GALLERY MINT: In order to fully appreciate this numismatic institution, it would be helpful to know a little bit about its originators/owners: Ron Landis, an accomplished engraver, and Joe Rust, a master machinist.
GEORGE JUNIOR REPUBLIC: Located on a 650-acre campus, this “private, not for profit residential treatment center”, provides “therapeutic and rehabilitative services to emotionally disturbed adolescents.” It was the idea of a businessman/philanthropist named William Reuben George, who had become convinced that most charities, in spite of attempting to aid neglected and wayward youth, promoted pauperism and did little to squelch their criminal tendencies or teach them self-reliance, self-control, and morality. Mr. George's solution to this fundamental problem was the Republic. It had its inception in 1890, at his farm, as a vacation camp for troubled youngsters; it all started with a two-week outing for 22 disadvantaged lads. By 1894, he'd already devised the crucial notion of requiring the children to pay — with their labor — for all the things which they would receive during these character-building jaunts. Because of the plan's success, the summer colony soon expanded into a permanent, year-round establishment; a beneficial place where Mr. George's needy protégés could call home and stay for the rest of their childhood. He wanted his diminutive “state” to reproduce the social, civic, and economic conditions of the United States as fully as possible. He succeeded, and before long, the residents instituted their own government, complete with the attendant representative/judicial/executive branches: elected officials, Senators, Members of Congress, a police force, a court system, a Judge, and even a jail for offenders — all under the guidance and gentle leadership of “Daddy” George, as its founder was affectionately called. He was also their President. The community evolved into a miniature society of its own, where boys and girls could acquire life-lasting citizenship skills and be instilled with a dutiful, law-abiding attitude. According to its Web-site
(http://www.georgejuniorrepublic.com/), this school was established “in 1895 on family property in Freeville, near Ithaca. From small beginnings, it grew to a co-educational institution with nearly 200 ‘citizens’ in the early 1970's. Its distinctive self-government, monetary system and work program were imitated by junior republics in” Litchfield, CT (Connecticut Junior Republic), Grove City, PA (now called George Junior Republic), and Chino Hills, CA (California Junior Republic, now called Boys Republic). The William George Agency for Children's Services, as it is now called, “celebrated its 100th year of service in July 1995.” The facility has experienced continued growth over those decades; it “was remodeled and enlarged in 1991, and again in 2001.”
GLOBAL COUNTRY OF WORLD PEACE: This spiritual community “is a concept encompassing all peace-loving nations and people of the world”. It has emerged from the integrated course of scientific and practical studies based on the knowledge of Total Natural Law (also known as the Constitution of the Universe) “as brought to light by His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi during the last 50 years…resulting in the establishment of universities, schools and charitable organizations in more than 100 countries; and from the discoveries by the physical sciences, such as physics, mathematics, and chemistry; and in particular by the world-transforming discovery in the field of physiology by Maharaja Nader Raam that every individual’s physiology is, at its basis, the field of consciousness; that consciousness in its purity is unbounded and infinite; and that the individual physiological expressions in creation are made of consciousness.” The Global Country of World Peace serves “as ‘a country without borders for peace-loving people everywhere.’ It provides governments with the knowledge and technologies of Total Natural Law to promote prevention-oriented, problem-free administration.” Meru, in the Netherlands, is the “Capital” of the Global Country of World Peace.
Mr. Landis learned his craft as an apprentice during his college years in the late 1970s. By that time, he'd also performed extensively with a bluegrass band. To supplement his income, he eventually became a furniture-maker and restorer of antiques. He also built musical instruments, and decorated them with mother-of-pearl inlays. In 1980, he opened a small shop in Denver, offering all types of hand-cut, custom engraving: monograms, inscriptions, and ornamental designs on guns, jewelry, flatware, belt buckles, and other objects. Two years later, he forsook his business in favor of touring the country (Minnesota and Texas in particular) as the “King's Herald”. Though he specialized in seal engraving, his “while-you-wait” workmanship could also be hired by patrons to adorn and personalize any of their metallic possessions, such as signet rings, lighters, key-rings, etc...Luckily for us collectors, Mr. Landis' interest in coins led him to fearlessly dabble in a heretofore unfamiliar facet of designing. Before long, on account of this newfound artistry, the budding mintmaster began to seriously pursue an entirely novel vocation. He produced his first coins at the 1982 Colorado Renaissance Festival, using a small, antique screw press. By about 1984, a hand-painted “Royal Mint of the Renaissance” sign displayed the name with which he christened his busy, albeit transitory booths. Mr. Landis' humble numismatic experimentations would ultimately blossom into the time-tested, permanently housed Gallery Mint of today. For the next decade, he continued to make his living by traveling the RenFest and art-show circuit, constantly upgrading his accouterment while at the same time improving his skills. During this period, Mr. Landis' creative efforts gained great momentum and he began gradually amassing a sizeable body of work. He struck a series of annual souvenir medals ('82-'92) and a variety of tokens; his modest demonstrations grew into a comprehensive, working exhibition of early coining procedures showing the transformation of raw material into final product. To the public, he offered hands-on activities.
