David Rittenhouse was born the son of farmer Matthias Rittenhouse in Germantown, Pennsylvania. He married Eleanor Coulston, and then after her death, Hannah Jacobs. He became an astronomer, mathematician, instrument maker and one of the leading American scientists of the eighteenth century, second only to Benjamin Franklin.

Self-taught, he early showed mathematical and mechanical ability, and mastered Newton’s Principia in an English translation. As a young boy Rittenhouse constructed a model of a watermill, and by the age of seventeen he had built a wooden clock, but having little opportunity to attend school, he largely educated himself from books and a box of tools inherited from his uncle David Williams, a furniture maker. At the age of nineteen he began making clocks and other mechanical and scientific devices.

Over the next thirty or forty years he made many highly-prized and innovative mathematical and astronomical instruments, most famous of which were two orreries he constructed for the Colleges of New Jersey (now Princeton University) and Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania). These orreries show the solar and lunar eclipses and other phenomena for a period of 5,000 years either forward or backward. After moving to Philadelphia in 1770, Rittenhouse used both astronomical and terrestrial observations to survey canals and rivers and to establish the boundaries between many of the Mid-Atlantic States. He held the post of city surveyor of Philadelphia in 1774.

His scientific thinking and experimentation earned Rittenhouse considerable intellectual prestige in America and in Europe. He built his own observatory at his father’s farm in Norriton, outside of Philadelphia. Rittenhouse maintained detailed records of his observations and published a number of important works on astronomy, including a paper putting forth his solution for locating the place of a planet in its orbit. He was a leader in the scientific comunity’s observance of the transit of Venus in 1769, which won him broad acclaim. He also sought to solve mathematical problems, publishing his first mathematical paper in 1792, an effort to determine the period of a pendulum. He also experimented with magnetism and electricity.

Rittenhouse was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1768, serving over the years as curator, librarian, secretary, vice president and, from 1791 to 1796, its president. He was elected to its committee to observe the transits of Venus and Mercury in 1769 based on plans he had made. Over the years he received a number of honorary degrees including those from the Colleges of New Jersey and Philadelphia. In addition he was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a fellow of the Royal Society of London.

Rittenhouse used his scientific skills for practical purposes during the American Revolution. In 1775 he began his service on the Committee of Safety as an engineer supervising local casting of cannon, improvement of rifles, supply of ammunition and selection of sites for gunpowder mills and magazine stores. In the late 1770s Rittenhouse was a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly, the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention of 1776, and the Board of War. From 1779 to 1787 Rittenhouse was Treasurer of Pennsylvania, and from 1792 -1795 he served as Director of the U.S. Mint.

Credit for the success of the Mint belongs in great part to David Rittenhouse. In Philadelphia today, his name graces the city’s most fashionable address — Rittenhouse Square, about a mile west of the Historic District. Like Benjamin Franklin and John Bartram (see Bartram’s Gardens in this Virtual Tour), he was one of those extraordinary men of early Philadelphia with diverse interests who made manifold contributions: he was a clockmaker, philosopher, surveyor, mathematician, politician and astronomer; he determined the boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland long before Mason and Dixon; many credit him with having built the first telescope made in the United States; he constructed an orrery, a device familiar mostly to astronomers and crossword solvers — it’s a clocklike mechanism that describes the position of the planets as they orbit the sun; and, he was director of the Mint for its crucial first three years.

Rittenhouse was Penn’s Professor of Astronomy at Philadelphia from 1779 to 1782 and Vice-Provost in 1780 and 1782. He also served Penn as a trustee of the University of the State of Pennsylvania (1779-1780 and 1782-1791) and then, after its union with the College of Philadelphia, as a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania (1791-1796).

Governor Butler. in communicating to the legislature the resignation of the chancellor, said : “He has occupied, and now occupies, a striking position to the people of the present generation. He is the last of the Revolutionary patriots who has held office under the authority of the state.” He published “Reports of the Court of Chancery and Court of Equity in South Carolina from the Revolution till 1813″ (4 vols., Columbia, South Carolina, 1817′9, revised ed., 2 vols.. Philadelphia).His grandson, Wihnot Gibbes De Saussure, lawyer, born in Charleston, South Carolina, 23 July 1822; died 1 February 1886, was graduated at South Carolina College in 1840, and admitted to the bar in 1843. He was a member of the legislature for ten years, was in command of the state troops that took possession of Fort Moultrie when Maj. Anderson evacuated it in December 1860, as lieutenant colonel was in command of the artillery on Morris Island during the bombardment of Fort Sumter in April 1861, and was treasurer, and subsequently adjutant and inspector general, of South Carolina.

He was president of the state society of the Cincinnati, the St. Andrews society, the Charleston library society, the St. Cecilia society, and the Huguenot society of South Carolina. His published addresses include “The Stamp Act of Great Britain, and the Resistance of the Colonies,” showing that South Carolina, on 26 March 1776, adopted a constitution by which the royal government ceased to exist there: “The Causes which led to the Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown”, ” The Centennial Celebration of the Organization of the Cincinnati “; “Memoir of General William Moultrie “; and “Muster roll of the South Carolina Soldiers of the Continental Line and Militia who served during the Revolution.” He also prepared an address on the celebration by the Huguenot society of America of the bicentennial anniversary of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes (New York, 1885).

That same year, he published Star in the West, suggesting that Native Americans were the lost tribes of Israel. Boudinot died in Burlington in 1821, and is buried in St. Mary’s churchyard with his wife, Hannah Stockton Boudinot.Boudinot supported the rights of Native Americans and is not to be confused with the other Elias Boudinot, who in 1835 helped arrange the signing of the Treaty of New Echota, in which a small minority group of Cherokee agreed to the emigration of the entire Cherokee Nation, resulting in most Cherokee eventually being rounded up by the Army and detained in concentration camps.

In 1771, Patterson’s parents, two of his brothers, and two of his sisters, immigrated to America, attracted by Patterson’s success and encouraging accounts. In 1772, with his finances vastly improved, Patterson was persuaded by a friend to invest his money in merchandise and open a country store in New Jersey. However, since he was unsuccessful as a shopkeeper, he was happy to accept a position as Principal of the Wilmington Academy in Delaware in 1774.

At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, his duties as Principal were suspended due to the fact that many of the students at the Wilmington Academy were called home. After removing his family to a small farm near Roadstown, New Jersey, Patterson enlisted as a military instructor in the Delaware militia, then under the command of Colonel John Haslet. He later served under Colonel David Hall, first in the medical corps and then as a brigade major.

He remained in the militia until the British army evacuated Philadelphia and New Jersey in 1778, when his brigade was disbanded.In 1779, after the College and Academy were reorganized into the University, Patterson successfully applied to Dr. Ewing, the Provost, for employment as Professor of Mathematics. He was Professor of Mathematics from 1779 to 1810, Professor of Natural Philosophy and Mathematics from 1810 to 1813 and Vice-Provost from 1810 to 1813.

