NUMISMATIC LITERATURE IN THE CAPPING LIBERTY EXHIBIT

I only had about a half hour available to see this exhibit, so can't write a fair review of it, but noted the following displayed items of particular interest to students of numismatic literature (all right then, I'm being pedantic, make that bibliomaniacs):

Henry Phillips's personal copy of his two volume treatise, Historical Sketches of the Paper Currency of the American Colonies Prior to the Adoption of the Federal Constitution (Roxbury, MA., W. Elliot Woodward's Historical Series, 1865), interleaved, with actual specimens of colonial currency mounted in the interleaves; the books on exhibit are opened to the New Jersey and Continental Currency sections.

A copy of Jacob R. Eckfeldt and William E. DuBois's Manual of Gold and Silver Coins of All Nations Struck within the Past Century (Philadelphia, Office of the Mint, 1842), opened to Plate II (United States -- silver), alongside an exhibit of coins from the University's special collections matching the coins illustrated on the plate. The images on these coins include the familiar allegories of Liberty wearing the pileus and the seated Liberty holding the cap on a pole.

A copy of the only book written by the author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, from the University's rare book collection, signed by Jefferson with annotations in his own hand. Jefferson, along with Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, had much to do with the choice of images to be placed on our coins and currency, and sections of the exhibit are devoted to the numismatic legacy of these men.

The exhibit, drawn entirely from the University's holdings, will remain open through July 8. There will be curatorial tours led by Stahl at 2:30 p.m. on March 25, May 6 and May 31. The May 6 tour will be followed by a lecture by Louis Jordan of the University of Notre Dame on the topic "Transformations in Numismatic Iconography during the American Revolution".

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: CAPPING LIBERTY: NUMISMATIC ICONOGRAPHY FOR THE NEW AMERICAN REPUBLIC (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n09a05.html)

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