Coins, Currency, and Medals

The museum possesses one of the largest and most diverse numismatic collections in the world. Its diverse holdings represent every inhabited continent and span more than three millennia. The collection includes coins, paper money, medals, tokens, commodity and alternative currencies, coin dies, printing plates, scales and weights, financial documents and apparatuses, credit cards, and objects that reflect established and emerging digital monetary technologies worldwide.

The thirty-dollar note was the highest denomination issued during the first three years or so of Continental Currency. We might wonder why the authorities issued such an odd denomination.
Description
The thirty-dollar note was the highest denomination issued during the first three years or so of Continental Currency. We might wonder why the authorities issued such an odd denomination. The answer is that what seems odd to us seemed perfectly logical to them.
The thirty-dollar bills-and threes, fours, sixes, and eights, as well as bills worth a sixth, or a third, or two-thirds of a dollar-were put into circulation for two reasons. First, some of them were conscious substitutes for coins of the same value. And second, they were there to make change: if all you have in circulation is paper currency, you had better give the public the money it needs.
So if a merchant got an eight-dollar Continental note in payment for a five-dollar object, he could give the customer a three in return. This situation in fact lasted through the mid-1860s. Notes in today's familiar denominations are a recent phenomenon.
The image on the face of the note speaks to the advantages of righteous dealing (appropriate for a commercial object such as this note). The images on the back present two views on the reasons for the war against England. The left one (VI CONCITATAE) suggests that the colonies were forced into the conflict, while the one on the right (CESSANTE VENTO CONQUIESCEMUS) promises that they would rest and revive after it was over.
Continental currency often split in half because it was frequently folded. This bill was sewn back together to repair it.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1776
date on object
1776-07-22
maker
Continental Congress
Hall & Sellers
ID Number
NU.69.217.54
catalog number
69.217.54
accession number
287114
serial number
29269
This coin is one of the type sent to the United States at James Smithson's bequest for the creation of the Smithsonian Institution.
Description
This coin is one of the type sent to the United States at James Smithson's bequest for the creation of the Smithsonian Institution. James Smithson was born in 1765 as the illegitimate son of Sir Hugh Smithson, later known as Sir Hugh Percy, Baronet, 1st Duke of Northumberland, K.G., and Elizabeth Hungerford Keate.
Elizabeth Keate had been married to James Macie, and so Smithson first bore the name of James Lewis Macie. His mother later married Mark Dickinson, by whom she had another son. When she died in 1800, he and his half-brother inherited a sizable estate. He changed his name at this time from "Macie" to "Smithson."
James Smithson died June 27, 1829, in Genoa, Italy. His will left his fortune to his nephew, son of his half-brother, but stipulated that if that nephew died without children (legitimate or illegitimate), the money should go "to the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men."
The nephew, Henry Hungerford Dickinson, died without heirs in 1835, and Smithson's bequest was accepted in 1836 by the United States Congress. Smithson never visited the United States, and the reason for his generous bequest is unknown. The gift was the foundation grant for the Smithsonian Institution.
The Smithson bequest consisted of 104,960 gold sovereigns. Presumably they all bore the head of the new Queen Victoria, who had acceded to the throne in 1837.
The United States insisted on new sovereigns rather than circulated ones for a very practical reason: the United States would get more gold that way. The U.S. Mint subsequently melted these coins down to reuse the gold.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1838
ruler
Victoria Queen of Great Britain and Ireland and Empress of India
maker
American Type Founders Company
Great Britain
ID Number
1985.0441.1579
catalog number
1985.0441.1579
accession number
1985.0441
One (1) 5 dollar coinUnited States, 1849Obverse Image: Beaver on log, branches below.Obverse Text: K.M.T.A.W.R.G.S. / T.O. / 1849Reverse Image: N/AReverse Text: OREGON EXCHANGE COMPANY / 130 G. / NATIVE GOLD.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 5 dollar coin
United States, 1849
Obverse Image: Beaver on log, branches below.
Obverse Text: K.M.T.A.W.R.G.S. / T.O. / 1849
Reverse Image: N/A
Reverse Text: OREGON EXCHANGE COMPANY / 130 G. / NATIVE GOLD. / 5 D.
Description
In 1848, the largest single gold rush in history was just getting under way in California. This event soon triggered a mass migration of fortune hunters from around the world. At the outset, much of the California gold was converted to coins by private minters in the San Francisco area. However, supplies of gold were also sent to Philadelphia where it was made into ordinary federal coins.
