I had a family member go to the Smithsonian and take some pics of the coins they have on display there. I figure I will share some of the more prized coin pics with you guys. I hope you guys enjoy them! I have edited and zoomed in as much as possible from the pics. So you guys can see the details! You can click the white bar on top of the pics to further enlarge them.
WOW!!!!! I know the that 1804 is absolutely stunning i just watched an episode on the smithsonian actually! thanks for sharing
Nice, but it seems like they just threw them in as a rush job. Many in the old exhibit used to be encased somehow in clear plastic walls so you could view one side, then walk around and view the other. It's not much good to just be able to see a single side. Obviously not collectors who designed the new displays. Guy~
Ya know I also thought that display looked a little cheap. I was also a bit annoyed with the way they hung them on hooks. I am sure its safe, but to me its not way to treat a priceless collection of coins!
I am pretty sure thats just bag marks though the glass you see. I am pretty sure the smithsonian does not have a fake coin on display. Unless you were talking about the display peeling up. In which case I was wondering why the heck they did not fix the display? Kind of a crappy way to show off a $7.5 mil coin if you ask me lol.
I was under the impression that NGC had placed the Smithsonian coins in special slabs to protect them. The display in this thread really looks like something I would have done for show and tell in 3d grade (but I would have used scotch tape). The gold patterns are amazing!
As I understand, the pins used to support the coins are coated with the same metal content as the coin. ie; gold, silver, copper, nickel..etc. Looks very crude I have to agree, but at least the pins won't rust. Thanks for post these images.
Nice pics. Thanks for posting them. For those interested in more coins from the Smithsonian collection, there are some coins pictured on their web site too: National Numismatic Collection of the Smithsonian Institution Follow the links for the 'virtual exhibits' at the top of the page and "view collection online" at the bottom of the page.
Here's the same coin from the Smithsonian link posted above, you can see both sides and notice it's the same coin by the marks on the coin: