{"title":"Robert D. Leonard Jr.","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"forgotten-colorado-silver-joseph-leshers-defiant-coins-hardcover","title":"Forgotten Colorado Silver: Joseph Lesher's Defiant Coins - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eAt the turn of the last century, miner Joseph Lesher attempted to raise the price of silver by privately minting octagonal \"Referendum souvenir medal\" coins with values of $1.25 or $1. They were common in Victor, Cripple Creek, Denver and other places in Colorado in the days after William Jennings Bryan fought unsuccessfully for free silver. Surviving an initial dust-up with the Secret Service, Lesher found a loophole to place them in circulation in 1900 and 1901. Today, coin collectors pay more than $1,000 for one. This is the story of Joseph Lesher and his audacious private mint, along with the merchants in the mining towns and elsewhere who supported him.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67923557122271,"sku":"9781540217158","price":34.54,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/YMIg9DS2Oj9781540217158.webp?v=1791186672"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/robert-d-leonard-jr.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}