U.S. MINT CORRESPONDENCE SCANNING CONTINUES

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The E-Sylum: Volume 21, Number 36, September 9, 2018, Article 5

U.S. MINT CORRESPONDENCE SCANNING CONTINUES

The latest addition to the Newman Numismatic Portal is additional U.S. Mint General Correspondence into the 1860s. Project Coordinator Len Augsburger provided the following report. Thanks. -Editor

U.S. Mint General Correspondence Scanning Continues

Several years ago, Bob Julian directed the scanning of the U.S Mint general correspondence files (record group 104, entry 1) at the National Archives & Records Administration (NARA) in Philadelphia. Operating under a grant from the Central States Numismatic Society (CSNS), Julian coordinated the delivery of the first 45 boxes of this series, covering the years 1792-1857.

Comprising over 20,000 pages, this material allows researchers to go directly to the source rather than having to travel to remote locations to study these original working documents from the U.S. Mint. The Newman Portal is extending this work and has added volumes into the 1860s. John Graffeo, who previously worked in the library of the American Numismatic Society, is continuing the scanning effort in Philadelphia.

The Frederick S. Rose gold medal (obverse Julian IP-36)

In randomly browsing one of the recently-scanned correspondence volumes, I chanced upon an 1860 letter from William Henry Trescot (Assistant Secretary of State) to U.S. Mint Director James Ross Snowden. The letter orders the striking of a gold model for Frederick S. Rose, a Royal Navy surgeon, acknowledging his efforts in treating an outbreak of yellow fever on the USS Susquehanna while in Jamaica. So, was the medal actually struck? Indeed it was, and a quick check of the Newman Portal finds the medal in the collection of Alan Weinberg. Weinberg notes that this was the first congressional gold medal awarded to a recipient outside the U.S. – a signal honor. The correspondence reads as follows:

“Congress having noted a medal to be presented to Mr. Frederick S. Rose, Assistant Surgeon, Royal Navy, for kind and humane treatment of the officials of the U.S. Ship Susquehannah, at Kingston Ja[maica] I will thank you to have a gold medal struck for that purpose. The obverse may be struck from the die of the Indian Medal {Julian IP-36], which was sent to you to prepare the Japanese medals from. The reverse of the latter medal would answer, were it not for the lettering thereon. If they could be taken off that die might be used. Otherwise the selection of the reverse will be left to your discretion.”

Link to U.S. Mint general correspondence group on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/archivedetail/515202

COIN WORLD
The addition of Coin World to the Newman Numismatic Portal, announced last week, was another landmark event for numismatic research. Over 300,000 pages of numismatic content are now fully searchable. Users are already beginning to utilize it. -Editor

Barbara Robinson at Littleton Coin Company writes:

What a great resource and worthwhile addition to the project. This is great! Last week I was looking for the Coin World article announcing the discovery of the 1938 D over S Buffalo but gave up. Using this tool it took me less than a minute to locate the correct issue. It’s a front page article in the March 16, 1962 Coin World. Awesome.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
COIN WORLD AVAILABLE IN NEWMAN PORTAL SEARCHES (http://www.coinbooks.org/v21/esylum_v21n35a06.html)

Wayne Homren, Editor

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com

To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum

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