The E-Sylum:  Volume 7, Number 4, January 25, 2004, Article 18

ONE IS NOT ENOUGH (CONTINUED)

  Howard A. Daniel III writes: "Alan V. Weinberg raised the
  hair on the back of my neck, when he wrote about "duplicates"
  and the Smithsonian Institution's Numismatic Department.
  I've been writing to my two Senators (Warner & Allen) and
  two Representatives (Tom Davis & Joann Davis (I have
  homes in two Virginia districts)) for many years about
  creating a separate National Numismatic Museum (NNM)
  like the National Postal Museum.  This would bring
  numismatics out from under a very big umbrella and make
  it visible to ordinary citizens and   numismatists.  And new
  exhibits might be created every few years instead of basically
  the same one for the past 25+ years.   Another one of my
  projects with my Senators and Representatives is to create a
  bill that will allow the Smithsonian (or new NNM) to keep
  triplicates (I'm generous) of a particular piece.  One for
  obverse exhibiting, a second for reverse exhibiting and a
  third for research purposes.  All of the others could be sold
  or traded (to other museums to acquire missing pieces).
  There are over 1 million pieces in the National Numismatic
  Collection and probably less than one-tenth of one percent
  have ever been seen by the public.  The rarest pieces would
  best be sold through prominent auction houses but the NNM
  could list online the more common pieces and/or sell them
  within the new NNM.  The monies from such sales could
  fund the operation of the museum and new exhibits.  The US
  Mints, Bureau of Printing and Engraving and US Treasury
  could also sell their products within the museum and pay it
  a percentage of their sales for more sources of funds.  Exhibits
  of banks, credit unions, private mints,  financial paper printing
  firms, etc., could be created with their funds and any of their
  products could also be sold for additional  monies.

  I hopes that NBSers will also pick a date every year (or
  term) to write to their Representatives and Senators about
  the creation of a NNM and the selling of "duplicates" in the
  National Numismatic Collection.  You might not like my
  exact ideas, so I suggest that you please write your own
  version.  If you want to correspond with me about this subject,
  send your emails to Howard at SEAsianTreasury.com."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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