As destiny would have it, in 1989 Mr. Landis' circuitous path soon crossed with that of Mr. Rust, an experienced musician who'd previously been a member of various bands and who happened to be selling ceramics/pottery at many of the same fairs. Originally, their association arose purely along musical lines. Only later, after they'd already started performing together, would the gifted friends become manufacturing partners (in 1990, they merged their talents for the sake of the Royal Mint — an enterprise which was by now gaining an undeniable life of its own — at the Texas Renaissance Festival). The casual jam session where their fortuitous meeting took place provided the inspiration for them to team up as an acoustic duo called the Doe Brothers. “Born from the ashes of a country-blues-rock-r&b band,” the fraternal duet gained a strong local following, and they also recorded a CD aptly titled “Rollin' in the Doe”. Joe Rust was the band's 12-string rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist. Ron Landis provided lead mandolin and harmony vocals. The combo officially came to be known by their brotherly moniker circa 1991, during the colleagues' quest to determine the right location in which to erect a museum dedicated solely to the subject of recreating the techniques of early coin-makers and to keeping their historically important art-form alive. This all-important monetary undertaking is what actually led the soon-to-be founders of the Mint to the invention of their clever stage-name, which alludes to the popular homonym for coins/money, “dough”. In the midst of their fact-finding foray, the road-weary musicians/numismatists wandered into Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Just about overnight, the two “siblings” knew they had found the perfect place to set up their permanent shop. In December of 1992, they established the Gallery Mint Museum in that very town. A Mission Statement could be found at their Web-site (http://www.gallerymint.com): “Devoted to the preservation and advancement of the Numismatic Arts”, GMM “is a private mint, whose mission is to build a permanent museum showing the evolution of coin-making technology from ancient Greece through the Industrial Revolution. When complete the museum will exhibit the entire minting process, with full-scale equipment, including a water wheel for generating power and a huge furnace for melting silver and copper. The goal and dream of owners Ron Landis and Joe Rust is to recreate the art, history, and technology of early coin-making techniques, stimulating the public's interest in the numismatic arts and an understanding of its role in history. Funding for this project comes directly from the sales of items produced at the mint. Your dollars directly support the mission and your continued support ensures the success of the Museum. We create reproductions of many otherwise ‘virtually unobtainable’ specimens of early coinage. Collectors now have the ability to fill some of the ‘tougher holes’ in their collections. The reproductions are made using the same centuries old techniques that created the original coins…Many of the techniques used by early coin makers were thrown aside in the advent of progress, and many questions still remain unanswered. By working with the actual technology available in a given time period, Gallery Mint Museum hopes to gain a better understanding of the problems faced by the early coin makers. The importance of coins in our history is obvious. Also of great importance are the technologies developed for coin production. Because coins were one of the first mass produced, the earlier mints created a proving ground for new technologies that eventually found their way into modern industries in ways too numerous to mention. The original hand engraving techniques used to create the designs that adorned coins for millennia are now all but lost as modern mints move toward more modern means of creating the dies used in coin production. The goal of the Museum is to provide a way to preserve the original arts through engraving seminars and apprenticeships in traditional hand engraving, with guest instructors invited to give seminars in related arts such as sculpting and casting. We believe that an art form with such historical importance, deserves a museum solely dedicated to the subject.” Sadly, Joe Rust passed away in 2005, yet the Gallery Mint progressed onward. However, also in 2005, it formally split into two different entities: the Gallery Mint Museum Foundation (GMMF) and Gallery Mint Incorporated (GMI). According to the Web-site of the GMMF (http://www.gallerymintmuseum.org/), “Gallery Mint Museum has existed as a for-profit business since 1992. It is only in the past few months that GMM has switched its corporate status from for-profit to not-for-profit 501(c)3. It has always been the goal of the founders and board members to create a professional museum with a reference collection, exhibits and educational programs that preserves and advances the numismatic arts.” In November of 2006, Gallery Mint, Inc. was sold to Striker Token and Medal, LLC (http://www.striker-mfg.com/), a limited liability partnership that included former GMI employees. The sale of GMI completed the separation of the business side of GMI from the non-profit GMMF. There had apparently been a great deal of confusion in the numismatic community in regards to the nonprofit Gallery Mint Museum Foundation (GMMF) and the original for-profit Gallery Mint Inc. (GMI). The purchase of GMI by Striker alleviated the confusion over the Gallery Mint name (the only Gallery Mint was now the non-profit museum). The new company, owned by Dr. Lawrence J. Lee, continued to operate in the same facility in Eureka Springs and they continued producing GMI's signature high-quality reproduction coinage. The sale of GMI included all of the minting equipment, dies and rights of reproduction to those dies. In addition to offering reproduction coins, Striker also accepted private commissions from individuals, businesses and coin clubs interested in low-volume runs of tokens and medals. Mr. Landis continued his association with the company as a consultant. Unfortunately, “Striker Token and Medal has shut down operations as of October 31, 2007.” Dr. Lee — he commuted to work from Lincoln, NE (this was one of the reasons “The year-long experiment with Striker Token and Medal” ended so soon) — conducted “A close-out sale of all inventory” (online offerings of the remaining stock of original Gallery Mint Museum products, including many archived pieces). Interestingly, another company (headed by Mr. Sean Moffatt, who has extensive experience in the minting trade and was operations manager for the Hoffman Mint), would soon enter the picture in order to strike U.S. coin reproductions from the dies of the former Gallery Mint. According to a Press Release dated February 7th, 2008, “Moffatt & Co. Extreme Custom Minting of Eureka Springs, AR. has announced that they have reached a manufacturing agreement with Martin Roenigk of Eureka Springs, the new owner of the Gallery Mint’s dies used to produce the line of Gallery Mint US coin reproductions. Mr. Roenigk purchased the rights, dies, and most of the antique minting equipment from surviving Gallery Mint owner Ron Landis in early January. Mr. Roenigk, owner of the historic Crescent and Basin Park hotels in Eureka Springs and a well known area preservationist, purchased the dies and equipment to keep them from leaving Eureka Springs as there were other interested parties. ‘The numismatic art that was created by Gallery Mint is a very important part of the history of Eureka Springs and it would have been an unfortunate blow to the artistic legacy of the community to have these works of art taken and produced elsewhere,’ stated Mr. Roenigk. Plans are to one day open a historical mechanical museum type attraction in Eureka Springs. Moffatt & Co. will be providing technical support when this project is ready to launch. Through this exclusive agreement Moffatt & Co. will be producing most Gallery Mint products. This agreement will also allow Moffatt & Co. to utilize design elements of these classic US coin replicas so that professional numismatists, and numismatic clubs and organizations can also create custom coins and medals with these original Gallery Mint classic US coin designs. Moffatt & Co. partner Timothy Grat, who was Chief-Coiner with the Gallery Mint for 10 years [he also stayed on with Striker Token & Medal], will assure that all quality standards regarding materials and manufacturing instituted by Gallery Mint will be maintained, in addition to honoring the quantities of any previously released limited issues.”
