Sponsored by the Newman Numismatic Portal, Internet Archive has launched scanning operations at the American Numismatic Society and is currently working through the American auction catalogs in the ANS Rare Book Room. Equipment arrived at the ANS in early December, and scanned documents are now appearing online in the ANS Collection on the Internet Archive website. As of Friday, December 17, over 50 19th century sales have been posted.

One of the first catalogs scanned was Edward Cogan's sale of the Levick collection from December 1859 (Adams 5, Davis 252), representing atypical mix for the day of federal coinage (silver and copper, but no gold), colonials, patterns, Washington pieces, and a selection of Americantokens and medals.

Levick is perhaps best known for the Levick plate of 1793 large cents appearing in the April, 1869 issue of the American Journal of Numismatics, and it is no surprise that the 1793 cents in this sale were among the most highly prized lots. Five are listed, without varieties, with an average price realized of over eight dollars, as compared with early silver dollars or patterns, many of which sold for two or three dollars each. This particular copy is inscribed by Levick to the ANS and was donated in 1866.

Link to ANS Internet Archive collection: https://archive.org/details/americannumismaticsociety

Link to Levick sale catalog: https://archive.org/details/pricedcatalogueo00coga_8

Link to Newman Portal / ANS partnership announcement: http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n47a02.html

The American Numismatic Society (ANS) is delighted to announce a joint project with the Newman Numismatic Portal, an online numismatic resource, which will enable greater access to American numismatic research material on both the ANS Digital Library and Newman Portal websites.

"We are thrilled to have this opportunity to begin distributing some of the Library's research collections on a large scale in the same way that much of the Society's coin collections are being made available through online research tools like PELLA, OCRE, and MANTIS," said ANS Librarian David Hill, who will supervise the onsite operations.

"When you think about all of the materials in the Library's Rare Book Room, which include unique archival collections such as dealer and collector correspondence, you really begin to realize what an impact a project like this can have."

First to be scanned will be the Library's entire run of early American auction catalogs, which include those of Frossard, Woodward, Chapman, Elder, and other notable names in the field.

To read the complete article, see:
ANS, Newman Numismatic Portal Announce Joint Scanning Project (www.coinweek.com/education/ans-newman-numismatic-portal-announce-joint-scanning-project/)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: JANUARY 18, 2015 (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n03a26.html)