Henrietta Szold and Her Legacy: Hadassah and Youth Aliyah

Henrietta Szold devoted herself to public service in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. At a time before women could vote, she organized and managed charities in Baltimore, and translated and edited major theological works for the Jewish Publication Society and Jewish Theological Seminary. She brought modern medicine to the Middle East, saving the lives of thousands of Jews, Arabs, and others living in and around Israel.

Feline Species Paper Money Type Set

This exhibit shows all the species and some major types within species of felines, both great and small cats, portrayed on paper money of countries around the world.

Israel & Currency: Her Innovative Approach to the Question of Idolatrous Money

Since ancient times, Jews have been concerned that portraits of people and animals on coins could be considered graven images in violation of the Second Commandment. After a ruling by Israel’s Chief Rabbi that some types of portraits were permissible, the Bank of Israel has designed coins with sunken profile portraits, photographic-like flat images, line drawings, negative space, and stylized profiles to avoid creating a graven image or giving the appearance of supporting idolatry.

A Stellar Type Set

This exhibit shows the wide variety of ways stars are portrayed and used as part of the design or message of a coin, bank note, or medal. Since heraldic stars are commonly found on coins, this exhibit emphasizes pieces that use the word star or a word derived from star, in any language, and also pieces that portray specific stars (including planets and comets).

Discovery: The Last $10 1902 Plain Back printed for The Pacific National Bank of Nantucket

The discovery of the 1902 PB from the Pacific National Bank of Nantucket. How my curiosity and the resources and steps I used in the discovery of this important note.
A brief history and the importance of this bank to the population of the island and the whaling industry in the 1800’s.
The exhibit will include photos and postcards of the historic bank building. The Pacific bank was prolific issuer of national currency, and I will provide bank note information for Charter # 714.
The history of the bank will also include a short biography of the bank president Albert Brock whose signature is on my note.

It’s Elementary!

Metal coins were (probably) first used in the 7th Century BCE in two widely separated areas: in the West, coinage began in what is now Turkiye with round coins struck in electrum, an alloy of the metallic elements Gold and Silver, while in the East, coinage began in China with knife-shaped and spade-shaped coins cast in bronze, an alloy of the metallic elements Copper and Tin.

Over the past 27 centuries, 20 additional metallic elements have been used to miont legal tender metal coins Together, the coins in this exhibit demonstrate the use of all 24 of these metallic elements

Heavenly Gold

Giotto revolutionized Western art in 1300 AD by painting a blue sky. Before Giotto, artists only painted golden skies: they believed that heaven was somewhere “up there,” in the sky, and that the divine realm itself must be golden, despite what our eyes tell us. The blue in the sky is really a function of the way molecules in the atmosphere scatter light, and lovely though a blue sky may be, it still seems appropriate to use gold to represent the heavens. This exhibit presents a golden gallery of numismatic portraits of those who dwell in heaven, wherever heaven may be.

Token for an Ice Worm Cocktail in Alaska

The single case exhibit shows a good-for token that was used as a promotion to get a free Ice Worm Cocktail at the Portage Glacier Lodge in Alaska during the 1960’s to 1970’s. These good-for tokens were unusual in that they had a serial number stamped on them which allows the tokens to be tracked. The exhibit displays the rare S/N 1 brass good-for token and the only known sterling silver token (S/N 1) of the type.

The Start of a New Collectible- The Innovation of the First Elongated Souvenir Coins at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago

Today’s modern elongated cents (aka pressed pennies, squashed cents, rolled cents and many other names) can trace their history to an innovation at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition held in Chicago, Illinois. The first recorded documentation of coins (both U.S. and world) being “rolled” with a press with a design on the roller to produce a new type of collectible souvenir. Over two dozen elongated design types (each a different roller die) are known to have been “rolled” at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. This exhibit shows a sample of the types of elongated items from this event.

Casino Chips The Chinese New Year

Chips from many casinos showing the Chinese symbols and colors.

The Fraternal Order of Eagles

This exhibit will discuss the history and major past achievements and current projects of the Fraternal Order of Eagles. Our motto is “People Helping People”. On display will be the bar chips of the aeries chartered before 1910 in Sandusky County Ohio and the counties bordering that county.

Inflationary Currency of Israel, 1980-1985

In 1980, Israel adopted a new currency, the sheqel, replacing the lira. In the first year of the new currency, four coins were minted in denominations from one agora to 1/2 shequel, and banknotes were issued in denominations from one shequel to 100 sheqalim. However, the early 1980s were a period of high inflation in Israel, and the Bank of Israel had to introduce several new denominations over the following years. By 1984, the Bank was issuing 100 sheqalim coins, and the largest banknote was for 10,000 sheqalim. This exhibit will show how the economic problems faced by Israel in the early 1980s necessitated annual changes in the country’s coinage and paper money until the first sheqel series was abandoned in 1985 and replaced with the new sheqel.

Royal Mint Beatrix Potter Commemoratives

In 2016, the Royal Mint issued a series of commemorative 50p coins celebrating 150 years since the birth of the beloved British children’s author, Beatrix Potter. The reverse of four of these coins depicted a selection of Potter’s characters, including the iconic Peter Rabbit, while the fifth celebrated the author herself. The Royal Mint followed up on the popular initial series by issuing more Beatrix Potter commemoratives in the ensuing years. This exhibit will showcase some of these issues as well as the writings and illustrations of Beatrix Potter that inspired them.