Because he performed his official duties with integrity, industry and ability, also rendering essential services to the University, he was granted an honorary Master of Arts in 1788 and an honorary Doctor of Laws in 1819. After presenting his resignation in 1814, Patterson was succeeded as Professor of Mathematics as well as Vice-Provost by his son, Robert M. Patterson.

Patterson resided at nine different locations in Philadelphia, beginning at 148 South Fourth and ending at 285 Chestnut Street. It was said that he only remembered the latter address because the second digit was the cube of the first and the third was the mean of the first two. In 1783, Patterson was elected to the American Philosophical Society, and was an active member for many years. He became the society’s secretary in 1784, its vice president in 1799 and its president in 1819, succeeding Benjamin Franklin, David Rittenhouse, Thomas Jefferson and Caspar Wistar in this last position.

Patterson was also one of five members of the American Philosophical Society chosen by Jefferson to assist and instruct Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in preparation for their expedition into the Pacific Northwest. Patterson corresponded often with Jefferson, who, in 1805, appointed him to the directorship of the U.S. Mint, a position he held until his death. Patterson was also a member of the Select Council of Philadelphia and served as its president in 1799.

Just before his death, he helped found the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia, and served as the first chairman of its board of managers.Patterson contributed several papers to the Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, and was a frequent contributor of problems and solutions to mathematical journals. In 1806, he published a revised edition of James Ferguson’s Lectures on Select Subjects in Mechanics, in 1808, a revised edition of John Webster’s Elements of Natural Philosophy, and in 1809, a revised edition of Ferguson’s Astronomy.

In 1808, Patterson wrote a short treatise consisting of six lectures on natural phenomena for the nonscientist entitled Newton’s System of Philosophy. His 1818 A Treatise of Practical Arithmetic contained extracts from his mathematical lecture notes at the University, but proved too difficult for beginners to grasp.

Patterson devoted his life to the exact sciences and practical applications of mathematics. He died on July 22, 1824, in Philadelphia. He was married to Amy Hunter Ewing, daughter of Maskell Ewing, Esq. of Greenwich, Cumberland County, New Jersey, with whom he had eight children.

He published “Early History of the American Philosophical Society: a Discourse at its Hundredth Anniversary,” etc. (Philadelphia, 1848) ; address before the Franklin institute (1848) ; and other occasional discourses. –Robert Maskell’s son, Robert, lawyer, born in Philadelphia, 4 February, 1819, was educated at the University of Virginia, where he graduated in law and other branches ; read law in the office of Judge Kane, and was admitted to the Philadelphia bar in 1840.

In June, 1845, he became clerk to the director of the United States mint in Philadelphia. In 1868 he drafted the plan of the Fidelity trust, safe deposit, and insurance company (the first institution of that nature in Philadelphia), and became its secretary and treasurer. He published a memoir of Franklin Peale in 1875, and a memoir of William E. Dubois in 1881.

Mr. Snowden was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of Pennsylvania volunteers in 1861, and was subsequently elected captain of the 1st city troop of Philadelphia, which is the oldest military organization in the United States. It was the bodyguard of General Washington during the Revolution, and bore a conspicuous part in the battles of Trenton. Princeton, and the Brandywine. He has been identified with railroads, insurance companies, and , other business interests.

Pollock also disapproved of alcohol and card playing, but when these four disparate groups gained large blocks in the General Assembly, legislative activities were hindered by their strife.Pollock’s most notable milestone of his administration was the sale, in 1857, of the western division of the State Works-consisting of canals and the Allegheny Portage Railroad-to the Pennsylvania Railroad, which had opened its own line to Pittsburgh in 1854 after opening the famous Horseshoe Curve crossing in the Allegheny Mountains near Altoona. This began Pennsylvania’s process of liquidating the expensive and increasingly obsolete State Works.

The canals were by then operating at a continual deficit and the operation was racked by corruption. The sale greatly reduced the state debt, allowing Pollock to reduce taxes. Governor Pollock also brought about the Normal School Act of 1857, which brought about regional teacher training institutions throughout the Commonwealth, the charter for the Farmer’s High School (the institution that would grow into the Pennsylvania State University), creation of a secretary of Common Schools, and purchase of the first governor’s mansion at 111 South Second Street in Harrisburg that would be the official home of two governors, Packer and Curtin. Until then, governors rented or purchased their own residences.

When the Panic of 1857 struck the economy, there were mounting bank and business failures, unemployment, and concerns about possible winter riots and martial law. Pollock called a special legislative session that convened on election day and pushed through a temporary suspension of the requirement that banks pay their depositors and those who held their bank notes in gold or silver, thus preventing more bank failures as well as protecting the credit rating of Pennsylvania. However, Pollock found the chief executive’s duties so unpleasant to him that he refused to run for reelection. Like most Whigs, Pollock later became a Republican and although he would not again seek elected office, he continued public service for nearly another three decades.

In 1861, Pollock was chairman of the Pennsylvania delegation to the Washington Peace Convention, which failed to prevent the Civil War. That same year President Lincoln appointed him director of the United States Mint in Philadelphia. He served from 1861 to 1866 and then was reappointed by President Grant in 1869. From 1873 to 1879, he was elevated to superintendent of the Mint when the U.S. Mint became part of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Pollock’s leadership at the Mint led to adopting his suggestion for the “In God We Trust” motto on U. S. coins. He also served as the naval officer of U.S. Customs in Philadelphia and was the federal chief supervisor of elections in 1886. The former governor was a trustee of Lafayette College and a founder and trustee of the Pennsylvania Military College.Pollock died in Lock Haven on April 9, 1890, and is interred in Milton Cemetery in the town of his birth.

Mr. Johnson is currently a member of several coin associations and clubs including the American Numismatic Association (ANA) where he is a frequent featured speaker at conventions and coin shows. He also received a President’s Award from the ANA in 2001.Jay Johnson joined Collectors Universe in the newly created position of Director of Business Development effective December 3, 2003.

In addition to her private sector experience, Fore held presidential appointments within the U.S. Agency for International Development as Assistant Administrator for Asia (1991 – 1993) and Assistant Administrator for Private Enterprise (1990 – 1991). She founded and served, from 1991 to 1993, as the first Chairman of the U.S. – Asia Environmental Partnership, a coalition of business, government and community organizations in the United States and 31 Asian nations.

Fore was a Trustee and Executive Committee member at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She has specialized in international business and privatization; Asian trade and economic policy; technology cooperation; international finance; environmental policy reform; U.S. bilateral and multilateral development assistance, and women’s leadership.

Fore served on the Executive Committee of the Aspen Institute Board of Trustees. She recently was Chairman of the Audit Committee. For several years, she moderated values-based Leadership Seminars and mentored Henry Crown Fellows at the Aspen Institute.

