NNP

Video from the recent Newman Portal Symposium, held November 17-19, 2022 is now available. The Newman Portal Symposium brings together speakers on a wide variety of numismatic topics, including U.S., world, and ancient numismatics. Our feature presentation examined U.S. coins in the collection of the American Numismatic Society (ANS), which included comments from the ANS Resolute Americana chair of American numismatics, Jesse Kraft. Our next Symposium will be held in spring 2023, in conjunction with the Central States Numismatic Society convention.

Videos from all Newman Portal Symposia are posted at https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/multimediadetail/539070.

In June, 2022 we mounted a World War II exhibit at Washington University’s Olin Library, Stories from World War II, focusing on the letters of Walter M. Goldschmidt, a German-born American who served under the Allies. Included in the exhibit was a selection of World War II concentration and internment camp money, loaned by Steve & Ray Feller, and a number of war bonds from the collection of Joe Boling. This material is now imaged and viewable on Newman Portal. Newman Portal acknowledges Steve & Ray Feller and Joe Boling for their contributions to this exhibit. 

Link to World War II: Internment and Concentration Camp Money image collection on Newman Portal: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/imagecollection/517446
Link to World War II: War Bonds image collection on Newman Portal: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/imagecollection/517497
Link to “Washington University Stories from WWII” (E-Sylum, June 26, 2022): https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/club_nbs_esylum_v25n26.html#article6

The Sotheby’s auction sale catalog series is one of the most extensive in numismatics, with examples dated from 1795 to the present day. In cooperation with the American Numismatic Society, Newman Portal has scanned 1,047 of these catalogs, covering through the year 1923. Newman Portal user Rob Potter (UK) recently wrote us about the Sotheby’s June 11, 1827 catalog: “It is amazing that you have this and have published it for all to see. I've been researching the life (or rather the death) of Rev. William Brown, whose property this was.” 

Rev. William Brown (c. 1755-1826) was rector at St. John the Baptist, Saxmundham, Suffolk, from 1798-1826, with his death apparently caused by a horse fall. Oral tradition in the family holds that William’s son later fell in love with a servant and was forced to move to America in light of the scandal. Potter also located a separate sale of Rev. Brown’s numismatic books, conducted by “Mr. Cana” in 1827. This included well-known works such as Folke’s Tables of English Gold and Silver Coins (1745) and Evelyn’s Discourse of Ancient and Modern Medals (1697). 

Link to Sotheby’s June 11, 1827 catalog of the Rev. William Brown collection: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/auctionlots?AucCoId=511728&AuctionId=523416
Link to Cana’s catalog of the Rev. Wiliam Brown library: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/auctionlots?AucCoId=514539&AuctionId=537897
Link to Rob Potter’s biographical note on Rev William Brown: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/622048
Link to Sotheby’s auction sale catalogs on NNP: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/auctioncompanydetail/511728