1906 Pikes Peak Centennial Medals

First sighted by explorer Zebulon Montgomery Pike in 1806, Pikes Peak has been featured on many numismatic items since the 1860’s. This exhibit displays select examples of official and “imitation” medals produced in 1906 for the Pikes Peak Centennial. The life of Zebulon Montgomery Pike, the history of Pikes Peak, as well as the fascinating story of celebratory numismatics and later rediscovery is displayed.

Trimes- Silver Three-Cent coins 1851-1873

A new denomination was introduced in 1851 to the American public, the Trime. This set showcases a complete mint state set of Silver Trimes or Three-cent pieces. Learn about our smallest federal silver coin with some interesting history. Minted from 1851-1873, they were very popular in the early years of production with mintages falling off dramatically after the end of the Civil War. Learn about some Trime dies that were produced, shipped but never used, and how the coins were shipped. The set includes a popular one-year type coin.

Small-Size U.S. Paper Money

The purpose is to educate viewers on the details of U.S. small size notes by illustrating the progression of design features from the original Series of 1928 notes to the present day, building awareness of plate numbers, check letters, and signatures, and showing how locations and methods of manufacture can be readily identified. This fits in with the 100 years of numismatics theme as it covers roughly 100 years of changes in United States currency.

Honoring Music Through a World of Paper Money

This exhibit features a selection of music themed paper money from around the world. Performing artists, composers and artisans are highlighted throughout. See how the world remembers and celebrates music through its paper money. It is hoped that this exhibit will inspire present and future numismatists toward this type of “Themed Collecting” – a way to combine the enjoyment of numismatics with another field of interest.

Texas Numismatic Association Show Medals

This exhibit features the medals of the Texas Numismatic Association. Each year, medals are designed for the Annual Show and Convention. Most of the subjects of these medals are famous people throughout Texas History. Medals also celebrate cities, transportation, buildings, and Texas icons. A complete set of the Bronze Medals are featured in this exhibit, along with designers, details and varieties of the medals.

Presidents of the Progressive Era

The Progressive Era (1897-1920) was a time of great social and political activism in the United States and around the world. This exhibit combines my passion for Inaugural medals, elongated coins, and history to recognize the influence of this period of time on our culture today. Three Republicans, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, and William Taft, along with one Democrat, Woodrow Wilson, forever changed the course of our nation.

The Colorado Springs Centennial Medal

July 31, 1971 marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of Colorado Springs by William Jackson Palmer. The city the commemorated the anniversary by issuing the Colorado Springs Centennial Medal which featured geographic and cultural highlights of the area. The city once known as “Little London” is home to American Numismatic Association

Berghoff Restaurant Waiter Tokens

When the Berghoff restaurant in Chicago opened in 1898, several traditions followed Herman Joseph Berghoff from Germany to America. In Europe, waiters worked more as independent contractors and purchased tokens from the restaurant at the beginning of their shift. These coins were used to purchase food and beverages from the “house”. Throughout the day when they ordered food from the kitchen, they would pick up their food, and then pay the cashier with metal tokens. This exhibit presents the history of this Chicago institution and displays these unique tokens

A Century of Numismatic Artistry – The Centennial Gold Coin Program

In 2016, the U.S. Mint marked the centennial anniversary of three famous and familiar numismatic designs with the release of three gold coins. The exhibit explores the history, artistry and deigns of the Mercury Dime, the Standing Liberty Quarter and Walking Liberty Half Dollar.
Numismatic Legacy of Henry Kreis

Numismatic Legacy of Henry Kreis

Henry Kreis (1899-1963) was a renowned sculptor whose numismatic achievements spanned from classic commemorative U.S. half dollars to tokens and medals. In 1948, he was awarded the American Numismatic Society’s J. Stanford Saltus Award, the highest numismatic honor. This display is comprehensive collection of Kreis’ work including specimens for all half dollars, all medals found in the Medallic Art Company (MACO) archives, and other numismatic artifacts such as plasters models.

In the Beginning …

“Money,” as a medium of exchange or measure of wealth, has existed from time immemorial, but “money” in the form of coins dates back no earlier than the middle of the 7th Century BC. The invention of coined money greatly facilitated both commerce and the spread of civilizations, and coins themselves are critically important to the study of the art and history of earlier cultures.

This exhibit presents a gallery of numismatic “firsts,” with examples of the first coins and coin types ever minted, and a representative selection of subsequent innovations in coin design, metallurgy and technology.

Hooray for Hollywood: Numismatic Artifacts from the Golden Age of American Cinema

This exhibit features numismatic medals, tokens and related promotional items produced during the heyday of American film production in Hollywood, California. It features rare and engaging specimens from one of the largest private collections of cinema-related exonumia, some of which have never been publicly displayed. The exhibitor hopes viewers will gain an appreciation of classic film and the numismatic items that promoted popular movies, actors and studios, and, in some cases, aided the production of the films themselves.