Smaller quantities of gold made it to various locations including Oregon. Between March and September, 1849, an entity calling itself the Oregon Exchange Company struck $10 and $5 coins, by hand, in Oregon City. Both denominations bore simple designs. Their obverses depicted a beaver, the fur-bearing mammal that had spurred the first interest in the region.
Above the animal, there were initials standing for the last names of the principal players in the operation. The initials O.T. or T.O. (both for Oregon Territory) and the date rounded out the obverse design. For the reverse, the name of the issuing authority and the denomination sufficed. Dies for the coins can still be seen at the Oregon Historical Society headquarters in Portland.
But the life of the Oregon mint was brief. The coiners set their products' weight above federal norms, and most of the Oregon coinage was melted down for profit. The mint ceased operation early in September 1849.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1849
maker
Oregon Exchange Company
ID Number
1985.0441.2217
catalog number
1985.0441.2217
accession number
1985.0441
One (1) 5 dollar coinUnited States, 1860Obverse Image: Liberty wearing a coronet. Stars around.Obverse Text: CLARK & CO.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 5 dollar coin
United States, 1860
Obverse Image: Liberty wearing a coronet. Stars around.
Obverse Text: CLARK & CO. / 1860
Reverse Image: Eagle with shield over chest clutching arrows and branch.
Reverse Text: PIKES PEAK GOLD DENVER / FIVE D.
Description
Produced by the Clark, Gruber & Company's mint, Denver, Colorado. For its half eagles, Clark, Gruber & Co. abandoned the Pikes Peak motif that it used on its larger coins. The company brought the designs for the five dollar pieces into conscious imitation of regular United States coins.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1860
mint
Clark, Gruber & Co.
ID Number
1985.0441.2228
catalog number
1985.0441.2228
accession number
1985.0441
Founded in 1904 by wealthy financier Andrew Carnegie in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission (CHFC) exists to honor acts of individual civilian heroism in the United States and Canada.
Description
Founded in 1904 by wealthy financier Andrew Carnegie in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission (CHFC) exists to honor acts of individual civilian heroism in the United States and Canada. It is still active today; recipients include both the living, the dead, and persons directly affected by the loss of a heroic relative.
The emotional impact on the general public of the April 1912 loss of the ocean liner Titanic was astonishing, and the continually updated story lasted for months in the contemporary newspapers. In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Commission felt inspired to honor all the heroes who had risked their lives in the rescue of the 700 passengers, so at their April 26, 1912 meeting they authorized a nine-oz. 22-k gold medal to be struck, mounted in an elaborate bronze base, inscribed and presented to the Smithsonian. The Smithsonian accepted the gift and displayed it before adding it to the National Numismatic Collection in the National Museum of American History.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1912
maker
Flanagan, John
ID Number
NU.13650
accession number
54893
catalog number
13650
One (1) 5 dollar coinUnited States, 1837 - 1842Obverse Image: Star.Obverse Text: GEORGIA GOLD. / 22 CARATS. / 128. G.Reverse Image: Star.Reverse Text: C: BECHTLER. AT RUTHERF: / 5 DOLLARS.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
One (1) 5 dollar coin
United States, 1837 - 1842
Obverse Image: Star.
Obverse Text: GEORGIA GOLD. / 22 CARATS. / 128. G.
Reverse Image: Star.
Reverse Text: C: BECHTLER. AT RUTHERF: / 5 DOLLARS.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1837 - 1842
ID Number
NU.68.159.1096
accession number
283645
catalog number
68.159.1096
Available for transcription
Crowdsourcing
Available for transcription
issuing authority
U.S. Department of the Treasury
ID Number
NU.297219.216683
catalog number
297219.216683
accession number
297219
Russia 1903St Petersburg 200th AnniversaryObverse Image: The "Bronze Horseman" statueObverse Inscription: Петру I / Екатерина II / Лѣта 1782 / 200 / СПБ ("Peter I / Catherine II / in 1782 / 200 / Saint Petersburg") Reverse: blankCurrently not on view
Description
Russia 1903
St Petersburg 200th Anniversary
Obverse Image: The "Bronze Horseman" statue
Obverse Inscription: Петру I / Екатерина II / Лѣта 1782 / 200 / СПБ ("Peter I / Catherine II / in 1782 / 200 / Saint Petersburg") Reverse: blank
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1903
ID Number
NU.69.127.238
catalog number
69.127.0238
accession number
286471
One (1) 1/2 poltina coin, Peter IRussia, 1705Obverse Image: Bust of Peter I facing right.Obverse Text: ЦРЬ ПЕТРЪ АЛЕѮIЕВИЧЪ ВСЕѦ РОСIИ ПОВЕЛIТЕЉ [Tsar Peter Alekseyevich the sovereign of all Russia]Reverse Image: Center the Russian coat-of-arms, a double-headed eagle grasping an
Description (Brief)
One (1) 1/2 poltina coin, Peter I
Russia, 1705
Obverse Image: Bust of Peter I facing right.
