Minting of Anniversary Coin Becomes a Family Affair

To celebrate Ojai’s 75th birthday on Aug. 5, the city plans to hang anniversary banners from the Arcade. But the banners won’t last a fraction as long as an anniversary coin being minted by local resident Colleen McDougal.

“A thousand years from now, when they are sifting through the ruins of the Ojai Valley, they may just find my coin,” said McDougal, 43. “They’re still finding coins from ancient Egypt.”

A thousand years may be a bit optimistic, but there certainly are plenty of the city’s 50th anniversary coins still around. They were created by McDougal’s father, Carl, who taught her the craft.

When city residents approached the master tool and die maker about making another coin, Carl decided it was time to pass the torch.

“He said, ‘It’s your turn,’ ” McDougal said. “I know I’m ready because I’ve had one of the best teachers in the world.”

Colleen McDougal learned her trade at an early age.

“I started hanging around the workshop when I was her age,” McDougal said, pointing to her 6-year-old daughter, Michele. “Maybe she’ll be the next. She might just strike the 100th anniversary coin.”

The silver-dollar-sized medallion, for which McDougal is still preparing the needed steel die, will be made of an ounce of either sterling silver or 14-karat gold, costing either $32.50 or $400. The front of the coin will depict McDougal’s favorite Ojai panorama--a view of downtown, which includes the post office tower, the Arcade and the Topa Topa Ridge off in the distance.

“If you stand in the middle of Ojai Avenue in front of our library on a clear day in spring, you’ll know what the coin will look like,” she said.

The reverse side depicts an oak branch and an orange branch, as well as a diamond to designate the city’s 75th anniversary.

City officials said the coin highlights the pride residents take in their city.

“It deepens our sense that Ojai is a special place with a unique character and history,” City Manager Andy Belknap said.

The 50th anniversary coin made by Carl McDougal depicted the post office tower and the Libbey Park band shell--complete with orchestra.

The coin-making process is an exacting one.

First, the younger McDougal had to decide what to put on the coin. Then she carved the design into a plastic template by hand, before transferring it to a steel die. More details, such as leaves and grassy hillsides, are then added by hand. Then the die is heated to 1,550 degrees Fahrenheit to harden and then quenched slowly in oil.

The gold or silver is then placed between two dies and it is placed beneath a 150-pound hammer press that smashes the imprint onto the metal.

It’s an age-old process--the hammer press being used is from 1880--but one that is slowly diminishing.

“It’s a dying trade,” McDougal said. “But we still do things by hand that can’t be done with a computer.”