Photos, video of new display’s rarities available for download
There was a time when putting George Washington on a U.S. coin was considered
way too controversial. Consequently, Washington didn’t appear on a
regular issue U.S. coin until 1932.
A
new exhibit at the Money Museum explores coins that could have lined
people’s pockets — like the 1863 Washington two-cent piece — but never
made it past a trial design and thus were never approved for
circulation. This display of 19th century pattern coins is an expansion
of the museum’s interactive, multimillion-dollar Harry W. Bass Jr.
Exhibit. The world-class, permanent gallery displays 80 years worth of
pattern coins.
Pattern
coins can tell visitors a great deal about the times they were created,
with items of special interest for coin collectors, history buffs,
artists and designers.
“Artistically,
the various designs provide an interesting look at what coin designers
were thinking at the time,” said Douglas Mudd, Money Museum curator.
“This is what our money could have looked like. It’s one of the finest
collections out there.”
The
collection reveals much about America’s political climate during the
1800s, Mudd said. While seeing former presidents and other important
historical leaders on money is common practice today, it was a different
story in the 1800s. At that time, Mudd explained, portraits of real
people on currency had been traditionally reserved for monarchs.
“The
fact that it was so controversial to potentially put George Washington
on a coin during that era is something that we forget in the modern
age,” Mudd said.
Economically,
the coins document the debate over the use of a gold or silver standard
to back U.S. currency. Another major economic topic of the time was
the potential introduction of a world-wide currency standard – several
series of patterns were created during this period to explore how U.S.
coins could be made to match the standard used by the Latin Monetary
Union, such as the famous “Stella” series of gold coins.
These
specimens are part of the collection originally assembled by the late
Harry W. Bass Jr., for whom the gallery is named. Bass was a life member
of the American Numismatic Association for more than 30 years and was
inducted into the ANA Hall of Fame in 1998. He was awarded the ANA’s
Medal of Merit in 1989. He also served as councilor and president of the
American Numismatic Society.
This
stunning collection of pattern coins can be viewed between the hours of
10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday at the Money Museum, 818 N.
Cascade Ave. Entry to the Money Museum is free for ANA members, $5 for
the general public and $4 for seniors, students and military personnel
with valid identification. Children under 12 are admitted for free.
The
American Numismatic Association is a congressionally chartered
nonprofit educational organization dedicated to encouraging people to
study and collect money and related items. The ANA helps its 28,000
members and the public discover and explore the world of money through
its vast array of education and outreach programs, as well as its
museum, library, publications, conventions and seminars. For more
information, call 719-632-2646 or go to www.money.org.
