I ran across a site that includes information relative to the Joseph C. Mitchelson collection in the Connecticut State Library. You'll have to search for Mitchelson's name to wade through the fluff. I found it interesting that the State of Connecticut passed an Act to add coins to the collection each year...my previous understanding was that Mitchelson set up a fund to do that. I wonder if Connecticut is continuing to add to the collection as they promised, though the $250 annual appropriation is no longer sufficient to purchase every coin type issued by the U.S. mints each year.

AN ACT CONCERNING THE JOSEPH C. MITCHELSON COLLECTION.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General

Assembly convened:

The State Librarian is hereby directed to continue The Joseph C. Mitchelson Collection of coins, tokens, and medals by adding each year a proof specimen, or if not so coined, an uncirculated specimen of each variety of coin minted in the several mints of the United States. The comptroller, upon vouchers of the State Librarian, is hereby directed to draw his order on the Treasurer for such amount as may be necessary for the purposes of this act, not to exceed two hundred and fifty dollars annually.

Approved, June 2, 1913.

As it was Mr. Mitchelson's intention to have this collection serve as a permanent historical collection which shall easily and authoritatively show the evolution and development of our money, a separate coin box substantially made from cardboard and properly labeled with white lead has been provided for each known variety of each date and issue of the several mints, whether he had succeeded in securing a specimen of that variety or not. As a result there appear in the collection several empty boxes properly labeled, which will bear the legend, "Not yet in collection." By this method Mr. Mitchelson thought to show at a glance what, when and where the several coins of our country had been minted. Six sizes of boxes have been used in installing the collection. While we have been led to think of this collection of coins, bills, tokens and medals as being confined to America, it is interesting to note that there have been already classified coins from over one hundred and twenty foreign governments and municipalities.