Descriptive Summary

Repository

American Numismatic Society

Extent

23 cubic feet

Language

English

Abstract

Includes accounting and banking materials such as account books, bills and receipts, treasurer correspondence, and other materials relating to the financial functioning of the ANS.

Note

PORTIONS OF THE FINDING AID ARE SUPPRESSED FROM PUBLIC VIEW. ANS staff can log into Staff View for the full record group description.

Administrative Information

Collection Hierarchy

• Series 1: Account books, 1885-2005

  Extent

  4 cubic foot (1 box and 14 loose books)

  Access Restriction:

  Most materials are open to all researchers.

  Scope and Content:

  Contains notebooks and ledgers of ANS income and expenditures, including those relating to the ANS library. Includes a record of membership dues, subscriptions for medals such as those honoring Charles E. Anthon (1885) and Prince Henry of Prussia (1902), and donations to special funds such as those for purchasing library materials and for building a headquarters building at Audubon Terrace on land donated by Archer M. Huntington in 1906. One notebook contains the subscription list and accounts for the Society’s School for Coin and Medal Designing and Die-Cutting, which operated from 1901 to 1905, with Victor David Brenner serving briefly as an instructor, and another contains a record of payment of purchasers of the Paul Revere medal (1925). Also present are 13 loose and oversized ledgers and notebooks of financial statements (1909-1974) documenting ANS cash disbursements and receipts, including investments, funds, and expenditures such as Avery, Saltus, Sullivan, salaries, building addition, dues, stationary and supplies, lights and fuel, telephone and telegrams, and postage. The ledger “Disbursements and receipts, 1909-1922” has yearly lists of associate members and dues (1911-1921), with home addresses through 1919

  Related Entities

  • Organization
    • School for Coin and Medal Designing and Die Cutting

  • Genre/Format
    • Account books
    • Notebooks
    • Ledgers (Account books)

  • Part 1 of 15

    Library fund, 1892-1908

    Library funds, 1947-1966

    Bills on Huntington Library Fund, 1935-1946

    Bills on Huntington Library Fund, 1947

    Building fund subscriptions, building furnishing fund (1906-1907), membership (1921-1923)

    Membership and dues, 1893-1901

    Membership and dues, 1902

    Committees—Anthon medal committee, room committee—subscription list, ca. 1885

    Accounts—Membership and dues, life membership fund, interest, Isaac Wood library fund, William Poillon fund, building and furnishing fund, 1889-1900

    Accounts—Member addresses, bills and receipts, donation fund, 1890-1901

    School for Die Cutting—Subscriptions and accounts, 1900-1905

    Accounts—Life membership fund, interest, investments, Prince Henry Medal fund, donation fund, Herbert Valentine bequest, 1901-1906

    Accounts—Bills and rent receipts, medals and certificates, permanent funds, library funds, 1901-1908

    Building committee—Accounts, contributions (1 of 2), 1906-1908

    Building committee—Accounts, contributions (2 of 2), 1906-1908

    Accounts—Higgins, Huntington, Joan of Arc exhibition, Indian peace medals, Kunz, Newell, Ro (Lo) collection, Scharff, Swedish copper plate, Pell, duplicate coin account, Chinese moulds, 1909-1916

    Accounts—Groh, Avery, duplicate coin fund, 1913-1930

    Accounts, 1919-1921

    Accounts, 1925-1928

    Paul Revere medal purchaser list, 1925

    Accounts—Avery, dues, light & fuel, salaries, postage, etc., 1929-1932

    Record of dues and donations, 2003-2005

  • Part 2 of 15: Disbursements and receipts—C.U.T. Co.—Assistant Treasurer, 1909-1922 (loose on shelf)

  • Part 3 of 15: Disbursements and receipts—C.U.T. Co.—Assistant Treasurer, 1920-1930 (loose on shelf)

  • Part 4 of 15: Disbursements and receipts—C.U.T. Co.—Assistant Treasurer, 1930-1937 (loose on shelf)

  • Part 5 of 15: Disbursements and receipts—Treasurer Records, 1920-1935 (loose on shelf)

  • Part 6 of 15: Financial statements, 1937-1940 (loose on shelf)

  • Part 7 of 15: Financial statements, 1941-1944 (loose on shelf)

  • Part 8 of 15: Financial statements, 1945-1949 (loose on shelf)

  • Part 9 of 15: Financial statements, 1949-1954 (loose on shelf)

