NNP

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

In 1992 the ANA launched a series of two-minute radio spots, Money Talks, which were offered at no cost to radio stations throughout the country. Several hundred outlets picked up the daily segments, and frequent authors included David Vagi, Gerald Tebben, Scott Rottinghaus, Bill Jones, Mark Van Winkle, Kerry Wetterstrom, and many other familiar names. The January 18, 1993 episode featured a piece on Martin Luther King, Jr. written by Ralph Ross, today the ANA President. Ross noted that numismatic tributes to King were few, and that the U.S. Mint had not released any medals or coins related to King.

On May 4, 1968, shortly after the assassination of King, the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Robert A. Wallace, addressed the New York Numismatic Convention. He spoke in favor of a gold medal honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., and these remarks were captured in a U.S. Treasury press release. Despite the good intentions, a congressional medal was not presented to the King family until 2014, under public law 108–368, which awarded a gold medal to Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King. This gold medal today resides in the National Museum of African American History Culture, gifted by the King family in 2014. The medal depicts Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King and remains available from the Mint in small (1.5”, $20) and large (3”, $160) bronze formats.

Link to ANA Money Talks for January 18, 1993, written by Ralph Ross: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/621997
Link to ANA Money Talks (1992-1993): https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/multimediadetail/548250
Link to U.S. Treasury Press Releases: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/publisherdetail/543206
Link to Smithsonian catalog record for the Congressional Gold Medal for Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King: https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2014.135abc

The 2022 fiscal year (October 1, 2021 – September 3, 2022) annual report of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee was recently issued, and the greatly expanded format, initiated in 2020, once again gives a full picture of this organization that helps guide the artistic direction of the U.S. Mint. Meetings and candidate designs are thoroughly detailed, in addition to useful appendices that provide committee minutes, committee member bios, and a historical census of the membership. These reports will be an invaluable guide to numismatic historians of the future seeking insights into the development of today’s Mint products. Such information is often challenging to extract from 19th and 20th century archives, and the CCAC is to be acknowledged for carefully documenting their work in this area.

Link to CCAC Home Page: https://www.ccac.gov/
Link to CCAC Annual Reports on Newman Portal: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/publisherdetail/511734

Courtesy of Neal Musante, a number of issues of the Granite State Philatelist have been added to Newman Portal. Although primarily philatelic, the masthead proclaimed a devotion to “Stamps, Coins and Curiosities.” In addition to covering stamps, the publisher John H. Hubbard issued a numismatic “prices paid for” list and solicited rare coins from the public. Hubbard further carried numismatic auction announcements and reported sale results.

Produced in Laconia, NH, Hubbard notes in the September 1883 issue that the coin dealer Lyman Low of New York would accept subscriptions to the Granite State Philatelist at his 838 Broadway storefront. This suggests some cooperative relationship between Low and Hubbard, who Low probably did not perceive as much of a competitive threat. W. F. Greaney, a San Francisco dealer, advertised with Hubbard, which was perhaps the cheapest way of promoting a west coast numismatic enterprise on the eastern seaboard. 

The publication was short lived; Remy Bourne’s American Numismatic Periodicals 1860-1960 notes 26 issues in 3 volumes, 1882-1884.


Link to the Granite State Philatelist: https://archive.org/details/newmannumismatic?query=granite+state+philatelist&sort=-publicdate

The Judd reference on U.S. patterns, United States Pattern Coins, is well-known and currently in its 10th edition. Saul Teichman is a longstanding contributor to this Whitman Publications reference, which is currently authored by Q. David Bowers. Teichman has now released over 200 photo sets that depict and trace the rarest examples in the series. This extensive effort includes hundred of pedigrees and will serve as an indispensable companion to the Judd volume. Internet presentation is a natural format for works of this nature, which are otherwise impractical for print production. Representing thousands of hours of research from a careful and detail-oriented observer, collectors and cataloguers of the pattern series will no doubt frequently access this new and valuable resource.

Link to Judd Pattern Photo Sets on NNP: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/archivedetail/548148
Link to United States Pattern Coins at Whitman Publishing: https://whitman.com/united-states-pattern-coins-10th-edition/

Newman Portal welcomes World Banknote Auctions as a contributor to NNP. Per the company website, “World Banknote Auctions was founded by Dennis Hengeveld and is the only auction company in the United States solely dedicated to world paper money.” One of the highlights of the El Central Real collection sale, closing December 13, is this 1879 Peruvian 500-soles note. Hengeveld writes “This is the highest denomination issued in the 1879 series of the Republica del Peru, which was denominated in Soles. The number of pieces printed of this denomination was minimal compared to the lower denominations, with a total of 44,000 pieces believed issued. This note represented quite a large sum of money at the time of issue, and most were redeemed, with surviving examples rare.”

Link to World Banknote Auctions catalogs on Newman Portal: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/auctioncompanydetail/514488
Link to World Banknote Auctions website: https://www.worldbanknoteauctions.com/

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.

Newman Portal has scanned the presented papers of the Western Pennsylvania Numismatic Society (WPNS), beginning with the year 1937. Many of these were published nowhere else, and a large number of topics are covered. Sample subjects from the first volume include European cathedral medals, Bryan money, Continental currency, and Washington medals. The accumulation of member papers was unusual for most coin clubs during this period and speaks to the level of numismatic practice operative in the WPNS.

Link to Western Pennsylvania Numismatic Society papers on Newman Portal: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/archivedetail/547894