2010 Maynard Sundman/Littleton Coin Company Lecture Series Explores History of Numismatics in New England
The Maynard Sundman/Littleton Coin Company Lecture Series will be presented August 12 during the American Numismatic Association’s 2010 World’s Fair of Money at the Hynes Convention in Boston. This annual series features new scholarship on a numismatic topic; the topic this year is “New England Numismatics and Numismatists: Then and Now.”
The lectures will take place in Room 209, and are free and open to all attending the show. A luncheon will be held Aug. 12 from 12:15-1:45 p.m. in Room 204, near the lecture area. Attendees may choose from Chicken Roulade, New York Sirloin or a vegetarian option. The luncheon is $10 per person, and is underwritten by the Maynard Sundman Littleton Coin Co. Lecture Series Endowment and David Sundman. To register for the luncheon call 719-482-9857 (pre-registration required).
Below is the lecture schedule for the 2010 Sundman/Littleton Coin Co. Lecture Series:
- 10 a.m.: “Colonel Edward H.R. Green: Collector Extraordinaire”
- Peter Huntoon is a renowned numismatic researcher, author and instructor
- Born into a wealthy Bedford, Mass., whaling family, Edward H.R. (“Ned”) Green had aneccentric and miserly mother, Hetty. After her death, he took his half of her fortune and became a famous philatelic and numismatic collector, acquiring anything and everything in his sights, including all five 1913 Liberty Head nickels.
- 11:15 a.m.: “It May Prove a Drugg in Time: The Rise and Fall of Wampum in 17th-Century Massachusetts”
- Max Spiegel is a prolific author and former ANA Young Numismatist of the Year
- For three decades, wampum circulated alongside gold and silver coins in Massachusetts Bay. Its widespread use in the colony arose from both necessity and a desire for quick profits from the fur trade. Governor William Bradford’s warning turned out to be a remarkably accurate prediction, and wampum’s rapid rise was followed by its sudden fall and disappearance.
- 2 p.m.: “Making Money in Massachusetts”
- Richard Doty is a curator with the Smithsonian Institution’s Division of Political History
- Colonists found ways to obtain metal and produce coins without attracting the attention of the British. Massachusetts also got into issuing paper currency, and in the process found it was a fragile medium subject to alteration and counterfeiting. In response, Jacob Perkins of Newburyport invented siderography (the art and practice of steel engraving) and steelplate printing, making safe money available in abundant quantity to a growing nation.
- 3:15 p.m.: “Military Medals of the Colonial Wars”
- Erik Goldstein is the curator of mechanical arts and numismatics at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
- Medals worn by soldiers and sailors during the last of the American Colonial wars long have been overlooked by numismatists and military historians. Many of these pieces relate to New England and Boston, and the region’s unsung contributions to the French and Indian & Revolutionary war efforts. Some medals are commonly known, but little understood in context, and others have all but completely escaped attention.
The World’s Fair of Money is the nation’s premiere money show. Show hours are 1-5:30 p.m. August 10, and 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. August 11-14. Dealer set-up is 8 a.m.-1 p.m. on Tuesday, August 10. Admission is $6 for adults, and free for ANA members and children 12 and under. A basic ANA membership, with an online subscription to The Numismatist, will be available at the show for $18 — $10 off the regular price.
Prue Morgan Fitts is the event’s general chair, Robert Fritsch is the assistant chair and Arthur Fitts III is the honorary general chair. The Boston Numismatic Society is the host club. For more information on all of the show highlights, call 719-482-9857 or visit www.worldsfairofmoney.com.
Originally Release Date: July 14, 2010
ANA Contacts: Phone:719-482-9814
Email: pr@money.org