. Another concern was: If they could win approval to obtain the coins from the government, where would they store them?

The problem was solved when Northwest’s president saw an ad for steel buildings in a trade magazine and decided to approach the advertiser, Behlen Manufacturing Co., Columbus, Neb., with a promotional idea.

Northwest proposed that Behlen construct a building to be placed at the fair to house the silver dollars. “The proposal, startling at first, sounded like a winner, and, after discussing it with other company executives, Behlen went to work,” Coins reported.

“Within weeks, the idea had been cleared all the way to Miss Eva Adams, director of the Mint…and plans made to transport the coins from Philadelphia to Seattle.” The coins would earn interest for the government while they were on loan to the exhibit.

While details were being worked out on shipping the coins, and construction began on the building in which to hold them, Northwest went about designing and striking the medals, including a new one honoring the Million Silver Dollars Exhibit.

The fair’s opening date was April 21, 1962, and Behlen worked quickly to construct the corrugated steel building, while two Chevrolet diesels were employed to carry 500,000 each of the silver dollars, still in mint-sealed bags, from the Philadelphia Mint to the fair.

“Pinkerton guards rode with the trucks, state troopers and local police drove guard as the semis roared westward, following the trail cut by free-spending miners and frontiersmen who’d rather get rid of their bulky silver dollars than lug them around in their pockets,” explained Coins.

Once at the fair, 800,000 of the coins (Morgan dollars apparently, as the Coins' article notes they were in bags sealed between 1910 and 1915) were stacked in the center of a Behlen corn crib enclosed in glass. “Then over and around the bags were poured a clinking cascade of 200,000 Peace dollars: 1,000,000 silver dollars, just for looks, just sitting there gathering 167 dollars a day in interest,” Coins wrote.

“But that’s not the only kind of interest the $1,000,000 display gathers. Each day the Fair is open this summer, more than 25,000 visitors pass through the steel building and gaze wide-eyed at the most money they’ve ever seen. On busy days 40,000 pairs of eyes repeat the performance.”

In June, when the 1 millionth fair visitor walked into the exhibit, a California resident, she was presented with 100 of the silver dollars from exhibit.

Interestingly, if you wanted, besides the nine-medal set, housed in blue Whitman bookshelf album, you could also purchase silver dollars from the exhibit.

As Northwest's president explained to Coins: “‘They’re for sale. Anyone interested in picking up a Mint-sealed bag of dollars minted prior to 1910 can put down $200 and pay the balance by the 5th of October. We’ll deliver by the 22nd.’”

An advertisement on the back inside cover of the November 1962 issue of Coins offered individual silver dollars from the exhibit, “mounted in an attractive World’s Fair holder,” for $1.95 postpaid. The limit on the bags was five bags per person (at $1,500 per bag of 1,000 silver dollars), to be shipped after the exhibit closed.

Shown here are the coins in the corn crib, along with the trucks that brought them to Seattle, parked in front of the exhibit building at the Seattle World's Fair.

Today everyone wants ultra-grade coins. Many of those who buy directly from the U.S. Mint quickly send off these coins to one of the third-party grading services to see if they can score a coin in a high mint state or high proof grade and then sell it for a fortune.

What ever happened to the good old days of collecting, when a coin's grade wasn't always the most important factor in whether or not it was collectible?

I remember when I started collecting, I liked to carry around an Eisenhower dollar with just one goal—to see how worn down I could get it. I eventually had it well worn, but then misplaced it.

It was, however, not as worn as the Eisenhower dollar in this photo. It's obvious this collector was going for the worst of the worst. His hang-up on grade was in finding the worst specimen of various types of large U.S. dollar coins. And it looks to me like he did an admirable job.

In the top row is an 1803 Draped Bust dollar, next to it is broken apart 1850 Seated Liberty dollar, followed by an 1877 Trade dollar. In the bottom row are a Morgan dollar, Peace dollar and an Eisenhower dollar. The dates on these are all too worn to read.

No need to rush these bad boys in for slabbing. Borrowing a grading term from the 1800s I used in an earlier posting, these start out at "wretchedly poor" at best.

Here's a fun bit of trivia I'll bet few in the hobby know. What coin-related magazine appears on a newspaper kiosk in the Golden Globe-winning movie, "The Truman Show," starring Jim Carrey?

