Historical Change as in pocket change
micmt
Posts: 671
As I look over older coins I try and sense who has held the coin and what that coin has seen in its lifetime. It makes me wonder if there are any coins that can be or are attributed to being in the possession of one of our founding fathers or possibly any president. Either as in their personal collection, their pocket change, personal effects stored away in the Smithsonian or their presidential houses. Does any one have any ideas if there are any out there?
"One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making new discoveries" -A.A. Milne
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His collection of Roman coins, as well as some Boulton and Watt patterns, was given to the American Philosophical Society. They were unceremoniously sold in the early 1970s and have since been dispersed without the benefit of the provenance -- a real shame.
Jefferson was an active medal collector, and some of his best pieces are at Monticello today. Highlights include his CCAUS medal, a silver Preble medal, the Eccleston medal that was given to him by Eccleston (see my sig line) and a Lion and Wolf Indian Peace medal that it seems he purchased in 1777.
Washington's set of Comitia Americana medals is at the Massachusetts Historical Society. His gold Washington Before Boston medal is at the Boston Public Library.
The medals that Jefferson gave to Madison have been scattered over the years. Jefferson's inaugual medal that he gave to his younger daughter was stolen from UVa before 1973. There are few pieces floating around that I can pretty much assuredly say belonged to Franklin. The Society of Cincinnati badge that Washington ordered for himself and was given to Lafayette after his death was recently sold at Sotheby's for a few million bucks (back to France, incidentally).
Let's see ...
Andrew Jackson's gold Erie Canal medal is at NY Historical Society.
Anthony Wayne's gold Stony Point medal is in private hands.
Every 1794 dollar on the planet once belonged to David Rittenhouse.
The unique Nova Constellatio set once belonged to Robert Morris.
In terms of actual coins with a provenance like that, there really isn't anything -- though the gold Washington/Hanc ck pattern in Eric Newman's collection has long been reputed to have belonged to Washington. It's possible, but beyond the realm of proof.
Once you get into a later area, there is a bunch of stuff -- medals that belonged to Grant in the Smithsonian, Orville Wright's coin collection at the ANA, Andy Jackson's Gobrect dollar, coins that belonged to Teddy Roosevelt and family, etc. etc. Some of Zachary Taylor's medals have sold publicly, and John Quincy Adams' collection was dispersed in a few auction sales in the early 1970s. Henry Ford was an active collector and some of his pieces appeared in a 1951 Stack's sale -- I own some letters between his secretary and his coin dealer (he was a type collector, not a date enthusiast).
If I think of anything else, I'll revist this thread.
I wrote a column on this precise topic for Coin World not too long ago.
Betts medals, colonial coins, US Mint medals, foreign coins found in early America, and other numismatic Americana