Celebrating Independence and Freedom Fighters

The independence of a country is a profoundly unique historical event. It signifies the birth of a nation, a moment that is unparalleled in its significance. Countless individuals have sacrificed their lives for this cherished freedom.

Emerging nations often mark their independence with the creation of new coinages. These coins, more than just currency, serve as unique markers in history, celebrating the birth of a nation.

This collection is a testament to the celebration of independence events and the individuals who played a pivotal role in securing their nations’ freedom. It is a tribute to their courage and sacrifice.

By celebrating independence and freedom fighters, we keep the memories alive of the hard work and sacrifices our forefathers have incurred for us.

England’s Queen’s Impact on World Coinage

Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, served as Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth of Nations until February 1952. She was also the Empress of India until 1947. Queen Elizabeth II was the Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until she died in 2022.

Both queens significantly impacted coinage and currency, as her image appeared on the coins and banknotes of more countries than any other individual in history. This included nations like the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, making her portrait a widely recognized symbol across the Commonwealth throughout her reign. The design of her portrait on coins evolved, reflecting various stages of her life and commemorating essential milestones such as her Jubilees.

Animals All Over the World

This exhibit is in the loving memory of our cat – Sierra. Animals have been loyal companions to humans for many years. The first domesticated animal was the dog, likely around 29,000 years ago. Dogs were domesticated for hunting and protection, and their wild ancestors are the extinct gray wolf. Similarly, Cats began their unique relationship with humans 10,000 to 12,000 years ago.

Animals have been respected and recognized across cultures worldwide. In some religions, animals are considered divine or seen as incarnations of gods, leading to their worship, a practice known as zoolatry or animal worship. Many animals produce wool, including sheep, goats, alpacas, rabbits, and muskox. Most of the world’s milk production comes from cattle, buffalo, goats, sheep, and camels.

Fine Art Coins

For over 2,500 years, coins have facilitated trade between individuals, allowing them to exchange goods and services efficiently. Throughout this extensive period, the methods used to produce these coins have undergone remarkable transformations driven by technological advances. Beginning with the primitive yet fascinating techniques employed by the ancient Lydians and Ionian Greeks, we can trace a rich history that leads us to the highly sophisticated computerized processes utilized in modern minting. This exploration will delve into the evolution of minting technologies, highlighting how each innovation has shaped how we perceive and use currency throughout the ages.

Coin Manufacturing Innovation

Mints worldwide continually seek innovative methods to make coins more appealing and collectible. Many mints have experimented with incorporating gemstones and precious stones into their designs. This process is complex and time-consuming, requiring high skill and expertise.

Heraldic Art Medals: Regular and Occasional Silver Issues, 1959-1978

The purpose of this exhibit is to share with others the beauty and significance of a series of medals which were minted as a way of providing collectors an alternative to the government’s ceasing production of the classic commemorative series in 1954. Also, the story is told of the unique way these medals were created and minted. Personally, this series seems to provide a bridge between the classic commemorative series ending in 1959 and the modern commemorative series which did not begin again until 1982.

The Forgotten Story of Georgia’s Civil War Bills of Exchange

This exhibit focuses on the Bills of Exchange, their purpose, and the men involved in these tangled business arrangements; from banking to blockage running to representing both government and private business interests. The goal is untangling this complicated story to answer the question of why several of these drafts were refused and how were all of these men related, with the story told through period numismatic materials .

Give Me That Old-Time Alphabet

The Jews are the People of the Book, and originally the scriptures were written in the Phoenician alphabet. The Babylonian destruction of Jewish independence and the Temple nearly destroyed the religion, but the scribe Ezra is credited with organizing the Jewish community, determining the authoritative text of the scriptures, and introducing a new alphabet based on Aramaic. Although most texts of the Second Commonwealth used the new square alphabet, the coins used the older Paleo-Hebrew. Modern Israel, the Third Commonwealth, also uses the square alphabet, but on rare occasions, inscriptions are given in Paleo-Hebrew. This exhibit contains examples of every Paleo-Hebrew inscription on Israel government notes, coins, medals and official ancient coin replicas.

Vermont’s Catamount

This exhibit describes the unusual design of the Vermont Sesquicentennial half dollar, shows other medals using a similar design, and discusses the history of the Catamount Tavern and its namesake catamount.

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.

Heavenly Gold

Giotto revolutionized Western art in 1300 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.

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 mint legal tender metal coins. Together, the coins in this exhibit demonstrate the use of all 24 of these metallic elements.

In the Beginning … When Man Created Coins

“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 BCE. 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.

Official Alaska Statehood Medals 1959 & 2009

Medallic Art Company in 1959 under a State of Alaska contract, issued an official statehood medal. For the 50th anniversary of the Alaska statehood in 2009, MACO reissued the medal in bronze (with minor changes). This exhibit displays the bronze medals and silver medal with original support items.

Token for an Ice Worm Cocktail in Alaska

“Good For” token used in the 1960’s for an Ice Worm Cocktail at the Portage Glacier Lodge in Alaska. These tokens have a serial number on them, which is not typical. The very rare S/N 1 tokens, in both brass and sterling silver (only one known) are displayed.

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

Elongated coins were first commercially sold in large numbers at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. This exhibit shows a sample of 1893 elongated coins with history on how they were produced.

The Most Numismatic Coin EVER!

For over 2,000 year, coins have commemorated untold thousands of people, places, events, and other topics, both real and abstract, which coin issuers have deemed important enough to memorialize. There have even been coins that commemorated other coins. But there is only one coin whose every design feature celebrates coinage itself. This exhibit will explore the denarius struck in 46 BC by Titus Carisius – “the most numismatic coin EVER!”