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The National Numismatic Collection is the national coin
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of the
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. The collection is part of the
Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
's
National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history. Among the items on display is t ...
.


Overview

The National Numismatic Collection comprises approximately 1.6 million objects and is one of the world's largest and most diverse collections of coins, paper currency, medals, commodity currencies, financial instruments,
exonumia Exonumia are numismatic items (such as tokens, medals, or scrip) other than coins and paper money. This includes "Good For" tokens, badges, counterstamped coins, elongated coins, encased coins, souvenir medallions, tags, wooden nickels and oth ...
, and related items. As the collection of record for the U.S. monetary system, it holds the collections of the U.S. Mint, Treasury, and Bureau of Engraving and Printing. In addition, it includes collections donated by individual collectors and private institutions, such as the collection of the Chase Manhattan Bank Money Museum.


History

Until 2004, the exhibit housing the Collection was the last surviving exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History's original 1964 arrangement. In late 2004, the exhibit was closed, and the objects were returned to the Smithsonian's vaults. In 2015, the museum opened a new permanent Gallery of Numismatics with an exhibition titled The Value of Money.


Noteworthy items in the collection

*A gold 20 Excelentes coin of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain * Brasher half doubloon *All three types of the
1804 dollar The 1804 dollar or Bowed Liberty Dollar was a dollar coin struck by the United States Mint, of which fifteen specimens are currently known to exist. Though dated 1804, none were struck in that year; all were minted in the 1830s or later. They w ...
*The 1849
double eagle A double eagle is a gold coin of the United States with a denomination of $20. (Its gold content of 0.9675 troy oz (30.0926 grams) was worth $20 at the 1849 official price of $20.67/oz.) The coins are 34 mm x 2 mm and are made from ...
*The two gold 1877 half unions *All nine 1909–1910 Washington nickels *One
1913 Liberty Head nickel The 1913 Liberty Head nickel is an American five-cent piece which was produced in extremely limited quantities unauthorized by the United States Mint, making it one of the best-known and most coveted rarities in American numismatics. In 1972, one ...
*Two 1933 double eagles *The
1974 aluminum cent The 1974 aluminum cent was a one-cent coin proposed by the United States Mint in 1973. It was composed of an alloy of aluminum and trace metals, and it was intended to replace the predominantly copper–zinc cent due to the rising costs of coi ...


See also

*
Alaskan parchment scrip Alaskan parchment scrip was in circulation from 1816 to 1867, issued by the Russian-American Company (RAC) in the colony of Russian America. Also known as seal skin or walrus skin notes, this type of scrip was printed on parchment, and sometimes o ...
* Art and engraving on United States banknotes *
Early American currency Early American currency went through several stages of development during the colonial and post-Revolutionary history of the United States. John Hull was authorized by the Massachusetts legislature to make the earliest coinage of the colony (the ...
*
Federal Reserve Bank Note Federal Reserve Bank Notes are banknotes that are legal tender in the United States issued between 1915 and 1934, together with United States Notes, Silver Certificates, Gold Certificates, National Bank Notes and Federal Reserve Notes. They were ...
* Federal Reserve Note (Series 1914 and 1918) *
Fractional currency __NOTOC__ Fractional currency, also referred to as shinplasters, was introduced by the United States federal government following the outbreak of the Civil War. These low- denomination banknotes of the United States dollar were in use between 21 ...
*
Gold certificate Gold certificates were issued by the United States Treasury as a form of representative money from 1865 to 1933. While the United States observed a gold standard, the certificates offered a more convenient way to pay in gold than the use of coin ...
*
Greenback (1860s money) Greenbacks were emergency paper currency issued by the United States during the American Civil War that were printed in green on the back. They were in two forms: Demand Notes, issued in 1861–1862, and United States Notes, issued in 1862–1 ...
*
Historical coats of arms of the U.S. states from 1876 Historical coats of arms of the U.S. states date back to the admission of the first U.S. state, states to the United States, Union. Despite the widely accepted practice of determining early statehood from the date of ratification of the United ...
* Interest bearing note *
Large denominations of United States currency Large denominations of United States currency greater than were circulated by the United States Treasury until 1969. Since then, U.S. dollar banknotes have only been issued in seven denominations: $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100. Ov ...
*
Silver certificate (United States) Silver certificates are a type of representative money issued between 1878 and 1964 in the United States as part of its circulation of paper currency. They were produced in response to silver agitation by citizens who were angered by the Fo ...
*
Treasury Note (1890–91) United States Treasury securities, also called Treasuries or Treasurys, are government debt instruments issued by the United States Department of the Treasury to finance government spending as an alternative to taxation. Since 2012, U.S. gov ...


References


External links

* {{US currency and coinage Smithsonian Institution Collection of the Smithsonian Institution National numismatic collections