Colonial Coin Collectors Club, distributed by University Press of New England, 2002, 368 pp. 55 illus. Large format 8 1/2 x 11", clothbound with dust jacket. ISBN 1-58465-292-6

This is very well researched book that it will remain the definitive work on this subject for long time.

Three hundred and fifty years ago‚ on September 1‚ 1652‚ John Hull and Robert Sanderson officially opened the Massachusetts Bay Mint in Boston‚ issuing the first coins produced in what is now the United States. The initial issue consisted of simple round planchets with NE punched on the obverse and the denomination on the reverse. These silver coins are highly prized by collectors‚ as can be seen in the prices realized from Stack’s auction of the Hain Family Collection of Massachusetts Silver in January 2002.

In celebration of the 350th anniversary of the opening of the mint‚ the Colonial Coin Collectors Club published John Hull‚ the Mint and the Economics of Massachusetts Coinage—an interpretation of original sources, resulting in a comprehensive history of the Massachusetts Mint from its founding in 1652. Using the surviving ledger of John Hull‚ Louis Jordan discusses production at the mint‚ investigating minting techniques, productivity and the profitability of the enterprise.
Jordan also examines the political and economic factors that contributed to the rise and prosperity of the mint as well as the factors that led to its closing. The book also includes a commentary with illustrations on a discovery first announced by Stack’s in May of 2002 regarding an NE shilling that was overstruck as a Willow Tree‚ of which both the understrike and overstrike represent newly identified reverse dies.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Editor's Foreword xi
Introduction xiii
Preface xv
Part One - John Hull and the Massachusetts Mint
Chapter 1 - The Hull and Sanderson Homesteads and the Location of the Massachusetts Mint1
Addendum - Massachusetts Bay Colonists Named John Hull 18
Chapter 2 - The Personal Ledger of John Hull and the Shop Account from 1671 to 1680 20
Part Two - The Massachusetts Mint and British Politics
Chapter 3 - The Massachusetts Mint and British Politics after the Restoration 27
Part Three - The Economics of Massachusetts Silver Coinage
Chapter 4 - Mint Charges in Massachusetts Bay 46
Chapter 5 - Coin Weight at the Massachusetts Mint 54
Chapter 6 - The Relative Value of Massachusetts and British Silver Coinage 64
Part Four - Production Issues
Chapter 7 - Minting Procedures in Massachusetts Bay 74
Chapter 8 - Consignments at the Massachusetts Bay Mint 95
Chapter 9 - Estimated Mint Productivity as Reflected in the Hull Ledger 102
Chapter 10 - Consignment Turnaround Time at the Massachusetts Bay Mint 118
Chapter 11 - The Size of a Melt and its Relation to Production Runs at the Massachusetts Bay Mint 124
Chapter 12 - John Hull and Robert Sanderson as Silversmiths and Coiners 128
Chapter 13 - Other Individuals Mentioned in Connection with the Massachusetts Coining Operation 140
Part Five - The Eight Reales and its Value in Britain and Massachusetts Bay
Chapter 14 - The Significance of the Eight Reales Cob Coinage in Massachusetts Bay148
Chapter 15 - The Intrinsic Value of the Spanish Real and the Eight Reales 151
Chapter 16 - The Eight Reales in England 156
Chapter 17 - The Valuation of the Eight Reales and the Price of Silver in Massachusetts Bay 167
Appendix I: Transcription and Commentary of the Shop Account, 1671-1680 179
Appendix II: A Chronological Listing of Documents and Events Relating to the Massachusetts Mint 217
Figures 284
Postscript on a Newly Discovered NE/Willow Overstrike 322
Bibliography of Works Cited 327
Index 337
 
About the Author:
LOUIS JORDAN is the Director of the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections at the University of Notre Dame, where he curates the ancient, medieval and numismatic collections. He is the author of the website The Coins of Colonial and Early America as well as the related sites Colonial Currency and Washington Tokens, all of which can be found at http://www.coins.nd.edu on the world wide web. He also serves as an associate editor for The Colonial Newsletter and has lectured and published on the Massachusetts Mint, Constellatio Nova coppers and other aspects of colonial numismatics. The author was raised in Saugus, Massachusetts, and studied history at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame, where he was awarded a doctorate in medieval studies. He has published an lectured extensively on a medieval topics and is a member of the Comite internationale de paleographic latine.

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