Spurrier, Lianna
Lianna Spurrier has created a variety of multi-media content for Newman Portal including original videos and video coverage of presentations at numismatic events.
See also https://colonialcoins.org/c4-videos/ for the C4 (U.S. colonial numismatics) videos created by Lianna Spurrier (link verified 2/2023).
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7/17/2024Coins Across Time
Spring 2024 exhibit catalog of numismatic material displayed in the Newman Tower, Olin Library, Washington Univerity in St. Louis. Edited by Leonard Augsburger with graphics and layout by Lianna Spurrier.
Exhibits include:
11/28/2025UNTANGLED: A Die Study of Keicho Ichibu
This book presents the first comprehensive die study of the Keichō ichibu, a rectangular Japanese gold coin minted from 1601 to 1695. Spurrier analyzes 306 specimens—including auction records, museum holdings, and reference-site images—to reconstruct how dies were made, shared, and reused across mints and time periods. The study proposes a new three-phase chronology (early, intermediate, late) based on the position of the character 分, the arrangement of border dots, stylistic features of the inscriptions, and the overall quality of manufacture. Spurrier also redefines the traditional calligraphic attributions, replacing the historical Kyoto/Suruga/Edo classifications with neutral letter-groups (K, S, E) and identifying three rare subsidiary handstyles (H, U, Y). Extensive die maps show how A- and B-side dies pair across hundreds of examples, revealing patterns of reuse, sequencing, and cross-type relationships.
A major contribution of the book is documenting how certain Keichō ichibu were struck over earlier Gaku ichibu issues, especially in the earliest phase, supporting the historical transition from the earlier form into the Keichō series. Spurrier also demonstrates that ryōhon (“double-hon”) coins—those bearing two 「本」 marks—show signs of being more carefully struck, with cleaner edges, fewer circulation marks, and higher rates of complete border impressions. Combining statistical analysis and die-link evidence, she suggests these may have served a ceremonial or presentation function rather than normal commerce. The study concludes with comparative rarity tables, mint-location indicators, pricing trends, and a detailed set of appendices including typical examples and full die maps, offering the most technically rigorous examination of Keichō ichibu dies to date.
