Predominately correspondence between an ANS curator, secretary, or other representative and various printing companies regarding the printing of works published in the Society’s Numismatic Notes and Monographs series, the ANS’s forum for presenting numismatic scholarship that was established in 1920 with an initial sponsorship from Archer M. Huntington of $100,000. Not all of the publications in the series are represented in the records. Includes items relating to the production of the Society’s annual Proceedings, which prior to this time had been printed by the American Numismatic Association but for the years 1920 to the 1936 (printed in 1921 and 1937) were part of the Numismatic Notes and Monographs series. The principal firm used for the printing was T.R. Marvin & Son of Boston, and much of the correspondence is with George R. Marvin. Others firms involved in the work include The De Vinne Press and J.C. & W.E. Powers of New York City, Patterson & White of Philadelphia, and Lancaster Press of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Much of the correspondence has to do with technical matters such as difficulties arising from the printing of special characters as well as issues relating to correcting page proofs. Also includes two files (1920-1924 & 1920-1926) and an oversized notebook (1920-1935) containing printing and other production costs, print runs, sales price, and other information.

Correspondence, much of which was created or forwarded by Bauman Belden (ANS secretary, 1896-1903, 1905-1916) to Charles Pryer (treasurer, 1889-1915), on matters of ANS business such as bills owed, membership dues, and pledged funds allocated for specific purposes. There are very few copies of correspondence from Pryer. Also contains receipts, including bills and invoices stamped as paid, and canceled checks for materials and services such as printing, journal subscriptions, coal, gas, electricity, cleaning, insurance, carpentry, rent, medal production, office supplies, postage, and, occasionally, materials purchased for ANS collections. There are notable developments that occurred during the period covered by the records that are documented here. Matters relating to the membership of Archer M. Huntington, who joined in 1899, include his declining an invitation to speak at the Society (1898), increasing his membership level to Life Member (1900), his election to the presidency and Belden’s positive feelings about the move (1905), and Huntington’s request for information about the collecting interests of individual members (1905). In 1906 the Society moved into temporary headquarters at the Hispanic Society of America’s building on Manhattan’s Audubon Terrace, and in 1908 it occupied its own newly constructed building next door on land donated by Huntington. Materials relating to the move include letters, bills, and receipts having to do with transporting materials to the site and constructing and furnishing the new building. The ANS during this period also began to employ its first paid staff. Included are monthly receipts for the salary of the Society’s first employee, building maintenance worker Nelson P. Pehrson (for work beginning in 1908). There are numerous letters, bills, and receipts relating to the funding of the Society’s School for Coin and Medal Designing and Die Cutting (in operation from 1901 to 1905), including receipts for payment signed by one of the school’s instructors, Victor David Brenner. Before moving to Audubon Terrace, the Society used rented rooms in various locations for its collections and meetings. Included here are rent receipts the New York Academy of Medicine (rented 1893-1902) and Union Dime Savings Institution (rented 1902-1905), as well as a signed lease for the latter. Also included are receipts for the Society’s new seal designed by Brenner (1907) and for a loving cup presented to Edward Groh (1900), both produced by Tiffany & Co., and for the binding of two volumes of manuscript materials relating to the Society’s Grant’s Tomb medal (1899). The item given the earliest date (1866) is an unsigned manuscript copy of the resolution merging the Society with the New York Numismatic Society.

Correspondence relating to the financial activities of the Building Committee created in 1906 in response to ANS president Archer M. Huntington’s offer to donate land for an ANS headquarters building on Audubon Terrace in upper Manhattan. Topics include disbursement of funds, the recording of donations, committee appointments, and the scheduling of meetings. The records appear to have been kept by Charles Pryer, ANS treasurer from 1889 to 1915. There are numerous letters from Bauman L. Belden (ANS secretary, 1896-1903 and 1905-1916) concerning business transactions. Other correspondents include Archer M. Huntington (president, 1905-1909) and the building’s architect, Charles P. Huntington. There is only one letter from 1905: Pryer to Belden expressing reservations about the establishment of a building fund. By 1908 the building was under construction and the records include receipts (itemized bills marked as paid) for furnishings such as desks, a rug, a scale, and a vault, as well as for construction and electrical work. Also present is a report of the building committee (May 20, 1907).

