AOCS Mint, Frisco TX Overview
AOCS Mint, Frisco TX, was the trade name the American Open Currency Standard used to issue and sell bullion rounds. AOCS was founded by Robert J. “Bobby” Gray, also known as Rob Gray, to promote gold, silver and copper as private, voluntary money. Despite the name, AOCS never operated a minting facility. Every round sold under the AOCS Mint name was struck under contract by a third-party mint. AOCS set the designs, the branding and the quality standard.
AOCS Mint filled three roles:
- Issuer. AOCS released its own house designs under its own name, among them John Galt, Continental Congress, Unite or Die and Barter is Better. Gray also signed certificates as AOCS Executive Director for Silver Bullet Silver Shield issues such as Free Reign.
- Distributor. Through aocsmint.com, AOCS sold rounds for affiliated programs, including the Republic of Texas, Andrew Jackson, Lakota and Bitcoin programs.
- Steward of the standard. Rounds struck to AOCS specifications carried the “AOCS Approved” mark, whoever issued them. See the AOCS Approved Collection for the full list.
From about 2009 through at least 2018, the program spanned silver, copper and gold issues supporting Austrian economics, sound money and voluntary exchange.
AOCS Mint, Frisco TX Parent Organization
AOCS Mint was the bullion arm of the American Open Currency Standard, a movement founded by Gray to promote gold, silver and copper as voluntary, honest money. AOCS coordinated a nationwide network of more than twenty affiliated currency programs. Only some of them issued bullion through AOCS Mint. See the AOCS Collection page for the complete list of AOCS Approved rounds.
AOCS Mint, Frisco TX Manufacturing Partners
Because AOCS Mint was not a manufacturer, every round sold under the name was struck by a contract mint. On Texas Stacker coin entries, AOCS Mint appears as Issuer or Distributor, never as Mint. The Mint field names the contract mint when it is known, and reads Unknown when it is not. Current research identifies these production partners:
| Period | Partner | Status |
|---|---|---|
| c. 2009–2016 | Osborne Coinage | Attributed |
| c. 2009–2011 | North American Mint | Documented |
| c. 2011–2012 | The Old Glory Mint | Documented |
| 2012–2013 | Mulligan Mint | Documented through Sept. 2013 |
| 2014 – ? | Unknown Contract Mint(s) | Pending |
| Date uncertain | Unknown Contract Mint | Pending |
Osborne Coinage (Cincinnati, OH) — c. 2009–2010
Status: Attributed, unconfirmed by contemporaneous source
A 2021+ self-published “About” page from the d’Anconia Copper/Patriot Coins operation (Rearden Metals family, understood to be a later Rob Gray venture) says Osborne Coinage struck the first production run of the 2009 d’Anconia Copper design, alongside Bud’s Gun Shop rounds and the Community Dollar. Osborne Coinage is a legitimate, long-established private mint (est. 1835, Cincinnati, OH) with no documented operational connection to Gray’s later ventures. No contemporaneous (2009–2010) source has been found corroborating this attribution, so it is treated as a possible AOCS contract mint pending independent confirmation.
A second, independent instance supports Osborne Coinage as an AOCS contract manufacturer. Dealer documentation for the 2016 Bitcoin Proof AOCS Approved Silver Round (MJB/Michael Bruce design) credits Osborne Coinage with striking that round. It is a different product, year and source than the 2009–10 d’Anconia Copper claim. It does not confirm the 2009–10 attribution specifically, but it supports Osborne Coinage as a recurring AOCS-affiliated manufacturer rather than a one-off unverified claim.
North American Mint (Rochester, NY) — c. 2009–2011
Status: Documented
Archived AOCS Mint material places the early minting operation in Rochester, New York, with in-house design and minting capabilities. This matches the North American Mint and supports it as the maker of early AOCS Mint production.
The Old Glory Mint — c. 2011–2012
Status: Documented
The Old Glory Mint struck for the AOCS program before Mulligan Mint. Mulligan Mint later acquired Old Glory’s customer list and dies. Some accounts say it acquired Old Glory’s coining presses and equipment as well. The Silver Shield Guide (2021) credits Old Glory with striking the first 120 Debt & Death rounds of the Silver Bullet Silver Shield series. Other Old Glory issues remain under investigation.
Mulligan Mint (Dallas, TX) — 2012–2013
Status: Documented through September 2013; post-filing status unconfirmed
Mulligan Mint became the principal manufacturing partner for the later AOCS Mint program. It produced documented issues for AOCS, Republic of Texas, Andrew Jackson, Lakota and the 2012–2013 Silver Bullet Silver Shield releases.