One of the Gallery Mint's most interesting creations is a token referred to as a “Doe Dough” cent, made “after the founding of GMM in our early years, before the numismatic public was aware of us.” This promotional item, probably produced during the Mint's first full year of operation in 1993, was struck over uncirculated, pre-1982 copper Lincoln Cents. Most of these special pennies were distributed outside the numismatic community; they were given to patrons at the band's concerts as a “tip rebate” whenever someone tipped a dollar or more. In the words of Mr. Landis, “It was a great gimmick that really increased the hat when we played.” The obverse features back-to-back portraits from the waist up of the GMM founders, depicted as Ron Doe and Joe Doe, holding a mandolin and a guitar, above the Doe Brothers logo. The coin's traditional motto was changed to “IN C.O.D. WE TRUST”. The reverse was “overstruck” with a new design that closely resembles the underlying Lincoln Memorial outline: one of Eureka Springs' famous trolley cars — this mode of transportation is the primary means of providing tourists with access to the local attractions. The legend there is changed to “E STRINGUS BROKUN” and the denomination reads “DOE DOUGH/ONE CENT”. Similar cents also exist for 2 other area businesses, Roscoe's Music Store and The Leather Rose, and were intended to be used as trade tokens around Eureka Springs.
I obtained a silver version of the Doe Brothers' piece from the Gallery Mint Museum’s second Benefit Auction, which ended in December of 2005 (there was also a brass piedfort exemplar for sale). From the same sale, I obtained one of their brass 1995 “One Concept” Dollars, as well as a bi-metallic “Good For 30¢ in Trade at the Gallery Mint” token (made circa 2000) — the centerpiece is a 1794 Half Dime reproduction which has been encased in the trade token's copper outer ring. Afterwards, thanks to Mr. Michael L. Ellis (Vice-President of the GMM), I purchased a 1999 “Good For $5 in Trade” token and a pair of Royal Mint trade tokens ($1 and $2).
Additional information about the GMM can be garnered at the following site:
http://www.gmmnut.com/gmm.html
Much of the information I utilized for this listing also came from the March 4, 1897 issue of a weekly newspaper/magazine for boys and girls entitled The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It. A serious effort was made by Mr. George to treat the Republic's juvenile “citizens” as if they were adults; this included providing them with actual wages for the hard toil which was required of them. He believed that economics should not only be taught, but put into practice; the motto — Nothing Without Labor — became the Republic's fundamental and workable principle. The Republic adhered to this remarkable motto with utmost strictness, and nothing was given away. The children earned money by working daily from 8:30 until noon at farming, landscape gardening, furniture-making, carpentry, plumbing, printing, baking, cooking, millinery, laundry, sewing, and other domestic chores. They were paid on Saturdays according to their skill, and were divided into three grades: unskilled, medium, and skilled labor. They had to support themselves (board and lodging) from their earnings on a weekly basis (those who failed were jailed, and had to work the next day for the use of their cell). In order to earn higher wages, they were supposed to strive to improve in their chosen trade. There was even a bank in the city in which the financially thrifty could put away their savings. The boys and girls, divided into family groups, lived in cottages under the care of house-mothers. There was a strong religious influence, wholesome and non-sectarian. The children were encouraged to attend college after finishing preparatory school. In 1908, the average age of its “citizens” was 17; the proportion of males to females was originally small, but had gradually increased to about 90 boys and 70 girls. Since 1991, only boys have been enrolled there. In February of '08, the National Association of Junior Republics was formed, with Mr. George as its director. The aims of this federation were to build at least one Republic in each state (and in other countries as well), and to establish colonies for even younger kids (who would be sent to one of the existing Republics at age 15).
Several types of tokens (45 known varieties) circulated within this largely self-sustaining community; they are described in 2 Coin World articles (4/1/02, 7/19/04) penned by Mr. Eric von Klinger, who kindly sent me copies of both. “Almost from the start,” Mr. von Klinger writes, the patriarch “recognized the ‘republic’ would also need a currency in place of the bartering that initially went on. He first distributed cardboard chits of varied colors, with values written in ink.” In 1896, bracteate tin pieces were issued. Round aluminum pieces appeared in 1900, followed by octagonal aluminum pieces in 1907 and 1910. “The 1910 dies were officially altered to produce 1911 and 1912 issues. Paper scrip replaced the tokens in 1925. More refined brass tokens...with the portrait of George, were produced in 1946, but paper scrip was resumed in 1947.” From Mr. J. Bradley Herman (the Agency's Executive Director/Superintendent) and Mr. Scott A. Adams (their Business Manager), I obtained the 1946 50¢ and $1 pieces; on eBay, I purchased the 1896 10¢, the 1907 $1, and the '46 (actually undated) “One Cent” tokens.
During my research, I learned that the school in Chino Hills issued about 4 tokens. The one in Grove City issued about 3 varieties. All of these are quite scarce. I also exchanged some pleasant e-mails with Mrs. Hedy L. Barton, the Director of Development of the Connecticut Junior Republic (part of the George Junior Republic from 1904-15, but now a completely independent organization). She provided me with photocopied pages of Fifty Years of Self-Government, a compilation which details their history up until 1954. It briefly mentions that “In the latter part of 1914, token money stamped from aluminum was put into circulation at the Republic.” There were about 5 types and they are quite rare.
The National Junior Republic, located near Annapolis Junction, Maryland, also issued some tokens (two different sets of 6 denominations each). I obtained a 25¢ piece, dated 1899, from Mr. Oded Paz. The Journal Junior Republic, which was apparently located somewhere in Connecticut, also issued 4 different tokens. I purchased a 1¢ piece, dated 1898, on eBay. There was also a Ford Republic, in Farmington, Michigan, that issued about 12 different tokens.
