JOURNAL OF EARLY AMERICAN NUMISMATICS V7N2

The latest issue of JEAN, the Journal of Early American Numismatics has been published by the American Numismatic Society. Here is the table of contents and an excerpt from the Editor's Preface by Christopher R. McDowell. -Editor

The First Numismatic Artwork in Puerto Rico Arises From Sedition An Investigation Into "LIGHT" Countermarked 8 Reales (1795)
by Ángel O. Navarro Zayas, Ph.D.

Grenada's Bitts: A French Creation Due to the Independence War (1780)
by Jérôme Jambu

The 1787 Standing Indian / New York State Arms Cent Pattern A Census of Known Specimens
by Jeff Rock

Four Eighteenth-Century Stamp Acts and the Differing Political Responses to Them
by Roger A. Moore MD

Another great lineup of articles! Looking forward to my issue, as usual. -Editor

Welcome to another dynamic issue of JEAN. I had hoped that a portion or all of this issue would be in color, but that has been delayed until the next issue when we shall present an article of landmark significance by a well-known and respected leader in the numismatic community. Until then, you must be satiated with Julia Casey's article on John Harper, one of the most consequential monographs ever to appear in JEAN or CNL. As expressed in these pages, I am a devotee of the theory that many numismatic questions that vex us can be resolved through biographical research. One need look no further than Gary Trudgen's body of work to validate this view. In the absence of direct primary source evidence, we are left to nibble about the edges to taste the truth.

Many researchers, Ye Editor included, have whispered about John Harper for years, feeling he was the unknown orchestral conductor of a colonial numismatic symphony. A saw-maker by trade, Harper is a ghostly figure, moving in and out of our consciousness but always with his finger in one numismatic pie or another. One moment, he is in New Jersey making state coppers and preparing minting equipment; the next, he is in England on a secret mission to bring engravers to America, followed by a kerfuffle with the fledgling U.S. Mint's employees that eventually involved Congress. Always on the go, always scheming, when it came to pre-federal coins, John Harper was, as Lin-Manuel Miranda might say, "in the room where it happened." Then, he disappeared, seemingly vanishing into thin air, neither to be seen nor heard from again. Who was he, what was his role in the various mints, and what can his story tell us about our collective numismatic heritage? I have been gathering data on him for years, asking questions, urging others to dig deeper, all with little gain, until now.

Supersleuth Julia Casey has cracked the case wide open. Harper's story leads us to a treasure trove of numismatic records and connections, answering questions we did not even know to ask or wrongfully thought were put to rest. Our editorial team worked overtime on this piece, gathering images for Julia from New Jersey to England. Guest editors like Roger Siboni were brought in to review the manuscript and provide expert feedback. Now, it is in our subscribers' hands to contemplate the conclusions and the story's long-term significance. Ye humble Editor says bravo and shouts, "Numismatic article of the year"! JEAN exists to provide a forum for deep numismatic research like this.

What other gems await inside this edition? How about a virtual vacation from our cold winter climate to the Caribbean islands' warm, crystal-blue waters? Dr. Ángel O. Navarro Zayas, our resident expert on all things Puerto Rico, brings us a charming little article on the first numismatic artwork from that island. It is a piece that tells us a great deal about European potentates' fears and hysteria after King Louis XVI lost his head. The other West Indies monograph is from none other than Professor Jérôme Jambu from Le Havre Normandy University, who tells us of cut coins in the Lesser Antilles. These distinguished and learned gentlemen have one thing Ye Editor lacks—mastery of a European tongue other than English. When researching and writing about the numismatic history of the Caribbean, bilingualism is a prerequisite to discovering something new and significant. Google Translate does not cut it. We are fortunate to have these men in our stable of contributors. They broaden our southern horizons into the vital tropic colonies. With incredible hubris, many Americans look back at history and focus on the thirteen original English colonies in North America, focusing on them to the exclusion of all else. The Spanish Main, with its silver and gold, and the lush islands, with their sugar and other cash crops, were the economic engines of the New World, not the rural backwater that would become America.

After our lovely excursion to the warm sands of the exotic islands, we return to America. Waiting for us in New York Harbor is Jeff Rock, who has authored an essential census of the 1787 standing Indian / New York State Arms cent patterns. A catalogue raisonné of this coinage is long past due. Jeff continues to thrill us with his in-depth research and writing skills. He is a favorite of our subscribers, a selfless contributing editor of JEAN, and a friend. He has made many praiseworthy contributions to American colonial numismatics, and many of these smaller series would go unexplored were it not for his curiosity and intellect.

The final piece is from Dr. Roger Moore, who explores tax stamps. If it were not for the imposition of these stamps, there might not be an America as we know it. The struggle over these levies ignited scuffles that led to the Shot Heard Round the World at Lexington. Such an article stretches the definition of numismatics. However, we cannot understand the coins we love without understanding the milieu from which they arose. Moreover, the great interest in the recent paper money Happenings table at the November C4 Baltimore convention is a testament that the colonial numismatic community has a great interest in such things. Ye Editor, for example, collects spoons produced by silversmiths who also made coins and tokens. Moreover, like tax stamps, numismatically connected items such as silver spoons, letters, and legal documents have appeared in many auction catalogs alongside coins. If presented with an article on any such miscellany with a numismatic bent, we would print it. Thus, we bring you this significant monograph on colonial-era tax stamps.

As the year ends, I extend my deepest gratitude to JEAN's editorial staff. Without the hundreds of hours of volunteer service from the individuals listed in the front of this publication, none of what we do would be possible. We don't do it for pay; we do it out of love for our hobby.

Until our next issue, I wish you good health and success in your collecting and research endeavors.

"While all the articles are notable, Julia's monograph on John Harper. J.G. Hancock and Washington Cents is particularly noteworthy as it brings to light a lot of information on Mr. Harper, a numismatic gad-fly with his fingers in many early coining efforts, including New Jersey coppers and the United States Mint. Julia also corrects some earlier incorrect scholarship on Washington pieces. This is, in my opinion, the best numismatic article of the last 10 years. Many of the peer review editors at JEAN contributed to Julia's piece, recognizing its importance."