Obverse Text: ЦРЬ ПЕТРЪ АЛЕѮIЕВИЧЪ ВСЕѦ РОСIИ ПОВЕЛIТЕЉ [Tsar Peter Alekseyevich the sovereign of all Russia]
Reverse Image: Center the Russian coat-of-arms, a double-headed eagle grasping an orb and scepter grasped in its talons.
Reverse Text: [Half poltina]
Description
This 1/2 poltina coin was minted in Russia in 1705 under Peter I. Better known as Peter the Great, he ruled Russia from 1689-1725. Peter l founded Saint Petersburg in 1703 and brought Western culture to Orthodox Russia.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1705
ruler
Peter I
ID Number
NU.NU61405
catalog number
NU61405
accession number
210914
During the American Civil War, Gen. Benjamin F. Butler so appreciated the heroic actions of African American soldiers under his command at the 1864 battles of Fort Harrison and Fort Gilmer that he commissioned a special medal for them. Designed by Anthony C.
Description
During the American Civil War, Gen. Benjamin F. Butler so appreciated the heroic actions of African American soldiers under his command at the 1864 battles of Fort Harrison and Fort Gilmer that he commissioned a special medal for them. Designed by Anthony C. Paquet and realized in silver by Tiffany, the U.S. Colored Troops medal had no official status. After General Butler was relieved of his command in 1865, the 300 U.S. Colored Troops who had received the medals were forbidden to wear them on their uniforms.
Location
Currently not on view
commissioner
Butler, Benjamin Franklin
maker
Tiffany & Co.
ID Number
1985.0612.01
catalog number
1985.0612.01
accession number
1985.0612
Russia 1826Nicholas I CoronationObverse Inscription: H -I (Nicholas I)Reverse Inscription: КОРОНОВАНЪ ВЪ МОСКВЪ 1826 ("Coronation at Moscow")Currently not on view
Description
Russia 1826
Nicholas I Coronation
Obverse Inscription: H -I (Nicholas I)
Reverse Inscription: КОРОНОВАНЪ ВЪ МОСКВЪ 1826 ("Coronation at Moscow")
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1826
ruler
Nicholas I Emperor of Russia
ID Number
NU.69.128.71
catalog number
69.128.71
accession number
286473
Available for transcription
Crowdsourcing
Available for transcription
issuing authority
U.S. Department of the Treasury
manufacturer
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
ID Number
NU.297219.269447
accession number
297219
catalog number
297219.269447
Available for transcription
Crowdsourcing
Available for transcription
issuing authority
U.S. Department of the Treasury
manufacturer
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
ID Number
NU.297219.094391
accession number
297219
catalog number
297219.094391
Physical DescriptionMedal with an equestrian portrait of George Washington, surrounded by a wreath composed of the principal agricultural products of the Confederacy including cotton, tobacco, sugar cane, wheat, and rice.
Description
Physical Description
Medal with an equestrian portrait of George Washington, surrounded by a wreath composed of the principal agricultural products of the Confederacy including cotton, tobacco, sugar cane, wheat, and rice. Embossed around the edge, "The Confederate States of America: 22 February, 1862" and the motto Deo Vindice, or "God will vindicate." The medal rests in a wooden box covered in leather and lined in maroon velvet and green simulated watered silk.