Images of one of the Junior Republic’s tokens can be viewed at the site of Mr. Haseeb Naz’s private collection:
http://chiefacoins.com/Database/Micro-Nations/George_Junior_Republic.htm
BOYS TOWN: “Founded by Father Edward [J.] Flanagan in 1917, Boys Town has a [long] history of helping abused, abandoned and neglected children. What began as a small home for homeless boys has grown into a nationwide organization with sites in 14 states and the District of Columbia, providing more than 47,000 children each year with a safe, caring, loving environment where they gain confidence to get better.” Boys Town got started when Father Flanagan, “a Roman Catholic priest and Irish immigrant, knew that boys facing neglect, indifference and ignorance had bleak futures. In their desperation, they often turned to crime. He wanted to get the boys off the streets and away from crime. He borrowed $90 from a friend to open a home for wayward boys in downtown Omaha. On December 12, 1917, he opened Father Flanagan’s Boys’ Home. Five boys moved in the home in downtown Omaha. Immediately, boys began to come in off the street. Within two months, 25 boys were under Father Flanagan’s care. He believed that rehabilitation rather than incarceration; self-government; and alternative education would help boys be successful. Most importantly, he gave the boys generous amounts of love, care, patience and understanding. In 1921, Father Flanagan moved his boys to Overlook Farm west of Omaha.” In 1926, the first student government was instituted at the Home. The boys thereupon elected their first mayor and “voted to change the name from Father Flanagan’s Boys’ Home to Boys Town. In 1936, Boys Town became an incorporated village of the state of Nebraska. Today, Boys Town National Headquarters, also known as ‘Home Campus’, is located at the historic Village of Boys Town.” The institution stands as “a beacon of hope for America’s children and families through its life-changing youth care and health care programs across the United States…Through a continuum of family services, the nonprofit, nonsectarian organization provides the right services at the right time based on a child’s or family’s needs. Boys Town offers children and families services in their own homes, or, when necessary, family-like out-of-home services to children with special treatment needs. Boys Town works with communities and schools in order to meet the growing and more diverse needs of today’s children and families.” Father Flanagan's success with the boys in Omaha prompted a number of groups and governments worldwide to ask him to consult on programs for troubled children. Following up on one such request, Father Flanagan traveled to Berlin, Germany, where he suffered a heart attack and died in May 1948. Flanagan's body was buried at the Dowd Memorial Chapel on the Boys Town's main Omaha campus. A turning point occurred in 1979, when Boys Town also began accepting girls into its program for the first time. The institution has continued to evolve over the years, including a name change from “Boys Town” to “Girls and Boys Town”. On August 24th, 2000, about 1,000 young people at the institution's 18 sites from across the country voted to officially include girls in the title. Seven years later, the iconic home for wayward children dropped “Girls” from the name. Nevertheless, girls now make up half of its population. Boys Town (http://www.boystown.org/aboutus/index.asp) remains the nation’s largest privately funded organization serving severely at-risk children. Numismatically, there is a set of six brass tokens issued/used by the “Boys Town Student Bank”. They include the 5, 10, 25, 50 cents, 1 dollar, and 5 dollar pieces. According to Mr. Ronald Glowen, “Boystown is it's own community where the city officials are the students, elected by the students. They also had their own banking system.” The student banking system was established sometime after the 1926 name-change “so the students could be paid for their hard work and efforts, with a coin that could only be spent on campus, thus making sure it was spent wisely.” He later elaborated: “The students were paid an allowance for doing their regular chores and they also could work various jobs to earn extra money. Boystown wanted the students to learn how to handle money. I believe they came up with their own money because it was only good at Boystown. This reduced the temptation to leave the facility before you graduated.” Mr. Glowen is fairly certain that “the Student bank and its coin system was retired” in the early 1970s. “So somewhere between 1926 and 1972ish is approximately when those coins were used.”
According to their official Web-site (http://www.globalcountry.org/EasyWeb.asp?pcpid=60), Vishwa Shanti Rashtra — the Global Country of World Peace — was inaugurated by Maharishi (meaning “great sage”) Mahesh Yogi (“the greatest scientific genius in the field of consciousness, who has opened the gate of enlightenment to millions throughout the world”) on 7 October 2000 (according to the Saka calendar, Vijaya Dashami — an important annual Hindu festival that translates to “Victory on the Tenth Day”). This utopia-of-sorts was “created to establish global world peace by unifying all nations in happiness, prosperity, invincibility, and perfect health, while supporting the rich diversity of our world family. The establishment of the Global Country of World Peace is absolutely essential for the world today, when time demands the rise of a peaceful power on Earth with such global strength that destructive forces will vanish. The Global Country of World Peace will establish Heaven on Earth by raising the quality of life of every individual to complete fulfilment and affluence in enlightenment. The Global Country of World Peace will establish a Global Administration through Natural Law by enlivening the nourishing evolutionary power of Natural Law in the life of every individual and in the collective consciousness of the whole world…Maharishi’s Global Country of World Peace has sovereignty in the domain of consciousness, authority in the invincible power of Natural Law, and a parental role in the family of nations. The Global Country of World Peace will bring true sovereignty to every nation — by supporting every national constitution with the truly self-sufficient, invincible, and supreme level of the ever-nourishing authority of the Unified Field of Natural Law — the Veda and Vedic Literature — the Constitution of the Universe.”
