Coins, Currency, and Medals
The Museum possesses one of the largest numismatic collections in the world. The collections include over 1 million objects, comprising coins, medals, decorations, and pieces of paper money. Among the many great rarities here are some of the world’s oldest coins, created 2,700 years ago. But the collection also includes the latest innovations in electronic monetary exchange, as well as beads, wampum, and other commodities once used as money. A special strength lies in artifacts that illustrate the development of money and medals in the United States. The American section includes many rare and significant coins, such as two of three known examples of the world's most valuable coin, the 1933 double eagle $20 gold piece.
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Gold Nugget
- Description
- This small piece of yellow metal is believed to be the first piece of gold discovered in 1848 at Sutter's Mill in California, launching the gold rush.
- James Marshall was superintending the construction of a sawmill for Col. John Sutter on the morning of January 24, 1848, on the South Fork of the American River at Coloma, California, when he saw something glittering in the water of the mill's tailrace. According to Sutter's diary, Marshall stooped down to pick it up and "found that it was a thin scale of what appeared to be pure gold." Marshall bit the metal as a test for gold.
- In June of 1848, Colonel Sutter presented Marshall's first-find scale of gold to Capt. Joseph L. Folsom, U.S. Army Assistant Quartermaster at Monterey. Folsom had journeyed to Northern California to verify the gold claim for the U.S. Government.
- The gold samples then traveled with U.S. Army Lt. Lucien Loeser by ship to Panama, across the isthmus by horseback, by ship to New Orleans, and overland to Washington. A letter of transmittal from Folsom that accompanied the packet lists Specimen #1 as "the first piece of gold ever discovered in this Northern part of Upper California found by J. W. Marshall at the Saw Mill of John A. Sutter."
- By August of 1848, as evidence of the find, this piece and other samples of California gold had arrived in Washington, D.C., for delivery to President James K. Polk and for preservation at the National Institute. Within weeks, President Polk formally declared to Congress that gold had been discovered in California.
- In 1861, the National Institute and its geological specimens, including this gold and the letter, entered the collections of the Smithsonian Institution. The Marshall Nugget remains in the collections as evidence of the discovery of gold in California.
- Date made
- 1848
- Associated Date
- 1848
- referenced
- Sutter, John
- Polk, President James K.
- Loesser, Lucian
- ID Number
- CL.135(1861).01
- accession number
- 135
- catalog number
- 135(1861).01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Ship’s Speaking Trumpet, Bark Laura
- Description
- The sidewheel steamer George Law was built in 1852/53 at New York by William H. Webb for the United States Mail Steamship Company. Named after the company president, the Law measured 278 ft. long and 2,141 tons. It was built to sail the New York-Panama route for the California gold rush. In 43 round trips between 1852 and 1857, the ship carried as much as a third of all the gold found in California. In 1857, the ship went aground and returned to the Webb yard for a major overhaul. The Law's name was changed to Central America during the rebuilding, possibly to reflect its most common route and because its namesake had sold his interest in the company.
- On September 3, 1857, the Central America left Panama for New York City with nearly 600 passengers and crew, as well as thousands of new $20 Double Eagle gold coins produced at the San Francisco mint. Nine days later, the vessel sank in a hurricane off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, in the deadliest peacetime shipwreck in American history. Four hundred twenty-five people perished in the wreck, and tons of California gold went to the bottom. The wreck horrified and fascinated the American public and helped fuel a financial crisis known as the Panic of 1857. Without the Central America’s gold, several New York banks were unable to pay their creditors.
- In 1858, President James Buchanan gave this ornamental silver speaking trumpet to the captain of the German bark Laura for bringing the Central America’s final three survivors to New York. Actually, the British brig Mary had rescued the men after nine horrific days on the open sea. However, the Mary was bound for Ireland, so it transferred the survivors to the New York-bound Laura. The inscription reads:
- “The President of the United States to Capt. Martin Brinckmann of the Bremen Bark Laura for his humane zealous and successful efforts in rescuing one of the Passengers and two of the Crew of the Steamer Central America from the perils of the Sea. 1858”
- Date made
- 1858
- ID Number
- 1980.0464.01
- catalog number
- 1980.0464.01
- 80.0464.01
- accession number
- 1980.0464
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Souvenir of the Opening of the East River Bridge, May 24, 1883
- Description
- By the late 19th century, the United States had established itself as a world leader in the area of civil engineering. Perhaps no project better symbolized America's technical prowess than the awe-inspiring Brooklyn Bridge, which connected the nation's largest and third largest cities—New York and Brooklyn, respectively—in 1883 across the turbulent tidal strait known as the East River. The main 1,600-foot (490-meter) span of this towering suspension bridge exceeded the world's longest span by fifty percent.
