MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FINANCE EXHIBITS

  

"America in Circulation" features hundreds of examples of American paper money, most of which are on loan from the collection of Mark R. Shenkman. Highlights include currency bearing the signatures of signers of the US Constitution and Declaration of Independence; a complete set of notes from the Educational Series of 1896, renowned for being the most beautiful paper money in American

1. Pine Tree Shilling, Small Planchet, 1652
The Massachusetts Bay Colony authorized silversmith John Hull to produce pine tree shillings, beginning in 1652. They contained silver and were the earliest coins produced in North America.

2. South Carolina Eight Spanish Milled Dollars, 1776
During the Revolutionary War, the British used both military and economic warfare. This included counterfeiting American money to make it less valuable and trustworthy. As a deterrent, this note highlighted the penalty: "Death to Counterfeit."

3. $1 Educational Series Note, 1896
This $1 silver certificate from the 1896 Educational Series is considered one of the most beautiful pieces of American currency.

4. $20 Federal Reserve Notes with Disarmed Exploding Dye Pack
Bank tellers keep packs of money armed with dye packs to use if they are robbed. Once triggered, the dye packs explode with ink, permanently marking the currency and rendering it useless.

  

Alexander Hamilton was not just a Founding Father—he was the architect of the American financial system. As the nation's first Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton conceived and built the institutions that would underpin two centuries of American economic growth: a national bank, a funded national debt, a mint, a customs service and a vision for a manufacturing economy that would eventually make the United States the most powerful nation on Earth. This gallery brings Hamilton's story and legacy to life through rare artifacts, original documents and an experience you will find nowhere else in the world.

3. Society of the Cincinnati Badge Belonging to Alexander Hamilton
The Society of the Cincinnati was founded after the Revolutionary War for officers of the Continental Army and their French counterparts. The Society advocated for veteran's benefits, perpetuated the values fought for in the Revolution and commemorated the close bonds formed among its officers. George Washington was its first leader, succeeded after his death by Alexander Hamilton.

4. Thomas Jefferson Check on the Bank of the United States, 1793
Thomas Jefferson despised the Bank of the United States and was vocal about his feelings. It is, therefore, ironic that he used it to conduct his personal banking.

  

The largest of the Museum's exhibits, "A Financial Revolution" brings to life the origins of the US capital markets, on the nation's 250th anniversary. It features hundreds of documents and objects from the Museum's world-class 18th century collection, many of which have never been on public display. This gallery also explores the worlds of public, private and personal finance and emphasizes the importance of the universal financial themes of budgeting, credit, risk and investment.

2. Colony of Massachusetts Bay "King Philip" Bond, 1775
This is an example of the new nation's first bond issue. The loan certificates were engraved by Paul Revere and feature a vignette of the Wampanoag leader Metacomet, who was known to the English as "King Philip." The bonds were authorized by a Massachusetts Council Act, which provided the first financing for fighting the Revolutionary War.

3. First Bank Check in the Public Domain, 1782
The Bank of North America, chartered in Philadelphia by Congress in 1781, was the nation's first commercial bank. This book was created on the Bank's 100th anniversary in 1881, and several original documents were pressed into it. This check from one merchant to another is dated July 2, 1782. That makes it the earliest known bank check in the public domain.

4. George Washington Bond, 1792
Once Hamilton's financial plan of assumption passed Congress, bondholders turned in their state and Continental debts and received new US Treasury bonds. President George Washington owned Virginia bonds, which he swapped for this US bond. There is a direct link between this document and today's national debt.

To read the complete issue, see:
https://fhmagazine.org/financial-history-157-spring-summer-2026/0332274001786101458

For more information on the Museum American Finance, see:
https://www.moaf.org/

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
THE MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FINANCE IS MOVING (https://www.coinbooks.org/v22/esylum_v22n08a23.html)
BOSTON MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FINANCE OPENS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n15a11.html)
MORE ON BOSTON MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FINANCE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n16a20.html)
VISITING THE BOSTON MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FINANCE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v29/esylum_v29n28a13.html)

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