The Maynard Sundman/Littleton Coin Company Lecture Series will be presented August 12 during the American Numismatic Association’s 2010 World’s Fair of Money at the Hynes Convention in Boston. This annual series features new scholarship on a numismatic topic; the topic this year is “New England Numismatics and Numismatists: Then and Now.”

The lectures will take place in Room 209, and are free and open to all attending the show. A luncheon will be held Aug. 12 from 12:15-1:45 p.m. in Room 204, near the lecture area. Attendees may choose from Chicken Roulade, New York Sirloin or a vegetarian option. The luncheon is $10 per person, and is underwritten by the Maynard Sundman Littleton Coin Co. Lecture Series Endowment and David Sundman. To register for the luncheon call 719-482-9857 (pre-registration required).

Below is the lecture schedule for the 2010 Sundman/Littleton Coin Co. Lecture Series:

10 a.m.: “Colonel Edward H.R. Green: Collector Extraordinaire”

Peter Huntoon is a renowned numismatic researcher, author and instructor

Born into a wealthy Bedford, Mass., whaling family, Edward H.R. (“Ned”) Green had an eccentric and miserly mother, Hetty. After her death, he took his half of her fortune and became a famous philatelic and numismatic collector, acquiring anything and everything in his sights, including all five 1913 Liberty Head nickels.

11:15 a.m.: “It May Prove a Drugg in Time: The Rise and Fall of Wampum in 17th-Century Massachusetts”

Max Spiegel is a prolific author and former ANA Young Numismatist of the Year

For three decades, wampum circulated alongside gold and silver coins in Massachusetts Bay. Its widespread use in the colony arose from both necessity and a desire for quick profits from the fur trade. Governor William Bradford’s warning turned out to be a remarkably

accurate prediction, and wampum’s rapid rise was followed by its sudden fall and disappearance.

2 p.m.: “Making Money in Massachusetts”

Richard Doty is a curator with the Smithsonian Institution’s Division of Political History

Colonists found ways to obtain metal and produce coins without attracting the attention of the British. Massachusetts also got into issuing paper currency, and in the process found it was a fragile medium subject to alteration and counterfeiting. In response, Jacob Perkins of Newburyport invented siderography (the art and practice of steel engraving) and steel-plate printing, making safe money available in abundant quantity to a growing nation. (more…)

Chester L. Krause has resigned from the American Numismatic Association Board of Governors, and will be replaced by former Governor Alan Herbert.

In a July 7 letter to President Clifford Mishler, Krause explained that health reasons precluded his attendance at the Board of Governors meetings in Florida in January and in March in Fort Worth during the ANA National Money Show.

“Although I feel in generally good health, it has become increasingly difficult for me to travel,” Krause said to President Mishler. “Consequently, I don’t feel I can serve the Board or the ANA membership to the fullest extent. I think it is proper for me to step aside sooner than later. It has been my pleasure to serve with you and all the Board members during the last three years.”

Krause was elected to the Board in 2007 and reelected in 2009. To most, he is “just plain Chet.” He is a member of the ANA Hall-of-Fame who has been recognized with virtually every honor the Association can bestow, including the Medal of Merit, Glenn Smedley Memorial Award, Exemplary Service Award, Numismatist of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award and the ANA’s highest honor, the Farran Zerbe Memorial Award for Distinguished Service.

During Krause’s tenure on the Board of Directors, the ANA has hired a new executive director, Larry Shepherd, stabilized its finances, increased donations, expanded educational programs and approved a third annual show, the Fall National Money Show, which debuts in Pittsburgh in 2011.

“I am sure everyone shares my sadness at losing Chet’s wisdom and sage advice,” said Shepherd. “I will miss Chet’s guidance and opinions, which I value and respect greatly. I thank Chet for his love of the ANA and his devotion to the hobby. There are very few people in the history of the ANA who have done as much for this organization – or the hobby – as Chet.”

Mishler echoed Shepherd’s sentiments. “We have greatly valued Chet’s contributions to the Board and will miss his wise and experienced counsel. At the same time, we welcome Alan back to the Board and are pleased that Chet’s seat on the Board is being placed in such capable hands. (more…)

“Coins Worthy of a King” the 1861-P Paquet and 1921 Proof Double Eagles in Historic ANA Exhibit

An $18 million display of two rare Double Eagles accompanied by Boston-related early Americana will be one of the exhibit highlights in the Museum Showcase area at the American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money convention in Boston, August 10 – 14, 2010.

The coins in this first-ever display are the finer each of the two known 1861 Philadelphia Mint “Paquet Reverse” gold $20, graded NGC MS67, and 1921 Proof Roman Finish Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, graded NGC SP64.

[PHOTO CAPTION: 1861-P Paquet $20 NGC MS67 - Formerly in the famous Farouk and Norweb collections, this 1861 Philadelphia Mint "Paquet Reverse" gold $20, graded NGC MS67, will be displayed at the ANA World's Fair of Money in Boston courtesy of Brian Hendelson of Classic Coin Co. (Photo courtesy of Numismatic Guaranty Corporation.)]

Insured for $8 million each, they are being provided for the ANA exhibit by Brian Hendelson, President of Classic Coin Co. of Bridgewater, New Jersey.

“This will be the first time both coins have ever been displayed at the same time and location. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for thousands of visitors to see them together up close,” he said.

In addition to these two coins, other historic items in the display from Hendelson’s own collection include one of the few known surviving broadsides of the Declaration of Independence printed in Boston circa July 17, 1776 by printers Gill, Powars and Willis; seven silver spoons crafted by legendary Boston patriot Paul Revere; and a silver teapot and knee buckles made by fellow Colonial era Boston silversmith, Jacob Hurd, that were acquired by a New England family in 1785 and passed down to their heirs for over two centuries.

In descriptive text prepared for the exhibit, ANA Museum Curator Douglas Mudd headlines the Paquet design Double Eagle as “a coin fit for a king.” One of its former owners was the notorious King Farouk of Egypt who amassed a fabled coin collection before he was deposed in 1952. It also was in the famous coin collection of Ambassador and Mrs. R. Henry Norweb.

Nearly three million Double Eagles were struck in 1861 at the Philadelphia Mint, but today only two are known with a slightly modified design on the reverse made by Assistant Mint Engraver, Anthony Paquet, who also engraved the first Congressional Medal of Merit. His lettering on the $20 coin is taller and more slender than the design originally created in 1857 by Chief Engraver James Longacre. (more…)