February 2024 eNews
Upcoming Events & Announcements
Apply Today for the 2024 ANS Summer Seminar
Applications are open for the Eric P. Newman Graduate Summer Seminar in Numismatics, a rigorous eight-week course taught by ANS staff and guest lecturers that introduces students to the methods, theories, and history of the discipline. During the program, students will select a numismatic research topic and utilize ANS resources to complete a paper while in residence. Applications close March 1: Learn more about the Summer Seminar and apply.
Peter van Alfen Appointed Chairperson of the CCAC
Peter van Alfen, ANS Chief Curator, has been appointed the next Chairperson of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) by the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury of the United States. The committee advises the Secretary on theme or design proposals related to circulating coinage, bullion coinage, and medals produced by the United States Mint, including Congressional Gold Medals. On his nomination, Dr. van Alfen noted, “I’m very much looking forward to working with my colleagues on the CCAC over the course of this next year selecting the best possible designs for our nation’s coinage and medals.” More.
[Club 150] NYC: Monetary Pasts and Futures Panel
On February 7, Gilles Bransbourg, ANS Executive Director, will join Clarisse Hagège (CEO and Founder at Dfns and Sciences Po ’10) and Thomas Sullivan (Managing Director at Societe Generale-Forge) for a panel discussion on monetary pasts and futures, hosted by the Sciences Po American Foundation at Societe Generale (245 Park Avenue, 5th Floor). More.
The ANS is Hiring: Managing Editor
The ANS is searching for a Managing Editor. Reporting to the Deputy Director, the Managing Editor will be an enthusiastic, organized, and detail-oriented member of the ANS publications program, responsible for managing and shepherding our publications projects during the production process. The Managing Editor exercises quality oversight of any outside contractors working on publications, and liaises with our printers and distributors for shipments, inventory, metadata, and technical specifications. Additionally, the Managing Editor will be able to copy edit, content edit, and/or typeset and lay out publications. Applications are actively under review until a hire is made. More.
The ANS Library Welcomes Two New Interns
The ANS welcomes Zachary Doe and Caiti Jane French as our newest interns in the library. Zachary Doe is currently pursuing his master’s degree in library and information science at CUNY Queens College, and has completed his masters in comparative American and English literature. He is currently cataloging auction catalogs and will move on to archival projects soon. Caiti Jane French recently earned her library degree from Long Island College, having studied art history and creative writing as an undergraduate at Sarah Lawrence College. She has cataloged numerous auction catalogs and other items, and has helped organize materials in the Rare Book Room.
The EPNNES is now Accepting Applications for Newman Grants
The Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society (EPNNES) is now accepting applications for the 2024 Newman Grant program. Newman Grants are designed to financially assist numismatic authors and organizations pursuing original research in American numismatics. The application deadline is April 15, 2024, with the grant awards to be announced on May 25, 2024, coincident with the late Eric P. Newman’s birthday. More.
Two Numismatic Calls for Papers
Two numismatic sessions are planned for the 2025 Joint Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America and the Society for Classical Studies. The Friends of Numismatics seeks abstracts for an organized session on “Lenses into the Ancient World: Coins and Pedagogy”; the due date for submissions is February 16, 2024. The Numismatics Interest Group is seeking abstracts for an organized session on “Coins and Archaeology”; the due date for submissions is February 28, 2024.
Long Tables in February
Nathan T. Elkins, ANS Deputy Director, will lecture on The Imperial Coinage of Nerva, Part 1: Nerva as Supreme Military Commander. Jeff Shevlin will discuss his recently published book on “So-Called Dollars.” John Tatman will return for his rescheduled talk about Cretan drachms that were overstruck on Kyrenaika coins. Lavinia Sole, Numismatic Researcher at the University of Palermo, will present NUMMI DIGITALI—a new project aiming enhance the numismatic collection of the Museum “A. Salinas” of Palermo. More.
December & January in Review
2024 ANS Gala Honoring Mark Salzberg
The ANS raised more than $220,000 during its Annual Gala on January 11 at the Harvard Club of New York City. The Gala, which was attended by more than 150 guests, served as the occasion to award the 2024 Trustees’ Award to Mark Salzberg, who retired last year as Chairman of the Certified Collectibles Group. More.
