Coins, Currency, and Medals

$100,000 U.S. Gold Certificate

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.

certified proof

Available for transcription
Crowdsourcing
Available for transcription
issuing authority
U.S. Department of the Treasury
ID Number
NU.297219.141466
catalog number
297219.141466
accession number
297219

certified proof

Available for transcription
Crowdsourcing
Available for transcription
issuing authority
U.S. Department of the Treasury
ID Number
NU.297219.141478
catalog number
297219.141478
accession number
297219

certified proof

Available for transcription
Crowdsourcing
Available for transcription
issuing authority
U.S. Department of the Treasury
ID Number
NU.297219.141458
catalog number
297219.141458
accession number
297219

certified proof

Available for transcription
Crowdsourcing
Available for transcription
issuing authority
U.S. Department of the Treasury
ID Number
NU.297219.141472
catalog number
297219.141472
accession number
297219

certified proof

Available for transcription
Crowdsourcing
Available for transcription
issuing authority
U.S. Department of the Treasury
ID Number
NU.297219.141469
catalog number
297219.141469
accession number
297219

certified proof

Available for transcription
Crowdsourcing
Available for transcription
issuing authority
U.S. Department of the Treasury
ID Number
NU.297219.141461
catalog number
297219.141461
accession number
297219

certified proof

Available for transcription
Crowdsourcing
Available for transcription
issuing authority
U.S. Department of the Treasury
ID Number
NU.297219.141476
catalog number
297219.141476
accession number
297219

certified proof

Available for transcription
Crowdsourcing
Available for transcription
issuing authority
U.S. Department of the Treasury
ID Number
NU.297219.141465
catalog number
297219.141465
accession number
297219

American Express Credit Card, United States, 1970

American Express was founded in 1850 in order to transport goods the US Postal Service would not deliver. By the end of the Civil War, there were over 900 American Express offices in 10 states.
Description
American Express was founded in 1850 in order to transport goods the US Postal Service would not deliver. By the end of the Civil War, there were over 900 American Express offices in 10 states. In the 1880s, the company expanded into financial services with money orders, and in the 1890s, they began offering Traveler’s Cheques. The financial services offered by the company eventually became its mainstay, and American Express offered its first charge card in 1958 in order to compete with Diner’s Club.
date made
1970
maker
unknown
ID Number
NU.69.235.53
catalog number
69.235.53
accession number
287686
serial number
00AX

Nova Constellatio, United Kingdom, 1783

One (1) Nova Constellatio coinEngland, 1783Obverse Image: All-seeing eye of God surrounded by rays and stars.Obverse Text: NOVA CONSTELLATIOReverse Image: Wreath.Reverse Text: LIBERTAS JUSTITIA / 1783 / U.SCurrently not on view
Description (Brief)
One (1) Nova Constellatio coin
England, 1783
Obverse Image: All-seeing eye of God surrounded by rays and stars.
Obverse Text: NOVA CONSTELLATIO
Reverse Image: Wreath.
Reverse Text: LIBERTAS JUSTITIA / 1783 / U.S
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1783
ID Number
1991.0009.0110
catalog number
1991.0009.0110
accession number
1991.0009

note

Available for transcription
Crowdsourcing
Available for transcription
issuing authority
U.S. Department of the Treasury
manufacturer
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
ID Number
NU.297219.261096
accession number
297219
catalog number
297219.261096

50 Dollars, United States Assay Office of Gold, United States, 1851

This fifty dollar octagonal gold coin—also known as a “slug”—was produced in 1851 in San Francisco.
Description
This fifty dollar octagonal gold coin—also known as a “slug”—was produced in 1851 in San Francisco. After the California gold rush began in 1849, it became apparent that a mint should be established on the West Coast to remove the need to ship the gold back to Philadelphia to be minted. Prior to Congress approving the San Francisco mint in 1852, California’s delegates passed a bill in 1850 establishing the U.S. Assay Office to assay (weigh and test purity of) gold and mint coins in San Francisco. Augustus Humbert was appointed to serve as the U.S. Assayer in San Francisco. He brought dies engraved by Charles C. Wright to produce coins made by Moffat & Company. On the obverse, or front, of the coin is a spread-winged eagle on the U.S. shield resting upon a rock; in its claws are an olive branch and arrows. Above the eagle is a cartouche containing the coin’s degree of fineness, in this case 887 thousandths. Within the circle is the text “United States of America/FIFTY DOLLS.” Around the edge are the words “Augustus Humbert United States Assayer of Gold California 1851.” On the reverse is a spiral pattern created by and known as “engine turning.”
date made
1851
mint
United States Assay Office of Gold
maker
Humbert, Augustus
ID Number
NU.68.159.1192
catalog number
68.159.1192
accession number
283645

