•Sic* 



Fig. 22. — Quarter E.\gli:, 1841. proof. 



Further prosress was made durinc; 193h and 1937 

 when the ninnisniatic hall w.i.s dixided into an ea.stern 

 and western section by a central north-south aisle.''' 

 The wall cases on the eastern side contained coins of 

 the L'nitcd States, Mexico, and Clentral and .South 

 America, while the floor cases featured ancient Greek 

 and Roman coins. The wall cases on the w^est side con- 

 tained coins of the \arious countries of Fjirope ar- 

 ranged in alphabetical order. Seven floor cases con- 

 tained national and local United States medals. Two 

 floor cases in the northwest corner of the hall were 

 used for the special display of post World War 1 

 foreign coins lent by the American Numismatic Asso- 

 ciation, and this exhibit was enlarged to tliree cases 

 in 1943. 



well-known C'hinese numismatist Kalgan Shih who 

 was then \-isiting the city.''' In January 1949 a tem- 

 porary displa\- of United States Presidential inaugural 

 medals was placed on view in the rotunda of the Mu- 

 seum of Natural History.''- .\lso during 1949 most of 

 the 106 existing panels in the numismatic hall were 

 cleaned, repainted, and prox'ided with new labels for 

 all coins and medals, and the entire coin exhibit was 

 arranged in alphabetical and chronological order. '^'' 

 As a security measure, shatterproof glass was installed 

 in 19 upright wall cases and burglar alarms were 

 added in 39 cases (25 more cases were similarly 

 secured in 1954).''' 



Fig. 24.— Eagle, 1858, proof. 



Fig. 23. — Eagle, 1838. proof. 



During the forties, numerous additions and rear- 

 rangements took place. In 1944 improvements were 

 made in the installation of the United States naval 

 and military medals, showing their development from 

 the Cavil War period to World War II.''" A disjjlay of 

 coins and medals was added to the exhibits arranged 

 in the foyer of the Museum of Natural History for the 

 celebration of the Smithsonian Institution Clentennial 

 in August 1946. In the following year, under the joint 

 auspices of the Smithsonian's Division of History, the 

 Washington Numismatic Society, and the American 

 Numismatic Society, a special display dedicated to 

 Chinese coins of the 19th and 20th centuries was ar- 

 ranged in March in the foyer of the Museum ot 

 Natural History. The coins were the propert\ of the 



By earlv 1950 approximately half of the 1,793 gold 

 coins from the Straub collection were put on display, 

 arranged in geographical and cultural di\'isions which, 

 in turn, were broken down into alphabetical and 

 chronological series. (For details of the Straub col- 

 lection see Appendix IX.) 



.■\lso, at this time, a representative exhibit com- 

 l^rising about 200 foreign and United States orders 

 and decorations was arranged, and a selection ol 

 "paper mone\' issued prior to and during the Amer- 

 ican Revolution by 12 of the 13 original Colonies was 

 installed." '"'' About 1950 the American Numismatic 

 Association's Moritz Wormser Memorial Collection, 

 w inch had increased to 2,000 specimens, was relabeled 

 and rearranged.'''' 



Special exhibits were prepared for \arious occa- 

 sions and during 1957 two displays were presented to 

 public view in the coin hall: One depicted the history 

 of the Reformation and the other was dedicated to 

 17th-centurv shooting matches in Saxony. For an 

 exhibit on the L'nited Nations in October 1957 m the 



^•« USNM Rr/mrl, 1937, p. 7.3. 

 ™ US.VM Riforl, 1944, p. 69. 



'■' USNM Rr/ml. 1917, p. 1.7, 

 '- USNM Rfjmll, 19(9, p, 7Ji. 

 •» I hi. I. 



•I US^M Kffwtl, |9-il), p. 79, 

 "■' USNM Rrfmil, 19.^,0, p, HO, 

 "« USNAt Rrpml, l'i,")l, p .'"j'l 



19>1, p, II, 



PAPER 31 : HISTORY OF THE N.\TIONAL NUMISM.XTIC COLLECTIONS 



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