The Global Country of World Peace has come about as the result of Maharishi’s Worldwide Movement, which was established in 1957. Nowadays, the organizations linked to this Movement, “with approximately 1200 teaching centres in about 120 countries, have a charitable non-profit status almost everywhere. The Movement offers a wide range of courses, services and programmes. Maharishi’s inspiring and scientifically-validated knowledge has brought leaders of many areas of society to introduce these programmes in their own countries. Maharishi’s name is used to identify the different programmes originating from this body of knowledge and scientific investigation.” On 12 October 2000, Maharishi crowned Professor Anthony Nader, M.D., Ph.D., as His Majesty Raja Nader Ram, First Sovereign Ruler of the Global Country of World Peace. It should be noted that in 1998, Professor Nader was awarded his weight in gold in honor of his historic discovery, under Maharishi’s guidance, of the eternal “Constitution of the Universe”. This award, from Maharishi Vedic University of Holland (I’ve also seen the institution in question referred to as the Maharishi University of Management), was bestowed in the presence of His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Professor Nader’s “supreme scientific discovery” reveals that our human physiology, emerging from the unbounded field of consciousness, is essentially cosmic; it is the seat of the totality of Natural Law; it is the throne of the “unified field” of all the laws of nature discovered by physics (which structures and governs the universe as a whole with perfect order). In short, the sun, moon, planets, and stars are the cosmic counterparts of the human physiology. Essentially, the Vedas and Vedic Literature — the structure and function of Natural Law — are at the basis of human physiology (the Vedas are sacred writings dating from about 1,000 B.C.). Through this discovery of the cosmic basis of physiology, the limitless potential of human life can become a living reality for everyone. In a practical way, this knowledge is purportedly available to mankind in the ancient/sacred Sanskrit texts, which, as the cognizant expression of the self-aware unfolding of consciousness into physiology (of consciousness into matter), is in itself the science and technology of Total Natural Law. Utilizing this elevated awareness, “it is possible to design policies and programs to bring fulfilment to the spirit of globalisation in the world”. Therefore, “The Global Country of World Peace aims at providing to the people and the governments of the world the benefit from this knowledge of total Natural Law…to bring the support of the infinite organizing power of Natural Law to the daily lives of the people and to national administrations everywhere, which are based on man-made constitutions and are therefore plagued by human weaknesses and failings.”
As for a brief bio of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (born Mahad Prasad Varma on 18 October 1911), he is a Hindu religious leader who began his spiritual career as a monk in India during the 1940s and 50s and later introduced the practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM) to the West (the TM technique is rooted in the Vedas and was transmitted over the centuries by many sages and philosophers). Though little is known about his early life, he graduated from Allahabad University in 1942 with a degree in physics. After working in a factory, he studied under Swami Brahmananda Saraswati Shankaracharya, whom he would call Guru Dev (“divine teacher”). Brahmananda, who was of the Indian school of religious thought known as Advaita Vedanta, is considered to be the founder of TM. Maharishi received training and encouragement from him for 13 years. After what is officially called a period of meditation in the Himalayas, he decided to develop a popular form of traditional Advaita Vedanta and yogic practices. When Guru Dev died in 1953, the Maharishi organized the movement to spread his master’s teachings throughout the globe. He believed that TM was a form of meditation that could be easily practiced by people in the modern world. Starting in the mid-50s (many sources specifically say 1955), he began teaching it in India (his first mission to Madras in southern India was met with little success) and in 1959 he made his first tour of the West. This included England (in London, he founded the Spiritual Regeneration Movement, whose goal was to change the world through the practice of TM) and the United States (the Americans, after all, are “the people who are in a habit of adopting things quickly”). The movement (it is based more on the practice of specific techniques of meditation than on a set of religious or philosophical beliefs) grew slowly until the late 1960s, when the Beatles announced in 1967 that they had spent some months at his International Academy of Meditation at Rishikesh in the Himalayan foothills. Afterwards, a decade of growth followed. Other actors, actresses, celebrities, athletes, and politicians began TM in the hope of benefiting from its claims for a life of “success without stress”. The early scientific claims, later mostly discounted as based on poorly controlled experiments, were presented to high school and college students through the Students' International Meditation Society, founded in 1966, with phenomenal success. In 1968, Maharishi announced that his ten-year period of public activity had ended, and the training of “TM technique Meditators” was entrusted to a staff of advanced teachers. After tax problems with the Indian government, the movement shifted its international headquarters from India — where it was never as popular as it was abroad. After locating in a number of countries, its international base was firmly established in Seelisberg, Switzerland. In 1971, the Maharishi University of Management (formerly known as Maharishi International University, it is a nationally accredited institution) opened in Los Angeles, and in 1974 it moved to the site of the former Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa (there are now literally countless Maharishi Vedic Universities/Colleges/Schools/Centers all across America). For a while, TM was very popular on college campuses. Though the attraction of students to TM dwindled in the mid 1970s, overall interest in its techniques surged amongst white-collar professionals. After all, TM promised “increased creativity and flexibility, increased productivity, improved job satisfaction, improved relations with supervisors and coworkers.” At the same time, the movement was organized on multinational corporate lines, and Maharishi began to adopt the life of a corporate executive with conferences, foreign travel, and chauffeured limousines. The movement announced a “World Plan” to change the world through the propagation and practice of TM, and in 1975 Maharishi announced that the “Age of Science” had risen to “The Age of Enlightenment”. Thus began the demonstration of the “full significance” of TM. Accepting the movement's claims that TM was non-religious and beneficial for reducing crime and drug use, a number of government agencies began efforts to involve TM. The U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare awarded the World Plan Council of the United States a $40,000 grant. TM's theoretical foundation, called “The Science of Being” and later “The Science of Creative Intelligence” (SCI — which seeks to integrate all knowledge), was adopted in 1975-1976 as the basis for an elective course in five New Jersey public high schools taught by World Plan trained teachers. But in 1977, a U.S. District Court declared TM/SCI religious, and an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals in 1978-1979 upheld that decision. In 1987, with funds from Maharishi, Canadian magician Doug Henning (a follower of TM) put his career on hold to begin the creation of Maharishi Veda Land, a $1.5 billion theme park to be built close to Niagara Falls, Ontario (a sister park in India was also planned). Thirty-three unusual rides, attractions (including an indoor water park) and exhibits would dramatize Veda Land's central theme — the mystery and beauty of nature. There would be a convention center, a university, an International Summit Conference Center, and a Tower of Peace, where