Newman Portal Incorporates Mint Director’s Account Book, 1855-1868

While many archival documents from the U.S. Mint reside in the National Archives, there are also discoveries to be made in institutional and private collections. Craig Sholley recently scanned and shared with Newman Portal a 19th century Mint document from the Fred Weinberg library. “Simple Orders” is a 36-page document detailing miscellaneous charges approved by the Mint Director from 1855 to 1868. Some of the purchases represent daily necessities (charcoal, muslin, paper), while others open the door for more involved research. In March 1860, for example, the Mint purchased from J. J. C. Smith “the right to use his patent, for impressing dies in bell-metal.” One also sees purchases for aluminum, a metal with which the Mint was experimenting in this era.  In 1867, the Mint orders eight date punches for the year 1868 from S. Adamson – and multiple orders from Adamson suggest he may have been the sole source for date punches at this time. Many thanks to Fred Weinberg and Craig Sholley for making this document available to the wider research community.Link to “Simple Orders” on Newman Portal: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/533461