20 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTIGN, 1962 



a 17th.-century brass couvre-feu^ and other domestic objects, from 

 Preston R. Bassett ; a set of champf ered oak bed posts of a hitherto un- 

 identified type of 17th-century Massachusetts bedstead, the gift of 

 Virginia Beets ; five paintings, 19th-century American, by E. L. Henry 

 and Eastman Johnson, given by Mrs. Francis P. Garvan; and five 

 diorite door and marker stones with primitive carved designs and 

 dates, from the site of a mansion built by Lt. Gov. William Dummer 

 of Massachusetts in Byfield in that State, donated by Mr. and Mrs. 

 Stephen Twaddell. 



The division of philately and postal history received a specialized 

 collection of the famous La Guaira local stamp. These issues, author- 

 ized by the Venezuelan Government, were prepared by Waterlow & 

 Sons for the mail can-ied by steamship between La Guaira, Puerto 

 Cabello, and St. Thomas beginning in 1864. L. W. Christenson, of 

 Cleveland Heights, Ohio, gave a collection of the issues of Manchukuo 

 and of the Ryukyu Islands, which include postal stationery, booklets, 

 covers, and a number of reference books. James A. Farley, former 

 Postmaster General, donated a number of new covers. Dr. Joseph H. 

 lOer, of New Brunswick, N.J., gave an initial portion of his prize- 

 winning topical collection of stamps pertaining to Rotary Interna- 

 tional and placed the balance on loan. In eight albums are mounted 

 many full sheets, singles, blocks, and many covers bearing appropriate 

 cancels and cachets. Included also are several preliminary artist's 

 drawings, some printer's proofs, and the Monaco color-error essay. 



The most outstanding additions to the numismatic collections are 

 the original obverse and reverse dies prepared in 1861 by Robert 

 Lovett, Jr., of Philadelphia, for the proposed striking by the Con- 

 federacy of a copper cent, an issue which never materialized. The 

 dies, two hubs made from the original dies, and other material in 

 connection with the restrike of the Confederate cent in 1962 were 

 received from Robert Bashlow, of New York. A rare 1916 pattern 

 half dollar, a gift of Benjamin M. Douglas, and a silver ingot put 

 out by the Nevada Silver Co. in 1876, a gift of Harvey Stack, of New 

 York City, are also notable. A collection of 436 Polish gold, silver, and 

 copper coins and medals was donated by Christian Zabriskie, of New 

 York. This remarkable collection was started in the 1870's by the 

 donor's father, Andrew Zabriskie, a noted United States numismatist. 

 To his previous donations of Russian coins and medals coming from 

 the famous Grand Duke Mikhailovitch collection, Willis H. duPont 

 added another significant group of 860 specimens, including many 

 exceedingly rare pieces issued during the reigns of Czar Ivan III 

 and Czarina Elizabeth (1740-62). An interesting group of Babylo- 

 nian and Sumerian clay tablets recording commercial transactions was 

 given by I. Snyderman, of New York. Pietro Giampaoli, chief en- 



