NNP Blog

4 DECEMBER 2021

Coinage of 1888 Designed to Avoid Speculation

Recently added to Newman Portal is correspondence from the National Archives that reveals the rationale behind certain of the 1888 U.S. coinage. James Kimball, Mint Director, writes to Philadelphia Mint Superintendent Daniel M. Fox, ordering the additional coinage of 10,000 one-dollar gold pieces...

Read more...

4 DECEMBER 2021

NNP Symposium, March 19-21, 2021

The NNP Symposium returns March 19-21, with a broad array of presentations. This is a free, three-day online event featuring some of the most compelling personalities in numismatics. Of particular interest to NBS members will be Kellen Hoard’s presentation “Building Your Numismatic Reference Libr...

Read more...

4 DECEMBER 2021

Crispus Attucks in Nummis

Crispus Attucks (c. 1723-1770), per Wikipedia, is “widely regarded as the first person killed in the Boston Massacre and thus the first American killed in the American Revolution. Historians disagree on whether he was a free man or an escaped slave, but most agree that he was of Natick and Africa...

Read more...

4 DECEMBER 2021

Thomas Jefferson Coin Collection

Readers are likely familiar with the George Washington numismatic collection, which notably contained an 11-piece silver Comitia America medal set (now at the Massachusetts Historical Society), in addition to the massive gold example of the Washington Before Boston medal, today at the Boston Publ...

Read more...

4 DECEMBER 2021

Conder Token Journals on Newman Portal

Conder Tokens, also known as 18th Century Provincial Tokens, are a form of privately minted token coinage struck and used during the latter part of the 18th Century and the early part of the 19th Century in England, Anglesey and Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. The Conder Token Collector’s Club (CTC...

Read more...

4 DECEMBER 2021

Newman Portal Scans Numismatic News

With the assistance of Cliff Mishler and George Cuhaj, Newman Portal is continuing to scan Numismatic News (1952-date). The reference set of this periodical is held by the Iola (WI) Historical Society, which has kindly loaned the run for scanning and permitted Newman Portal to unbind the volumes ...

Read more...

4 DECEMBER 2021

Alexandre Vattemare Addenda Rediscovered

Wayne Homren recently purchased a DVD compilation of public domain works on numismatics. The description of this offering included a work on American numismatics by Alexandre Vattemare, dated 1864. Vattemare’s 1861 volume, Collection de Monnaies et Médailles de L'Amérique du Nord de 1652 a 1858, ...

Read more...

4 DECEMBER 2021

Peter, The Mint Eagle

An 1896 letter from the Mint correspondence in the National Archives, recently transcribed by Newman Portal, asks about Peter, the Mint eagle. The letter writer asks for more specifics regarding the oral tradition of this national bird, who was said to have inhabited the Mint, broke a wing on the...

Read more...

4 DECEMBER 2021

Newman Portal Adds Paper on C. Wylls Betts

Following up on the Betts’ biography appearing in the January 10th E-Sylum, Chris McDowell contributed an in-depth exploration of the identity of Mrs. Charles Wyllys Betts, said to have been married to Betts from 1879-1880. As part of a Newman Grant, awarded in May 2020 for the purposes of numism...

Read more...

4 DECEMBER 2021

The 1894-S Dime in 1896

Recently transcribed by Newman Portal is a letter written by Philadelphia resident Anna Clark to the U.S. Mint Director in 1896, asking about the collector value of 1894 dimes. Although brief, the letter reveals a number of things regarding the state of collecting in the late 19th century. First,...

Read more...