In this series, short videos realized by our curatorial team will examine coins in the American Numismatic Society’s (ANS) collection, carefully selected for their historical fame and significance. Intended for a wide audience of experts and non-experts alike, these videos will feature multimedia materials that contribute not only to the understanding of the historical and cultural context in which the selected coins were produced but also to their reception history. The videos will be released on a monthly basis.
In the first episode of the series (now available online, as seen above), Assistant Curator of Roman Coins Dr. Lucia Carbone looks at what is probably the most celebrated Roman coin, the EID MAR (Ides of March) denarius. This coin was struck under the authority of Julius Caesar’s main assassin, Marcus Junius Brutus, in 43-42 BCE, to commemorate Caesar’s assassination on the Ides of March 44 BCE. Shortly after, Brutus died on the battlefield, sealing the end of the Republic.
In the second episode (available in November), Assistant Curator of the Americas Dr. Jesse Kraft discusses the Brasher Doubloon. The coin was struck by New York goldsmith Ephraim Brasher in 1787, possibly as a trial piece to present to the New York State legislature in his attempt to receive a contract to produce coins on a large scale. Though he never received a contract, the Brasher Doubloon is considered the first gold coin struck in the United States.
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The American Numismatic Society (ANS), organized in 1858 and incorporated in 1865 in New York State, operates as a research museum under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is recognized as a publicly supported organization under section 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) as confirmed on November 1, 1970.
