Victor David Brenner Archival Materials

Donated to the American Numismatic Society by Jonathan H. Kagan 
 The American Numismatic Society is honored to present a group of important archival items kindly donated by generous benefactor Mr. Jonathan H. Kagan. Among the Society’s most important acquisitions, these materials relate to Victor David Brenner (1871-1924), the prominent artist, sculptor, and engraver who is most widely known for his design of the U.S. Lincoln cent, in 1909. The Kagan gift contains correspondence (including personal letters, postcards, and a Christmas card) as well as invitations and other materials relating to conferences and exhibits (including the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, in 1901, Universal Expositions–“World’s Fairs”– held at St. Louis in 1904 and in Brussels in 1910, and the Paris Salon of 1910). Some of the artist’s original drawings and sketches form part of the collection, among them an unsigned engraving, unsigned pen and ink sketches, and a Brenner pencil sketch that was presumably his entry as part of the competition leading to the design of the 1921 Peace dollar).