Newman Numismatic Portal at Washington University in St. Louis | Comprehensive Research & Reference for U.S. Coinage

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May 07 2024

Newman Portal Search Hints

Newman Portal searches from the home page are exact text only. If you enter multiple words, it will search for that entire phrase.

If you wish to search for multiple terms all one page, but not in exact order, use the search form at https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/powersearchform. For example, if you wish to locate pages containing the words "Washington," "medal," "birth," and "centennial," enter the search:

ItemContent:Washington AND ItemContent:medal AND ItemContent:birth AND ItemContent:centennial

You can also use Google to search the Newman Portal site. From Google, enter, for example:

"washington medals" site:nnp.wustl.edu

Finally, you can search the Newman Portal document repository directly (https://archive.org/details/newmannumismatic), which, in some cases, will deliver additional results. On this page, check the box "Select text contents" before searching.

For additional assistance, please email us at NNPCurator@wustl.edu.

May 02 2025

U.S. Mint Marketing Material on Newman Portal

At the recent Central States convention, Bruce Bartelt made available to Newman Portal a large collection of U.S. Mint marketing materials covering the period 1966-2023. There are hundreds of advertising pieces here, reflecting the prodigious production of U.S. Mint collector issues over the past couple generations. One of the more spectacular Mint emissions during this period is the 1976 National Bicentennial Medal in .900 fine gold, a massive, 3-inch diameter medal that weighs in at 15 ounces, representing 13.5 ounces of pure gold. By comparison, the Washington Before Boston medal in gold, held by the Boston Public Library, weighs “only” 8 ounces.

Market appearances of the National Bicentennial medal in gold include an example sold by Heritage on March February 27, 2025, for $44,400, while another piece at Heritage sold for $54,000 on April 30, reflecting the rising value of gold. This medal is cataloged as Swoger 52IAa, in his National Commemorative Medals of the United States of America (2008). Swoger notes a mintage of 424 pieces. The original issue price was $4,000, representing a significant premium over the 1976 melt value of about $1,685. By comparison, at today’s (May 2) gold price of $3,249, the bullion value of the medal is $43,861, which is more consistent with recent auction results.

Among the Bartelt U.S. Mint promotional material is a 1976 solicitation for the National Bicentennial medal in gold. While not valuable, we have to wonder if these solicitations are as rare as the medal itself. For those not inclined to acquire an example of the large gold medal, Swoger notes seven variants in all, including a 3” silver piece and two smaller pieces in gold. A quick search of ebay reveals a good selection of most formats, with the exception of the “mega Liberty” 15-ounce gold behemoth. Given the upcoming Semiquincentennial, it is not hard to imagine increased collector interest in these pieces.

Link to U.S. Mint fixed price lists on Newman Portal: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/publisherdetail/512757

Apr 30 2025

Newman Portal Adds Congressional Reports

A recent Newman Portal addition is a group of U.S. congressional reports loaned for scanning by Paul Hybert. Ranging from 1797 to 2022, this collection now includes 406 documents. The series provides insight into the legislative process underlying activities of the Mint and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. NNP further acknowledges Dan Hamelberg for previous contributions to this collection.

As an example, the January 26, 1863 House of Representatives report strongly advocates for establishing a U.S. branch mint in Nevada Territory, emphasizing the region’s immense and rapidly growing gold and silver mining industry. Rich mineral deposits, particularly in areas such as Washoe and Carson City fueled the creation of mining districts and infrastructure, with nearly 200 mills operating and over $6 million invested in processing equipment. Transportation of ore to the San Francisco Mint incurred high costs and delays, prompting a recommendation for a local mint to alleviate logistical burdens and capitalize on the region’s output, which already exceeded $2 million in bullion monthly.

Link to Congressional papers on Newman Portal: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/publisherdetail/512550
Link to “Branch Mint in Nevada Territory”: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/publisherdetail/512550?Year=1863&displayAmt=50