September 2020 eNews

Upcoming Events & Announcements

Money Talks | Die Studies: Inferences about Chronology, Mint Organization, and Die Numbers
What can be learned from a die study? Join ANS Fellow Dr. Warren Esty on Saturday, October 3 for a Money Talks on how to use die-identities to estimate the original number of dies and how to use die links to make inferences about chronology and mint organization. The same methods also apply to links between other features of coins such as legends and types. Dr. Esty will discuss the difficulties and caveats in gathering and analyzing this type of information. More…

The 163rd Annual Meeting
The 163rd Annual Meeting of the American Numismatic Society will take place on Saturday, October 24 at 3:00 pm ET. Officers of the Board of Trustees and staff will make remarks and presentations. All proceedings will be live streamed. Click here for more information. More…

The Planchet Ep. 7. A Brief History of Oxford’s Earliest Coin Collections with Dr. Andrew Burnett
An interview with Dr. Andrew Burnett ANS Trustee and retired Deputy Director of the British Museum and Keeper of its Department of Coins and Medals. Dr. Burnett discusses the origins of many of the earliest coin collections kept at Oxford (including those of the Bodleian Library and the Ashmolean Museum), the colorful personalities of 16th- and 17th-century collectors (esp. Elias Ashmole), plus a primer on early numismatic catalogues of public collections in Britain and what happens when a coin collection catches fire. Listen and Subscribe.

The ANS is honored to receive the 2020 BAMS President’s Medal
The British Art Medal Society (BAMS) makes its annual premier award, known as the President’s Medal, to an individual or an organization considered to have made a significant contribution to the understanding, appreciation and encouragement of the art of the medal. We are excited to announce that the BAMS Council decided to give the 2020 award to The American Numismatic Society. In making the award, the Council was mindful of the ANS’s outstanding publications, exhibitions, The J. Sanford Saltus award, and most recently saving the Medallic Art Company Archives. The Council felt that enthusiasm for the art of the medal is growing, thanks to the ANS’s initiative and its indefatigable pursuit of excellence. Click here to watch the presentation of the BAMS President’s Medal and Lecture October 12 at 5:30 pm (UK time).

August in Review

“Justinian ‘the Great’ and the Perplexing Light-weight Solidi”with Robert Hoge
“One of the most intractable problems in Byzantine numismatics has proven to be the light weight solidus, struck at various times through the 6th and 7th centuries. A satisfactory explanation remains to be found.”- CNG. Introduced by Justinian I following his generals’ reconquest of much of the Western part of the empire, and minted into the reign of Justinian II, 150 years later, the intention and circumstances—and in some cases even the mints—of these enigmatic coins remain largely unknown. Hear Robert Hoge speak about these coins on the ANS YouTube channel very soon! 

September Long Tables
In September, Andrew Burnett gave the most well-attended Long Table yet, The Hidden Treasures of this Happy Island; Peter van Alfen presented Mints of New York City in honor of the anniversary of 9/11; Assistant Curator of Roman Coins Lucia Carboneshowed us her vault favorites; and Jesse Kraft hosted Old World Meets New World: The Coinage of Joanna and Charles, 1536-72.

Staff News

Austin Andrew named Assistant Director
Austin Goodwin Andrews has been named Assistant Director. Starting October 1, Mr. Andrews will begin in this role assisting Executive Director Gilles Bransbourg in public and institutional outreach, as well as project development and monitoring. For the past year, he has supported the ANS Ancient Greek Coins Department as a curatorial assistant, updating and integrating online digital resources. He will continue his work with Dr. Ute Wartenberg, expanding the PHANES catalogue of early electrum coins in a reduced capacity. Andrews brings to the ANS much enthusiasm and a commitment to cultural heritage and education.

2020 Burnett Anderson Award to Oliver Hoover
The 2020 Burnett Anderson Memorial Award for Excellence in Numismatic Writing was awarded to Adjunct Curator Oliver Hoover. He received the award on September 1 at the virtual ANA Membership and Literary Awards Presentations.

Farewell to Disnarda
At the end of September we said goodbye to Curatorial Research Assistant Disnarda Pinilla-Bell. Ms. Pinilla-Bell first came to the ANS in June 2012 for a six-month assignment. She returned in 2016 to work on a variety of projects for Online Coins of the Roman Empire (OCRE), the Inventory of Greek Coin Hoards (IGCH), and the linked-up Edward T. Newell notebooks found on ARCHER.