The earliest U.S. Congressional medals, from the Quasi-War with France through the War of 1812, are largely unfamiliar today, even in numismatic circles. They were a statement of sovereignty by the young Republic and a technological headache for the first Mint. This talk provides an overview of these early Congressional awards and discusses numbers struck and rarity, differences between original versions, restrikes, and copies, the difficulties encountered by the Mint in making them, and the questions that still surround them. Speaker: Chris Neuzil.
Bob Evans, Chief Scientist and Historian of the SS Central America Project, presents some of his favorite, lesser-known aspects of the fabulous treasure, its story, and the insights into mid-19th century American life that it reveals. Included will be a brief overview of the treasure's historical context and the shipwreck. This will be followed by discussion of some of Bob's favorite artifacts, numismatic and non-numismatic, scientific discoveries, and lingering mysteries, along with tales of the at-sea operations, the historical research, and maybe even a song or two. The SS Central America treasure has a lot of stories to tell, as does Bob. Speaker: Roberg Evans.
This session will feature a high-level survey of the medals authorized to commemorate each presidential inauguration since 1901. Special attention will be paid to the history of the medallic tradition and to several unique pieces. Matthew is the author of "Official Inaugural Medals: A Guide," the first authoritative handbook on the topic since 1981. Speaker: Matthew Chiarello.
Numismatic association items are related to collectors, dealers, and authors. Some are parts of groups of items like pinback buttons, numismatist mirrors, Civil War patriotic envelopes, trade cards, and promotional items. Some of the most fun items may be unique. Speaker: Pete Smith.
The first numismatic drawing was done during late 18th century in Puerto Rico by Mr. Jose Campeche (Puerto Rico's first renowned artist). Initially, the Spanish authorities on the Island thought the coin had a seditious countermark, that might read FlGHT instead of LIGHT. The Spanish authorities did a careful investigation upon encountering the coin, and they made a whole report on it. The documents and the drawing are found at the General Archive of the Indies. Speaker: Angel Navarro-Zayas.
Author Daryl Haynor will explore the Numismatic Literary Guild 2020 Book of the Year: United States Classic Gold Coins of 1834-1839. The presentation will focus on the historical section and explore the economic and political context of the 1830's, reveal historic documents never before published, and debunk many accepted numismatic tales. It is the only book written about the series, and already is the authoritative reference used by PCGS, NGC, Stack's, Heritage, et al. Speaker: Daryl Haynor.
Images of Bust and Liberty Seated coins were selectively displayed on this country's obsolete paper money for much of the 19th century. This presentation first chronicles the presence of Bust coin images on the obsolete notes that circulated from the War of 1812 through the Hard Times Period (1837-1843). It then discusses the emergence of Liberty Seated coin images on scrip notes during the Hard Times period and also highlights their later presence on state bank notes. The final section explores Civil War scrip notes that display Liberty Seated coin images in the context of six New York City printers who produced many of these notes. Speaker: Garrett Ziss .
C. Wyllys Betts' book on medals does not include an illustration of every medal. Although most Betts medals were included in either the collections of John J. Ford, Jr. or John Adams, a few medals have never been sold or seen in public. I will present these medals for the first time. Speaker: Christopher McDowell.
Building up your collection of U.S. numismatic literature? Here's your chance to fill in gaps from many of the top 200 nominees of the 100 greatest works of numismatic literature as voted by readers of The Asylum in 2009, compliments of Richard Stockley Books. Presented at the Newman Numismatic Portal Symposium, a virtual event conducted October 15-17, 2021. See nnpsymposium.org for further information. Speaker: Howard Engel.
This discussion will be targeted for serious collectors who are spending $1,000 per month or more on numismatic purchases. At that level, the financial stakes become substantial on a longer-term basis. Collectors must develop a host of evaluation skills to ensure that their collections are composed of premium coins that have the highest probability of appreciation. Collecting research takes time but is well worth the effort to avoid collecting mistakes. Plenty of time will be allowed for Q&A. Presented at the Newman Numismatic Portal Symposium, a virtual event conducted October 15-17, 2021. See nnpsymposium.org for further information. Speaker: Gerry Fortin.
