The author is co-curator of the Smithsonian's National Numismatic Collection. Ten photographs of items from the collection are included.
Summary:
Provides a somewhat detailed but very readable history of the National Numismatic Collection. Begun in 1816 as part of the Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences, the collection was small and largely non-American. It was transferred in 1836 to the National Institute for the Promotion of Science, and then to the Smithsonian after its founding in 1846. Growth of the collection was slow until acquisition of the U.S. Mint Collection in 1923; rapid expansion began in the late 1950's under co-directors Elvira and Vladimir Clain-Stefanelli, (Elvira is the author's present co-curator). The collection now holds nearly one million items and has the best U.S. coin collection in the world, including the Josiah K. Lilly Collection of gold coins. The author describes a number of the holdings, such as the only two British gold sovereigns remaining from those brought to the U.S. in 1838 as part of James Smithsons' bequest.