MJB Monetary Metals Bitcoin copper rounds (Michael Bruce design) are linked to Mulligan Mint by dealer listings and by Mulligan Mint’s own program list, which includes Bitcoin. One collector account attributes the earlier MJB copper design to Central Metals Corp (CMC), with only the later circuit-board design struck at Mulligan Mint. See the AOCS Bitcoin Collection.
Mulligan Mint filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy (reorganization, not liquidation) in September 2013, and litigation over the estate continued at least through August 2014. Whether Mulligan Mint kept up physical production during this period, or when production stopped, has not been independently confirmed. The relaunched SBSS site (silverbulletsilvershield.com) still listed Mulligan Mint as a connected entity as of March 2014.
Unknown Contract Mint(s), including the SBSS Relaunch / ARISE Collection — 2014 – ?
Status: Pending additional research
After the Gray/Duane split, Gray relaunched silverbulletsilvershield.com on AOCS’s own hosting infrastructure (opencurrency.com). He released new AOCS-affiliated SBSS designs as “The ARISE Collection,” including Decentralized Currency. No manufacturer has been identified for this 2014 output. It is not confirmed to be Mulligan Mint, Golden State Mint or any other documented partner.
Unknown Contract Mint — Date Uncertain
Status: Pending additional research
Some AOCS Approved issues cannot yet be attributed to a documented manufacturer. This category holds issues awaiting conclusive physical or documentary evidence.
AOCS Mint, Frisco TX Evolution
Archived websites document how the AOCS branding evolved.
- 2009: Early AOCS Approved products entered the market. One documented John Galt reverse variety carries the LIBRECOINS.COM inscription.
- March 2010: The John Galt product line was marketed directly under the American Open Currency Standard.
- June 2010: The organization adopted the shorter AOCS identity.
- 2011–2013: AOCS Mint became the primary public-facing brand, issuing and selling rounds while contract mints did the striking.
- 2013: The Silver Bullet Silver Shield partnership between Rob Gray and Chris Duane split, and the split was public by May 2013. For a time both men issued SBSS-branded rounds. Gray’s carry “AOCS Approved.” Duane’s were struck by Golden State Mint (Sanford, FL) and carry a small “CD” on the reverse. Duane moved to the “Silver Shield” name by 2014.
- 2014: Gray relaunched silverbulletsilvershield.com on AOCS’s own infrastructure (opencurrency.com) by June 2014 and marketed the new output as “The ARISE Collection.” The relaunch site described SBSS as belonging to “a passionate group of collectors, customers, authorized dealers, and interested parties” rather than any one individual. Its 2014 copyright notice said it operated “in association with the Open Currency Standard.”
AOCS Mint, Frisco TX Notes
- “AOCS Mint” was a trade name. AOCS issued, distributed and set the standard, but never operated a physical mint.
- North American Mint and Mulligan Mint are documented production partners. The Old Glory Mint is documented through its sale of list and dies to Mulligan. Osborne Coinage is attributed, not confirmed. Some early issues remain unattributed.
- Silver Bullet Silver Shield is a collection, not an issuer. For how SBSS rounds are attributed, including the “AOCS Approved” and “CD” marks, see the Silver Bullet Silver Shield collection page.
AOCS Mint, Frisco TX References
- Archived American Open Currency Standard websites (2009–2014); see American Open Currency Standard
- Archived AOCS Mint webpages
- Mulligan Mint documentation
- North American Mint / AOCS Mint archived material
- Wayback Machine, silverbulletsilvershield.com “About Us” and “History 2012–2013” pages (2014 captures)
- Wayback Machine, opencurrency.com/wp-signup.php SBSS subsite provisioning (June 2014 capture)
- The Survival Podcast, “Silver Bullet Silver Shield to Relaunch” (2013)
- Silver Stackers forum, “SBSS Final Mintage” and “SBSS Freedom Girl Revealed” threads (2014)
- J.E. Gazdewich, The Silver Shield Guide (2021)
- Wall Street Journal Bankruptcy Beat / The E-Sylum, Mulligan Mint Chapter 11 filing coverage (September 2013)
- Mulligan Mint Inc. v. Republic Metals Corp., U.S. District Court, N.D. Tex. (appeal decision, August 2014)
- danconiacu.com “About” page (Wayback Machine, January 2022 capture): Osborne Coinage production claim
- WorthPoint, “2012 MJB Monetary Metals Copper Bitcoin Art Round / AOCS Approved / ANACS Graded” (sold listing)
- Bitcointalk forum, “MJB Monetary Metals coins” thread (May 2024): collector attribution of early MJB copper rounds to Central Metals Corp (CMC) and the later circuit-board design to Mulligan Mint
- AOCS Bitcoin Collection, Texas Stacker collection page
- Texas Stacker Archives
Coins from AOCS Mint (Frisco, TX) (18)