It's Coins magazine—the October 1996 issue to be exact.

In 1996, well before "The Truman Show" reached theaters, I received, by fax, a Legal Script Clearance from Beth Unger Morrison, representing Paramount Pictures Corp., asking me, as Coins' editor, to approve the use of Coins magazine in the movie.

The cover letter noted that:

"Our film is directed by Peter Weir ("DEAD POETS SOCIETY", "FEARLESS") and stars Jim Carrey ("ACE VENTURA") and Dennis Hopper ("SPEED"). "THE TRUMAN SHOW" is about Truman Burbank (played by Carrey), whose whole life is a television show, only he is the only one who doesn't know it. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week people across the country tune in to watch Truman's every move but when he finds out that his life is not real, Truman tries to escape the show. A confrontation occurs between the show's producer, Christof (played by Hopper), who ultimately loses Truman to the real world."

Paramount wanted to use the cover of the October 1996 issue of Coins in scenes at a newspaper kiosk that Truman passes every day on his way to work. The magazine would appear as set dressing in the background. Provided also by Morrison were two pages of a Sept. 8, 1996-dated version of the script, detailing Truman's visit to the newspaper kiosk in downtown Seahaven in scene 10.

She advised that:

"We hope to use your magazine in the scenes at the newspaper kiosk that Truman passes on his way to work. Truman always stops and looks at the magazines, then curiously picks one up and tears a portion of a page; we see this same routine happen twice in the film (for example, see attached scene 10). Your magazine will be seen ONLY as set dressing on the rack and will not be used as the one Truman tears. Also, no dialogue reference will be made towards it."

Filming was slated to begin on Dec. 2, 1996, and Paramount wanted me to grant permission and provide extra copies of the October 1996 issue of Coins for the kiosk.

Permission was granted, and the copies were sent to Nancy Haigh (set decorator for the movie and frequent Academy Award nominee and an Oscar recipient for her work on the 1991 film, "Bugsy") in Seaside, Fla. Seaside was the town that was the inspiration for Seahaven in the movie. And, according to one Internet site, principal photography for "The Truman Show" began on Dec. 9.

However, it took until June 5,1998, for the film to come out. By that time Dennis Hopper had been replaced by Ed Harris in the role of Christof, and I feared that the magazine would be forgotten. So I didn't go to see the movie in the theater—waiting until it came out on video.

Admittedly, it is a bit hard to see (easier with a DVD and zoom), but Coins made it onto the kiosk and appears in two scenes. The most popular item at the newspaper kiosk is a magazine called Dog Fancy. However, on at least two occasions, Truman buys a fashion magazine. On his first visit to the kiosk, you see him reach for a copy of She magazine. Coins is on the rack just above. However, it's really hard to make out.

A much better view comes later in the movie, just after the camera focuses in on a Seahaven resident reading a copy of The Island Times newspaper with the headline "Crackdown on Homeless." You can make out Coins on the top shelf, outside of the kiosk at the right of the screen. At one point, they are just over Truman's shoulder. Clearly visible is the Coins masthead, which was for that issue in yellow, as the lead headline was "Going for the gold" with the subhead "Affordable ways to begin a gold coin collection" below it.

In the corner, next to COINS, is the obverse of a 1996 Smithsonian commemorative gold $5. However, on my small screen, all that could be made out was its circular form. Same was true of the headlines below it.

The cover also featured a one-ounce gold American Eagle in a Capital Plastics holder, which is partially obscured by the masthead. Lower on the page, in the capsules they were issued in, are a silver Eagle and another gold Eagle.

Why the set decorator wanted this particular issue of Coins, I'm not certain, unless she was attracted by the 'Going for the gold" headline and at some point it was thought this would be in a position where it could be read by movie viewers. If it was just the Coins masthead that was liked, any issue of Coins would have worked. Perhaps you can read the headlines better on the big screen.

"The Truman Show" was nominated for three Oscars and six Golden Globes, winning three Golden Globes, including Best Actor in a Motion Picture-Drama honors for Carrey. It also won the 1999 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. I'd like to think Coins helped. Too bad there's no award for best supporting set dressing.

"And the award goes to..."