Mostly correspondence relating to the development of ANS library collections through donation, exchange, and purchase. Appears to mostly begin around 1903. Covers the terms of the following librarians: Herbert Valentine (1896-1905), Charles Dodd (1905), S. S. Whitney Dunscomb (1905-1908), William R. Weeks (1908-1910), A.H. Cooper-Prichard (1911-1912), Alexander D. Savage (1913-1915), and Sydney P. Noe (1915-1938). Letters deal with periodical subscriptions, attempts to obtain specific titles, filling gaps in the collection, and fulfilling requests--sometimes through trade--for the American Journal of Numismatics (AJN), which the Society had around that time reacquired and was again responsible for publishing. Correspondents include book sellers, publishers of foreign numismatic journals, and producers of coin dealer catalogs. Items of interest include: a photograph and inquiry regarding what appears to be a belt buckle found on the banks of the Salt River sent from E.T. Carrico of Stithton, Kentucky (April 11, 1904 – folder 2); a letter from William Poillon to Joseph N.T. Levick (possibly misfiled) relating to a donation of medals which mentions Levick’s will (March 14, 1908); a letter regarding the Century Club directory from A.J. Bloor noting Charles Huntington’s work as architect on the Society’s building at Audubon Terrace (April 11, 1908 – folder 1); a request by Agnes Baldwin, later the Society’s first professional curator, for the purchase of publications, which was denied for lack of funds (April 15, 1908 – folder 1); a letter from H.A. Ramsden of Jun Kobayagawa Co. of Yokohama, Japan, regarding his collection of coins purchased “for almost a mere song” from “a rector” of a Peking university (March 7, 1911 – folder 2); a printed Christmas card from J. Sanford Saltus, Nice, France (1908 – folder 3); a letter from J.C. Wilson opining somewhat at length on the “disgraceful” administration of the American Numismatic Association, which was in the midst of a fractious internal fight (July 31, 1909 – folder 3); a copy of an outgoing letter from Cooper-Prichard introducing himself as the “new and first official [i.e., paid] librarian” of the ANS (March 4, 1911 – folder 1); a long letter from John Batchelor of Dartmouth College taking issue with Cooper-Prichard’s suggestion that it would be impossible to produce a general history of numismatics (May 16, 1911 – folder 2); a letter to the ANS council mentioning A.A. Weinman and suggesting an endowment for an annual prize for medallic sculpture (January 18, 1917 – “C”); and a copy of an outgoing letter thanking Weinman for his “casts of the models for the coins recently designed by you” (November 12, 1917 – “W”). The letters of 1911, dating from Cooper-Prichard’s term, also include general inquiries from the public regarding coins and coin values. Detailed reports about the status and activities of the library, and correspondence on matters such as the introduction of Library of Congress catalog cards into the library, can be found in the files “Mr. Field, Committee on the Library,” and the alphabetical “L” and “M” files. Some items dealing with library staffing such as inquiries regarding temporary help (“H”), a recommendation letter (“Hu”), and a library applicant (“T”) are also present. Also mentioned is ANS president and benefactor Archer Huntington’s desire, expressed to Karl W. Hiersemann, to publish a list of all numismatic books and periodicals ever published (1911 – “Hu”), and included is a ca. 38-page list of the books and periodicals contained in the library at the time (July 1910).

Consists of the official general correspondence files of the Society from its founding in 1858 to 1985. (Similar correspondence for later years can be found in director, executive director, and chief curator series.)

