FIFTY-FIRST CONGRESS, 1889-1891. 15438 
PERKINS COLLECTION OF COPPER IMPLEMENTS. 
August 7, 1890—Senate. 
Mr. Puitetus Sawyer proposed an amendment to deficiency bill 
for 1890, etc. (H. 11459). 
To pay Frederick S. Perkins, of the State of Wisconsin, for a large collection of 
prehistoric copper implements of Indian manufacture, collected by the said Freder- 
ick S. Perkins and sold to the Smithsonian Institution and now on exhibition in 
said Institution buildings, $7,000. 
Referred to Committee on Appropriations. 
August 15, 1890—Senate. 
’Mr. Eveent Hare, from Committee on Appropriations, submitted 
report (S. 1589), to accompany H. 11459. 
[Extract.] 
SMITHSONIAN Institution, U. 8. Natrona Museum, 
Washington, August 13, 1890. 
Dear Sir: I have received a copy of the amendment to the bill (H. 11459) con- 
cerning the collection of prehistoric copper implements collected by Mr. Frederick 
S. Perkins, with your request for an expression of my views upon its subject matter. 
From the wording of the amendment it might appear that the money asked for 
to secure the purchase of the collection represents a deficiency and that the collec- 
tion has been already bought by the Smithsonian Institution. This is by no means _ 
the case. The Smithsonian Institution declined to buy the collection because it had 
no money available. Furthermore, as Acting Secretary of the Institution, I declined 
to ask for a special appropriation, for the reason that no such request for the pur 
chase of specimens has ever been made. The collection is now on exhibition in the 
archeological hall of the National Museum, but is still the property of Mr. Perkins. 
Since, however, you have requested my views upon the subject, I beg leave to make 
the following statements: 
‘(1) The collection of American prehistoric copper implements belonging to Mr. 
Frederick S. Perkins consists of 422 specimens. The assemblage is unique, and is 
beyond all doubt the finest in existence. Mr. Perkins has been engaged in gathermg 
it for twenty years or more. His home is in the richest locality for objects of this 
character, and he was the pioneer collector. Since he has set the example many 
others have followed it, and there are now a large number of small cabinets of a 
similar character in Wisconsin and elsewhere in the United States. It is doubtful, 
however, whether all of them combined would make one collection equal in scientific 
importance to that of Mr. Perkins. 
(2) The price asked by Mr. Perkins for his collection ($7,000) represents an 
average of about $17 for each object. For several of the single objects he has paid 
$100 or more. The price does not appear to be exorbitant, and it is certain that the 
collection could not be duplicated for double the amount, if indeed it were possible 
at any price. Specimens of this kind have of course no fixed commercial value, for 
there is no standard of comparison, most of the objects being unique. 
(3) Special reference may be made to the importance of such collections to science 
in connection with the study of prehistoric archeology in this country. The reten- 
tion of the Perkins cabinet in a public museum in America seems to be essential to 
the proper study of the original inhabitants of the continent, and indeed it is prob- 
able that these very objects may afford a key to the solution of unsettled problems 
in American archeology. Of especial importance is the light which they may throw 
upon the study of the use of metals by prehistoric man. 