In addition, Fore served as a Trustee and Director of National Public Radio Foundation, Washington, DC, Asia Society, New York, NY, The Asia Foundation, San Francisco, CA, Institute of the Americas, La Jolla, CA, US Committee – Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (USPECC), Washington, DC, and National Foundation for Women Business Owners in Washington, DC.

In 1997, Fore received the Women Redefining Leadership award at the State of the World Forum in San Francisco, CA. She has been a member of Chief Executives Organization (CEO), World Presidents’ Organization (WPO), The Committee of 200, the Wellesley Business Leadership Council, International Women’s Forum, and the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).

Fore earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Wellesley College and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Northern Colorado. She studied International Politics at Oxford University and studied at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. She is married and resides in Washington, DC, and Nevada.

Henrietta H. Fore was sworn in as Under Secretary of State for Management on August 2, 2005. She is responsible for the people, resources, facilities, technology and security of the Department of State and is the Secretary’s principal advisor on management issues.

W. David Perkins writes:

The recent November 1, 2007 George Kolbe Numismatic Literature Sale 104 offered the John J. Pittman numismatic literature collection. Included in this sale was Lot 117, a signed copy of the First Edition of The United States Early Silver Dollars From 1794 To 1803 by M. H. Bolender. I placed a bid on this lot but was not the winner. I also cannot say I was the underbidder, despite what I thought was a strong bid. This lot realized $325, which may be a record price for a copy of the Bolender book. Prices in this Kolbe sale were very strong indeed!

What was of primary interest to me as a researcher was not the book (I have multiple copies of the book, including one signed by Bolender) but a letter that was included with the book. The letter was dated January 1, 1954 and was from early dollar specialist Frank M. Stirling to John J. Pittman. Stirling stated that the early dollar varieties were a favorite of his, “especially the 1795s.” Stirling noted that he had located four 1795 B-13 Dollars (Stirling owned the finest known (to me) 1795 B-13 Dollar, ex. Atwater and the plate coin on page 211 in the Bowers silver dollar book) and that he had not found a specimen of 1795 B-17. Stirling asked, “Do you have any information on this one?” [To my knowledge, no examples of 1795 B-17 have been confirmed.]

I have a large volume of Frank Stirling’s correspondence, including a letter from Pittman to Stirling dated May 20, 1957. Interestingly, Pittman states in this 1957 letter that he owned a brilliant proof 1803 Dollar. Pittman wrote, “I purchased the 1803 restrike silver dollar to display at meetings and conventions so as to point out to collectors that it and the 1804 Dollar are all restrikes made at a later date. They are all extremely rare, but none were made in the year they were dated, and undoubtedly no 1804s were made in that year.” Imagine buying a rare 1803 Dollar, “just to display…” [Are there any "old time" dealers or collectors out there who recall this 1803 Dollar being displayed?] Note also that this letter was written prior to the Newman-Bressett Fantastic 1804 Dollar book (which was published in 1962).

I wonder what happened to this specimen of the 1803 Proof Dollar. It was not offered in the May 20-21, 1998 David Akers sale of The John Jay Pittman Collection, Part Two? Furthermore, a quick perusal of the Bowers book on the 1803 Proof Novodel Dollar, pages 462-464 does not turn up Pittman’s name as part of the provenance of the known specimens listed in the book. Perhaps Pittman owned the “Milas Specimen” at one time? Or is this specimen “still out there” somewhere….

Pittman also wrote in this letter, “I do not collect early silver dollar varieties. I have at the present time 1795-1803 in uncirculated condition, but have never actually checked them for varieties, although I do have Bolender’s book. Quite a number of my pieces were purchased in England many years ago….” I also wonder what happened to the early dollars in this collection. The May 1998 Pittman sale offered only a handful of early dollars.

I am very interested to learn if any JR News readers can shed light on any of these questions.

By some standards George T. Morgan’s career as an Engraver at the United States Mint was a bitter disappointment. Stuck in the Assistant Engraver’s position for over 40 years, he designed only one regular issue U.S. coin in a 49-year tenure, and succeeded to the Chief Engraver’s position only after his predecessor’s lack of imagination had caused coin design to be jobbed out of the Mint to more illustrious designers such as Augustus St. Gaudens and Victor D. Brenner. However, his one coin, the Morgan Dollar, is perhaps the best known U.S. coin today.

Born in Birmingham, England in 1845, Morgan attended the Birmingham Art School, and won a scholarship to the South Kensington Art School. He worked as an assistant under the Wyons at the British Royal Mint, and had the Wyon family not established a several-generation dynasty of engravers in the Tower Mint might have enjoyed a successful career there.

Morgan was brought to the Philadelphia Mint in 1876 as a “Special Engraver,” reporting directly to Mint Director Henry R. Linderman, whose office had been moved to Washington, DC, in 1873. Considering the Byzantine political system under which the Mint in Philadelphia operated in this era, with nepotism and political cronyism the order of the day, his action naturally makes one wonder what the 69-year-old Chief Engraver William Barber and his son, Assistant Engraver Charles Barber, thought of this arrangement.

The Barbers themselves had come from England and a family of engravers, and they no doubt thought that the precedent established by the Wyons of a son succeeding his father as Chief Engraver was a good one. However, Linderman was unhappy with the condition and appearance of the U.S. coinage in circulation, and he wanted someone new to try his hand at improving it.

During the Civil War, most U.S. gold and silver coins had disappeared from circulation, and either traded at barter rates or were shipped overseas. People tended to hoard their coins and to spend their depreciated “Greenbacks,” as the U.S. paper money issued to pay for the war were called because of their difficult to counterfeit green reverses.

At one point in the war, a U.S. $10 gold piece was worth over $35 in paper money. Fractional currency and new minor coins such as the bronze one and two cent piece and the copper-nickel three and five cent pieces met the needs of everyday commerce, as silver coins could only be had for change by paying a premium for them to money brokers.

By 1876 the U.S. Treasury had succeeded in getting its financial house in order to the point that it was able to pay out silver coins at face value for paper money, the increased mintage figures of 1875-77 reflecting this long-sought goal. However, much to the Treasury’s surprise, a flood of older silver coins soon hit the market. Even fractional silver coins dated before 1853, which had been pulled from circulation long before the war because they were about 7% heavier than the coins struck in 1853 and later, returned to circulation as huge silver discoveries in Nevada caused the price of silver to fall, making the coins worth more as face value than as bullion.

Linderman looked upon this flood of old, worn coinage and decided that it should be recoined, and that a new design should be used for the coinage. Apparently unimpressed with William Barber’s earlier Standard Silver patterns of 1869-70 and his blatant copying of various Seated designs by Gobrecht and Longacre in 1870-71, and perhaps influenced by the failure (though largely for reasons beyond his control) of Barber’s 1873 Trade Dollar and his 1875 Twenty Cents piece, Linderman brought in Morgan to create this new design.