Contains Herbert Ives’s correspondence from his time as president of the ANS (1942-1946) and a few letters from after that period. While some of the letters deal with routine issues like committee appointments and council membership, many have to do with noteworthy topics, such as disagreements, particularly between Sydney Noe and Agnes Baldwin Brett, over the jurisdiction of editor vs. the publications committee (e.g., Brett, 1942; Noe, 1942; Bellinger, 1943, 1946); the donation of the Ernest Babelon portrait from Archer Huntington and Adra Newell’s role in the matter (Newell, 1942); building repairs (Huntington, 1943); the debate over the erection of a fence at Audubon Terrace and a discussion of vandalism and a younger generation getting out of hand (Pell, 1944; Damrosh, 1944; Huntington, 1944); the Edward Newell bequest, the publishing of it, and establishing a room to house it (Newell, 1944; West, 1944); a description of the ANS’s methods for documenting coins by photographing them, using the Newell coins as an example (Huntington, 1946); the donation by Huntington of shares of Hammond Lumber Company stock (Dewing, 1945; West, 1946; Mosser, 1947); and perceived difficulties with ANS fellow Luigi Criscuolo (Criscuolo, 1943; Shear, 1943; Bellinger, 1946).

Originally a set of nine binders containing materials pertaining to ANS policies and procedures, including council meeting extracts, memorandums, letters, lists, and printed matter. Materials have been removed from the binders and placed into folders containing the following: (1) filing of financial records, financial structure, insurance, additions to inventory, security (1964-1968); (2) council extracts pertaining to ANS management, master list of the numbered filing system for ANS records, billing procedures, coin boxes, cash receipts books, code numbers assigned to various numismatic geographical and topical interests, form letters, donor files (1964-1974); (3) constitution and bylaw amendments (1948-1973); (4) meeting agendas, notifications, and summaries, as well as announcements and circulars sent to the membership, which include the Centennial Medal, 1958, and the Louis C. West Medal, 1960 (1950-1972); (5) council meeting schedules, membership lists, an expense trend report, an International Numismatic Congress (INC) list of registrants (1973), bank letter procedures, and financial computations (1971-1973); (6) ANS printed materials and circulars for medals issued from 1914 to 1958 (1914-1959); (7) procedures and rates for photography and casts, cleaning coins, and circulars pertaining to ANS publications (1950-1969); (8) publishing distribution dates, prices, and stock locations (1964-1972); and (9) council resolutions (1940-1967).

Various materials relating to the Society’s publications, membership, and fundraising, including the purchase and distribution of medals and publications and records of publications sent to members. Includes Joseph N.T. Levick’s annotated copy of the first volume of the American Journal of Numismatics (AJN) (1866), along with the original circular announcing the publication’s debut (pasted in) and accounts and lists relating to coin purchases either for him personally or for the Society. (It was Levick who first proposed the publication of AJN and he served as its first editor.) Also of note is correspondence relating to the purchase and distribution of Albert Frey’s Dictionary of Numismatic Names (1917-1918); correspondence regarding the efforts to raise funds to purchase the Swedish coin collection of Robert Robertson (1929.103), and subscription forms and letters for the School for Coin and Medal Designing and Die Cutting and for two of the Society’s earliest medals: Membership (1875-1880) Charles E. Anthon (1884).

