Looking at guns

[Buffalosoldat]

Anyway, here is one of my all time favorite coins, obtained from a bank in Arica, Chile on one of our weekend drives down from our community, high in the mountains of Peru (near Moquegua, Peru if anyone is curious, but maybe 4 or 5,000 feet higher in the village known as Toquepala). Anyway, we would go through Tacna, Peru and cross the border into Chile and then spend a few days on the beach in Arica. in 1977 I believe, we spent the end of December in Arica and then were going to drive back to Peru on New Year's Day on the Pan American Highway. Bad Idea. The Peruvians closed the border for military drills, and the "guardia civil" manning the crossing on the Peru side were...how do we say... looped...snickered..cocked...feeling no pain... in honor of New Years. Anyone crossing the boarder on this day was subject to search and if found, any "moneda effectiva" (circulating currency/coins) had to be exchanged...at gunpoint...for Peruvian Soles. This was...as they say...a "high stress" moment. Not only because of the guns...but because I had the Chile 100 Peso coin in a little envelope from the bank in our luggage. We turned in our Chilean Peso coins and bills for Soles...we had to tell THEM the exchange rate...but the gold coin remained in the luggage. They did not ask to search it however. They were a rather jolly lot of men...just "3 sheets to the wind". I happily paid import duty on the piece when we returned to the U.S. that summer. Many years later, I decided on certification as I was in "Certification Frenzy Mode" then. I would never sell it...but it is protected against scratches and the environment...and I have always admired the design.  Anyway, the memories this coin evokes are priceless to me. We loved Peru (other than being at gunpoint...which I was 3 different times during our 4 years there). Alan





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Fascinating story about Chilé/Peru, alglasser!

:-o

[Alan Glasser]

Hello Buffalosoldat.

Living in Peru presented many "adventures", only 1 of which involved sneaking the Chile gold coin past the totally sloshed "Guardia Civil". Though my wife and I loved ALMOST every minute of our 4 years there (beautiful country and people)...being face to face with the barrel of a rifle was not among the highlights of our travels in Peru. And you know what...if I was 25 again...we'd go back and do it all over again...maybe without the guns though.

Just curious. Are you from Buffalo? Born in Rochester, NY myself...

Alan

[Buffalosoldat]

Staring down the wrong end of a firearm is a sobering experience , more so if the person on the other end is NOT sober! Luckily the shotgun that was pointed at me years ago was wielded by a sober former soldier. Still, not an experience I wish to repeat.

No, I am from WDC originally. My user name and avatar go together, as it just happens Bob Marley has a song by that name. Leaving aside my enjoyment of Reggae music, I do happen to be a keen collector of Buffalo Nickels. So there are a number of overlapping interests, including the actual Buffalo Soldiers, who predate the Nickels by just a few decades.

For clarity, I have started labeling my Buffalos as Bison Nickels, being a stickler for details as I am.

[Alan Glasser]

Hello Buffalosoldat.

Well...I may get boooooed off stage for this post...but I couldn't resist. Here are 2 coins in my "Music Coins" collection. Thought you might find the photos interesting. Sorry the pics are sideways. I STILL haven't figured out why.

Hey...need a 1913 P Bison in AU? Somewhere I have 2 if I haven't already sold them. If so...please send me a private message and we'll see if we can work out a trade or something for one if I still have them.

PS. Hopefully no more "wrong end" gun experiences for either of us.

Alan

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[Buffalosoldat]

Nice! I should add that while I often sell on things that don't grab my attention or that don't fall into my official "want" categories, I've held onto anything from Jamaica, including some decent 19th and earlier 20th century items.

[Alan Glasser]

Hello Buffalosoldat.

Thanks. The Jamaica $100 took a bit of digging and I finally managed to purchase it from the Jamaica National Bank about 10 years ago at melt. There is a $50 coin too...silver KM-171 which, while not on my "must have" list...it would make a nice edition to the Music collection.

Alan