In fairness it should be mentioned here that William Barber had created the stunning “Amazonian” silver pattern series in 1872 with its corresponding gold series that used the same reverse as the silver, and that his “Sailor Head” series used on various silver and gold patterns from 1875 to 1877 includes some of my favorite patterns ever struck, but apparently Linderman had it in for the Barbers. Had Linderman stayed in office until William’s death in 1879 he undoubtedly would have picked Morgan to succeed William, but he did not and Charles got the job.

The result of the 1876-77 competition (or “sweepstakes,” as noted pattern authority David Novoselsky calls it) between Morgan and the two Barbers was the creation of some of the most spectacular U.S. patterns ever struck, mostly in the half dollar size since that was the largest silver denomination being struck at that time (excluding the Trade Dollar, which by then was struck only for export) and it would show off the artists’ works to their best advantage.

The series is too extensive to detail here, but the reader is highly recommended to look them up in “United States Pattern, Experimental and Trial Pieces” by Dr. J. Hewitt Judd, the “Coin World Comprehensive Catalogue and Encyclopedia of United States Coins” by David T. Alexander and myself, or “United States Patterns and Related Issues” by Andrew W. Pollock, III.

Perhaps through bureaucratic inertia none of these designs was picked for a new fractional coinage by the end of 1877, and by then it was realized that the flood of older coins was simply too great to overcome. The Treasury bagged and warehoused tons of the older silver coinage, and paid it out as banks and merchants requested the denominations.

The production of dimes, quarters and halves fell off to a mere few thousand business strike pieces coined per year so that the Mint could justify selling these denominations in its Proof sets at a slight premium over face value, and did not return to normal levels until the surplus of dimes was disbursed in 1882, quarters in 1890 and half dollars in 1891. The design on these denominations was then changed to the familiar Barber head starting in 1892.

However, a blatant political power play begun in 1877 and enacted in 1878 set the stage for Morgan’s shot at immortality. On February 28, 1878, the Bland-Allison Act promoted by Representative Richard P. Bland of Missouri and Senator William B. Allison of Iowa became law over the veto of President Rutherford B. Hayes. In its final form, the Act required the U.S. Treasury to purchase between $2 and $4 million worth of silver per month on the open market and to coin it into silver dollars.

The political motivations behind the Act included the support of Western mining states which were being hurt by falling silver prices (caused in large part by their huge output) and an attempt to help farmers by inflating the money supply with the newly-coined dollars. In reality the dollars did not circulate well because of their weight and were largely supplanted by silver certificates, which in turn replaced other forms of currency and had little effect upon the money supply.

Shrewdly anticipating the bill’s ultimate passage, Linderman directed Morgan and William Barber in October of 1877 to prepare dies for a dollar coinage. Linderman chose one of Morgan’s half dollar designs for him to expand upon, and let Barber as Chief Engraver choose whichever design he wished to submit.

Barber actually created a new Liberty head for the second round of the competition, which contemporary numismatists (perhaps influenced by the Barber faction in Philadelphia) are said to have preferred over Morgan’s design, but with his patron running the Mint it was hard for Morgan to lose. After a few changes suggested by Linderman were made, the first Proofs of Morgan’s new dollar were struck on March 12, less than two weeks after the coin was authorized. The first coin struck was presented to President Hayes, despite the fact that he had vetoed the bill authorizing it.

Unfortunately, the new dollar dies were less than adequate. According to legend some ornithologist complained that the eagle shown on the reverse had eight tail feathers, whereas the eagle in nature always has an odd number of tail feathers. Also, the coins did not strike very well.

New hubs in what was hoped would be a better relief were made showing seven tail feathers, and several unused obverse and reverse dies were re-impressed with the new hubs and used. Although the eight tail feather reverse dies were ground down somewhat before being rehubbed, most (but not all) show remnants of anywhere from one to seven of the original tail feathers under the seven new ones. Common usage is to call these “7/8TF” dollars, although some purists insist that the “8″ part of that description is incorrect. As that was what was on the original design, it is what I personally choose to use.

However, the new hubs were in too low a relief, and a third set of hubs was made in late 1878. The most obvious difference is in the angle of the top feathering (or fletching) of the arrows in the eagle’s claw, and in the boldness of the eagle’s chest which was rather flat on the first two versions. Some of the leftover low relief 7TF reverses were used at the San Francisco Mint in 1879, and at the Carson City Mint in 1880, after which only high relief reverses were used through the suspension of coinage in 1904.

Linderman left the Mint due to failing health in late 1878, and Morgan was demoted to Assistant Engraver under the Barbers. Charles Barber assumed the position of Chief Engraver in 1879, and went on to design the Liberty Head five cents piece of 1883 and the Liberty Head or “Barber” Dime, Quarter and Half Dollar of 1892. Both engravers produced many Mint medals during their careers, and were influential in either the design or the engraving of several early commemoratives.

Barber died in 1917 in his 77th year, having seen his five cents piece replaced by James Earle Fraser’s Indian Head coin in 1913 and his silver designs replaced by Adolph A. Weinman Dime and Half Dollar designs and Herman MacNeil’s Quarter design in 1916. Only then was Morgan able to assume the position of Chief Engraver, in his 72nd year.

Because the U.S. Treasury had melted some 270 million silver dollars, presumably mostly of the Morgan design, in 1918 to loan the silver to Great Britain, the same quantity of dollars was to be recoined starting in 1921. Once a sufficient quantity of these was prepared, they were used to back the Series 1923 Silver Certificates.

Production of the Morgan design had ceased in 1904 due to the expiration of the authorizing acts and the huge stockpile of the coins on hand, and all of the dies and hubs had been destroyed by 1921. Morgan consequently set about recreating his 1878 design, but the relief of the coins was very disappointing. After some 86 million pieces of the Morgan design had been coined in 1921, production was halted to make the 1921 Peace dollar as a circulating commemorative marking the end of the First World War. This proved to be so popular that the design was adopted as the regular issue in 1922, though in a lower relief than the 1921 commemoratives.

Morgan died on January 4, 1925, and with him passed away a colorful era of old-fashioned engravers appointed by old-fashioned politicians. Though his replacements may use modern production techniques to produce coins that in some ways might be technologically superior to his prototype 1878 dollars, and certainly his 1921 dollar coins, the modern portrait series of coins leaves much to be desired. It is unfortunate that the U.S. Mint no longer has the position of Chief Engraver on its staff, or else we might see some new coins that are half as good as the pattern half dollars of the 1870s.

Republished with Permission by Harlan J Berk

Most collectors of the Liberty Seated design are familiar with The United States Half Dimes by Daniel W. Valentine. Yet very little is known about the man who provided us with this enduring reference, which has resulted, at least for me, in so many years of enjoyment and learning of the series that we both love so much. It would seem a fitting tribute to present to the members of the Liberty Seated Collectors Club what little information on this modest and selfless man that I have been able to uncover after several years of research.

