Smithsonian Coin Collection

19Lyds

Id there a National Coin Collection at the Smithsonian?

If so, has anybody ever seen it and inquired about it?

TomB

I last looked at the collection in 2000 or 2001 and I believe that it has now been moved and might be in cold storage.

garsmith

Check thier web site; I am sure they have one, but I don't think it is currently on display

Broadstruck

I last looked at the collection in 2000 or 2001 and I believe that it has now been moved and might be in cold storage.

Yep not on display when I went 3-4 years ago!

Arizonadesertrat

I saw the coins on display about 7 or 8 years ago (or earlier, I can't remember exactly)---an impressive group, but the surfaces of many of the coins looked like they had been cleaned. Very unfortunate.

garsmith

Check thier web site; I am sure they have one, but I don't think it is currently on display

MrEureka

I saw the coins on display about 7 or 8 years ago (or earlier, I can't remember exactly)---an impressive group, but the surfaces of many of the coins looked like they had been cleaned.

I was privileged to see a large portion of the collection, including thousands of items not on display, a few years ago when the exhibit was taken down. While it's true that some coins had been cleaned, especially silver pieces on exhibit, the bulk of the collection has been well cared for.

airplanenut

<< <i> I saw the coins on display about 7 or 8 years ago (or earlier, I can't remember exactly)---an impressive group, but the surfaces of many of the coins looked like they had been cleaned.

I was privileged to see a large portion of the collection, including thousands of items not on display, a few years ago when the exhibit was taken down. While it's true that some coins had been cleaned, especially silver pieces on exhibit, the bulk of the collection has been well cared for. >>

I had the privilege of keeping Andy company on the ride to and from DC... and seeing what he saw

robkool

In 92' I remember seeing a large numismatic coin collection there...
Included the following...

1933 $20 Saint
1849 $20 Liberty Double Eagle
1804 Dollar (restrike with plain edge)
1913 Liberty V Nickle

And various other gold & private issue pieces...

droopyd

I was there a couple years back, some small portions if the holding were on display but not much. I was disappointedly underwhelmed by the quantity and presentation of items on display.

I grew up in the DC area, so was fortunate to have had the chance to visit the Smithsonian several times a year on school field trips and family excursions. The US coin display was much more impressive in the past.

astrorat

Yes, there is a nice collection, all but a very select few pieces are in storage. I was also one of the folks that had the sad privilege of helping the staff take down the collection that fateful August.

Lane

yevrah

I grew up in th DC area and I remember seeing it at some point as a child in the 1960's. I might have seen it in the 1980's also... but things that far back are not so clear anymore!

PerryHall

I remember selling the Lilly gold collection and other rarities including the harshly cleaned 1849 double eagle. I'm not sure if someone from the mint cleaned it when it was part of the mint collection or someone from the SI staff cleaned it. Unfortunately, museum personnel aren't always trained to properly care for rare coins.

BBN

saw it in 2004. I enjoyed it myself. While most collectors wouldn't be impressed I'm betting the average general public would be blown away by it since about the only thing the general public knows about older coins is buffalo nickels and wheat pennies.

MrEureka

I remember selling the Lilly gold collection and other rarities including the harshly cleaned 1849 double eagle.

For all it's worth, I've had the coin in hand and do not believe it was cleaned. If it weren't for a few marks in the fields, the coin would be a high end PR64. Even with the marks, the coin is a conservative 63+ with great mirrors and color.

TAClough

Check here.

MrEureka

For anyone that has not seen this yet, check out the 355 items in the SI's Virtual Exhibit. As this exhibit grows, the site will become a tremendous resource.

Gemini

When I saw the collection on view in 1967 I was surprised I should say actually shocked to see many of the coins on display with a terrible Brillo like cleaning. The harshness of the cleaning was apparent even from a distance. I'm pretty sure I read later that the cleaning was performed right there at the Smithsonian by a well meaning over zealous employee.

anablep

I saw the exhibit in 2004 I believe and was impressed, if not overwhelmed.

I don't remember seeing too many cleaned coins, but the gold collection impressed me tremendously.

There was so much to look at I don't think I was able to process much.

PerryHall

<< <i> I remember selling the Lilly gold collection and other rarities including the harshly cleaned 1849 double eagle.

