Spider Press Dates from Lincoln Administration
Mike Beck of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing Operates the Spider Press
When Mike Beck prints the Abraham Lincoln intaglio card today at the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo today, he will be using (and demonstrating) a spider press that dates to the Lincoln Administration.
But what’s even more amazing is the press, Number 100, is the same one he uses every day to print proofs of modern U.S. currency and special proclomations at his job at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
“A lot of what we print has historical significance, so it makes sense that we would be working on a press that itself is a bit of history” Mr. Beck said.
The BEP will also offer demonstrations of engraving and examination of muliated currency throughout the day today. And, just a few feet away from Beck’s spider press, you can examine more than $1 Billion in U.S. currency.
It’s all part of the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Baltimore Expo at the Baltimore Convention Center, through tomorrow, Saturday, March 28