It was in 1980 that I first picked up a copy of The United States Half Dimes and began to read of the fascinating series that would so preoccupy my life for the next quarter century. My journey into the study of these beautiful little silver coins resulted directly from the passionate descriptions that Dr. Valentine provided, yet he was acutely aware of the limitations of his efforts in writing about the half dimes, and admonished “…it would be vain to believe that this list is complete. My hope is that it may stimulate others to ‘carry on’”. Certainly, that torch was passed on to Russell J. Logan and John W. McCloskey, who provided us with the masterful reference The Federal Half Dimes 1792 – 1837. It is my hope to provide a similar reference on the Liberty Seated half dimes as a result of my continuing research on the series.

Daniel W. Valentine was born in New York City, on March 7, 1863. Little is known of his early years, except that he was educated in public and private schools, and later received his D.D.S. from the New York College of Dentistry in 1887. After spending one year in Vienna, he practiced dentistry in New York City from 1887 to 1896, and later moved to Englewood, New Jersey, where he practiced for another thirty-five years.

He married Ada Belle Colwell in 1896, with whom he had two daughters, Marion and Margaret Beattie Valentine.

Dr. Valentine became interested in numismatics very early in life, and although he was a general collector, he confined himself primarily to United States issues. He was very active in several numismatic organizations, including the American Numismatic Association, American Numismatic Society, and the New York Numismatic Club, for which he served as President for two terms, in 1918 and 1920. He was commemorated on a New York Numismatic Club Presidential medal, designed by J. M. Swanson, of which there were eight silver and fifty bronze medals struck.

Valentine assembled several notable collections, including a comprehensive collection of United States fractional currency, for which he published Fractional Currency of the United States in 1924. This publication was issued in a cloth bound edition of 225 copies at $5.00 each, and in a limited, leather bound edition of twenty-five numbered copies at $15.00 each. He also assembled a collection of United States one dollar gold coins, complete by mintmark.

Dr. Valentine is perhaps best remembered for his extensive collection of United States half dimes, which he exhibited at the American Numismatic Society in 1914. He published his monograph United States Half Dimes in 1931, with the American Numismatic Society, as #48 in their series Numismatic Notes and Monographs. This work has been reprinted twice, in 1975 by Quarterman Publications, and again in 1984 by Sanford J. Durst. In each of the reprints, the original photographic plates were copied, but were printed as ‘screen’ prints, comprised of a series of dots, like a newspaper photo, which cannot be magnified or enlarged for greater detail. Collectors and researchers are advised to locate a copy of the original ANS NNM #48 for its quality ‘collotype’ prints of the photographic plates, which like a photograph can be magnified for detailed study. For the Liberty Seated series alone, Valentine identified 257 different die marriages, greatly expanding upon the previous work of Will W. Neil, published in The Numismatist in 1927. While some of the die descriptions in the Valentine half dime reference are vague and ambiguous, and it often appears that he was unaware of the distinction between die marriage and die state, he provided us with the most comprehensive reference on the series to date. Critics might argue that his die descriptions, particularly for the post Civil War dates, are so brief as to be almost meaningless, but I suspect that some of this brevity might be attributed to an imposed publishing deadline. Valentine published his monograph late in 1931, and died, evidently of apoplexy, on January 24, 1932. As a medical professional, he would have been acutely aware of his declining health, and apparently rushed to complete his work before health issues would no longer allow him to continue.

All of Dr. Valentine’s collections were sold at public auction prior to his death by Thomas Elder, in three sessions, on December 8, 9, and 10, 1927, in New York City, except for his remarkable collection of half dimes, which remained intact at the time of his death. Interestingly, very few of his half dimes have surfaced in the ensuing years, raising the question as to whether his collection might still remain intact, maybe in some safe deposit box or in the closet of one of his heirs. None of the major half dime collections sold since 1931 are attributed to Valentine by name, nor are any collections identifiable as the Valentine collection, under any name. Of course, his collection could have been sold by private treaty, or under an assumed name, but many of the half dimes, themselves, would be readily identifiable. To date, I have been able to positively identify only two early half dimes from the Valentine collection, and the 1829 V10 Capped Bust half dime, presently residing in the collections of other collectors. Several early half dimes in the Holme’s Collection (Stack’s, 1960) were described as being former Valentine plate coins. The existence of just these few Valentine plate coins could be attributed to normal upgrades during Dr. Valentine’s active collecting years. However, the recent discovery of the Valentine 1802 half dime, in Choice EF grade (now slabbed AU-50), would seem to obviate that theory, as it is unlikely that even Dr. Valentine himself could have located a finer example.

Dr. Valentine has certainly left an indelible mark on the collecting fraternity. Despite subsequent new research, renumbering of his variety sequence, countless new die marriage discoveries, and a few disparaging remarks by his critics, it cannot be disputed that if it were not for the impassioned work of this consummate numismatist, countless collectors like me would have been denied the pleasure of discovering this fascinating series.

Part 1-The Hiring of Christian Gobrecht

During a recent research trip to the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, my research partner, Joel Orosz, had the excellent idea to call for the Robert M. Patterson personal papers. Three letters from Samuel Moore to Robert M. Patterson dated June, 1835 were located. At this time Moore was the outgoing director of the mint; Patterson assumed the Mint directorship in July, 1835. Patterson’s father had also been the Mint director, serving from 1806 to 1824. Tying the family knot even further, the incoming director Robert M. Patterson was the brother-in-law of the outgoing director Moore.

The first letter is dated June 16, 1835 and deals with the issue of hiring Christian Gobrecht as an engraver. Moore wrote to the Secretary of the Treasurer, Levi Woodbury, on the same day regarding the same issue. The Moore/Woodbury letter is largely reprinted in Breen’s Secret History of the Gobrecht Coinages. Between the two letters, it is clear that the outgoing director Samuel Moore dearly wanted to get Gobrecht hired into the Mint, which indeed occurred later in 1835. The first Moore/Patterson letter reads as follows (the second and third letters will follow in a subsequent edition of the E-Gobrecht).

Mint of the United States
Philadelphia, June 16, 1835

Dear Sir:
The necessity of having an additional Engraver in the Mint which has for many years been sufficiently manifest may be considered as imperative now, in order to supply the Branch Mints with the requisite dies [RandyWiley and Michael Fey, in separate articles in GJ #99, noted the situation of the New Orleans mint desiring additional dies]. Since the adoption of the Branch system I have had several conversations with Mr. Gobrecht to ascertain whether there is any hope of associating him with the institution – a mission I have long desired to accomplish. He is at present employed as an engraver of Bank Notes [multiple bank note proofs reside in the Christian Gobrecht personal papers at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania], but could, I perceive, be detached from that pursuit, if a timely assurance could be given him, of continued[?] permanent employment in the Mint, so that he could give due notice to the company now having claims on him. If he could receive the necessary assurance by the 10th or 15th July, it would enable him to devote his full attention to the Mint from the first January next [1836].

