some pictures from the smithsonian

hey everyone! just got back from a little vacation in dc, and while i was there, i had to see the coins in the smithsonian. amazing! that's the only way i can describe it. if you ever get the chance to go, don't hesitate. while the exhibit is fairly small, the quality of the exhibit is hard to beat. i mean, how often do you get to see this?

the exhibit is called "the story of money." it conatined examples of money that circulated in america from the 1600s to the present. i just couldn't move away from the "legendary coins" display. along with the following coins pictured, there were 3 1804 silver dollars on display and many gold pattern coins.



while i was gawking over the case, my fiancée says "i didn't know they made an aluminum cent." i told her it was an experiment back in the 70s. she says "well, they have one."

so, again, if you ever get the chance, be sure to check it out. just try not to faint and/or drool!

 

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Hope to go one day, looks to be fun, whole smithsonian in general.

 

Very cool swish, thank you for sharing. I would love to check them out in person.

 

National Numismatic Collection of the Smithsonian Institution


Excellent report Swish! Glad to hear you got some time and had an opportunity to see the collection in person.

There was a CT thread last year from another member's visit, also with photos posted. I linked up some of the Smithsonian's images in that thread along with other information from the Smithsonian's web site:

Some nice pics from the Smithsonian coin collection!

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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.

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I envy your visit. Thank you for sharing.

 

I saw the first one in Boston!

 

Thank you for sharing some of these pictures. I'm sure it's only a teeny tiny sample of their vast numismatic display. I have made it a point to see this collection before I move on to the next life. The wife will have to bear with me for a few hours while I gaze!!!

 

Do you have pics of the 1804 dollars?

 

Follow the link I posted earlier to see the 1804 Dollars.

 

I think people in general aren't aware of what is available to see in Museums. The Smithsonian alone is mind blowing. The Natural History museum can't be seen in a day.

The world's largest museum and research complex, with 19 museums, 9 research centers and more than 140 affiliate museums ..

It's one of things you have to do before you die. put it on your list. OP, thanks for sharing! awesome post and awesome reminder.

 

Swish what museum had the coins? American History?
Me and my wife are hitting DC for vacation at the end of the month! We're also planning a visit to Printing and engraving! Did you get a chance to check that out by any chance?

 

Read post #4, follow links...

 

Apparently my family's last visit to the Smithsonian was shortly before I seriously caught the coin bug. I've been in DC many times since then, but never visited the exhibit. Now that my son is interested as well, perhaps it's time to go back.

I know flash photography is generally forbidden in museums; is this the case in the Smithsonian coin exhibit as well? If so, do they allow tripods? I've got some gear that should be able to get pretty good shots from a distance of several feet, but I'd need a stable base if I can't use flash.

 

Flash would work against you as pieces such as these tend to be encased in vitrines, which would cause reflection of the flash on the glass.

Tripods are usually prohibited in all museums unless you have special permission. Perhaps you can call ahead or check their web site for policy.

 

I'd be using an off-camera flash where appropriate, and cleaning up any remaining artifacts in Photoshop. But I think the chances that they'd let me use flash at all are pretty slim. I suppose other high-intensity sources aren't technically "flashes", but since they dump more light energy onto the subject, I'm sure they'd be frowned upon even more.

Maybe I should take a page from astrophotography, shoot a minute or two of video, and then use a frame-stacker to build a composite image -- but then I'd be limited to video resolution. Probably better to just enjoy them with my eyes.

BTW, I neglected to congratulate the OP -- those are very nice photos given the limitations of a museum environment. Care to share any details about what you used to shoot them?

 

It was a great time the last time I was there.

BTW, the BEP tour is very cool!!

 

The last time I took time to go through Smithsonian holdings in person was when they had everything on display. I understand they took most of their coins off the floor, and store them in the back now. Has anyone who went there in the 80's or 90's been there lately? I was sad when I read they were going to do this, and just wonder how is it now.

 

i tried to get pics of more of the collection, but these were the only ones that turned out decent. i'm not very good with point and click.

 

it's in the east wing of the 1st floor of the american history museum. everyone enters on the 2nd floor. go down 1 level, and it's across from the escalator. sadly, i didn't get a chance to check out the bep. that's on the next trip.

 

thank you! all i did was turn on the macro, get as close to the glass as possible, point and click with my GE A830 camera. i don't have the most steady of hands, which is why i am thankful these turned out. most of my others pics had a slight blur to them.