Exhibit Includes Treasures from 1857 SS Central America Shipwreck

The incredible “Ship of Gold” exhibit, showcasing California Gold Rush-era sunken treasure recovered from the 1857 shipwreck of the SS Central America, will make port in Boston at the American Numismatic Association’s World’s Fair of Money, August 10-14 at the Hynes Convention Center. The exhibit is courtesy of Monaco Rare Coins of Newport Beach, Calif.

The SS Central America was recovered in 1988 from nearly 8,000 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. The ship sank in a hurricane in September 1857 while carrying California gold from Panama to New York City.

“There will be examples of historic assayers’ ingots as well as San Francisco Mint and California territorial gold coins with a combined value of over $10 million,” said Adam Crum, vice president of Monaco. “One of the highlights is a huge Kellogg & Humbert ingot. Weighing just over 55 troy pounds, it is the largest surviving gold ingot of the California Gold Rush.”

The exhibit also includes one of the 13 recovered octagonal $50 gold pieces produced by the United States Assay Office of San Francisco, and the remains of a wooden cargo box that still contains approximately 110 Double Eagles as they were found on the ocean floor. Many appear to be 1857-S $20 gold pieces, apparently freshly struck at the San Francisco Mint when they were placed in the container for shipping.

Visitors will see the front pages of three 1857 newspapers that published stories about the shipwreck, the ordeal of survivors and the devastating economic effects created by the loss of the gold. Robert Evans, the chief scientist on the 1980s mission by the Columbus-America Discovery Group that located and recovered the magnificent sunken treasure, will be in Boston to meet visitors and discuss the SS Central America, her cargo, crew and passengers.

The Ship of Gold display was first publicly presented in February 2000. Over the years it has been seen by more than one million people in exhibitions at several venues and cities across the country.

[Adam Crum of Monaco Rare Coins Gives a  Tour of the Exhibit - Originally Filmed on Long Beach
Video Courtesy of CoinTelevision.com]

The ANA World’s Fair of Money is the nation’s premiere money show. Show hours are 1-5:30 p.m. August 10, and 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. August 11-14. Dealer set-up is from 8 a.m.-
1 p.m. Tuesday, August 10. Admission is $6 for adults, and free for ANA members and children 12 and under. For more information on all of the show highlights, call 719-482-9857 or visit www.worldsfairofmoney.com.

The American Numismatic Association Board of Governors, on March 27, approved a recommendation from Executive Director Larry Shepherd to name Chicago as the site of the summer ANA World’s Fair of Money® in 2013, 2014 and 2015, and to launch a fall show in 2011.

Shepherd stressed the importance of branding Chicago as the home of the summer ANA World’s Fair of Money, noting the success FUN has had branding Orlando as its home, and Whitman establishing Baltimore as a show destination.

“By selecting a single good location, the ANA will brand its summer convention as an annual ‘coin show destination’ that all collectors and dealers will strive to attend. The dates will be tightly fixed, the location well known and easily accessible at a reasonable cost. But most importantly, it will give us an opportunity to expand our show and set it apart from all others.”

Shepherd said the convention hall space available at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center (formerly the Rosemont Convention Center) in Chicago allows the ANA to increase bourse space, create more room for museum-quality exhibits, provide free space for clubs and professional organizations to meet, and provide more table options to attract new dealers and first-time buyer tables.

By encouraging specialty numismatic organizations to gather for the World’s Fair of Money, those organizations could make the summer ANA the destination for all of their annual meetings, symposiums and educational programs. Specialty numismatic organizations would be encouraged to offer educational content to all ANA members, with the ANA coordinating its presentations with those of specialty organizations, thus making it possible to further expand educational offerings. In addition, the time slot between the “Official Pre-Show” and the World’s Fair of Money could be used to add educational classes and tie-ins to Summer Seminar.
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The official medal for the American Numismatic Association’s 119th Anniversary Convention, August 10-14 in Boston, is available for purchase. Designed by Jamie Franki, former master designer in the United States Mint’s Artistic Infusion Program, the medal celebrates one of Boston’s most famous citizens, Paul Revere.

The obverse depicts the engraver and patriot’s storied “Midnight Ride,” while the reverse calls to mind designs he engraved for a 2-shilling issue of colonial currency.

Franki began the design process by consulting Patrick M. Leehey, research director of the Paul Revere House and Museum in Boston.

“He suggested excellent reading material and also gave me a good idea of what Revere wore on his ride,” said Franki. “I employed the assistance of a seamstress who specializes in historic garments. She created a period-authentic outfit based on the direction I received from the Revere House. A friend let me borrow a horse for a photo shoot. I spent an afternoon at her farm in Concord (N.C.) dressed in colonial garb and riding the horse.”

From the photos, Franki created composites, sketching in Revere’s face based on portraits by various artists. He completed the design with a replica of Revere’s signature, taken from his handwritten account of the ride to Concord.

The artist relied on Clarence S. Brigham’s reference Paul Revere’s Engravings for the reverse design, examining reproductions of the colonial currency engraved by Revere to adapt his “rising sun” and “pine tree” devices from a 2-shilling note. This design anchors the legend for the ANA 119th annual convention. Two sets of initials attribute the design of the medal to Paul Revere and Franki. A border of 119 beads and a rim completes the composition.

Jamie Franki is a tenured associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the Department of Art and Art History. He received his MFA from Syracuse University. In 2005, his American Bison Nickel reverse design was selected for a six-month minting. This nickel was awarded a Coin of the Year Award in 2005. In 2006, his Jefferson 1800 nickel obverse design was featured on America’s historic forward-facing circulating coin. He has also designed medals for the 2007 ANA National Money Show in Charlotte and 2008 World’s Fair of Money in Baltimore.

“I hope my efforts were worthy of such a weighty task,” Franki said. “It was truly a pleasure to research a great American hero and to celebrate his patriotism and artistry.” (more…)