world leaders could meet to settle disputes. A Magic Flying Carpet would carry 120 passengers onto a rose petal, plunge into its molecular and atomic structure, and then finally come to rest in the flower's “pure consciousness”. A Corridor of Time would display the history of the universe from the Big Bang to the far distant day when Shiva will dance the universe into oblivion. The Seven Steps to Enlightenment, a series of tiered pavilions, would lead park-goers toward full consciousness. A preventive-medicine center would sell herbal remedies. Hotels would serve vegetarian and health meals to visitors, and there would be a Heaven on Earth housing project with a thousand residential units. Unfortunately, the park never materialized. Doug Henning died in February 2000, but he earmarked much of his fortune to ensure that work would continue on his beloved amusement park. Despite over a decade of planning, Maharishi Veda Land seems still to exist largely on paper. In 1992, after many decades of providing individuals with a panoply of Vedic tools for self-transformation, Maharishi helped to create a full-fledged political entity called the Natural Law Party (NLP), which aimed to achieve world transformation and to fulfill his ambition of a modern-day Rama Rajya, which stands for the most exalted concept of an ideal utopian state. This reign of morality, truth, virtues, welfare and righteousness is based on the idyllic rule of Rama, who is one of the most widely worshipped Hindu deities. Rama, the seventh incarnation of the god Vishnu, was a legendary ruler from the ancient tradition of India (he reigned 1.7 million years ago, by some estimates!) in whose time it is said there was no poverty. It is entirely possible that he was an actual historical figure, perhaps a tribal hero of archaic India who was later deified. Rama, the central character/hero of the great Sanskrit epic poem Ramayana, was crowned as King and eventually became Emperor of the World, after which he reigned for eleven thousand years. This era of perfect happiness, peace, prosperity and justice is referred to as Rama Rajya. The Natural Law Party sponsored candidates in the United States, Great Britain, Canada, the Netherlands, and Australia (and was purportedly active in more than 70 other countries) and sought to combine practical politics with TM. However, in spite of purportedly having about 5 million voters worldwide, they experienced little electoral success. In 1992, physicist John S. Hagelin was a candidate of the NLP for U.S. president (Doug Henning, incidentally, was senior vice-president of the Canadian branch of the NLP; in 1992 he was the NLP candidate in England's general election, representing a residential section of Lancashire; he finished last among four candidates; in a 1994 Canadian election he was the party's candidate from Rosedale, where he and his wife Debbie lived; of 55,928 votes cast, he received 839). It looks like the movement’s world headquarters are now situated at the St. Ludwig monastery in Vlodrop (a Dutch village some 300 kilometers south of Amsterdam, near the German border). It was purchased in 1984 and the Maharishi has lived there since 1990. For years, his organization has been locked in a courtroom battle with preservationists who are trying to block him from demolishing the historic but derelict building (partly because it doesn't face due east). Maharishi wants to replace it with a lavish $50 million complex of buildings, ornamental gardens and lakes; but a group of villagers has managed to have the Franciscan monastery, built for German monks between 1904 and 1909, classified as a national monument effectively putting the Maharishi's plan on hold. In spite of these (and other) legal woes, the aging guru has continued to oversee his growing organization, with holdings in real estate, schools, and clinics reported to be worth nearly $3.5 billion in 1998. Internationally, TM has built up a following of several million practitioners. Many TMers are also believers of the “Maharishi Effect”. This “is the phenomenon of the rise of coherence in the collective consciousness of any community. Scientific research has clearly demonstrated that when one per cent of the population of a city or town practices Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation Programme, the crime rate significantly decreases. Similarly, when groups of individuals practicing Maharishi’s TM-Sidhi programme [an exotic form of TM] with Yogic Flying equal at least the square root of one per cent of a population, there is a significant reduction of crime and accidents, as well as an increase in stock prices, decreased pollution, decreased unemployment, and decreased hostilities between nations.” The Maharishi Effect can potentially create invincibility for every nation and all its citizens. “Invincibility not only describes the ability of a nation to maintain impregnability to its enemies — both within the nation and outside of it — it also describes a state in which every aspect of national life is in perfect balance. Invincibility is a state of fully integrated, perfectly coherent national consciousness, in which the inner depth of consciousness is integrated with the outer values of life.” Maharishi Mahesh Yogi passed away (from natural causes) on February 5, 2008.
According to TM-sanctioned texts, “His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is widely regarded as the foremost scientist in the field of consciousness, and is considered to be the greatest teacher in the world today. His knowledge (Vedic Science and Technology), which unfolds the full potential of Natural Law in human consciousness as the basis of improving all areas of life, is regarded as the most effective programme of human resource development. His technique of Transcendental Meditation is the most widely practised and extensively researched programme of self-development in the world. Hundreds of books have been published about Maharishi’s teachings. These have been translated into many languages and have been distributed globally.” The Indian mystic actively seeks “to create Heaven on Earth and perpetuate it for all generations to come.” As he stirringly stated in 1988, there will be “all good everywhere and nongood nowhere.” He “is a cosmic figure caring for the well-being of all mankind and establishing a system to perpetuate life according to Natural Law, the cherished ideal of every government…This is Maharishi in the world today, a quiet guardian of all nations. Through his brilliance in the field of knowledge and administration, every government now has the opportunity to actualise the supreme purpose of government.” Maharishi’s call to the nations of the world (in addition to his offer of a practical formula for every government in the world to gain the support of and to come in alliance with the government of nature — Nature’s Government — and to gain the ability to nourish everyone and satisfy everyone) “is so unique and unprecedented in the thousands of years of struggling history of governments that probably the political leadership of the world, working under stress and strain, could not believe that the support of Nature could be gained in a systematic, scientific manner by all. The relationship of the government of every country with the Global Country of World Peace will be so elevating and nourishing to every government in the world that every Head of State will enjoy the full support of Natural Law, and his government will enjoy the ability to prevent problems. Maharishi’s practical programme is to quietly establish life according to Natural Law without requiring change in any area of the existing administration, which is based on the national constitution of the country. This global initiative to irrevocably change the course of time in favour of peace and happiness for all mankind places Maharishi on a supremely exalted level of rulership, which far surpasses the wisdom or administrative skill of any sovereign ruler in the world that history has ever recorded. The establishment of the Global Country of World Peace will lead the administrative quality of every government in the direction of perfection so that every government functions on a par with the absolute administration of the universe, the government of nature, which is universally nourishing to all life.”
