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.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1982
maker
American Bank Note Company
ID Number
2010.0019.241
catalog number
2010.0019.241
accession number
2010.0019
Produced at George Wyon's private mint, Birmingham, England. Obverse: Seated figure of Columbia with scales of justice and a Liberty cap, date below. Reverse: All-seeing Eye in a glory with stars, CONSTELLATIO NOVA around.
Description
Produced at George Wyon's private mint, Birmingham, England. Obverse: Seated figure of Columbia with scales of justice and a Liberty cap, date below. Reverse: All-seeing Eye in a glory with stars, CONSTELLATIO NOVA around. This pattern accompanied a proposed contract coinage to be made in England and shipped to America. This version never went any farther, perhaps in part because the obverse die for this pattern contained a major blunder: the first word should have been IMMUNIS, not IMMUNE. A few pieces were struck in copper, and this one (using an English guinea as a blank) in gold. Such contract proposals continued through the early 1790s, but they never bore fruit. Congress concluded that it was simply too dangerous to entrust producing America's money to a foreign source.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1785
maker
Wyon III, George
obverse engraver
Wyon III, George
reverse engraver
Wyon III, George
ID Number
1988.0063.0060
catalog number
1988.0063.0060
accession number
1988.0063
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1787
designer
Brasher, Ephraim
engraver
Brasher, Ephraim
maker
Brasher, Ephraim
ID Number
1988.0063.0070
accession number
1988.0063
catalog number
1988.0063.0070
1988.0063.0070
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2008.0108.0012
serial number
83920
accession number
2008.0108
Approximately one million pieces of Lindenmueller Currency were struck during the course of the Civil War Token’s short lifespan. Tokens were generally used for buying goods and fares on trains. Since Civil War Tokens could not be redeemed for U.S.
Description
Approximately one million pieces of Lindenmueller Currency were struck during the course of the Civil War Token’s short lifespan. Tokens were generally used for buying goods and fares on trains. Since Civil War Tokens could not be redeemed for U.S. currency, the system had inherent flaws. This was evident when New York’s Third Avenue Railroad requested that Lindenmueller redeem his tokens which they accepted as payment for fares. Lindenmueller laughingly declined to pay out the Third Avenue Railroad who then took their issue to the Federal Government. In 1864 Congress passed an act that forbade any private businesses or individuals to produce money. This act essentially shut down the production of Civil War Tokens.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1863
associated date
1863
ID Number
2001.0009.0661
accession number
2001.0009
catalog number
2001.0009.0661
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2004-12
ID Number
2010.0019.150
accession number
2010.0019
catalog number
2010.0019.150
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1982
maker
American Bank Note Company
ID Number
2010.0019.238
catalog number
2010.0019.238
accession number
2010.0019
One (1) 10 dollar noteUnited States, 1863Obverse Image: Bust of Abraham Lincoln at the left. Eagle with a shield in center. Allegorical representation of Art at right.Obverse Text: AMERICAN BANK NOTE CO. NEW YORK / WASHINGTON / NO. 33570 / B / 50 NEW SERIES / ACT OF MARCH 3D.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 10 dollar note
United States, 1863
Obverse Image: Bust of Abraham Lincoln at the left. Eagle with a shield in center. Allegorical representation of Art at right.
Obverse Text: AMERICAN BANK NOTE CO. NEW YORK / WASHINGTON / NO. 33570 / B / 50 NEW SERIES / ACT OF MARCH 3D. 1863. / MARCH 10TH 1863 / THE UNITED STATES PROMISE TO PAY TO THE BEARER TEN DOLLARS / PATENTED APRIL 1863. / REGISTER OF THE TREASURY / TREASURER OF THE UNITED STATES / PAYABLE AT THE TREASURY OF THE U.S. AT NEW YORK / THESAUR / AMER / SEPTENT / SIGIL / X / 10 / E PLURIBUS UNUM
Reverse Image: Ornate designs.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / THIS NOTE IS A LEGAL TENDER FOR ALL DEBTS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE, EXCEPT DUTIES ON IMPORTS AND INTEREST ON THE PUBLIC DEBT, AND IS RECEIVABLE IN PAYMENT OF ALL LOANS MADE TO THE UNITED STATES
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1863
depicted
Lincoln, Abraham
maker
American Bank Note Company
ID Number
NU.78.5.094
serial number
33570
catalog number
78.5.094
accession number
1978.0941
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1982
maker
American Bank Note Company
ID Number
2010.0019.239
catalog number
2010.0019.239
accession number
2010.0019
Produced by Ephraim Brasher in New York City. Obverse: Sun rising over mountains; BRASHER below. Reverse: Crude eagle within continuous wreath; EB countermark on eagle's wing.
Description
Produced by Ephraim Brasher in New York City. Obverse: Sun rising over mountains; BRASHER below. Reverse: Crude eagle within continuous wreath; EB countermark on eagle's wing. Its existence apparently unknown until the beginning of the twentieth century, this unique coin was struck with the same pair of dies used to create the Brasher Doubloon.