Various records pertaining to the governance of the Society. Includes early handwritten annual reports from officers, some with detailed financial information and lists of donations to the library and coin cabinet. In addition, there are reports containing the accounts of the Lincoln Medal Committee (1867, 1874); correspondence and agreements regarding the creation of the Society’s first membership medal (1877); and committee reports, correspondence, and subscription letters for the Charles E. Anthon (1884) and Ulysses S. Grant medals (1897). A number of official memorandums and letters (1923, 1939-1946, 1960-1971) that were sent to the Society’s council members by the curator or secretary contain details about important matters of interest, such as the suggested appointment of Agnes Baldwin Brett as associate curator of ancient coins (1923); the theft of decorations and proposed security enhancements, including a recommendation that George Miles be appointed honorary curator of Muhammadan coins with vault permissions (1939); a bomb threat made during a private viewing of the Robert J. Eidlitz collection (1940); and a detailed discussion of the suggested appointment of Naichi Chang to be an honorary or assistant curator of Chinese coins (1940). Also found are a document concerning the dies for an (Andrew) Johnson-Entry Medal by George Levitt that were deposited at the Society by Isaac F. Wood (1869 – See American Journal of Numismatics, v.4, no.5, p. 56); copies of the legal documents relating to the proposed merger between the Society and the New-York Historical Society (1904); and a J. Sanford Saltus note to Baumann Belden regarding the presentation of a loving cup to Edward Groh (1900).

Letters and completed forms from persons, historical societies, and other associations acknowledging receipt of ANS publications such as proceedings, circulars, printed lectures, and the Society’s constitution and bylaws. Most are perfunctory, though some touch on other matters. A letter (1884) from William Legett Bramhall, one of the Society’s first members (joined November 3, 1858), discusses his desire to start a numismatic society in Washington D.C. and mentions his remaining coin collection housed in three walnut cases obtained from Joseph Levick. Edward Cogan refers to “the [David] Proskey disgraceful fair,” adding, “he deserves to be exposed” (1878).

Library records created or kept by Sawyer McArthur Mosser, American Numismatic Society Librarian from 1938 to 1947. Most relate to the development and maintenance of the collection. Includes lists of gaps in the collections, publications wanted, publications available from booksellers, and duplicates weeded and ready for sale; correspondence relating to the purchase and exchange of publications with various publishers; form letters and responses from various Latin American countries requesting publications; and invoices for binding payments. Also of note are two files labeled “Library data.” One predates Mosser’s time as Librarian and includes a typed guide detailing the layout of the library (1922) and general directions for binding and books sent to be bound (1915). The other contains accession and use statistics and numerous library reports (1938-1948). Other such data can be found in the file “Questionnaires,” containing surveys that were sent to various requesting libraries that used the data to produce directories and curriculums. Also included are several items in notebooks or binders: a Guide to the Library of the American Numismatic Society for users (including a floor plan); monthly accession lists (1946-1947); and a small binder with want lists, Reilly Fund accounting, and ANS publications. There are some items dating from the period just after Mosser’s term as librarian, including a financial and general report from his successor, H.A. Steeves (1947), and a file of correspondence that deals, among other things, with the proposed acquisition of the James B. Longacre papers.

Contains correspondence sent among standing committee members and others, informational and policy memorandums, agendas, minutes, committee reports, and other materials, most of which appears to have been kept by each committee’s secretary, a position held by an ANS staff member. The committees are otherwise composed mostly of ANS members and occasionally staff members. While agendas and minutes are in some cases present, and somewhat scattered, more detailed types of records often prevail. In the Publications Committee materials, for example, are long letters concerning the publishing of Edward Newell’s collection of Alexander coinage (1944) sent by the Society’s editor, Alfred Bellinger; numerous documents relating to the establishment of the ANS bibliographic series Numismatic Literature (1946-1949); and a copy of a letter from Archer Huntington to Society president Herbert Ives regarding the terms of the loan of Spanish coins from the Hispanic Society of America to the ANS (1946-1949). There are detailed reports in the file of the Reorganization Committee that provide recommendations regarding the offices of curator, secretary, editor, and librarian as well as other matters requiring constitutional and bylaw revisions (1947-1954). A report of the Photographic Committee gives a brief history and overview of the current situation of the photography at ANS (1947, 1949, 1954). There is about a cubic foot of materials relating to the Assets Committee (renamed Collections Committee in 2006), nearly all of which has to do with the Society’s auctioning off of the non-American portion of its collection of medals, orders, and insignias in 2006 and 2007.