The Global Development Currency of the Global Country of World Peace, called the Raam, has been launched by a foundation called Maharishi Global Financing (The Treasury of the Global Country of World Peace). More specifically, this alternative currency was issued on 26 October 2001, once again on the auspicious occasion of Vijayaa Dashami (apparently, Victory Day does not fall on the same date every year). The currency was named for the mythic god-king Rama (written by the Global Country of Peace as Raam, but it is typically spelled Râm). While Europe was focused on the launch of the new Euro currency, Maharishi proclaimed the theme of 2002 to be the launch of a truly global currency — the Raam. Thus, he inaugurated ‘02 as the Year of Raam Mudra (mudra is the Sanskrit word for currency). For several years now,the Raam (brightly coloured paper notes in denominations of 1, 5, and 10) has been “in limited circulation in The Netherlands, side by side with the Euro. Since 16 October 2002, Dutch residents can obtain and exchange a special issue of the RAAM, (RAAM NL) at the Fortis Bank (Roermond Branch). The Fortis Group is amongst the 20 largest financial institutions in the world.” According to spokesman M. Bongaerts of Fortis Nederland, the bank only sells the notes in Roermond as a service to Maharishi, an important customer of Fortis. “The RAAM NL has a fixed exchange rate of 10 Euros for one Raam, and is already being used by a growing number of shops and businesses in the Netherlands.” In fact, according to BBC News Online, “more than 100 Dutch shops, some of them part of big department store chains, in 30 villages and cities have accepted the notes.” A spokesman for the Dutch central bank stated that “the Maharishi movement had done everything according to the law” and that the currency “has not violated Dutch law”. Nevertheless, the central bank decided on keeping a close eye on the currency because they don’t want the Raam to ever cause confusion for the public. “The raam can be used as long as the notes are not used as legal tender and it stays within a closed-off circuit of users,” the spokesman said. The banknotes (including a 1 Raam coin!) can be seen at http://www.globalcountry.org/EasyWeb.asp?pcpid=1520 and (including a 10 Raam coin!) http://tmbulletin.net/volume2/TMBulletinV2I04.htm. The images seem to be computer-generated as opposed to photographic, so I never suspected that the coin might actually exist. I merely figured that the notes (easier to produce and distribute) had taken precedence and that the coin was merely a conceptual piece that never got minted (more on this later…). Not only is the Raam legally circulating in Holland, but it has also been circulating as a private currency in the United States. On 24 February 2002, the foundation made a similar series of Raam notes available to Maharishi Vedic City in Iowa. “The RAAM is accepted as payment for goods and services at many locations in and around the City. The government of Vedic City exchanges RAAM for USD and USD for RAAM.” According to the Web-site (http://www.maharishivediccity.net/attractions/currency.html) of the Vedic City, “The City Council adopted Raam Mudra as the ideal local currency to support economic development in the city and development of local businesses and organizations wishing to accept that currency…There is a fixed exchange rate of one Raam for $10.” Unfortunately, the notes seem to be slow in being adopted by places outside Vedic City. The only exception is the town of Fairfield (about 3 kilometres away), where many TMers live. But even there, only a few businesses — run by TMers — and the Maharishi University of Management, use the Raam. No doubt much of the problem has to do with the wariness of non-TMers to accept the Raam as legal tender, despite the ability of anyone to change them into U.S. dollars at Vedic City’s City Hall. The First National Bank in Fairfield has even refused to deal in the currency. Apart from the notes themselves, Raam-based bonds are being offered in 35 U.S. states.
Apparently, the European version of the Raam (“A Global Development Currency for Unrestricted Development”) has experienced two incarnations; first as RAAM NL (the “pilot project”) and later as RAAM EUROPE. For each one of these, a separate Prospectus (detailing the availability and use of the currency) was published by the issuer of the Raam — the Stichting Maharishi Global Financing Research. This foundation (a stichting) was incorporated under Dutch law on 2 July 2001, with its corporate seat in the municipality of Roerdalen, the Netherlands. Its President is Dr. Benjamin Feldman Melo. “The Foundation was created to serve as the Treasury of the Global Country of World Peace as a result of a decree from His Majesty Raja Nader Raam, first ruler of the Global Country of World Peace.” More specifically, the Foundation came about due to an inspirational declaration from Professor Nader, requesting that His Excellency Dr. Feldman (who was appointed in October of 2000 as Minister of Finance and Planning of the Global Country of World Peace) issue a Global Development Currency. According to the Prospectus for the “Global Development Currency: RAAM” (16 October 2003), RAAM NL was offered only to people residing in the Netherlands. “On 15 May 2002, the auspicious day of lasting achievements — Akshaya Tritiya — according to the Vedic calendar, a meeting of the Board of Directors took place at Meru, 6063 NP, the Netherlands. The entire Board of Directors was present, including Dr Benjamin Feldman…After due deliberation, the Directors agreed unanimously that, in preparation for the possible use of RAAM by individuals, organizations and governments in different parts of the world, it would be advantageous to offer RAAM NL in the Netherlands and, subsequently, providing the information available in this prospectus, inspire a wider use of the RAAM worldwide.” According to the second Prospectus (14 November 2006), the scope of the currency became even broader with RAAM EUROPE, which was offered to people residing all across the European Union. “The issue of the RAAM Europe was approved at a meeting of the Board of Directors that took place at the campus of Maharishi European Research University (MERU), near Vlodrop, the Netherlands, on 1 November 2005. This was the auspicious day of Deepawali, which is the ‘Festival of Lights’ according to the Vedic calendar stemming from the Vedic tradition of knowledge, marking the different festivals and celebrations of different values of natural law throughout the year…Further details of the issue of RAAM Europe were approved at a meeting of the Board of Directors that took place on 3 April 2006.” Though the wording in each Prospectus is a bit different, each one basically declares that all “proceeds will be used by the Foundation, as ‘treasury of the global country of world peace’, to finance its activities in a global programme (the ‘Programme’), in accordance with the object clause of the Foundation, aimed at promoting affluence and world peace.” Upon the exchange of both types of Raam, the revenue-generating “activities of the Programme are expected to bring income in hard currencies that will be available to meet the Foundation’s obligation”. Based on details from both prospectuses, each type of Raam was issued “within the framework of the Programme, which has the goal of a) reducing poverty in the world through the cultivation of organic agriculture, b) building Peace Palaces in 3,000 [later upped to 5,000 in the 2nd Prospectus] cities of the world…, c) training groups of peace-creating experts in these 3,000 [or 5,000] cities, as well as one large group of 40,000 [later altered to ‘several groups of 8,000’] peace-creating experts in India and d) bringing together individual chambers of agriculture, industry and commerce in cities and countries throughout the world in a global chamber of commerce in order to increase unity through economic development, in spite of political differences, and ensure profits through risk-free investments (the ‘Global Chamber of Commerce’) [the final goal, in the ’06 Prospectus, was completely altered to: ‘d) inspiring the issue of RAAM as a Global Development Currency for development projects, especially in developing countries.’].”