Ephraim Brasher was a goldsmith, and his EB countermark also appeared on foreign gold coins of the day. It proclaimed that he had tested or assayed them and stood behind them.
date made
1787
obverse designer
Ephraim Brasher
reverse designer
Ephraim Brasher
obverse engraver
Ephraim Brasher
reverse engraver
Ephraim Brasher
ID Number
NU.68.159.1111
accession number
283645
catalog number
68.159.1111
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1982
maker
American Bank Note Company
ID Number
2010.0019.240
catalog number
2010.0019.240
accession number
2010.0019
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1984-8-30
Associated Name
Hamilton, Alexander
maker
American Bank Note Company
ID Number
2010.0019.237
accession number
2010.0019
catalog number
2010.0019.237
One (1) 1.25 dollar noteVermont Glass Factory, The Farmers Bank, Troy, New York , 1814Obverse Image: A shield with a ribbon draped over a suite of factory buildings.Obverse Text: FOR THE VALUE RECIEVED PAY W.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 1.25 dollar note
Vermont Glass Factory, The Farmers Bank, Troy, New York , 1814
Obverse Image: A shield with a ribbon draped over a suite of factory buildings.
Obverse Text: FOR THE VALUE RECIEVED PAY W. WALES OR BEARER ONE DOLLAR 25 CTS ON DEMAND FOR ACC OF THE PRESIDENT OF DIRECTORS OF THE VERMONT GLASS FACTORY / NO 1709 / SALISBURY / JANUARY 1, 1814
Reverse Image: N/A
Reverse Text: N/A
Description
This is a promissory note from the Vermont Glass Factory to W. Wales entitling him to one dollar and twenty-five cents from the Farmers Bank of Troy New York. Given note number 1079, the note is dated January 1, 1814, and is signed by the factory’s clerk, Epaphras Jones, and its president, Samuel Swift. This kind of note was known as company scrip. Prior to nationalized banking and a nationally accepted currency, localized trade played a large role in America’s economy. Local companies issued scrip to their employees that could redeemed at the bank for cash or used as cash in other local businesses.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1814
ID Number
2014.0016.003
accession number
2014.0016
catalog number
2014.0016.003
serial number
1079
This 300 dollar check was made out to A. H. Nichols from the Steuben County Bank of Bath, New York, on January 13, 1844. The check is number 140 in the series, and reads “For Magee and Cook,” for the bank’s president, John Magee, and its cashier, Constant Cook.
Description
This 300 dollar check was made out to A. H. Nichols from the Steuben County Bank of Bath, New York, on January 13, 1844. The check is number 140 in the series, and reads “For Magee and Cook,” for the bank’s president, John Magee, and its cashier, Constant Cook. The Steuben County Bank was chartered for thirty years with a capital of 150,000 dollars on May 9, 1832. Magee was a congressional representative from 1827–1831, an appointment which spoke to his high standing in the community—necessary in a time when banks could go out of business in an instant and personal responsibility for a bank’s fortunes helped spur public confidence in the local bank.
Location
Currently not on view
date on object
1844-01-13
date made
1844
ID Number
2010.0018.104
accession number
2010.0018
serial number
140
catalog number
2010.0018.104
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
depicted (sitter)
Hamilton, Alexander
maker
American Bank Note Company
ID Number
2010.0019.236
accession number
2010.0019
catalog number
2010.0019.236
Die-cut badge from a sheet of celluloid. A star rests atop a circular piece, and is engraved with an image of Christopher Columbus. The celluloid piece is stapled to a red, white, and blue silk ribbon that can be pinned to one's clothing.Souvenir from the Norwich, Conn.
Description (Brief)
Die-cut badge from a sheet of celluloid. A star rests atop a circular piece, and is engraved with an image of Christopher Columbus. The celluloid piece is stapled to a red, white, and blue silk ribbon that can be pinned to one's clothing.
Souvenir from the Norwich, Conn. celebration on October 21st 1892 of the 400th anniversary of Columbus's discovery of America.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1892
depicted
Columbus, Christopher
maker
Gleason, Thos. J.
ID Number
2006.0098.0705
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0705
One (1) 10,000 dollar noteUnited States, 1928Obverse Image: Portrait of Salmon P.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 10,000 dollar note
United States, 1928
Obverse Image: Portrait of Salmon P. Chase.
Obverse Text: FEDERAL RESERVE NOTE / 10,000 / THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WILL PAY TO THE BEARER ON DEMAND FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS / B00000001A / A 1 / 2 / REDEEMABLE IN GOLD ON DEMAND AT THE UNITED STATES TREASURY, OR IN GOLD OR LAWFUL MONEY AT ANY FEDERAL RESERVE BANK. / FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK NEW YORK / SERIES OF 1928 / WASHINGTON, D.C. / TREASURER OF THE UNITED STATES / SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY / CHASE
Reverse Image: Decorative border.
