Newman Portal Adds to Congressional Report Series

Courtesy of Paul Hybert, we have added to Newman Portal a large group of U.S. congressional reports with numismatic content. This series now includes 375 items, and we acknowledge also Dan Hamelberg, who has previously contributed to this group. As Congress exercises its authority over the nation's coinage, this series documents an important part of our numismatic history. Congress authorizes new coins, personal medals, and controls other aspects of coinage, such as the restoration of Mint marks in 1967.

From a bibliophilic perspective, these reports typically come disbound. The Congressional serial set, which documents activities of the House and Senate, is a massive record, on the order 20,000 printed volumes. As institutions deaccession these volumes over time, numismatic sections are extracted and occasionally trade in the numismatic literature marketplace. With electronic access to the Congressional serial set now available via ProQuest subscription, institutions have less of a need to maintain hardcopy sets, not to mention the cost of maintaining a facility to house the material.

Image: Congressional report from 1862, related to a proposal to launch a Branch Mint in Denver

Link to U.S Congressional reports on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/publisherdetail/512550

Link to S. 1008, a 1967 bill to restore Mint marks on U.S. coinage:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/612162