Christmas Coins

A sadly obsolete tradition is the presentation of gold coins at special events, most often in conjunction with the end-of-year holidays. This was a practice not only fornumismatists, as many non-collectors gave gifts of gold coins when these pieces were in circulation. Today these gift coins are widely dispersed, but what has survived are thepresentation cards and boxes that once delivered such holiday surprises. A few of these are found in the Eclectic Numismatic Treasure collection and can be viewed on NewmanPortal.

A few echoes of this tradition appear now and again. Salvation Army buckets, especially in the Chicagoland area, receive gold coins (typically American Gold Eagles) on anannual basis. The writer's spouse was presented with a Swiss gold coin on the occasion of a service anniversary with a Swiss-owned firm. E-Sylum readers may also wishto pick up the December/January issue of COINage magazine, which features an article by Tom DeLorey entitled "Holiday Season Money Gifts: Christmas, Hanukkah and the NewYear Are Opportune for Giving Money."

Image: Presentation holiday box for gold coin, from the Eclectic Numismatic Treasure collection.

Link to numismatic Christmas cards from the Eclectic Numismatic Treasure collection on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/imagecollection/511173