1 2/3 Dollars, Maryland, 1775

One (1) 1 2/3 dollar noteMaryland, 1775Obverse Image: Patriotic scene depicts King George III setting fire to the city of Baltimore.Obverse Text: (126) / [NO.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 1 2/3 dollar note
Maryland, 1775
Obverse Image: Patriotic scene depicts King George III setting fire to the city of Baltimore.
Obverse Text: (126) / [NO. 38663] / ONE DOLLAR AND TWO THIRDS OF A DOLLAR / THIS BILL OF ONE DOLLAR AND TWO THIRDS OF A DOLLAR, SHALL ENTITLE THE BEARER HEREOF TO RECIEVE GOLD AND SILVER, AT THE RATE FOUR SHILLINGS AND SIX-PENCE STERLING PER DOLLAR, FOR THE SAID BILL ACCORD-ING TO A RESOLVE OF THE PROVINCIAL CONVENTION OF MAYLAND, HELD AT THE CITY OF ANNAPOLIS, ON THE 26TH OF JULY 1775.
Reverse Image: Patriotic scene on back depicts an allegory of peace between Great Britain and America.
Reverse Text: ONE DOLLAR AND 2/3 OF A DOLLAR / PAX
Description
American currency was sometimes used to mold public opinion during the War for Independence. The high-minded Latin mottoes suggested by Ben Franklin had this intent. So did a series of small, printed messages on North Carolina currency issued between 1778 and 1780. But an early series of Maryland notes, including this specimen, stand out.
The note is worn, and, in common with several of its fellows, it was carefully stitched together, obscuring part of the design. But if we could see everything, we would see that, on the front of the note, a figure representing Great Britain receives a petition of the Continental Congress. It is handed to her by an America, who is simultaneously trampling on a scroll marked SLAVERY and holding aloft a Liberty cap on a pole, a beacon for American troops who are hastening to the scene from the right.
Meanwhile, George III (the figure at the center-left) is doing his best to set fire to an American city (perhaps Baltimore) already under attack from a British fleet. He's also trampling a copy of Magna Charta, just to underscore the point. Inscriptions along the sides read "AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN" and "PRO ARIS ET FOCIS" (For altars and hearths). The other side of the note conveys hope. Britain and America are shown achieving peace, with the reminder that "PAX TRIUMPHIS POTIOR" (Peace is preferable to victory).
The note was designed by Annapolis silversmith Thomas Sparrow in the summer of 1775. His initials are inscribed on the front and his full name on the back. This series of Maryland notes remains the most politically charged currency ever issued in the United States during wartime.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1775
date on object
1775-07-26
maker
Maryland
ID Number
NU.NU75446
serial number
38663
accession number
248478
catalog number
NU75446

15 Dollars

The American colonies (or states, as they now began calling themselves) issued currency of their own to pay war expenses and keep local economies afloat. Issues from Virginia featured an armored Amazon brandishing a sword.
Description
The American colonies (or states, as they now began calling themselves) issued currency of their own to pay war expenses and keep local economies afloat. Issues from Virginia featured an armored Amazon brandishing a sword. She stands above and on the prone body of a dead male ruler, whose crown has fallen on the ground. The motto could not be more plain: SIC SEMPER TYRANNUS (Be it ever thus to tyrants). This vivid image still adorns the Virginia state flag.
Unlike most Revolutionary War currency, this note was printed on only one side. And the paper for its printing left something to be desired. It looks as if this note were forcibly torn in two. But whether it was torn deliberately or by accident, someone pinned it back together-crudely but effectively.
The denomination is given as "fifteen Spanish milled dollars." Those coins were the famous "pieces of eight," now minted by machinery ("milled") in Mexico City and elsewhere. They were the monies of choice when coins were available, and Americans liked them so much that they eventually based their own United States dollar on the Spanish-American prototype.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1776
date on object
1776-10-07
maker
Virginia
ID Number
NU.68.135.74
catalog number
68.135.74
accession number
279615
serial number
13942

