The following is a Press Release from the American Numismatic Society (ANS) calling for submissions of articles for the Coinage of Americas Conference 2023 (COAC 2023). Specifically, this year the focus is on 18th and 19th-century coinage, and articles should focus on that timeframe.
Submissions are due by June 1, 2023.
The American Numismatic Society (ANS) is proud to announce the 2023 Coinage of the Americas Conference (COAC). Since the mid-1980s, COACs are considered the leading venue for the presentation of academic research pertaining to numismatics of the Western Hemisphere. Papers presented at COACs have routinely been published, resulting in a number of edited volumes that have become standard reference texts on their respective topics.
For COAC 2023, the ANS seeks presentations and papers related to the design and production methods of numismatic objects. The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries saw the beginning and apex of the Industrial Revolution in the United States and abroad, and those methods drastically changed during this period. Perhaps nowhere is this more obvious than in numismatics, where nearly every method of design, die production, and striking was transformed. New machines were created for the sake of monetary creation, while old methods never seemed to fully fade away. This was not only true for the production of coins, tokens, and medals, but especially for paper currencies.
Some of the most beautiful and iconic coins and paper currencies were made during this period, some inspired by millennia-old coins and others serving as inspirations for centuries to come. The artists and engravers who created those designs were recognized as masters of their craft in their own time, and are now hailed as luminaries by present-day numismatists. In addition to their artistic contributions, many of them also had a hand in the technological improvements for numismatic production during this period.
Topics for COAC 2023 can be large or minute in scale, specific or broad, but must be new and unpublished research. Potential topics include:
- The evolution of design and/or production on coins or paper currency
- Historical narratives of specific numismatic pieces that offers new insight into their design and production
- Biographies of specific engravers or companies that produced numismatic material
- A compare-and-contrast between the production methods of two or more works, time periods, or places
- How an 18th/19th century design was influenced by the past, or has influenced one from the modern era
Each presenter will have 50 minutes including time for Q&A. After the conference, each invited participant has until January 31, 2024 to submit their polished article for possible inclusion in an edited volume. Final papers should be no more than 8,000 words (not including tables, charts, image captions, or references).
To submit a proposal to COAC 2023, please provide the title of your topic, a 250-word abstract, and brief biography to Dr. Jesse Kraft at jkraft@numismatics.org by June 1, 2023. The selection committee will notify those who submitted successful proposals by June 15, 2023.