For new perspectives on research into American 

 niiniisniatics we lia\e to turn to the Xuniisinalic Xotes 

 and Monographs series of the American Xnmismatic 

 Society. Svdney P. X'oe's slucheson the early coinages 

 of Massachusetts and on the Castine hoard'''" and 

 the brilliant studies of Eric Newman on other topics 

 of colonial numismatics '''■* ha\c opened a new and 

 promising era for scientilic research into American 

 currency. 



Numismatics as the science of inonev \ iewrd within 

 the multi|)licity of historical phenomena aiipears to 

 l)e successfully estalilished. I'he words written a 

 centvn-y ago l)\' James Ross Snowden seem hest to 

 express our thoughts: 



In gi\ing a history of the coins of the United 

 States we shall not go so far into the details of the 

 subject as to take notice of the ditTerent "varieties" 



i'';.\"f;(' /-'iifjiind iind W'llhnr Titr Coinngf uf .\fi:s.s<:tiiiiuits 

 (1943), (hik Tree Ciiinage of Massminnelh (1047), I'lne Tier 

 Cninas,e of Masstiehii>ells (1952), lite Ci^ltiie Defmsil: An Ariieridin 

 //oar,/ (1942). 



"" Cniitaoe for Colonial \'ugi/na (195()) and Seeiel iij the Giiud 

 Samarilan Shilling (1959). 



caused by cracked dies, the addition or omission 

 of a leal in the laurel, a larger' or smaller IcKcr 

 in the legend or inscription, and lh<' lomitless 

 rjlher niiiiule and scirceK delinable dillerenccs 

 which are loimd. upon ( luse, inspeclion. lo exist 

 in the coins of nearly cverv vear in wliicli llie\- 

 haxe been issued. These little lechnicalilies may 

 be im[)ortant to those collectors of coins wlio pay 

 mcK'c regard to the selfish desire of lia\ing some- 

 thing which no one else possesses tirm to ihe 

 historic or artistic inteiesi which allaclies lo a 

 coin. We iherelore confine ouiseKcs In an illiis- 

 tralion of those t hangi's in the types ol the cciins 

 which are of material and deliniie char.ic ter. and 

 which are produced by design and nol li\ acci- 

 dent, introducing, as we proceed, olhcr lacls in 

 regai'd to the coinage wlii( h are iiidic pmily 

 historic than the descri[)tioii, .iiul which iii.is be 

 of inteiest or tend to throw some light upon 

 contiij\'erted poinls.'''-' 



I''" D, \i iif'liiin uf AmienI ,nul Mmlein (.'niiis, p. 101. 



P.^PER 32: NUMISM.-\TICS — AN .\NCIENT SCIENCl'. 



67 