Reverse Text: THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS / 10,000
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1928
depicted
Chase, Salmon Portland
maker
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
ID Number
NU.78.5.732
catalog number
78.5.732
accession number
1978.0941
serial number
B00000001A
1928
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1984-8-30
depicted (sitter)
Hamilton, Alexander
maker
American Bank Note Company
ID Number
2010.0019.235
accession number
2010.0019
catalog number
2010.0019.235
Bald, Adams & Company of New York printed this 100 dollar proof for the Quassaick Bank of Newburgh, New York, around 1854. The Quassaick Bank was formally adopted on March 31, 1852, taking the aboriginal name of the town of Newburgh.
Description
Bald, Adams & Company of New York printed this 100 dollar proof for the Quassaick Bank of Newburgh, New York, around 1854. The Quassaick Bank was formally adopted on March 31, 1852, taking the aboriginal name of the town of Newburgh. The center of the note has an image of Native Americans pointing toward an industrialized Newburgh. The left side has an image of a man and a boy holding rifles, hiking up a mountain. The punches on the signature lines for the bank’s cashier and president made it unusable. This note is a proof done by Bald, Adams & Company, printed to confirm that the design was suitable for mass printing.
From 1790 to 1863, states and private banks issued their own currency to supply capital in a young nation without a national currency. This currency was backed by the hard money the banks had on deposit, and was only used locally where the bank and its operators were trusted in the community. However, banks often oversupplied notes, and this overextension caused bankruptcy among private and state banks when financial panic struck, particularly in 1837. Currencies from these failed banks are known as “obsolete bank notes” or “broken bank notes,” there are many held in the National Numismatic Collection.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1854
maker
Bald, Cousland & Co.
ID Number
1992.0281.0524
catalog number
1992.0281.0524
accession number
1992.0281
Produced at a private mint, either in New York City or Rahway Mills, New Jersey. Struck for the same purposes as the Indian/New York arms copper, the Clinton variety had no greater success. Eight to ten specimens including this one are known.Currently not on view
Description
Produced at a private mint, either in New York City or Rahway Mills, New Jersey. Struck for the same purposes as the Indian/New York arms copper, the Clinton variety had no greater success. Eight to ten specimens including this one are known.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1787
ID Number
NU.82.48.45
accession number
1982.0798
catalog number
82.48.45
One (1) Talbot, Allum and Lee cent tokenNew York, 1795Obverse Image: Liberty with a capped staff standing in front of large package.Obverse Text: LIBERTY & COMMERCE / 1795Reverse Image: Ship.Reverse Text: AT THE STORE OF TALBOT ALLUM & LEE NEW YORK.Edge Text: WE PROMISE TO PAY TH
Description (Brief)
One (1) Talbot, Allum and Lee cent token
New York, 1795
Obverse Image: Liberty with a capped staff standing in front of large package.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY & COMMERCE / 1795
Reverse Image: Ship.
Reverse Text: AT THE STORE OF TALBOT ALLUM & LEE NEW YORK.
Edge Text: WE PROMISE TO PAY THE BEARER ONE CENT
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1795
ID Number
1985.0441.0021
accession number
1985.0441
catalog number
1985.0441.0021
Produced at a private mint, either in New York City or Rahway Mills, New Jersey.In common with several other states (who enjoyed the power to coin or circulate money under the Articles of Confederation, then still in force) New York mulled over the idea of a contract coinage.
Description
Produced at a private mint, either in New York City or Rahway Mills, New Jersey.
In common with several other states (who enjoyed the power to coin or circulate money under the Articles of Confederation, then still in force) New York mulled over the idea of a contract coinage. One of the prominent players was James F. Atlee, who created this pattern for his friend Thomas Machin. The latter was in hot pursuit of a contract to strike copper coinage for the state of New York. Machin did not receive the contract. However, he and his friend Atlee soon established a clandestine coining operation near Newburgh, New York. A dozen or so patterns are all that remain from the original idea.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1787
ID Number
1991.0009.0134
catalog number
1991.0009.0134
accession number
1991.0009
catalog number
91.9.134
Transcribed by Smithsonian digital volunteersCurrently not on view
Crowdsourcing
Transcribed by Smithsonian digital volunteers
Location
Currently not on view
BEP certification date
1885-03-14
plate date
1885-03-17
issuing authority
U.S. Department of the Treasury
Treasurer of the United States
Wyman, Albert Uriah
Register of the Treasury
Bruce, Blanche Kelso
issuing bank
First National Bank of Glens Falls
manufacturer
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
ID Number
NU.297219.024126
accession number
297219
catalog number
297219.024126
bank charter number
980
Transcribed by Smithsonian digital volunteersCurrently not on view
Crowdsourcing
Transcribed by Smithsonian digital volunteers
Location
Currently not on view
BEP certification date
1914-08-05
plate date
1905-01-14
series date
1902
issuing authority
U.S. Department of the Treasury
Treasurer of the United States
Roberts, Ellis Henry
Register of the Treasury
Lyons, Judson Whitlocke
issuing bank
National Bank of Commerce in New York
depicted
Sherman, John
Knox, John Jay
manufacturer
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
ID Number
NU.297219.023786
accession number
297219
catalog number
297219.023786
bank charter number
733

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