No provision was made in the acts of last session [of Congress] for a second Engraver here but all the Branches are left dependant on this source for dies [note Moore’s reference to a “second” , not “assistant” Engraver]. That another Engraver therefore must be assigned to the institution by act of Congress or in [unclear] of that engaged by print contract, is a matter of simple absolute majority and I therefore regard it as a thing virtually done in one of those ways. There is no diversity of opinion here, I think, certainly now at the Mint, as to the peculiar fitness of Gobrecht for the plans.

In a communication to the Department this day [Moore is probably referring to his letter to Treasury SecretaryWoodbury written the same day] I have suggested the strong expediency of adopting timely measures, in order that the commencement of coinage at the Branches may not be delayed for want of dies, and relying on my recollection of your opinion heretofore expressed in regard to Mr. G[obrecht], I took the liberty of referring to you presuming that you will certainly stop through Washington, and have an interview with the President [Jackson] and Secretary of Treasury [Woodbury]. Mr. Gobrecht could not I believe be secured on a less expectation than $1500, nor is it equitable that he should. In mentioning this in my letter to Mr. Woodbury I have taken occasion to impart again the views I entertain in regard to the inconsistency of the present Mint salaries.

Mr. Peale will be here in a few days [Peale had been dispatched in 1833 on a two year tour of Europe to study minting technology at the English, French and German mints]. Certainly, I think, by the [unclear, Moore seems to indicate a European departure of May 16th, expecting Peale’s return by the end of June]. He will have some good suggestions to offer, no doubt, on the subject of [unclear] dies, and Gobrecht has long had a desire to evince his powers in an effort of this character. I hope the spark[?] of the commencement of coinage under the Branch system may be [unclear] by something really beautiful.

On your arrival here you will be able to give an answer to Gobrecht, if it shall have been satisfactory to the President to authorize the requisite assurance in the case, and this will be in time for him to give the warning demanded by his current employment. I am in great regard,

Yours very truly
Samuel Moore

P.S. Afternoon – Mr. Peale has arrived.

The Samuel Moore Letters: Part II

In last month’s episode, the outgoing Mint Director, Samuel Moore, was found lobbying the incoming Director, Robert M. Patterson, and the Secretary of the Treasury, Levi Woodbury, to hire Christian Gobrecht as a second engraver. This month we look at the second letter of the series, from Moore to Patterson, dated June 26, 1835. At this point President Jackson has approved the hiring of a second engraver, and now Moore attempts to finalize the details of Gobrecht’s appointment.

“Received two days since from the Secretary of the Treasury a reply to my communication of the 16th [Moore had written to both SecretaryWoodbury and Patterson on July 16th, 1835] concerning the President’s [Andrew Jackson] approval of the arrangement therein recommended having in view the employment of another Engraver. A reply is enclosed.

The proposed grade of compensation being [unclear] approved by the President, I should feel at liberty to proffer specific terms to Mr. Gobrecht on which he would safely announce to his present employer the termination of their connection by the first of January [1836] relying on being from that period attached to the Mint at a compensation of $1500 [annually]. It seems, however, proper that this should be deferred until you arrive and especially I must first be assured that I have not misconceived your opinion in regard to Mr. Gobrecht before holding any further conference with him touching the employment in question. On this point please drop me a line – I know you can have his [unclear]. And if it shall be conformable to your impressions, I will acquaint him with the probability of his being invited into the Mint, and refer him thereafter to yourself.

The terms ‘assistant Engraver’ as employed by Mr. Woodbury without however appearing to lay any stress on them, as indicating a distinctive station. Certainly the conception of any inferiority of rank, would be very unsupportable[?] to Mr. G[obrecht] and this it will be proper to exclude which can easily be done. No inferiority in this respect was within my contemplation in the arrangement proposed. [The salient point here is whether Gobrecht was to be hired as "assistant" or "second" engraver - clearly it was Moore's intention that Gobrecht be hired as an equal to the current engraver William Kneass.]

It had seemed to me probable that during your [unclear] conferences with the Sec. of the Treasury at Washington he might acquaint you particularly with the views presented in my letter to him of the 16th [July], and this, notwithstanding the President’s prompt decision in regard to the Engraver, he will perhaps still do, if a convenient session[?] should occur. [Moore now moves on to unrelated points.]”

The Samuel Moore Letters: Part III

This is the third and last part of a series covering correspondence in June, 1835 from the outgoing Mint Director, Samuel Moore, to the incoming Mint Director, Robert Patterson, concerning the appointment of Christian Gobrecht as an Engraver to the U.S. Mint. Last time, Moore wanted to present the employment offer to Gobrecht but was awaiting final confirmation from Patterson. This third letter, dated June 27th, 1835 was written one day later. It reads as follows:

“Mint of the United States
Philadelphia, June 27, 1835

Dear Sir,
Yours of the 24th was received last evening [this letter apparently contained Patterson’s final approval of the offer to Gobrecht]. I called this afternoon on the Mr. Gobrecht who had not before heard of the approaching change here [Moore apparently refers to the fact that a new Mint Director will be soon appointed]. He looked concerned on its being [unclear, but the obvious implication is that Gobrecht desired the appointment and felt that his chances of receiving the position under Director Moore were favorable], but when informed of your appointment evinced the utmost gladness of heart.

Having stated to him the satisfactory terms[?] of the communication received from Washington in reply to my suggestions in regards to his being associated with the Mint, I referred the question to be adjusted[?] after your arrival [this possibly refers to the precise title which Gobrecht was to be granted at the Mint]. Render[?] no concern on account of a five days delay in your arrival. No inconvenience will result from it. I will attend to whatever shall require prompt action [Moore refers to the fact that Patterson was delayed in traveling from the University of Virginia to Philadelphia].

Yours truly,
[unclear]
Samuel Moore.”

Although Gobrecht’s appointment was to take effect January 1st, 1836, fate intervened. Chief Engraver Kneass suffered a stroke in August 1835, and the new Director, Patterson, requested permission from the Secretary of the Treasury to immediately hire Gobrecht as a second (not assistant) engraver. Gobrecht thus entered the Mint in September 1835. (See also Rare Coin Review, #126, November/December 1998, pp. 17-25.)

***********************************

[Editor's Addition - Bio]

MOORE, Samuel, a Representative from Pennsylvania; born in Deerfield (now Deerfield Street), Cumberland County, N.J., February 8, 1774; pursued an academic course and was graduated from the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia in 1791; instructor in the university 1792-1794; studied medicine and practiced in Dublin, Bucks County, Pa., and later at Greenwich, N.J.; spent several years in trading to the East Indies; returned to Bucks County, Pa., and in 1808 purchased and operated grist and oil mills at Bridge Point (now Edison) near Doylestown; later erected and operated a sawmill and woolen factory; elected as a Republican to the Fifteenth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Samuel D. Ingham; reelected to the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Congresses and served from October 13, 1818, until his resignation May 20, 1822; chairman, Committee on Indian Affairs (Seventeenth Congress); appointed by President Monroe as Director of the United States Mint on July 15, 1824, and served until 1835; moved to Philadelphia, Pa.; became interested in the mining and marketing of coal and served as president of the Hazleton Coal Co. until his death in Philadelphia, Pa. February 18, 1861; interment in Woodland Cemetery.

