COAC 2003

May 17, 2003 Fraunces Tavern, 54 Pearl St., New York  

 

"Our Nation's Coinage: Varied Origins"

Kent Ponterio.  "The First Coinage of the New World: Coins of the Mexico City Mint Struck during the Reign of Charles and Johanna." The paper will analyze recent discoveries in the sequences of issues and their assayers, based upon hoard study and original documentation.

Brian J. Danforth.  "New Interpretations on Irish Coppers in the American Colonies: the St. Patrick, wood's hibernia and `Voce Populi Series."  Based on original research conducted in Ireland, England and America, this paper presents a new perspective on selected Irish coppers that contributed to the circulating medium of colonial America. The highlights of the presentation shall include: the minter and production sequence of St. Patrick coppers, the circulation of Wood's Hibernia coinage in Ireland and the American colonies, and the events surrounding the issuance of the Voce Populi series.

David T. Alexander. "Hessian 'Blood Money': the History and the Myth." The paper will explore the legendary "bloodthalers," their Hanoverian context, and the strange career of Rudolph Erich Raspe in the era of the   Revolution.  

Margi Hofer. "Recent Discoveries in the New York Historical Society." As a result of cataloguing in preparation for opening a new study center, displaying the vast majority of its permanent collections long held in storage, significant numismatic discoveries have come to light at the New York Historical Society.   This presentation will focus on two groups of exciting finds: five very early medals of the Society of the Cincinnati, and a pair of United States pattern quarters from 1792.  

John Kraljevich. "Annapolis Silver: The Coinage of John Chalmers."    This will cover the currency context into which the Chalmers coins were issued, including archaeological finds of coins in the Chesapeake Bay region and contemporary paper money.   It will examine the place of Annapolis in the nation in 1783, when it was our first peacetime capital, through a look at documents from Washington and Jefferson among others. Finally, it will include John Chalmer's biography and the specifics of the coins he issued.  

Syd Martin. "The 'Georgius Triumpho'/Danish West Indies Mule." The paper will examine the two newly discovered Georgius Triumpho/DWI mules in terms of (a) their physical characteristics and (b) where and when they were produced.   This examination will tie together a number of loose ends with respect to an important addition to American colonial issues.