American Numismatic Society

The ANS Library now has a great collection of souvenir cards, thanks to longtime donor and ANS life fellow Bill Burd. What is a souvenir card you ask? Mellone’s Photo Encyclopedia of Souvenir Cards—a copy of which was kindly included with the donation—offers a definition. Generally, souvenir cards meet three criteria distinguishing them from other collectible cards, such as postcards: (1) they were created as mementos of a person, occasion, or place and were never intended for any other purpose, (2) they present the finest examples of printing and engraving, and (3) they are printed on premium card stock using engraved steel plates, i.e., the intaglio process.

Souvenir Card Collection Donated to the ANS Library While many of the cards show banknotes and stamps, others have only engraved illustrations, or vignettes. This one (B-230) was used on U.S. Liberty Bonds from 1927 to 1942. (ANS Library).  The ANS Library now has a great collection of souvenir cards, thanks to longtime donor and ANS life fellow Bil...

In the Roman world, Venus was the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. Venus and her son Cupid are common motifs on Roman coinage. However, she can only be securely identified on Roman republican coinage starting in the later second century BCE. Rather than being a symbol of love or fertility, her significance on republican coinage is usually an expression of a personal relationship between the deity and a specific family, and most of the depictions are closely tied to ideas of victory and triumph.

Triumph of Love: Venus on Roman Republican Coinage Love was in the air last week with the celebration of Valentine’s day. In the Roman world, Venus was the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. Venus and her son Cupid are common motifs on Roman coinage. However, she can only be securely identified on Roman republican coinage starting in the late...

One of the essential methods of numismatics is the die study. This involves comparing coins carefully, to see whether similar coins were struck using the same dies. The dies for premodern coins were individually handmade, so each one is slightly different, even from the hand of the same practiced engraver. When a die is used to strike coins, the individual handmade blanks will differ, as will the placement of the handheld dies, but the design features transferred to the coin from the die will be the same on each example (varying only in how deeply the hammer blow pushed the die into the metal blank).

Die Links and Sequences One of the essential methods of numismatics is the die study. This involves comparing coins carefully, to see whether similar coins were struck using the same dies. The dies for premodern coins were individually handmade, so each one is slightly different, even from the hand of the same practiced en...

The ANS congratulates Jane DeRose Evans, Professor and Chair of Art History at Temple University, for being named the next President of the American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR). Prof. Evans is an ANS Fellow and contributor to ANS publications.

Art History Chair Jane DeRose Evans named next President of ASOR Back to Blog January 21, 2025 Art History Chair Jane DeRose Evans named next President of ASOR Author: Wanda Motley Odom Jane DeRose Evans, chair of Tyler's Art History Department was elected as the next President of the American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR) by its Board of Trustees. She wil...

Several ANS staff members attended the 2025 Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) and Society for Classical Studies (SCS) last week in Philadelphia (January 2-5, 2025). This annual meeting is one of the largest international conferences where historians, art historians, classicists, and archaeologists specialized in Mediterranean civilizations gather each January. It represents a great opportunity to delve into the latest developments in archaeology and classical studies and a fantastic opportunity to meet with friends, mentors, mentees and, of course, to listen to many papers about groundbreaking new research.

American Numismatic Society at the 2025 AIA/SCS Annual Meeting in Philadelphia: A Celebration of Numismatic Excellence Several ANS staff members attended the 2025 Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) and Society for Classical Studies (SCS) last week in Philadelphia (January 2-5, 2025). This annual meeting is one of the largest international conferences where historians, art historians, cla...

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ANS 0000.999.30585

The American Numismatic Society is saddened by the news of former President Jimmy Carter's passing. In honor of his legacy, we are sharing pictures of his inauguration medal. We also have the model the medal was based on, as part of our acquisition from the Medallic Art Company.

ANS 1977.52.1
ANS 2018.41.17

Whether you're celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah today, or Kwanza tomorrow, the American Numismatic Society wishes you Happy Holidays and safe travels through any winter weather you may encounter!

This Canadian medal is from the 1887 Montreal Winter Carnival with people sledding on the obverse and a picture of the ice palace that was erected every year in celebration of the carnival.

ANS 1964.254.93

Here's a wonderful blog post written by a former ANS summer seminar student! https://classicalstudies.org/scs-blog/phatcher/blog-what-i-learned-coin-camp

"Patricia Hatcher reflects on her interdisciplinary studies during the American Numismatic Society’s summer graduate seminar. The ANS taught skills to succeed in academia and unsuspectingly showcased alternative careers for those studying the ancient world."

To apply to the 2025 ANS Summer Seminar, click here: https://numismatics.org/about-us/education/seminar/

On December 5, the ANS hosted the second annual Stack Family Lecture dedicated to topics in American numismatics. Vicken Yegparian, ANS Fellow and Vice President of Numismatics for Stack’s Bowers Galleries, delivered this year's lecture on numismatic objects referencing and commemorating July 4, 1776 and Independence, chiefly those produced between Independence and the U.S. Civil War. The talk covered a wide range of numismatic objects including paper currency, coins, and, most notably, medals, such as a silver piece showing a federal eagle with the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM on the obverse, and an oak wreath with INDEPENDENCE and JULY 4: 1776 surrounding UNION on the reverse, probably dated to 1826. If you missed it, you can read more about the lecture in our most recent Pocket Change post, and can stream the whole talk on our YouTube channel.

