<p>The <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/national-numismatic-collection">National Numismatic Collection</a> (NNC) is America’s collection of monetary and transactional objects. It includes the famous coin collections of <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search?edan_q=lilly%20collection&edan_local=1&edan_fq%5b%5d=topic:%22Josiah+K.+Lilly+Jr.+Collection%22">Josiah K. Lilly Jr</a>. and <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search?edan_q=&edan_fq%5b%5d=set_name:%22Paul+A.+Straub+Collection%22&custom_search_id=collections-search">Paul A. Straub</a>. Both of these prolific collectors amassed extraordinary collections that have inspired an appreciation of coins in many others.</p> <p></p> <p>We asked the Friends of the NNC and NNC staff members to choose some of their favorite objects from these collections. Each object below is annotated with a note about who chose the coin and why they think it is an outstanding object.</p> <p></p> <p>To learn more about numismatics and coin collecting, we encourage you to continue to explore Learning Lab and see the links below.</p> <ul><li>National Numismatic Collection, <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/national-numismatic-collection/education">Education web page</a></li><li>National Numismatic Collection, <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object-groups/national-numismatic-collection">Object group</a></li><li>National Museum of American History, <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog?term_node_tid_depth=109">Numismatic blog posts</a></li><li>United States Mint, <a href="https://www.usmint.gov/learn?action=learn">Learn</a></li><li>Bureau of Engraving and Printing, <a href="https://www.uscurrency.gov/">U.S. Currency Education Program</a></li><li>American Numismatic Association, <a href="https://www.money.org/getting-started">Getting Started</a></li></ul>

<p></p> <p>The ability of money to carry and communicate messages makes it a valuable source for learning about past and present cultures and history. The denomination, or monetary value, on money is often the most prominent message, but it is rarely the only message. Through images and text, governments use money to make political and cultural statements about a nation’s identity, leadership, heritage, and values. </p> <p>American money includes many depictions of national ideals and nationhood. Over the past two centuries, American coins and banknotes have featured powerful imagery invoking the democratic ideals of liberty and justice, as well as the founding principles of unity and independence. </p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p>

<p>Money is a powerful source for understanding the Civil War. The banknotes of that era reflect the differing values and perspectives of the political and military leadership in the North and South. </p> <p>Prior to the Civil War, states issued charters to private banknotes and businesses allowing them to make their own banknotes. At the beginning of the Civil War, the U.S. government issued federal notes, often called <em>greenbacks</em>, to pay for the war. These notes feature images depicting core principles of democracy, such as liberty. The government of the Confederate States of America also issued its own paper money depicting Confederate leadership and scenes from life in the South, including painful images of slavery. The difference in messages on the notes reflects the division between the northern and southern regions of the U.S. during the Civil War.</p> <ul></ul> <p><br></p>

<p>Lady Liberty is a familiar allegorical figure who represents the concept of freedom. She appeared on America’s earliest federal coins beginning in 1793 and continued to be featured on U.S. coins throughout the 19th century. During that time, American women were not full citizens and actively fought for equal rights. Using money as a medium, this learning lab collection demonstrates the paradox of using a woman's image as a symbol for freedom, while denying real women the opportunities and rights given to male citizens. </p> <p>This learning lab features objects from the Smithsonian's National Numismatic Collection and is adapted from a scholarly paper titled “Liberty and the 19th Amendment" written by Mary N. Lannin and presented at the International Numismatic Congress XVI in Warsaw, Poland, September 2022. Full scholarly citations will be available in the proceedings published by the International Numismatic Congress.<br></p> <p>Mary N. Lannin is scholar of numismatics and has served in several leadership roles in the field including chairperson of the United States Mint’s Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee and trustee of the American Numismatic Society. She is a member of numismatic clubs in both the United States and in Europe. Her research focuses on the history and background of the women behind money–whether they are collectors, sculptor-engravers, or the subject of the coin or medal. </p> <p>For additional information on the National Numismatic Collection, please email us at: NMAH-NNC@si.edu.</p>

<p>In 1923 the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia transferred its coin cabinet to the Smithsonian, transforming the Smithsonian’s numismatic collection into a national and world treasure. An eclectic mix of coins, medals, and alternative currencies, the Mint Cabinet had served as reference material for U.S. Mint officials and engravers since it was founded in 1838. In the decades that followed and with funds appropriated by Congress, the cabinet grew to include patterns, proofs, and uncirculated coins and medals made by the U.S. Mint itself, as well as a wide range of private issues and international coins and medals from across the globe. By the time the collection was transferred to the Smithsonian in 1923, it numbered over 18,000 objects and included many rare and unique specimen. </p> <p>A century later, the U.S. Mint continues to help grow the National Numismatic Collection, by providing annual transfers of the new coins and medals it produces. The Mint Cabinet remains the centerpiece of the National Numismatic Collection and an incomparable resource for the study of U.S. coinage and its many connections to the history of money worldwide. </p>

<p>Historic women have rarely appeared on money issued by the U.S. government. In 2015 a social movement called Women on 20s brought this issue to the attention of the American public. This grassroots group helped to initiate a national conversation about the role of women in American history. These coins and notes illustrate some of the few women who have been depicted on American money. The portrayal of these women on money has highlighted their contributions to the nation and helped solidify their places in national collective memory.<br><br></p>