THE FIRST AMERICAN COIN COLLECTOR MEDAL

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V25 2022 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 25, Number 8, February 20, 2022, Article 14

American Numismatic Biographies author Pete Smith submitted this article on an interesting medal, the first of a proposed series. Thanks! -Editor

The topic last week was the first coin collectors. This week the topic shifts to the first American coin collector. Who was the first American coin collector? I don't know, but I am familiar with The First American Coin Collector medal.

An item was posted in The Elder Magazine for October 1910, Vol. 1, No. 10. It announced the formation of The American National Token Club.

To this end the National Medal Company of New York City will commence, early in January, 1911, to issue a series of choice individual Tokens for Collectors only. Specially selected by eminent Numismatists, as to subject, charmingly designed and executed, made unique in character by the insertion of the individual subscribers own name and limited in circulation to a restricted and consecutively numbered issue of each variety.

The obverse will present the scene in which child like natives of the Caribbean coast curiously examine a Piece of Eight, handed them from his open bounty chest by a typical buccaneer of the Spanish Main, whose rakish Caravel is seen in the offing.

Elder should be credited not just for his skill at promotion as for his skill in creative writing.

A record will be kept and eventually printed of the names, numbers and addresses of all Subscribers. Subsequent tokens will be equally interesting and be designed to form a splendid historical series of enduring fame.

If such a list of subscribers was published, I am not aware of it. Records show that token number 0 was presented to president Theodore Roosevelt. Token number 1, inscribed to Elliot Smith, is preserved in the ANA Museum. Token 2 was inscribed to A. G. Heaton.

Mintage may have included one in gold, twenty-five in silver and up to a hundred in copper. Issue price was $50 for the gold, $3.50 for silver and $1 for copper. I have recorded numbers for about a dozen pieces with the highest numbered 90. My collection includes copper token number 13 inscribed to Albert R. Frey. The silver number 13 has a two-line inscription, ALBERT R. FREY / EDITOR NUMISMATIST.

The token was offered with an ad in the December 1910 issue of The Numismatist. It gave the address of The National Medal Co. as 156 Broadway, New York, Room 64. They also offered An Exquisite New Oriental Token designed by F. C. Higgins. The company is not known to have produced any other item.

An article in Mehl's Numismatic Monthly for November 1910 identifies the manager of the National Medal Company as Mr. Julius Wielar. Mehl describes him as a gentleman better known to New Yorkers than to the fraternity at large. That article is the only time the name Wielar appears in the Newman Numismatic Portal.

Examples of the medal are known without an inscribed name. An unnamed silver piece was sold by Stack's Bowers in their August 2020 sale as lot 4121. It realized $144.

A second issue of the American National Token Club was designed as a tribute to John Hull, producer of Pine Tree Shillings. This was scheduled to be issued 60 days after the first. I am not aware that it was ever issued.

Frank Higgins was the first president of the New York Numismatic Club with Albert R, Frey as vice president. Elliot Smith and Thomas Elder were prominent members. Another article could be written about their opposition to Farran Zerbe. This has been mentioned with the discussion of removing Zerbe's name from the ANA award.

The American National Token Club was similar to other promotions that sell medals by subscription. There was no club organization or meetings. It emerged to great promotion and soon receded to obscurity.

Does anyone have more information about these pieces? Do you have one in your collection? What became of the specimen inscribed to Heaton? -Editor