- The bridge's opening prompted a huge celebration. This white metal medallion was struck to commemorate that occasion. Its obverse proudly proclaims the motto, "Two Cities As One," while the legend on its reverse reads: "Souvenir of the Opening of the East River Bridge, May 24th 1883."
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1883
- associated date
- 1883-05-24
- ID Number
- 1981.0079.01
- accession number
- 1981.0079
- catalog number
- 1981.0079.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Missouri Five Mill Sales Tax Token
- Description (Brief)
- The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this sales tax token around 1935. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, medals, coins, and tokens. This token was used when Missouri’s sales tax was less than a cent.
- Obverse: Image of the state of Missouri. Legend reads: MISSOURI SALES TAX RECEIPT/ 5/ 5.
- Reverse: Image of the state of Missouri. Legend reads: MISSOURI SALES TAX RECEIPT/ 5/ 5.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1542
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1542
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Missouri Single Mill Sales Tax Token
- Description (Brief)
- The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this sales tax token around 1935. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, medals, coins, and tokens. This token was used when the sales tax was less than a cent. There is a hole in the center of the token.
- Obverse: Image of the state of Missouri, with “1” in the center. The legend reads: MISSOURI SALES TAX RECEIPT/ 1.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1549
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1549
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Missouri Single Mill Sales Tax Token
- Description (Brief)
- The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this sales tax token around 1935. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, medals, coins, and tokens. This token was used when the sales tax was less than a cent. There is a hole in the center of the token.
- Obverse: Image of the state of Missouri, with “1” in the center. The legend reads: MISSOURI SALES TAX RECEIPT/ 1.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1550
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1550
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Missouri Five Mill Sales Tax Token
- Description (Brief)
- The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this sales tax token around 1935. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, medals, coins, and tokens. This token was used when the sales tax was less than a cent. There is a hole in the center of the token.
- Obverse: Image of the state of Missouri. The legend reads: MISSOURI SALES TAX RECEIPT/ 5/ 5.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1551
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1551
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Nicaraguan Coin
- Description (Brief)
- The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this Nicaraguan five centavos coin around the 1898. Scovill was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, medals, and coins.
- Obverse: Image of the Nicaragua coat of arms, consisting of a triangle, a Phrygian cap and five volcanoes. The legend reads: ESTADO DE NICARAGUA.
- Reverse: Floral wreath around the rim. Legend reads: 5/CENTAVOS/1898
- Location
- Currently not on view
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1582
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1582
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Puerto Rican Hardware Token
- Description (Brief)
- The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this token during the early 20th century. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, medals, coins, and transportation tokens. The number 3 is penned on the obverse.
- Obverse: The legend reads: QUINCALLA Y FERRETERIA
- Reverse: The legend reads: TRUJILLO Y SUBINA/ 10/ EL COMETA
- Location
- Currently not on view
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1587
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1587
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Scovill Centennial Commemorative Medal
- Description (Brief)
- This medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut in 1902. Scovill was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods.
- Obverse: Bust of James Mitchell Lamson Scovill and William Henry Scovill. The legend reads: SCOVILL MANUFACTURING COMPANY/ J.M.L. SCOVILL-Wm. H. SCOVILL/1802-1902 WATERBURY, CONN.
- Reverse: The legend reads: CENTENNIAL OF THE FOUNDING OF THE SCOVILL MANUFACTURING CO./PRESENTED BY THE COMPANY TO (blank) 1802/ABEL PORTER & CO./1811/LEAVENWORTH HAYDEN & SCOVILL/1827/J.M.L. & W.H. SCOVILL/1850/SCOVILL MFG. CO.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1589
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1589
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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