In this publication, we present the papers delivered at the first Coinage of the Americas Conference. As will be seen, they represent a number of approaches to the phenomenon of copper coinage in the early United States.
Some articles are of a general nature, embracing the entire period.
Elvira Clain-Stefanelli discusses the question of copper coinage itself, and its historical role as the circulating medium of the masses. She draws interesting parallels between copper's use in ancient times and in the young Republic. He emerges with some surprising answers. Cora Lee Gillilland addresses our early coppers from the standpoint of an art historian, and she finds parallels between the imagery employed on early American copper coins and that seen in the wider world of art and fashion. Other speakers focus on more circumscribed themes.