Got back from the Smithsonian

oldgoldlover

I got pictures of a few ultra rare coins and will post. Most of the coin collection was not on exhibit. best coins I saw were the $20 1849 and a 1933. No 1913 Vs. I did get a picture of a block of the inverted biplane stamps but it will go one the stamp sight. It has a very interesting story behind it.

My best buy was a book titled Double Eagle. I paid $6.99 at the National History Museum and it is a very interesting book. For many years the collectors like Col. Green had a 1933 as a dealer named Swit got several out of the mint and sold them to the big name collectors for $500-$600 a piece for one. Only until the 1940s did the Secret Service go after the coins. Not finished with it yet but eight were recovered and Swit mentioned he had as many as 25 to sell. The U.S. govt. was extremely lax about prosecuting mint employees and it was very easy to get coins out the door. Some things never change just the dollar amount of the transactions.

If you are interested in how the mint operated the 1933 story in detail and when coin collecting really got going I suggest you get one from the Smithsonian.

A bit of trivia. Why was the Secret Service formed and when?

ms70

I believe it was formed during the Lincoln presidency. I think it was for presidential protection.

northcoin

Looking forward to seeing your photos of the $20 1849.

TLeverage

The Secret Service was created to combat counterfeiting efforts; I believe the creation of the service overlapped the Lincoln/Johnson presidencies.

ricko

It seems you had an interesting visit. Too bad many of their coins were not on display. Of course, the Smithsonian is so huge, there is always something of interest to see... and it would take many, many visits to see it all... Cheers, RickO

oldgoldlover

ms 70 and TLeverage got it right on a combined basis. Formed in the later 1860's to combat counterfeiting.
I will post a few of the better pictures as soon as I go through them. The 1849 has some scratches on it even though it is a proof. i did not know it but the Smithsonian was given two 1933 DEs, resulting in three known. It is VERY likely others are gone as the SS started its search for the ones that were stolen 10 yeas after the fact.

For anyone that is a U.S. history buff the museum is a must as is the aerospace and numismatic displays. Too bad they don't display all the classics they have like the 1913 V Liberty. Even without them the coins are well worth the time and effort.

PTVETTER

The secret service was formed to curb counterfeit currency and coins.
Not until later did they protect the president. Not sure of the years, but sure of the order!