A basic guide to numismatics, particularly American, aimed at visitors to the United States Mint in Philadelphia. Smith's inclusion of a 7-page biographical entry on Mint Director Archibald Loudon Snowden was likely intended to facilitate favorable distribution of the work.
The 1870s and 1880s represented the heydey of the dealer "house organ," with a trio of prolific authors (Mason, Frossard, and Proskey here) informing the public on various aspects of numismatics. Competing with other periodicals, the Coin Collector's Journal generally stood above the fray, avoiding the politics of personality and focusing on purely numismatic matters. The Journal boasts important technical content, such as the Robert Coulton Davis series on U.S. patterns beginning in 1885. A die variety study of U.S. large cents appears in serial form beginning in 1887. Note, the Coin Collector's Journal was edited by Edouard Frossard during its first year, and then by David Proskey for the remainder of the series.
U.S. National Archives (Record Group 104, Entry 235, Letters Sent by Director's Office)
La description:
U.S. Mint Director's correspondence from the National Archives, record group 104 (U.S. Mint), entry 235, volume 27 (October 18, 1881 - January 17, 1882). Courtesy of Roger W. Burdette.