General History
The date on the Confederate Seal commemorates the inauguration of Jefferson Davis as president of the Confederate States, and the establishment of the permanent government of the Confederate States of America in Richmond, Virginia. When the seal was completed, it was delivered to James Mason, a confidential agent of the Confederacy in England. He selected Lieutenant R. T. Chapman of the Confederate navy to bring it to America. In order to avoid the naval blockade, Lt. Chapman was forced to take a long and circuitous route. He went from England to Halifax, Nova Scotia, then to the island of Bermuda, and finally to Wilmington, North Carolina. When the Confederate government evacuated Richmond in April of 1865, Mrs. William J. Bromwell, the wife of an official of the Confederate State Department, smuggled the seal from the doomed city. Together with an important part of the Confederate archives, the seal was hidden from federal forces in a barn near Richmond. It eventually made its way into the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, where it can be seen today.
ID Number
1979.0425.102
accession number
1979.0425
catalog number
1979.0425.102
One (1) beard token, novodelRussia, 1705Obverse Image: Nose, mustache, and beard with border around.Obverse Text: ДЕНГИ ВЗИТЬІ (Money Collected)Reverse Image: Double headed eagle with leaf border around.Reverse Text: АΨЕ ГОДУ (Year 1705)This jeton or beard token was issued in 170
Description (Brief)
One (1) beard token, novodel
Russia, 1705
Obverse Image: Nose, mustache, and beard with border around.
Obverse Text: ДЕНГИ ВЗИТЬІ (Money Collected)
Reverse Image: Double headed eagle with leaf border around.
Reverse Text: АΨЕ ГОДУ (Year 1705)
Description
This jeton or beard token was issued in 1705 by Peter I. Better known as Peter the Great and a member of the Romanov dynasty, he ruled Russia from 1689-1725. Peter l founded Saint Petersburg in 1703 and brought Western culture to Orthodox Russia. In his new city, men were expected to shave their faces and wear western clothes. Anyone wishing to remain bearded had to pay a tax and carry this token as proof.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1705
associated person
Peter I
ID Number
NU.NU61634
catalog number
NU61634
accession number
210914
In the life of a ship, launching day is one of the most important. Mariners have long believed that a mishap during a vessel’s slide from land to water foretold disaster. If the transition went smoothly, however, it was cause for celebration.
Description
In the life of a ship, launching day is one of the most important. Mariners have long believed that a mishap during a vessel’s slide from land to water foretold disaster. If the transition went smoothly, however, it was cause for celebration. This silver dollar was given to shipwright Archie Green on such an occasion in 1942, after he and his fellow shipyard workers successfully launched a C3 cargo ship in San Francisco.
Launching ceremonies include various rituals, some of which are rooted in maritime traditions. The vessel is officially named on this day, and though not fully completed, it is ready to be moved from the yard into the water, where the final outfitting will be done. The ship is first "christened" by breaking a bottle over the bow, an honor usually performed by a woman associated with the vessel, such as the ship owner’s wife or daughter. As the last of the holding blocks are removed, the ship is released into the water by the launching gang, the crew responsible for ensuring the launch’s success.
Archie Green was born in Winnipeg, Canada, in 1917 and moved to Los Angeles with his parents in 1922. After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1939, he began to learn the shipbuilding trade at the San Francisco shipyards. When war broke out, he took part in the U.S. government-sponsored emergency shipbuilding program, which was established to offset the terrible losses of cargo ships by Nazi U-boats.
Drawing from lessons learned during the First World War, shipbuilders developed plans for standardized, prefabricated vessels that could be constructed in any shipyard in the nation. The most famous of these were the Liberty and Victory ships, which transported supplies and troops to Allied positions across the world. A type C3 ship, such as the one associated with this coin, was another design that produced a general-purpose vessel able to carry any cargo, but could also be modified for specific uses. Between 1939 and 1947, 465 of these ships were built in American shipyards.
Archie Green went on to earn a Ph.D. in folklore and devoted his scholarly and teaching career to workers’ culture and occupational traditions. He remained a member of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America until his death in 2009.
date made
1923
shipwright
Green, Archie
Archie Green's college
University of California, Berkeley
ID Number
1994.0296.01
catalog number
1994.0296.01
accession number
1994.0296
Available for transcription
Crowdsourcing
Available for transcription
issuing authority
U.S. Department of the Treasury
manufacturer
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
ID Number
NU.297219.237530
accession number
297219
catalog number
297219.237530
One (1) beaver peltUnited States, mid 1800sFront Image: N/AFront Text: N/AReverse Image: A shield and words printed in red and black ink.Reverse Text: MASTER / STERN FUR DRESSES / MS 2042 F-29 / UNION / A3172In the mid 1800s, after being cleaned and stretched, beaver skins were t
Description (Brief)
One (1) beaver pelt
United States, mid 1800s
Front Image: N/A
Front Text: N/A
Reverse Image: A shield and words printed in red and black ink.