ANS 0000.999.46295

Read more here: https://numismatics.org/pocketchange/vicken-yegparian-delivers-2024-stack-family-lecture/

Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmkV7fOtVWw

With holiday wreaths decorating our doorsteps this winter season, we decided to show a beautiful numismatic wreath of our own! In ancient Greece, where this silver drachma originates, wreaths were a symbols of power and victory. The evergreen wreaths we are accustomed to seeing during wintertime originate from winter solstice celebrations and are gifted as a symbol of friendship and goodwill.

ANS 1963.31.369

I recently came across a listing for a small, 28 mm brass medal I had seen many times but never really thought about. On one side is a depiction of a man in a carriage drawn by two dogs, identified as H. B. West’s famous trained dogs, Tray and Troy. The other side bears a view of New York’s Crystal Palace and the date 1853. Charles Ira Bushnell listed this piece in his groundbreaking 1858 book, he placed it as number 83, under New York Tradesmen’s Tokens. At least four other medals exist with the H. B. West obverse, though these appear to be mules, struck in very limited numbers for collectors, and have no real relation to West.

H. B. West and his Trained Dogs, Tray and Troy I recently came across a listing for a small, 28 mm brass medal I had seen many times but never really thought about. On one side is a depiction of a man in a carriage drawn by two dogs, identified as H. B. West’s famous trained dogs, Tray and Troy. The other side bears a […]

Two years are better than one!

From NOW to December 13th, renew your ANS membership for two years and receive an ANS calendar magnet!

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Visit the link to renew online or renew over the phone or if you have any questions, call: 212-571-4470 ext. 117

https://numismatics.org/store/membership-renewal-promotion

Membership Renewal Promotion Renew for two years between December 10th and December 13th and receive limited edition ANS swag!

And our Top Turkey was….

The America–Abundance medal was designed by Albert Laessle as the tenth in the Society of Medalists series. According to Laessle, the is meant to "symbolize the abundance of America" through the turkey and corn. He continued, "roaming wild through the forest, turkey by its strength and love of liberty foreshadowed the strength and liberty of the new country. I have depicted the turkey with ruffled feathers, its pride and the vigor of its youth symbolizing the growth of the young America." The theme of abundance certainly offered an optimistic outlook, as the country was in the depths of the Great Depression. In 1951, Laessle was awarded the coveted J. Sanford Saltus award from the ANS for his medallic works.

Always thankful for our followers and your participation in these polls!

This Giving Tuesday, support the ANS!

Your generosity enriches our renowned collections, which bring together all those who love numismatics.

In 2024, we added more than 2,300 objects to our coin cabinet and library, enriching one of the greatest numismatic collections in the world with more than 800,000 items. Many of the incredible items in our collection were donated by our members, whether in the last year or as so many have done throughout the Society's long history. Consider the ANS for your donations this Giving Tuesday to help support our mission to promote and advance the study, research, and appreciation of numismatics.

Visit our website to donate: https://numismatics.org/giving/

Happy Turkey Day!

Before you gobble up your Thanksgiving feast, vote on one of these turkey medals to learn more about next week! Vote in our Instagram story or by commenting on the post with the letter associated with the medal that interests you most. Voting in the story will be up only 24 hours, but you can vote in the comments all weekend long.

Choice A: Copper Medal from The Western Massachusetts Poultry Association (ANS 1956.163.1392)

Choice B: Bronze Medal from the Medallic Art Company (ANS 0000.999.48544)

Choice C: Bronze Medal from Society of Medalists (ANS 0000.999.44564)

Apply today for the 69th Eric P. Newman Graduate Summer Seminar in Numismatics. Since 1952, this esteemed program has advanced the study of numismatics, fostering academic careers and producing influential scholarship. Learn more at https://numismatics.org/2025seminar/

Over the course of two days, a variety of topics highlighted the depth of insights offered by this field: Egypt’s coin hoards and the role of gold, the portrayal of imperial authority on local coinage, Hadrian’s impact on Alexandrian coins, the mystery of tiny copper coin denominations, Trajan’s coin types, coinage featuring the Sphinx of Giza, the imperial women of the Severan dynasty, Elagabalus and his Alexandrian issues, the brief coinage of Pescennius Niger, the late second-century debasement, and ancient counterfeit coins.

Alexandria in nummis: A Recent Symposium in Lugano Thanks to the Circolo Numismatico Ticinese, a symposium on the Roman imperial coinage of Alexandria took place in Lugano on September 20 and 21. Egypt’s closed monetary system, the diverse archaeological contexts from which its coins have been retrieved, and the extensive documentation preserved i...