65 Dollars, Continental Congress, 1779

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1779-01-14
1779
maker
Continental Congress
Hall & Sellers
ID Number
NU.6463
serial number
116252
catalog number
6463
accession number
28580

2 Dollars, Continental Congress, 1776

By the time they broke with England, the thirteen American colonies had been issuing paper currency for nearly a century.
Description
By the time they broke with England, the thirteen American colonies had been issuing paper currency for nearly a century. Both they and the loose central government they set up under the Articles of Confederation to oversee matters of common concern would continue to do so throughout the War of Independence. The "national" paper went by the name of "Continental Currency." As its name suggests, it was issued by the Continental Congress.
The paper on which it was printed was of very high quality but was also very soft. Because the notes were often folded horizontally, they often developed top-to-bottom breaks at midpoint. Left to themselves, the two halves would eventually part company. Whether anyone would take just half a note in payment was unclear. That uncertainty led people to adopt all kinds of stratagems to keep notes intact or repair those that had torn apart.
But there was more to it than that. To many, this new money symbolized a new nation-it had to be repaired, kept afloat. Because if it were not, what would that say about the aspiring nation that had issued it? Various methods were devised to do the job. In the case of this two-dollar bill, someone expert with a needle and thread-perhaps a housewife, or a sailor-carefully sewed the two halves back together. That effort has now survived for more than two centuries.
Continental currency was printed by Benjamin Franklin's successors, Hall & Sellers. Franklin also suggested inspiring vignettes and mottoes for the notes. The face of the two-dollar bill bears an image of grain being flailed (separated from the chaff), with the motto, TRIBULATIO DITAT (Troubles make us stronger).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1776
date on object
1776-02-17
maker
Continental Congress
Hall & Sellers
ID Number
NU.69.217.34
accession number
287114
catalog number
69.217.34

10 Shillings, North Carolina, 1754

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1754
date on object
1754-03-09
ID Number
NU.88.0790.09
accession number
1988.0790
catalog number
88.0790.09
serial number
4517

30 Dollars, Continental Congress, 1776

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

2/3 Dollar, Continental Congress, 1776

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date on object
1776-02-17
date made
1776
issuing authority
Continental Congress
maker
Continental Congress
Hall & Sellers
ID Number
NU.68.135.80
catalog number
68.135.80
accession number
279615
serial number
270317

90 Dollars, South Carolina, 1779

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date on object
1779-02-08
date made
1779
maker
Coram, Thomas
ID Number
NU.79.112.CC197
accession number
1979.1263
serial number
8039
collector/donor number
CC197
catalog number
79.112.CC197

2 Shillings and 6 Pence, Connecticut, 1776

One can't be too careful. This Connecticut note was falling apart when someone backed it with part of a contemporary newspaper, full of news about the war between England and France in the Caribbean. But simple glue would not suffice to mend the note.
Description
One can't be too careful. This Connecticut note was falling apart when someone backed it with part of a contemporary newspaper, full of news about the war between England and France in the Caribbean. But simple glue would not suffice to mend the note. Someone carefully stitched the note again and again, covering it with an irregular but very strong reinforcement.
And it worked. The bill was later canceled and retired by means of a cut from the center to the bottom margin, and it still held together-as did the dreams of the patriots who created and kept it in circulation.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1776
date on object
1776-06-07
maker
Connecticut
Green, Timothy II
ID Number
NU.71.122.1117
catalog number
71.122.1117
accession number
297844
serial number
6236

2 Dollars, Maryland, 1774

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1774
date on object
1774-04-10
maker
A. C. and F. Green
ID Number
NU.NU60868
serial number
16944
catalog number
NU60868
accession number
227803

10 dollar food coupon

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

1 Penny Rosa Americana, American colonies, 1723

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1723
designer
Wood, William
ID Number
1988.0063.0031
accession number
1988.0063
catalog number
1988.0063.0031

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.