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by Shawn Halversen, 19 Apr 1995
I was just at the Smithsonian, about 2 weekends ago. I believe that they have an 1804 dollar, 1913 Liberty nickel, 1974 aluminum cent, 1933 $20, etc, etc, etc. However, none of those items were on display. Since they have one of the largest collections it would be impossible to display even a large fraction at any one time. From my perspective, I thought the displays that were there were great, but mainly for non-collectors. The majority of the display traced the evolution of coinage through the years, and had quite a number of examples of coins, (really only one or two of each type on display). By only having one or two examples, I think that the Smithsonian displays will appeal to a much broader spectrum of people without boring them.
Having said that, they also have something for the hard-core collector. On display are gold coins from the J.K.(?) Lilly collection. A one word description would be: Amazing. A longer description: Wonderful examples of gold coins, both US and foreign, most (if not all) in excellent condition. The US section contains gold from 1794-1932(3?) with several patterns (all four types of $4 stellas, holey $1, etc.) The set contains numerous proofs. All in all, a wondeful collection and display.
One other thing about the Smithsonian collection on display, it is not so large that it becomes overwhelming, (except the Lilly collection) and they had a section about the ANA. Well worth going, especially for the price (all Smithsonian museums are free).
Shawn Halversen
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