  • Part 10 of 15: Financial statements, 1954-1958 (loose on shelf)

  • Part 11 of 15: Financial statements, 1958-1963 (loose on shelf)

  • Part 12 of 15: Financial statements, 1963-1967 (loose on shelf)

  • Part 13 of 15: Financial statements, 1967-1971 (loose on shelf)

  • Part 14 of 15: Financial statements, 1971-1974 (loose on shelf)

  • Part 15 of 15: Building fund subscriptions, building furnishing fund, 1906-1907, membership, 1921-1923 (loose on shelf)

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• Series 2: Charles Pryer treasurer correspondence, receipts, and other material, 1866 - 1910

  Extent

  1.3 cubic foot (2 boxes)

  Scope and Content:

  Correspondence, much of which was created or forwarded by Bauman Belden (ANS secretary, 1896-1903, 1905-1916) to Charles Pryer (treasurer, 1889-1915), on matters of ANS business such as bills owed, membership dues, and pledged funds allocated for specific purposes. There are very few copies of correspondence from Pryer. Also contains receipts, including bills and invoices stamped as paid, and canceled checks for materials and services such as printing, journal subscriptions, coal, gas, electricity, cleaning, insurance, carpentry, rent, medal production, office supplies, postage, and, occasionally, materials purchased for ANS collections. There are notable developments that occurred during the period covered by the records that are documented here. Matters relating to the membership of Archer M. Huntington, who joined in 1899, include his declining an invitation to speak at the Society (1898), increasing his membership level to Life Member (1900), his election to the presidency and Belden’s positive feelings about the move (1905), and Huntington’s request for information about the collecting interests of individual members (1905). In 1906 the Society moved into temporary headquarters at the Hispanic Society of America’s building on Manhattan’s Audubon Terrace, and in 1908 it occupied its own newly constructed building next door on land donated by Huntington. Materials relating to the move include letters, bills, and receipts having to do with transporting materials to the site and constructing and furnishing the new building. The ANS during this period also began to employ its first paid staff. Included are monthly receipts for the salary of the Society’s first employee, building maintenance worker Nelson P. Pehrson (for work beginning in 1908). There are numerous letters, bills, and receipts relating to the funding of the Society’s School for Coin and Medal Designing and Die Cutting (in operation from 1901 to 1905), including receipts for payment signed by one of the school’s instructors, Victor David Brenner. Before moving to Audubon Terrace, the Society used rented rooms in various locations for its collections and meetings. Included here are rent receipts the New York Academy of Medicine (rented 1893-1902) and Union Dime Savings Institution (rented 1902-1905), as well as a signed lease for the latter. Also included are receipts for the Society’s new seal designed by Brenner (1907) and for a loving cup presented to Edward Groh (1900), both produced by Tiffany & Co., and for the binding of two volumes of manuscript materials relating to the Society’s Grant’s Tomb medal (1899). The item given the earliest date (1866) is an unsigned manuscript copy of the resolution merging the Society with the New York Numismatic Society.

  Biographical/Historical Commentary:

  Charles Pryer (d. 1916) joined the Society in 1875 as a resident member and served as treasurer from 1889 to 1915.

  Related Entities

  • Organization
    • New York Academy of Medicine
    • Union Dime Savings Bank (New York, N.Y.)
    • Tiffany and Company

  • Genre/Format
    • Correspondence
    • Invoices
    • Receipts (Financial records)
    • Bills of sale
    • Checks (Bank checks)

  • Person
    • Pryer, Charles, d. 1916
    • Brenner, Victor D. (Victor David), 1871-1924
    • Belden, Bauman L. (Bauman Lowe), 1862-1931
    • Pehrson, Nelson P., d. 1917
    • Huntington, Archer M. (Archer Milton), 1870-1955

  • Box 1 of 2

    • Treasurer correspondence, 1891-1894

    • Treasurer correspondence--Publication fund, 1892

    • Treasurer correspondence—Building committee subscription letters

    • Treasurer correspondence, 1895

    • Treasurer correspondence, 1896

    • Treasurer correspondence, 1897

    • Treasurer correspondence, 1898

    • Treasurer correspondence—Returned membership certificate of Robert Shiells, 1898