For all it's worth, I've had the coin in hand and do not believe it was cleaned. If it weren't for a few marks in the fields, the coin would be a high end PR64. Even with the marks, the coin is a conservative 63+ with great mirrors and color. >>



Maybe I'm confusing this coin with a different proof double eagle.

YaHa

I was told by someone that happens to be a huge historian that all artifacts in the Smithsonain are "Doubles" the real collectables that are historic and priceless are hidden away to protect our countrys treasures.


If one day a President would have the balls to show the real truth treasures I think you would not believe your eyes. There are one of a kind items that the human race has never seen, some of you think you have a coin that is one of a kind, there are perfect coins from every mint, every year, every date or every kind. Also along with any other thing that was ever invented.

Did you ever think why our country wouldn't have such a set of every perfect coins from our history on display somewhere. Just imagine it in your dreams, remember dreams can come reality.

Sunshine Rare Coins

i saw the collection a year ago - Small sized ultra high relief, 1849 $20, proof slug, 1913 liberty nickle, 1804 silver dollar!

pf70collector

Yes , I saw the collection on display in verical display cases last year. It is housed in the old part of the museum. Quite impressive. I bike in DC alot and stop off occasionally to admire it. Whether its there now I cannot say. It was a very small collection though.

astrorat

<< <i>

<< <i> I remember selling the Lilly gold collection and other rarities including the harshly cleaned 1849 double eagle.

For all it's worth, I've had the coin in hand and do not believe it was cleaned. If it weren't for a few marks in the fields, the coin would be a high end PR64. Even with the marks, the coin is a conservative 63+ with great mirrors and color. >>



Maybe I'm confusing this coin with a different proof double eagle. >>



Yep, I think you are as the 1849 was not harshly cleaned.

Lane

TavernTreasures

I saw the collection at the US Mint in Philly in the late 1970's. Last year in 2007, I visited the Smithsonian and the collection was not on display.

RWB

What is now known as the National Numismatic Collection (NNC) consists of coins, paper currency, medals and other numismatic objects assembled by the Smithsonian through 1923. In that year, the Treasury Department transferred the Philadelphia Mint collection from the Mint Bureau to the Smithsonian, thereby greatly enlarging the coin and medal collection.

Since then, remains of the Chase Manhattan Money of the World Museum (cellophane tape and all), Lilly gold collection and many smaller donations (including some patterns from Stack’s) have further enlarged the holdings. The currency holdings are phenomenal, and almost completely unknown to collectors.

The portions that were once on public display are only a small part of the overall collection. Based on my experiences working with the NNC on several occasions, there are probably a lot of discoveries left to be made. (For example, I was able to discover 2 new gold patterns, completely re-sequence the 1916 silver patterns and identify polished and doubled die pieces, revise the 1913 nickel patterns, and straighten out the 1909/1910 nickel patterns. All from within the NNC holdings.)

When the Museum of American History reopens after renovations, there will likely be some numismatic displays that show much more of the collection than has been publicly seen before.

PS: The Smithsonian collections are so vast that they have multiple examples of many artifacts. Storage occupies tens of millions of square feet of space in dozens of climate controlled facilities.

crispy

I saw it in '85 or '86. What impressed me at the time was all the gold on display.

BECOKA

I saw it when I was about 14 and was deeply impressed then and no one understood why I spent so much time staring.

And that was when I only collected proof sets and pocket change.

roadrunner

Rumor has it that it was all sent out to CAC before going up on ebay.

roadrunner

firstmint

For those who may be interested further -

I strongly recommend picking up a copy of the 1968 USGPO publication titled " History of the National Numismatic Collections" by Vladimir Clain-Stefanelli, who was the curator at the time. His wife Elvira later took over that position.

This indespensible work has a great deal of background information about the early years, and displays numerous b&w pics of the more important pieces.

If you are interested in early gold, get the 1992 book by Cory Gilliland "Sylloge of the United States Holdings in the National Numismatic Collection of the Smithsonian Institution, Gold Coins, 1785 to 1834".

ricko

I saw the gold (or at least that which they had on display) when I was in my early twenties... have not seen it since. I go to DC frequently on business now.. I need to make some time to look again. Cheers, RickO