The Treasury Notes of the War of 1812
The fourth speaker in the Maryland State Numismatic Association (MSNA) annual Distinguished Lecturer series will be Dr. Donald Kagin, one of the country’s leading numismatists and numismatic researchers. Don was raised in a numismatic household. His father, Art Kagin, was also a respected numismatist. Numismatic education has been a top priority for both Don and his father throughout their careers.
Don is widely recognized as the country’s leading authority on pioneer gold coins. He also has an exceptional numismatic education Don was awarded the first ever Bachelor of Arts degree in numismatics, this from Northwestern University, and holds the first (and only) Ph.D. in numismatics in the country which he earned at the Union Institute and University in Ohio. His Ph.D. major studies resulted in the book Private Gold Coins and Patterns of the United States, which won the Numismatic Literary Guild’s (NLG) Best Book of the Year award, and which remains the definitive reference on pioneer gold. His Ph.D. minor studies were on early American currency, and his chapter on the early notes of 1812, included in Friedberg’s authoritative study of American currency, is also still the definitive work in this area.
Don contributes to the Official Guide to United States Coins and the Coin and Currency Dealer Newsletter, which he founded. He regularly publishes articles in a number of leading periodicals including Money magazine, U.S. News and World Report, Barron’s, The Wall Street Journal, and The Numismatist. He has made several radio and television appearances. He received the American Numismatic Association’s (ANA) Heath Literary Award for several of his articles. As chairman of the American Money and Gold Rush Museum, he strongly contributed to the passage of a Congressional bill for the San Francisco Mint commemorative coins, the proceeds from which will go for the renovation of the historic old San Francisco Mint. Don served two terms on the ANA Board of Governors. He is also an expert numismatic investment advisor having written the book Donald Kagin’s Personal Guide to Rare Coin Investments, which won the NLG’s Best Investment Book of the Year award.
Don’s lecture is entitled “Our Nation’s First Circulating Currency: The Treasury Notes of the War of 1812.” It will be presented at 2:00 PM on Friday, June 29, 2012 in Room 301 of the Baltimore Convention Center during The Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo. Don will also bring examples of the Treasury Notes from the time of the War of 1812.