In March of 2004, Dr. Feldman announced that the Raam was being “backed by gold”. The Foundation envisions that the issue of RAAM NL/RAAM EUROPE “will serve as an inspirational example for other countries to use the RAAM in the financing of poverty-removal and peace-creating projects by the Foundation.” In fact, the Foundation is “promoting the use of a generic RAAM as a catalyst of development in” third-world nations worldwide. The Maharishi wants to use the currency to supply those countries with a strong inflation-resistant currency. It will serve as a “catalyst currency” to initiate agricultural and other development projects worldwide (particularly the 40 poorest countries) and will soon circulate on every continent. It is being offered to governments, chambers of commerce, farmers’ associations, other development agencies, and even creative young entrepreneurs as a “catalytic currency” that will circulate for a limited time in order to finance start-up costs for any worthwhile project which helps harness the full agricultural, economic and human resources of every nation. The Foundation expects that the issuance of the gold-backed development currency “will help inspire the use of RAAM as the Global Development Currency next to the local currency in developing countries”. They hope to make the Raam available to any city or country that will welcome it as an alternative currency. The Raam “will be issued with the consent of the relevant authorities in those countries.” It will be in complete conformity with all the applicable rules and regulations of those governments. Besides the previously mentioned paper notes, I’ve seen images of Canadian ones as well.
The Foundation feels “that the final goal of living together in groups of nations can only be achieved on the level of global unification, where each nation is a unit of wholeness, a unit of totality.” Though it is true that many nations have searched for relief through association with other nations (and these efforts have sustained the rise of groups with common values), “the grand reality of unification will only be achieved when individual aspirations rise above competition with each other; and this will be possible and permanent only when every unit of a united world is fully satisfied and is invincible in its own right, when every nation is competent to achieve its desire, freely and unimpinged by other fellow nations, including living a life that is self-sufficient and free from poverty. Until then, the fanciful dream of globalisation will never be a lasting reality in the world of differences.” Therefore, to rid each nation of its economic plight, the Foundation wishes to accelerate the fulfillment of the grand spirit of globalization offered by the Global Country of World Peace. Because they are “very uncomfortable with the present economic plight of the developing countries, our planning has evolved the new principle of a developing currency, and has opened the treasury of the Finance Ministry of the Global Country of World Peace to provide financing for all development projects everywhere”. The Foundation, in the capacity of Treasury of the Global Country of World Peace, “is focused on programmes that aim at fulfilling the financing requirements of developing countries, restoring the dignity of sovereignty of every nation, promoting a balanced state of world economy, alleviating poverty and ushering in a new world order of affluence and peace through the use of RAAM.” Ultimately, “The concept of a development currency on a global level allows development to be free from barriers, boundaries, and all kinds of limitations. It was created in order to provide financing for all development projects of developing countries with a most generous parental and compassionate policy of a loving, friendly relationship where one enjoys helping the other.”
As for the mysterious Raam coin (or coins), I’ve already mentioned the realistic looking “illustrations” that I encountered on the Internet. Now comes the interesting part. Many months after becoming initially aware of the possible existence of a coin, which is referred to as the Golden Raam, I was conducting some additional research and stumbled upon the ‘03 Prospectus. I realized that, hidden deep in the text, it made a single easy-to-miss mention of the coin. It specifically states that “Two minting presses have been acquired and the first batch of approximately 175,000 RAAM in coins has been produced.” I then decided to pursue the matter and try to get in touch with someone (anyone!) from the Global Country of Peace. After a couple of attempts, I was successful in contacting Dr. Benjamin Feldman's Office. From them, not only did I ascertain that a coin actually existed, but I was also able to obtain one as a gift. They informed me: “Please note that the coin is for commemorative use and is not used as a currency (as opposed to the RAAM notes).” The coin in question bears a denomination of 10 Raam (though I am not completely sure, I doubt that a 1 Raam coin exists). All the imagery and text on this gorgeous coin comes directly from the paper notes. Along with featuring the name of Lord/King “Raam” in 18 different languages/scripts, the obverse depicts an image of this religious hero (his likeness is being used in order to represent the kind of affluence/prosperity that should come with the use of the Raam); there is also the name Vishwa Shanti Rashtra (Global Country of World Peace) accompanied by the Hindi phrase Raja Râm — Râm Brahma Parmartha Rupa, which loosely translates to: “King Rama — Rama the form of the absolute soul.” Along with the denomination, the reverse depicts a huge Kalpavruksha (wish-fulfilling) tree and a Kamadhenu (divine Cow of Plenty) standing underneath its mythical boughs; this side also bears some additional text: “Raam Raja Mudra” (King Rama Currency) and “Vijaya Dashami/October 2001” (this clearly refers to the specific date that the Global Development Currency was officially issued for the first time, not the year in which the coin itself was minted). Additional images of the banknotes and 10 Raam coin of the Global Country of Peace can be viewed at: http://numismondo.com/pm/gcp/.Return to the Main Index