Joseph B. Stack. The contemporary art medal was 

 not forgotten and a fine representative group of 

 foreign creations (fig. 126) has been added to the 

 regular contributions received from the Medallic 

 Art Company in New York. Of historical and tech- 

 nical interest is an obverse die used in 1565 for the 

 striking of an English marriage medal of Mary, 

 Queen of Scotland and Henry Darnley (fig. 127). 



Finally, mention should be made of steady annual 

 contributors such as various members of the Stack 



family, Mr. Willis H. du Pont, Mr. and Mrs. Mortimer 

 Neinken, Mrs. Milton Holmes, and others. Through 

 these regular and in\'aluable additions there has been 

 a well-balanced increase of holdings within the 

 various sections of the Division of Numismatics: 

 coins and tokens; paper money; medallic art; 

 documentation of the evolution of manufacturing 

 techniques of coins, medals and paper currencies; and, 

 as the niost recent adjunct, documentation of the 

 history of banking. 



EXHIBITS 



As the previous chapters have discussed the history 

 and growth of the numismatic collections, this chapter 

 gives a general view of the development of numismatic 

 exhibits at the Smithsonian. Before 1860 these ex- 

 hibits were few and casual. W. J. Rhees mentions only 

 some Japanese gold and sihcr coins and some prim- 

 itive media of exchange on display in the west gallery 

 of the original Smithsonian Building." Later, in 1886, 

 the arrangement of the collection of medals and 

 moneys of the world was begun and about 2,000 

 specimens were placed on exhibition in the north hall 

 of the Arts and Industries Building, in an effort to 

 show the monetary standards of different nations and 

 to give the origin of \arious denominations.^* Also in 

 the exhibit was a series of bronze copies in duplicate 

 of all medals struck by the United States Mint.*' An 

 exhibit was added in 1888 illustrating the money of 

 Biblical times. Attention was also given to United 

 States bonds and currency notes and, finally, to 

 medals of reward and badges." 



Fig. 14. — Twopence Piece of "Hoggc Money" 

 struck in the Sommer Islands (Bermuda) about 

 1616. 



'^ William J Rhf.es, .In Account of the Smithsonian Institution, 

 Its Founder, Building. Operations, etc.. Prepared from the Reports oj 

 Prof. Henry to the Pegenis, and Other .iulhentic Sources, Washington, 

 1859, pp. 72-74. 



" VS.\.M Report, 1887, p. 1'.'. 



'■' USNM Report, 1886, p. 12. 



"' US.X.M Report. 1888, pp. 115f. 



The exhibits illustrating the moneys of the world 

 apparently were well received. The National Mu- 

 semn's Annual Ref)ort for the year 1890 emphasized the 

 popular interest accorded these exhibits, evidenced 

 by the many valuable loan collections of ancient and 

 modern pieces. The report again stresses that the 

 collection "is not limited to metallic currency, but 

 includes paper currency and various substitutes for 

 money."' ■*" Additional information on the scope of 

 these displays of this period is provided by VV. J. 

 Riiees in his Visitor's Guide to the Smithsonian Institution 

 and U.S. .\attonal Museum in Washington, D.C., circa 

 1890. 





Fig. 15. — Gold Doubloon struck 1787 by the 

 New York goldsmith Ephraim Brasher. 



In 1891, despite the lack of display space, an exhibit 

 was installed illustrating Indian shell money of the 

 early colonial period and also showing shells used for 

 wampum and wampum belts. This exhibit, arranged 

 by Dr. R. E. C. Stearns, an associate curator, was 

 accompanied by an instructive pamphlet, giving a 

 detailed history of the manufacture and uses of shell 

 money. The medallic history of the United States also 

 was shown by means of official medals struck by 



{'S.\.\J Report, 1890, p. 142. 



18 



BULLETIN 229: COXTRIBl'TIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY .AND TECHNOLOGY 



