American Numismatist

American Numismatist
Title	American Numismatist
Category	Numismatics
Frequency	Monthly
Publisher	American Numismatic Association
Firstdate	1888
Country	United States
Language	English

American Numismatist is a monthly periodical focused on numismatic research, collecting, and market reporting, published by the American Numismatic Association. The magazine serves readers ranging from hobbyists to professional curators and auctioneers, reporting on coinage, paper money, medals, tokens, and related historical artifacts. It functions as a nexus between scholarly study and collectors' communities, linking historical provenance, market trends, and curatorial practice.

History

The magazine traces its roots to the late 19th century and developed alongside institutions such as the American Numismatic Association and scholarly societies like the American Numismatic Society and the Royal Numismatic Society. Early issues reflected debates contemporaneous with coin discoveries tied to events like the Klondike Gold Rush, the expansion of United States Mint facilities, and legislative actions such as the Coinage Act of 1873. Over decades the publication intersected with major figures and episodes in numismatics, including collectors and scholars akin to John J. Ford Jr., Eric P. Newman, B. Max Mehl, and cabinet sales at houses like Sotheby's and Stack's Bowers Galleries. The periodical adapted through technological shifts from letterpress to offset printing and later to digital distribution amid developments involving Google Books digitization efforts and institutional repositories associated with museums such as the Smithsonian Institution and the American Museum of Natural History.

Scope and Content

Content spans research on ancient issues connected to excavations at sites like Pompeii and Athens and modern coinage tied to mints such as the Royal Mint and the United States Mint. Articles address provenance linked to collections like the American Numismatic Society Collection and auction records from houses including Christie's, Heritage Auctions, and Bonhams. The magazine publishes studies referencing numismatic scholarship by authors in the lineage of Howard Franklin Bowker, Adolf Burg, and Spink & Son, and engages with material discussed in catalogs like the Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum. It covers specialties such as paper money associated with the Confederate States and emergency issues from the Great Depression, tokens tied toNew York City transit history, and medallic art connected to the Medallic Art Company and artists such as Adolph A. Weinman.

Publication and Distribution

Published monthly by the American Numismatic Association and distributed to members, the periodical has been mailed, sold by subscription, and offered at conventions including the World's Fair of Money and regional ANA shows. Back-issue availability has involved collaborations with academic libraries such as the Library of Congress and digitization projects akin to initiatives by the HathiTrust and national libraries like the British Library. Distribution channels intersect with auction catalogs from Numismatic Guaranty Corporation and grading services like Professional Coin Grading Service and Numismatic Conservation Services for provenance verification and market transparency discussions.

Editorial Structure and Contributors

Editorial governance involves an editor-in-chief appointed by the American Numismatic Association board, editorial committees, and peer reviewers drawn from institutions such as the American Numismatic Society, university departments like Columbia University's history faculty, and curators from museums including the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution. Regular contributors have included prominent dealers, historians, and conservators in the tradition of scholars such as William Sheldon and Herman Adler, with guest columns by auctioneers from Stack's and academics from centers like Oxford University and Harvard University. The magazine coordinates themed issues, special reports, and obituaries chronicling figures akin to Q. David Bowers and Eliasberg-era collections.

Impact and Reception

The periodical is cited in numismatic scholarship, museum catalogs, and auction provenance research, influencing practices at grading services like Professional Coin Grading Service and institutional policies at repositories such as the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution. Reviews and citations appear in bibliographies compiled by organizations like the American Numismatic Society and in works on monetary history referencing events such as the Coinage Act of 1792 and monetary crises like the Panic of 1873. The magazine's reporting on major discoveries, forgeries, and repatriation debates has affected collectors, dealers, and curators associated with auction houses including Christie's and Sotheby's and scholarship at universities such as Yale University.

Notable Articles and Features

Notable contributions have included provenance reconstructions tied to collections sold through houses like Sotheby's and Christie's, investigative reports on counterfeits discussed alongside grading findings from Numismatic Guaranty Corporation, and historical essays relating to episodes such as the California Gold Rush and the Spanish–American War mint issues. Feature series have profiled medallic art and artists like Adolph A. Weinman, cataloged hoards comparable to finds in Sicily and Sardinia, and published rediscoveries by scholars in the vein of Eric P. Newman and Q. David Bowers. Special issues have coordinated with exhibitions at institutions like the American Numismatic Society and the Smithsonian Institution.

Category:Numismatic periodicals Category:American Numismatic Association