The E-Sylum:  Volume 9, Number 14, April 2, 2006, Article 4

THOMPSON's 1783 ESSAY ON COINING

David Gladfelter writes: "Jim Spilman relied heavily on the
information in Thompson's essay (and on Diderot and other sources)
for a series of essays titled "An Overview of Early American Coinage
Technology" that ran in The Colonial Newsletter from April 1982
through July 1983. The subject was recently revisited by Dr. Philip
Mossman, "Error Coins of Pre-Federal America," The Colonial
Newsletter, April 2004.

The ANS did recently publish, with annotations, a small edition
of a manuscript in its collection, written in the 1950s by Damon
G. Douglas on New Jersey coppers. Possibly the Thompson manuscript
would lend itself to similar study with a view toward possible
publication."

James C. Spilman writes "I can add a bit of information to the
discussion in the The E-Sylum v9#13, March 26, 2006 on THOMPSON's
1783 ESSAY ON COINING.

This holographic manuscript was discovered in the ANS Library
in the late 1970s by the late Edward R. Barnsley.  Ned and I
went to the Library and made a complete set of 35 mm negatives
for use in CNL.  The first use of any of this material appeared
in CNL 62 (April 1982) on pages 765 and 767.  The publication
of this information made such an impression on Eric P. Newman
that I am told he made a special trip to New York, from St.
Louis, for the sole purpose of reviewing the document.  At the
time Frank Campbell was an Assistant Librarian and I remember
his buzzing around like an angry bee while we were doing the
photography.

Subsequently, a photoprint version of the document was produced
by CNLF (about 1985) and Xerox copies were placed in the CNL
Library and , later, in the C4 library.   C4 carried the
publication a step further (ca. 1995) by producing a "translation"
of the old English script into a typewritten manuscript that made
for much easier reading for those unfamiliar with early English
script.

These edited copies and a Xerox "original" now reside in the C4
Library where they can be checked out on loan to the membership.
I am told that quite a number of copies were produced and
distributed to all C4 members who wanted one, so there is no
lack of copies available today in both the "original" and the
edited version.

Check with C4 Librarian Leo Shane at Leo_J_Shane@hotmail.com
for additional information as to availability."

[Many thanks to all who provided information on Thompson's Essay.
This is great information, and the kind to thing that makes editing
The E-Sylum both fun and rewarding.  -Editor]

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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