The E-Sylum:  Volume 8, Number 3, January 16, 2005, Article 4

ANS EXHIBIT REOPENS IN NEW YORK

From the press release:
Monday, January 10th, The American Numismatic Society
Exhibit, Drachmas, Doubloons and Dollars re-opens to the
public at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 33 Liberty
Street, New York City. In August 2004, the exhibit was
temporarily closed after a sudden Orange Alert from the
Department of Homeland Security, which warned of "casing
and surveillance activities" against major United States
financial institutions. The ANS exhibit includes the exceedingly
rare 1933 Double Eagle, the world's most valuable coin valued
at $7.59 million and on long term loan to the exhibition along
with a Brasher doubloon, a 1804 dollar, a Confederate States
half-dollar and an ultra-high relief 20-dollar gold piece designed
by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. More than 800 examples of the
American Numismatic Society's noted collection of one million
coins, bills and other forms of currency used worldwide and
spanning 2,700 years are also on view. For further information 
ANS or The New York Times Metro Section Full Story

Arthur Shippee also pointed out the very interesting Times article,
which has pictures of the 1933 Double Eagle being placed on
display. Here are some excerpts:

"Until last week, the world's most expensive coin was hidden
in the world's most valuable gold vault.

That is to say, in the brilliantly lighted blue-and-white stronghold
of E Level, the deepest sanctuary of the Federal Reserve Bank
of New York, the city's bank of banks.

The coin was locked in a compartment at bedrock, 80 feet
below Liberty Street in Lower Manhattan, surrounded by $90
billion worth of gold bars - some 550,000 of them - from 60
foreign institutions. That is more gold than at Fort Knox, and
indeed, more than in any other repository."

"For the double eagle's return from the underworld, The New
York Times was granted rare permission to enter the vault on
a recent morning as the coin was transferred, after agreeing
not to describe the bank's security arrangements or print the
names of its subterranean guardians.

Among those present were: three federal officers with
automatic weapons. The archivist of the bank. A senior vice
president of the bank. The head of the American Numismatic
Society. The coin owner's representative. The coin's historian.
A vault keeper. An auditor. A custodian. And yes, the two
carpenters who actually did the work.

This, then, was the retinue monitoring the transport of the
double eagle, a 34-millimeter-wide, 0.96-ounce stamped
disk that is 90 percent gold and 10 percent copper. The
length of the journey was but five floors: from the vault to
the street-level exhibition space."

[I'm glad to see the exhibition has been remounted. I had
the pleasure of viewing it last year. By all means, be sure
to see it when visiting New York. -Editor]

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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