In 1793, Scot was appointed engraver of the United States Mint in Philadelphia, where he cut dies for a variety of cents and half cents. He designed the 1795–1797 $10 eagle, the 1797–1804 Heraldic Eagle, the 1794–1797 half cent, and the 1800–1808 draped bust type half cent. In addition, he designed the Thomas Jefferson Indian Peace Medal.

William Kneass – 1824-1840
Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Kneass Worked as an engraver in Philadelphia from 1805 to 1840, and became the second chief engraver of the United States Mint on January 29, 1824. During his tenure, he oversaw the production of United States gold coinage (1834–1838) and circulating coinage (1836–1838). Kneass was, along with William Barber, one of only two 19th century Chief Engravers not to have designed any major circulating coinage. Kneass’s wife was Mary Turner Honeyman Kneass. Samuel Honeyman Kneass, their son, was a notable Philadelphia-based civil engineer and architect.

Christian Gobrecht – 1835-1844
The third Chief Engraver of the United States Mint from 1835 until his death in 1844. Born in Hanover, Pennsylvania, Gobrecht engraved ornamental works for clocks in Baltimore. Gobrecht prepared basic designs for the pattern flying eagle dollar and designed the half dollar, quarter dollar, 20-cent piece, dime, and half dime. He was responsible for the famous “Seated Liberty” designs, which were in turn the direct inspiration for the design of the Trade Dollar. Gobrecht became the assistant to chief engraver William Kneass after Kneass’s stroke in 1835 and was named Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint upon Kneass’s death in 1840. Gobrecht died in 1844 was himself succeeded by James B. Longacre. Besides engraving for the Mint he also produced embossing plaque for bookbinding.

James Barton Longacre – 1844-1869
Born in Delaware County, near Pennsylvania. Longacre was appointed the fourth Chief Engraver of the United States Mint on September 6, 1844.

He designed the 1856–1858 Flying Eagle cent; 1859–1909 Indian Head cent; 1864 two-cent coin; 1849–1854 Liberty Head Type I, II, and III gold dollar; 1854–1886 three-dollar gold coins; and the 1849–1907 Liberty Head Double Eagle ($20 coin). His medallic work includes both sides of the Commander Duncan Nathaniel Ingraham medal, the Major General Zachary Taylor medal, and the 1869 Annual Assay Commission medal.

William Barber – 1869-1879
The fifth Chief Engraver of the United States Mint from 1869 until his death. He succeeded James B. Longacre in the position.

Born in London. He employed three assistant engravers: William H. Key, George T. Morgan, and his son Charles who would become the sixth Chief Engraver of the Mint.

Mr. Barber designed two coins for circulation: the twenty-cent coin and the Trade Dollar. He produced at least 40 medals, including David Rittenhouse, Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz, Cyrus Field, President James Pollock, Joseph Pancoast, Dr. Henry Linderman, the Centennial medals, and the Valley Forge medal.

Mr. Barber designed additional medals for the Assay Commission. One of his most recognizable medals was the 100th Anniversary of America’s Independence. He served as Chief Mint Engraver until his death in 1879.Barber holds the rather dubious distinction of being one of only two Chief Engravers of the Mint in the 19th century not to have designed any major circulating coinage. (The other was William Kneass.) Barber was succeeded as Chief Engraver by his son Charles.

Charles Edward Barber – 1879-1917
The sixth Chief Engraver of the United States Mint from 1879 until his sudden death in 1917. He succeeded his father, William Barber, in the position. Barber’s best-known designs are the eponymous “Barber” dime, quarter, and half-dollar, as well as the so-called “V” nickel. Some lesser known designs by Barber include the trial copper-nickel cent, trial three-cent piece, and the $4 “Stella” Flowing Hair pieces. Barber was succeeded as Chief Engraver by George T. Morgan.

George T. Morgan – 1917-1925
Born in Birmingham, England, Morgan studied in England, and worked for many years as a die engraver at Messrs. J.S. & A.B. Wyon. Morgan came to the United States from England in 1876 and was hired as an assistant engraver at the Mint in October of that year under William Barber. He figured very prominently in the production of pattern coins from 1877 onward. Morgan designed several varieties of 1877 half dollars, the 1879 “Schoolgirl” dollar, and the 1882 “Shield Earring” coins. Eventually, Morgan took the role of seventh Chief Engraver following the death of Charles E. Barber in February of 1917. Morgan is most famous for designing the Morgan Dollar, one of many namesakes.

John R. (Ray) Sinnock – 1925-1947
The eighth Chief Engraver of the United States Mint and designer of the Roosevelt dime and Franklin half dollar, among other U.S. coins. His initials “JS” on the dime can be found at the base of the Roosevelt bust. He also sculpted, although did not design, the Purple Heart medal. Sinnock was born in Raton, New Mexico and was educated at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art.

Gilroy Roberts – 1948-1964
A sculptor, gemstone carver, and the ninth Chief Engraver of the United States Mint between 1948 and 1964. He designed the obverse of the United States Kennedy half dollar, which was first issued in 1964. After he retired from the U.S. Mint, he became chairman of the Franklin Mint. He served in this position until 1971.

Frank Gasparro – 1965-1981
The tenth Chief Engraver of the United States Mint, holding this position from February 23, 1965 to January 16, 1981. Before that, he was Assistant Engraver. Gasparro was born in Philadelphia. He designed both sides of the Susan B. Anthony Dollar, both sides of the Eisenhower Dollar, the Lincoln Memorial reverse of the cent, and the reverse of the Kennedy Half Dollar.

Elizabeth Jones – 1981-1990
The eleventh and last Chief Engraver of the United States Mint, holding this position from 1981 until her resignation in 1990. After her resignation, the post of Chief Engraver was left vacant, and was subsequently abolished. Jones was just 46 when President Ronald Reagan appointed her as Chief Engraver, relatively young by chief engraver standards. However, by this time she had already built an impressive reputation as one of the leading medallists in the world. Her talent and distinctive style, which she describes as “mildly abstract,” had earned her a lengthy series of commissions from such prestigious clients as The Franklin Mint, Medallic Art Company and the Judaic Heritage Society. When Frank Gasparro retired in 1981 after 16 years as chief engraver, friends in the art world and in Washington, D.C., urged her to apply. She did, and soon had a new job.

A lifelong collector, Rochette has devoted nearly all his adult life to ANA service.  Joining the Association’s staff as editor of the ANA’s magazine in 1966, he spent most of his first 20 years as executive vice president. He retired from his staff position, and in 1987 was elected to the ANA Board of Governors, serving as vice president from 1989 to 1991 and president from 1991 to 1993.

