Coinage of the Americas Conference (COAC) 2023 Recap
On Friday and Saturday, September 22 and 23, 2023, the American Numismatic Society held a very successful Coinage of the Americas Conference (COAC), sponsored by the Resolute Americana Collection and the Stack Family. For nearly 40 years now, these conferences have brought together expert numismatists on a variety of topics in American numismatics. This was the 20th COAC held by the ANS since its inception in 1984 by ANS Past President Harry Bass. Some of the past COAC themes included “America’s Copper Coinage,” “The Medal in America,” and “Circulating Counterfeits of the Americas.” Thanks to the support of the Resolute Americana Collection and the Stack Family, the ANS held the first in this renewed COAC series for the Sesquicentennial of the birth of Victor D. Brenner in 2021. Since then, the ANS has committed to hosting a new COAC every two years.
The theme for COAC 2023 was “Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Design and Production.” The 12 presentations included:
- Erik Goldstein: “Cranking Miss Betsey: A Workshop Exploring the Coin Press of the Massachusetts Bay Mint, 1655–1675”
- Christopher McDowell: “New World Proclamation Medals: An Analysis of Their Design, Minting Technology, and Political Importance”
- Mark Tomasko: “’Artistic Printing’: The Bank Note and Securities Designs of Thomas F. Morris”
- Roger Burdette: “Proposals for Matthew Boulton’s American Coinage”
- Robert L. Rodriguez: “History Recovered: Saga of the 1792 Silver Disme”
- P. Scott Rubin: “Joseph Wright: Engraving American Independence”
- Emily Pearce Seigerman: “Numismeta: The Rise of Self-Awareness on 18th- and 19th-Century Engravings”
- William Nyberg: “Influence of Enlightenment Publications on Technology and Design at the First United States Mint”
- Leonard Augsburger: “Christian Gobrecht, 1785–1844”
- Neil Musante: “Some Early Work of Die-Sinker and Medalist Charles Cushing Wright”
- Scott H. Miller: “Karl Müller: Forgotten Master of Nineteenth-Century Sculpture”
- Bill Dalzell: “United States vs. Gardner: Copper, Counterfeiting, and Connections in Belleville, New Jersey”
In the coming weeks, each of these presentations will be available on the ANS YouTube Channel. Much like the Victor D. Brenner COAC 2021, a published Proceedings of this conference is in the works. The former is currently out to peer reviewers and will be published in 2024, and the latter in 2025. In addition to the speakers, the ANS would like to thank all of the viewers who participated in the event, both in person and via Zoom, and the caterers, Pi Bakerie, Tre Sorelle, Sofia’s of Little Italy, and Pepolino. Personally, I would like to thank the ANS Board of Trustees, ANS President Dr. Ute Wartenberg, ANS Executive Director Dr. Gilles Bransbourg, ANS Deputy Director Nathan Elkins, Mike in Security, ANS Assistant Director of Development and Outreach Catlin Smith, ANS Museum Administrator Rebecca Coman-Rager, ANS Membership Coordinator Liberty Sova, ANS Art Director Emma Pratte, ANS Director of Information Technology Bennett Hiibner, ANS Director of Photography Alan Roche, and, really, all of my colleagues. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors, the Resolute Americana Collection and the Stack Family. Thank you.
