Are any 1795-1840 US coins definitively linked to contemporary famous Americans?
topstuf
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Key word "contemporary." I'd like to see a coin that's PROVEN to be linked to an early American.
And ......not....an early American coin collector.
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Commodore Perry. born 1794. Was not famous until after 1840. so may not be what you were looking for. He was also a collector, could have pulled this one out of circulation somewhere in the early 1800s
There’s the time capsule in Boston linked to Paul Revere. It contained a pine tree shilling among other items.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Adams_and_Paul_Revere_time_capsule
Andrew Jackson owned one of the original issue 1836 on name on base dollars Gobrecht Dollars. It was auctioned some years ago with his former ownership attached to it.
Cool stuff, folks.
Any more?
Or even later. Coins weren't of much importance other than ...money... for a long time.
That is a very attractive coin.
This is a medal, not a coin, but the Libertas Americana medals, which celebrated the signing of the Treaty of Paris which gave the United States its independence, were conceived, sponsored and personal distributed by Benjamin Franklin. He gave gold medals to the king and queen of France, which were subsequently destroyed, probably during the French Revolution, silver medals to more important officials, like George Washington, and bronze medals to lesser officials, like members of Congress.
Who knows? Maybe Franklin handed this piece personally.
1839 Eagles are supposedly all coined from gold left to the US by the estate of James Smithson to establish what is now the Smithsonian Institution. Of course, he died about 10 years earlier, so he never had one of them as an 1839 eagle.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
I know that there is a $5 Confederate banknote that was in Abraham Lincoln's wallet when he was assassinated.
Well, let’s see, J. Q. Adams had a coin collection that was begun by his father John. Stacks sold it in the early 1970’s and the funds were used to preserve the documents left by the Adams family.
Andrew Jackson was also presented with (I believe) the first Classic Head Half Eagle minted. It is referenced in a biography of him written by Remini. It appears that it has been lost to history as I checked with The Hermitage Museum and they have no record of the coin.
Of course, two of the most famous US coins to have direct links to our famous ancestors is Thomas Jefferson and the half diems of 1792 and Rittenhouse owning all the 1794 dollars. There is no denying the original owners of these two classics.
Aaron Burr also had a coin collection that was sold in Europe (I believe) to help pay expenses after he fled there subsequent to his famous duel with Hamilton.
That’s all that come to mind just now, but I’m sure there are others as it was common for intellectuals of this time period to have an interest in the classical coinages of Greece and Rome as well as in medals.
I’m looking forward to hearing of others.......
A: The year they spend more on their library than their coin collection.
A numismatist is judged more on the content of their library than the content of their cabinet.
The reason the John Adams / John Quincy Adams coins can be traced is that they were in the collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society, before being sold off.
The following is from Harvey Stack.
https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n21a24.html
There is the engraved 1860 double eagle that was recovered from the Confederate submarine Hunley. It saved the life of Lt. Dixon at Shiloh, but couldn't help him on the Hunley.
I wonder where that is, if it even exists anymore? There have been many theories as to why he had it in the first place.
I think it's in the Smithsonian, it does exist. I've seen it documented but don't recall where.
Great post. Cool stuff.
There was a 1795 $10 with provenance to Martha Washington, stolen from Yale, c. 1960. Never recovered.
There is an 1829 half dime w/letter of transmittal from Adam Eckfeldt to Robert M. Patterson.
There is a Comitia Americana medal with transmittal letter to the recipient (I think Gates, not 100% sure).
The 1838 $5s are mostly ex. Smithson but there were some extras so you can't be sure. I was looking at Nat. Archives correspondence this week related to coining these. English coins melted & recoined into American ones.
Good argument that Rittenhouse and Jefferson handled the silver centered cents.
Jefferson had splasher set of Comitia Americana medals from France.