In 1998, at the recommendation of the ANA President’s Advisory Council and with the approval of the Board of Governors, Rochette returned to the ANA staff as interim executive director. A year later, he was asked to take the position permanently, and in 2001 his contracted was extended two years.

He stepped aside from the day to-day operations of the Association on January 1, 2003, taking on the role of senior advisor responsible for fund-raising until his retirement on July 31.

During his second tenure as executive director, Rochette oversaw the complete remodeling and expansion of the ANA’s Money Museum and Library; creation of the Harry W. Bass Jr. Gallery of United States gold coins by the Bass foundation; and the make-over of the Association’s Numismatist magazine, now in its 116th year of publication.

As a member of the ANA staff and Board of Governors, Rochette was instrumental in the recovery of some of numismatics’ greatest rarities, including an 1804 Draped Bust silver dollar belonging to Willis du Pont. The coin now resides in the Smithsonian Institution National Numismatic Collection.

Thirty-five years ago, Rochette launched the week-long ANA Summer Seminar in Colorado Springs with 17 students and instructors. The two-week Summer Seminar now attracts 500 students and instructors.

A native of Worcester, Massachusetts, Rochette served in the United States Navy during World War II, and attended Washington University in St. Louis, and Clark University in Worcester.

A prolific writer, he has authored several numismatic books, including The Romance of Coin Collecting, Medallic Portraits of John F. Kennedy and Making Money: Rogues and Rascals Who’ve Made Their Own.  For many years, he wrote a weekly coin column nationally syndicated by the Los Angeles Times and a monthly column for COINage magazine, and he continues to pen his monthly column The Other Side of the Coin for the ANA’s Numismatist magazine. 

Before joining the ANA staff, Rochette was executive editor of Numismatic News, where he remained a regular contributor until he returned to the ANA staff.

Rochette is a recipient of the ANA’s Glenn Smedley Memorial and Lifetime Achievement Awards, Medal of Merit, and the Association’s highest honor, the Farran Zerbe Memorial Award for Distinguished Service. He also is a Numismatic Hall of Fame inductee.

Rochette served on the United States Assay Commission, was named a Numismatic Ambassador by Numismatic News, and has received the Numismatic Literary Guild’s coveted Clemy Award and Sandra Rae Mishler gold medal for original research.

After leaving the Board of Governors in 1993, Rochette was instrumental in developing the numismatic exhibit at the International Olympic Committee’s at its museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, and has served as a numismatic consultant to the United States Olympic Committee and the United States Air Force Academy.

An active collector and quintessential philanthropist, Harry W. Bass Jr. was a life member of the ANA for more than 30 years. He was awarded the Medal of Merit in 1989 and was inducted into the Association’s Numismatic Hall of Fame in 1998.

Bass’ interest in numismatics began in the mid 1960s. He joined the ANA in 1966 and spent a year studying the subject before he actively began collecting.

Soon after entering the field, he defined his goal – to collect United States-issue gold coins from 1795 to 1933 by date and mintmark, with special attention to die varieties of early U.S. gold.

He made many important numismatic discoveries while creating the most complete collection ever assembled, including many one-of-a-kind specimens.

Of paramount importance in the collection is a set of virtually all known die varieties of early (1795 to 1834) United States gold coin denominations, in the finest condition.

Also included in the Bass holdings are:

• The only complete collection of $3 gold pieces, including the unique 1870-S
• A complete collection of U.S. gold coin types of all periods and designs from 1834 to 1933
• A spectacular grouping of rare U.S. pattern coins
• The foremost collection of 1896 silver certificates, among them the “Educational Series” of U.S. paper money ($1 through the proposed $50 denominations) that includes vignettes, progress and trial proofs, as well as the uncut first sheets of the actual $1, $2 and $5 notes.

In 2000, the ANA was honored to have its museum selected by the Harry W. Bass Jr. Research Foundation as the perfect new home for this incredible collection.

Bass encouraged, promoted and participated in the exchange of information among dealers and collectors, setting up his foundation for charitable and educational endeavors, numismatic research and community development. Among other projects, the foundation developed and funded the Numismatic Indexes Project (NIP)-a computer-based, searchable index of a variety of numismatic publications, including The Numismatist, accessible from the ANA’s web site.

Born on October 17, 1915, Maynard Sundman, founder of Littleton Coin Company, grew up in Bristol, Connecticut, where a childhood friend introduced him to stamp collecting at age 12. After graduating from high school in 1935, Sundman turned the hobby that had become his passion into a mail-order stamp concern, operating from his parents’ home.

By 1939, the Maynard Sundman Stamp Company had captured the attention of Bostonian H.E. Harris, founder of what was then the world’s largest stamp company. The encounter began a lifelong business relationship and personal friendship. Harris taught Sundman key lessons about the mail-order business, which contributed greatly to the latter’s long-term success.

In October 1945, Sundman and his wife, Fannie, moved to Littleton, New Hampshire, and established the Littleton Stamp Company. Soon their two-room operation in the Opera Block on Littleton’s main street included four employees.

In early 1947, the Sundmans began to offer world bank notes, their first foray into numismatic sales. Within three years, the company had 40 employees. By 1954, its numismatic business increased enough to warrant changing the name of the firm to Littleton Stamp & Coin Company.

Sundman branched out in 1974, purchasing Mystic Stamp Company of Camden, New York. In the 1980s, he melded his two enterprises, making Mystic Stamp Company America’s largest “stamps on approval” business. From that point on, the Littleton company was devoted to coins and paper money, utilizing the innovative advertising and marketing strategies, and trusted supplier and customer relations that distinguished Sundman’s career. Now in its 60th year, Littleton Coin Company has served hundreds of thousands of collectors and, under the direction of Sundman’s oldest son, David, continues to thrive.

With a generous donation of $100,000, David Sundman endowed a special ANA program to honor his father’s commitment to education and numismatics, and the Maynard Sundman/Littleton Coin Company Lecture Series was born. Held annually in conjunction with the World’s Fair of Money®, the lectures offer new perspectives on the science of numismatics. So that all might benefit from these presentations, high-lights are printed in ANA Journal, the Association’s quarterly publication of advanced numismatic studies.

For more information about Maynard Sundman’s remarkable life, read his 1995 biography,  A Decent Boldness, by Michael O’Traynor (ANA Library Catalog No. AA58.S9O8).

-Lane J. Brunner, Ph.D.

He later joined with James G. Macallister as numismatic catalogers for J.C. Morgenthau and Company, holding over 50 sales. From 1908 to 1950 he held 69 auctions sales under his own name and served the Scott Stamp and Coin Company from 1934 to 1946, handling important clients such as Col. Green. From 1946 until his death on September 23, 1956, he operated New Netherlands Coin Company. Raymond produced his own line of coin albums and also wrote or compiled several monographs, books, and other references. He published Coin and Medal Bulletin from 1924 to 1933, Coin Collector’s Journal from 1934 to 1954, and Coin Topics from 1936 to 1940.