The author has over 30 years experience in North American numismatics. He is the author of numerous articles about exonumia, including those about tokens, scrip, and the public who used them. He is a member of the ANA, VNA, ACC, C4, CWTS, TAMS, MD-TAMS, AVA, NSCA, and NumisSociety.
Mid 19th Century America was a golden time of entrepreneurship, invention, innovation, and gutsy determination. Men like Winchester, Edison, Westinghouse, and Eastman all started out with nearly nothing. But through hard work and perseverance, their legacies left indelible marks in their respective industries. Such is also the case with WarrenContinue Reading
During the 1920s most of the strawberry growers located in and around Sarcoxie, Missouri participated in a farming cooperative. Like today’s orange growers, the purpose of the cooperative was to pool and leverage the resources of all the growers who were located in close geographic proximity.Continue Reading
During the closing days of the Civil War, Washington’s Schuetzen Park was opened. Schuetzen Parks were quite popular with German-American citizens at the time, and many cities throughout the U.S. had them.Continue Reading
Situated in the panhandle of Western Maryland, Garrett County has a historic connection to the logging and lumber Industry. During the mid to late 19th century, the county was rich with old growth forests. The region was virtually untouched by mankind, and stands of trees such as Giant OaksContinue Reading
On or about the year of 1879 the Champion Compress & Warehouse Company was incorporated in the city of Wilmington, North Carolina. An economic powerhouse, the company quickly attained a dominant role in the exportation of cotton crops grown and cultivated in the southern United States.Continue Reading
The coal mining towns of Dewar and Coalton, Oklahoma were located on the peripheries of what was once considered the greatest oil fields in the Western United States. The towns were located in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, and were situated along the tracks of the Missouri, Oklahoma, and Gulf Railroad.Continue Reading
Richard S. J. Dutrow was an entrepreneur, druggist, and later a confectioner in the town of Frederick, Maryland. His shop, located at 31 North Market Street in downtown Frederick sold confections, as well as had a soda fountain.Continue Reading
The community of Hiawatha, Utah was founded on or about the year 1910 on the grounds of an old cattle ranch. Sitting at the headwaters of Miller Creek, the town sat just south of Price, Utah, where rich veins of coalContinue Reading
There exist multiple scales for measuring relative rarities of various numismatic specimens. At glance they may appear cumbersome, redundant, and somewhat complicated. However, the scales weren’t invented to confuse collectors.Continue Reading
Situated in Raleigh County, West Virginia, the town of Eccles is thought to have been named after the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Holy Bible. Not to be confused with Eccles Collieries in the UK, the town is located in the south central part of the state, about 5 milesContinue Reading
For many workers and families who worked mines and inhabited coal towns, English was a second or third language. As new immigrants recently settled in the United States, they were just learning to speak the language. Many others, who weren’t immigrants, were unable to read and write.Continue Reading
Packard Kentucky was an enigma. A ghost-town long extinct, Packard exists only in the surviving memories of a few former inhabitants, a handful of faded snapshots, and but a smattering of arcane references in yellowed periodicals.Continue Reading
