Numismatic Archaeology of North America: A Field Guide / Edition 1

by Marjorie H. Akin, James C. Bard, Kevin Akin

Overview

Numismatic Archaeology of North America is the first book to provide an archaeological overview of the coins and tokens found in a wide range of North American archaeological sites. It begins with a comprehensive and well-illustrated review of the various coins and tokens that circulated in North America with descriptions of the uses for, and human behavior associated with, each type. The book contains practical sections on standardized nomenclature, photographing, cleaning, and curating coins, and discusses the impacts of looting and of working with collectors. This is an important tool for archaeologists working with coins. For numismatists and collectors, it explains the importance of archaeological context for complete analysis.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611329193
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/04/2016
Series:	Guides to Historical Artifacts , #4
Pages:	290
Product dimensions:	8.25(w) x 11.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Marjorie (Margie) Akin has spent most of her life in California where she completed her education (Ph.D. University of California, Riverside, 1996), married, and raised four children. Her area of specialization within the field of historic archaeology is numismatics and included among her publications are contributions to Roberta Greenwood’s Down by the Station: Los Angeles Chinatown 1890-1933, Julia Costello’s The Luck of Third Street, and many articles and reports about Asian coins recovered in North America. Her publications in other fields include the seminal essay “Passionate Possession: the Formation of private collections” (Smithsonian 1992) which examined the world of collectors and the often-fractious relationship between archaeologists and collectors. She has been active in the Riverside “Save Our Chinatown Committee” to protect the archaeological remains of Riverside’s Chinatown from development (see www.saveourchinatown.org). James (Jim) Bard completed his education (Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, 1979), married, and raised three children. He has worked professionally as an archaeologist since 1977 when he cofounded a cultural resources management consulting firm, Basin Research Associates, Inc. in the San Francisco Bay Area. Jim currently is the Pacific Northwest Cultural Resources Lead for Cardno, Inc. in Portland, Oregon. He has worked throughout the western U.S. as a principal investigator and project manager specializing in precontact and historical archaeology. Recovery of Asian as well as U.S. and Canadian coins in varied archaeological contexts focused his lifelong passion for coin collecting into deeper concern for the treatment of numismatic materials by historical archaeologists. His writings include several published articles in regional journals and agency-sponsored cultural resources management compliance reports. Jim believes that much can be gained by cooperation between professional archaeologists and amateur archaeologists, numismatists, and private collectors. Kevin Akin, a retired steam engineer, has provided physical labor for Margie Akin's archaeological projects for 41 years. He is a longtime collector of coins and tokens, an active member of several numismatic organizations, and has designed medals for coin clubs and community organizations.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1
What is Numismatics?
CHAPTER 2
The Development of Money in North America
CHAPTER 3
Circulating Currency
CHAPTER 4
Asian Coins in North America
CHAPTER 5
Tokens and Medals
CHAPTER 6
Paper Money
CHAPTER 7
Coin Production Methods
CHAPTER 8
Numismatic Approaches to Analysis
CHAPTER 9
The Archaeologists’ Perspective
CHAPTER 10
Using North American numismatic evidence
CHAPTER 11
Shipwreck Archaeology and Coins
CHAPTER 12
Materials, Corrosion, and Cleaning
CHAPTER 13
Photographic Images
CHAPTER 14
Resources for the Identification of Coins and Tokens
CHAPTER 15
Moving Forward: How can we Make Collaboration Work?

Editorial Reviews

"This book is one of the most thorough and most detailed works I have ever read on the use of money in the United States. From Indian wampum to modern turnpike tokens, from foreign coins used as money in America to gold coins recovered from sunken treasure, this book will enhance the knowledge of all who read it."
— Q. David Bowers, Past President, American Numismatic Association; Research Editor, A Guide Book of United States Coins

"The book serves both as a first introduction to a numismatic area of study and a handy reference for those who might have found something with which they are not immediately familiar... It explains key archaeological concepts in plain English and provides enough visual information to help a hobbyist categorize found objects. It also provides tips on how to conduct further research."
— Charles Morgan, CoinWeek

"This volume is the first to give serious consideration to coins and their close cousins, tokens and medals, in the context of North American historical archaeology... an extremely welcome contribution that should be in every historical archaeologist's library."
— E.B. Banning, Antiquity

From the Publisher