Reverse Text: MASTER / STERN FUR DRESSES / MS 2042 F-29 / UNION / A3172
Description
In the mid 1800s, after being cleaned and stretched, beaver skins were transformed into beaver pelts such as this one. Dark brown in color, this beaver pelt is rather large—almost two feet in diameter. Prized for their water repellent fur, pelts traded at a premium. In the early 1800s, “Made Beaver” was a unit of trade. Twelve pelts purchased a four foot gun; one, a one pound kettle.
date made
mid 1800s
ID Number
1979.1263.00755
catalog number
1979.1263.00755
accession number
1979.1263
catalog number
79.112.OC7A
collector/donor number
OC7A
This medalette commemorates the 200th anniversary of St. Petersburg. The city, founded by Peter the Great on May 27, 1703 bridged Russia to Europe.Obverse inscription: ВЪ ПАМЯТЬ 200 ЛЕТІЯ ОСН.
Description
This medalette commemorates the 200th anniversary of St. Petersburg. The city, founded by Peter the Great on May 27, 1703 bridged Russia to Europe.
Obverse inscription: ВЪ ПАМЯТЬ 200 ЛЕТІЯ ОСН. С ПЕТЕР / 1703 / 1903 ("Commemorating 200th Anniversary of Saint Petersburg").
Reverse inscription: (None)
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1903
ID Number
NU.68.263.1882
catalog number
68.263.1882
accession number
281689
On June 22, 1862, U.S. Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase received this package that came from Union-occupied New Orleans. General Benjamin Butlerr’s wax seals covered the front ensuring that the valuable contents would remain undisturbed.
Description
On June 22, 1862, U.S. Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase received this package that came from Union-occupied New Orleans. General Benjamin Butlerr’s wax seals covered the front ensuring that the valuable contents would remain undisturbed. The package contained four engraved steel plates used to print Confederate notes, the South’s financial lifeblood. The loss of those plates, seized after New Orleans fell in late April 1862, was a blow to Confederate sovereignty and solvency. Butler had quickly sent them to Washington, D.C. as trophies.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1862-06-20
associated person
Butler, Benjamin Franklin
Chase, Salmon Portland
maker
unknown
ID Number
NU.35531
catalog number
NU35531
accession number
91728
Russia 1762Catherine II Coronation СПБObverse Inscription: Е.М.ЕКАТЕРИНА.II.ІМП.ІСАМОА.ВСЕ РОС / СПБ (Roughly "Her Majesty Catherine II Empress of All Russians / Saint Petersburg")Reverse Inscription: ЕКАТЕРИНА.II.
Description
Russia 1762
Catherine II Coronation СПБ
Obverse Inscription: Е.М.ЕКАТЕРИНА.II.ІМП.ІСАМОА.ВСЕ РОС / СПБ (Roughly "Her Majesty Catherine II Empress of All Russians / Saint Petersburg")
Reverse Inscription: ЕКАТЕРИНА.II. ИМПЕРАТРИУА ИСАМОАЕРЖИУА ВСЕ РОССІИСКАЯ КОРОНОВАНА ВБ МОСКВБ 1762.ГОАА (Roughly "Catherine II Emperess of all Russians Crowned in Moscow 1762")
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1762
associated person
Catherine the Great
ID Number
NU.NU77882
catalog number
NU77882
accession number
252180
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1967
maker
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
ID Number
2010.0019.180
accession number
2010.0019
catalog number
2010.0019.180
serial number
B01209997B
B01205997B
B01201997B
B01197997B
B01193997B
B01189997B
B01185997B
B01241997B
B01237997B
Available for transcription
Crowdsourcing
Available for transcription
issuing authority
U.S. Department of the Treasury
ID Number
NU.297219.172024
catalog number
297219.172024
accession number
297219
Russia 1886Old Cyrillic Inscriptions both sidesReverse Inscription: 1886Currently not on view
Description
Russia 1886
Old Cyrillic Inscriptions both sides
Reverse Inscription: 1886
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1886
ID Number
NU.69.127.363
catalog number
69.127.0363
accession number
286471

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