Newman Portal Adds the New England Numismatic Association (NENA) News

The NENA News, a publication of the New England Numismatic Association, has been added to the Newman Portal for the years 1949-2013. Current issues include coverage of local coin conventions, club news, dealer ads, and feature articles. These local publications often contain information found nowhere else – in this particular case one immediately notices in recent issues advertisements for NENA medals, indispensable information for the eventual cataloguer of the series. A random search of earlier issues uncovers interesting tidbits, such as this item from the March 1949 issue, by Maurice Gould (NENA President and ANA Governor): “I recently picked up an 1861 half-dollar which was beautifully engraved ‘Taken from the ruins of the Masonic Temple, April 6,1865’ and on the reverse is engraved ’’Boston Encampment K.T.’ and the name of the party to whom it was issued. I dropped into the Masonic Museum, which is on the second floor of the Masonic Temple in Boston, and the Curator told me that they had four or five of these pieces in the Museum, which he showed me. These were donated by one of the members in Boston. The half-dollars are all dated 1865. and are in very fine to uncirculated condition. The Masonic Temple of Boston was destroyed by fire on April 6, 1864. Some U.S. half-dollars were found in the ruins of the fire and were engraved and issued as souvenirs by the Boston Encampment, Knights Templars, to some of its members whose names appear on the various coins.”Newman Portal acknowledges NENA Vice President Yale Lansky for his assistance with this project.Link to NENA News on Newman Portal: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/publisherdetail/529533Link to American Numismatic Biographies entry on Maurice Gould on Newman Portal: https://nnp.wustl.edu/Library/PersonDetail/848