David Yoon Promoted to Curator
David Yoon (formerly at the rank of Associate Curator) has been promoted to Curator. He is now Mark Salton Curator of Medieval, Renaissance and Early European Numismatics. Yoon has worked for the ANS in various capacities since 2000 as an editor, researcher, and curator, including as co-editor for the American Journal of Numismatics.
The ANS at the AIA/SCS in Chicago
The ANS had a strong presence at the Joint Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America and Society for Classical Studies in Chicago, from January 4-7, 2024. Ute Wartenberg, ANS President, and Nathan Elkins, ANS Deputy Director, promoted membership and publications at the ANS booth in the exhibit hall throughout the week. There were numerous numismatic panels and papers at the conference, including “Coins, Copies, and Prototypes,” organized by Nathan Elkins and Roberta Stewart (Dartmouth College) on behalf of the Friends of Numismatics; Ute Wartenberg opened that session with “The First Prototypes on Early Electrum Coinage: From Seemingly Random Emblems to an Iconographic Program.” The ANS sponsored a reception on Friday, January 5, which was very well attended by over fifty seminar alumni, researchers, and friends of the ANS! More.
The ANS at the New York International Numismatic Convention
The ANS returned to the New York International Numismatic Convention at the InterContinental New York Barclay from January 11-14. During the convention, Lucia Carbone, Andrew M. Burnett Associate Curator of Roman Numismatics, presented “Local Coinages in a Roman World. The Richard B. Witschonke Collection of Coinage in the Early Roman Provinces,” and Jesse Kraft, Resolute Americana Assistant Curator of American Numismatics, delivered “Building a National Identity through ‘An Incalculable Advantage’: Nineteenth-Century Attempts at the Decimalization of the British Monetary System.”
Nathan T. Elkins at the VMFA
Nathan T. Elkins, ANS Deputy Director, delivered a Circle Lecture at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond on January 18 on “Monuments on the Coinage of the Roman Republic: Invention, Innovation, and Significance.” The lecture coincided with the recent installation of a case featuring Roman republican coins in the ancient art gallery.
Canadian Tokens Sold to Benefit the ANS through Heritage Auctions
On December 4, 2023, a selection of duplicate 19th and 20th-century Canadian tokens were sold at a showcase auction held by Heritage Auctions with proceeds to support the ANS. This significant collection of over 1,000 objects contained specimens donated to the society by the Norwebs, as well as notable numismatists B. Baird, Alfred Z. Reed, P.O. Tremblay, and W.R. Powell.
Views of the Narrows in the 1800s
On January 28, ANS Chief Curator, Peter van Alfen, gave a talk at the Noble Maritime Collection about New York Harbor. Throughout the nineteenth century, the Narrows between Staten Island and Brooklyn held a special fascination for numerous artists, including painters and printmakers, who produced views of the tidal strait from different vantage points. Van Alfen explored these views along with contemporary maps focusing on how various structures in and around the Narrows evolved, both to service commercial maritime traffic and to fortify this important passage against naval attacks.
Jesse Kraft Presents Large Cent to Husak Family
On January 3, Jesse Kraft, Resolute Americana Assistant Curator of American Numismatics, couriered a 1794 large cent to Mrs. Patricia Husak. This particular large cent was placed in the ANS’s trays by William Sheldon, who swapped it with one from the ANS collection in the 1940s and 50s. The original cent was returned to the ANS collection by the Husak family and the Liberty Cap Foundation in June 2023, facilitated by ANS Fellow Chuck Heck. It is the practice of the ANS to encourage the return of the stolen Large Cents by exchanging them with the ones that Sheldon put in their place.
Long Tables from December
Maryse Blet-Lemarquand and Arnaud Suspène (Université d’Orléans) presented their analysis of a large dataset of Roman gold coinage from the Second Punic War to the Flavians. Edward Gray (Florida State University) told the rags-to-riches tale of Benjamin Franklin and his impact on American paper currency. Lucia Carbone (Andrew M. Burnett Associate Curator of Roman Numismatics at the ANS) presented on the Richard B. Witschonke collection of Roman provincial coinage. Watch recorded Long Tables.
Long Tables from January
Claudia Devoto (Università di Roma La Sapienza) presented her research on the coinage of Knossos, reviewing the coin series produced by the city from the opening of the mint until the Hellenistic age. Peter van Alfen (ANS Chief Curator) explored depictions of ships and shipwrecks on 17th-century Dutch and English medals, and the recent archaeological finds of some of the wrecks commemorated on the medals. Watch recorded Long Tables.