    • Treasurer correspondence, 1899

    • Treasurer correspondence, 1900

    • Treasurer correspondence, 1901

    • Treasurer correspondence, 1902

    • Treasurer correspondence, 1903

    • Treasurer correspondence, 1904

    • Treasurer correspondence, 1905

    • Treasurer correspondence—R.J. Horner coin cabinet order, 1905

    • Treasurer correspondence, 1906

    • Treasurer correspondence, 1907

    • Treasurer correspondence, 1909

    • Resolution regarding merger with the New York Numismatic society, 1866

    • Lease for rental of rooms from United Dime Savings bank, 1902

    • Printed samples--Audubon building, diploma, 1907

    • Insurance policies, 1901-1908

  • Box 2 of 2

    • Receipts, 1889

    • Receipts—Moving fund—Includes subscription list, 1889

    • Receipts, 1891-1892

    • Accounts—Moving and publishing fund, 1892-1893

    • Printing fund--Subscription letters, 1892

    • Receipts, 1892

    • Receipts, 1892-1893

    • Receipts, 1893-1894

    • Receipts, 1894-1895

    • Receipts, 1895-1896

    • Receipts, 1896-1897

    • Accounts—Publication fund, 1896-1897

    • Receipts--New York Academy of Medicine room rent, 1897

    • Receipts--1897-1898

    • Receipts--New York Academy of Medicine room rent, 1898

    • Receipts, 1898-1899

    • Receipts, 1899-1900

    • Receipts--New York Academy of Medicine room rent, 1899-1900

    • Receipts--Including loving cup for Edward Groh by Tiffany, 1900-1901

    • Receipts, 1900-1901

    • Receipts--School for Die Cutting, 1901

    • Receipts, 1901

    • Receipts, 1901

    • Receipts—Envelopes from badges sent to Curator Edward Groh—Grand Army of the Republic, 1901

    • Receipts--School for Die Cutting, 1902

    • Receipts--Canceled checks, 1901-1906

    • Receipts, 1902

    • Receipts--School for Die Cutting, 1903

    • Receipts--Union Dime Savings Institution room rent, 1903

    • Accounts--Oscar D. Dike, R.S. Wein, 1903

    • Receipts--Includes new ANS seal by Victor David Brenner made by Tiffany, 1903-1907

    • Receipts, 1903-1904

    • Receipts--Prince Henry medal, 1904

    • Receipts and vouchers, 1904-1905

    • Receipts--Including School for Die Cutting, 1904-1910

    • Receipts and canceled checks, 1905

    • Canceled checks--School for Die Cutting--Includes circular, 1905

    • Receipts, 1906-1907

    • Receipts, 1908

    • Receipts and miscellaneous correspondence, 1908

    • Receipts--Canceled checks, 1908

    • Receipts, 1908

    • Receipts, 1908

    • Canceled checks--Bankers Trust Company, 1908

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• Series 3: Building fund financial correspondence and receipts, 1901-1908

  Extent

  0.5 cubic feet (1 box)

  Related Material:

  Building fund account books can be found in a separate Account Books series in Record Group 5.

  Scope and Content:

  Correspondence relating to the financial activities of the Building Committee created in 1906 in response to ANS president Archer M. Huntington’s offer to donate land for an ANS headquarters building on Audubon Terrace in upper Manhattan. Topics include disbursement of funds, the recording of donations, committee appointments, and the scheduling of meetings. The records appear to have been kept by Charles Pryer, ANS treasurer from 1889 to 1915. There are numerous letters from Bauman L. Belden (ANS secretary, 1896-1903 and 1905-1916) concerning business transactions. Other correspondents include Archer M. Huntington (president, 1905-1909) and the building’s architect, Charles P. Huntington. There is only one letter from 1905: Pryer to Belden expressing reservations about the establishment of a building fund. By 1908 the building was under construction and the records include receipts (itemized bills marked as paid) for furnishings such as desks, a rug, a scale, and a vault, as well as for construction and electrical work. Also present is a report of the building committee (May 20, 1907).

  Access Restriction:

  Open to all researchers.

  Related Entities

  • Organization
    • American Numismatic Society. Building Committee

  • Genre/Format
    • Correspondence
    • Invoices
    • Receipts (Financial records)
    • Bills of sale

  • Person
    • Pryer, Charles, d. 1916
    • Huntington, Archer M. (Archer Milton), 1870-1955
    • Belden, Bauman L. (Bauman Lowe), 1862-1931
    • Huntington, Charles P. (Charles Pratt), 1871-1919

  • Box 1 of 1

    • Building fund, undated

    • Building fund, 1905

    • Building fund, 1906

    • Building fund, 1907

    • Building fund, 1908

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