By Jesse Kraft for American Numismatic Society (ANS) ……
On November 13, 2024, I used to be honored to have represented the American Numismatic Society (ANS) at a really historic numismatic occasion: the graveside memorial ceremony for Christian Gobrecht, third Chief Engraver of the United States Mint. This befell at Lawnview Memorial Park in Rockledge, Pennsylvania. The occasion and the gravestone have been sponsored by the Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC), a numismatic group devoted to the works of Christian Gobrecht.
The ceremony attracted many individuals that Gobrecht would have thought-about vital, particularly personnel from the present-day U.S. Mint and from his circle of relatives. This included U.S. Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson; Philadelphia Mint Superintendent Robert Kurzyna; 14th Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint Joseph Menna; in addition to U.S. Mint Medallic Artists Phebe Hemphill and John McGraw. 4 descendants of Christian Gobrecht have been in a position to attend, every of whom nonetheless stay in Hanover, Pennsylvania – the identical city the place the Chief Engraver was born in 1785. Moreover, Tom Uram, President of the American Numismatic Affiliation (ANA), and Leonard Augsburger, Venture Coordinator of the Newman Numismatic Portal and ANS Fellow, have been each available to unveil the memorial with Gibson and Menna (Fig. 1).
The Life and Work of Christian Gobrecht
Whereas initially educated as a clockmaker, Gobrecht had a fruitful profession as an engraver—first engraving illustrations and banknotes in copperplate and, later, as a die engraver. Along with engraving, Gobrecht was an inventor of a number of gadgets, from musical devices to a medal ruling machine that was used for the mechanized replica of illustrations. As a die engraver, Gobrecht first started creating medals. His earliest identified design is the 1825 Franklin Institute Award medal, which exhibits that he was already extraordinarily competent within the artwork (Fig. 2). Others from this period embrace the 1827 New England Society medal, the 1828 Charles Carroll medal, and the 1828 Philadelphia Museum Admission medal.
Gobrecht is first identified to have utilized for employment on the U.S. Mint in 1823. By the late 1820s, he was making letter punches and dies for the Mint, although these are indistinguishable from these made by different engravers. In 1835, Gobrecht was employed on the Mint as an assistant engraver below Chief Engraver William Kneass.
The next 12 months, Gobrecht executed his magnum opus, the 1836 Gobrecht Greenback (Fig. 3), whose Seated Liberty design was then used on all different silver denominations, from half dime to half greenback.
In 1838, his Coronet design changed the sooner Basic Head design. After a number of years of experimenting with an up to date bust for the copper one-cent piece, the same Coronet design was finalized in 1839 and used on the half cent the next 12 months. By the point he had turn into Chief Engraver in 1840, Gobrecht had already efficiently redesigned each denomination of United States coinage.
Interment and Commemoration
Gobrecht was initially interred at Monument Cemetery in Philadelphia upon his demise in 1844; his spouse Mary, daughter Rebecca, and son Charles have been all buried there later, as effectively.
In 1956, all the household was reinterred when that cemetery was ceded to Temple College by the town. Throughout that course of, their unique headstones have been discarded, and changed by a easy ground-level marker with GOBRECHT for all the household plot. After years of neglect, the marker grew to become overgrown and the precise location of the household’s resting place was misplaced.
By means of intensive analysis, the plot was rediscovered in 2008 by Invoice Bugert, LSCC member, famend numismatist, and co-author of The Full Information to Liberty Seated Half {Dollars} (1993) with Randy Wiley. On the ceremony, Bugert shared his journey of discovering the plot to the attendees. The brand new headstone marks the positioning for all 4 Gobrechts as soon as once more (Fig. 4).
A particular commemorative medal was created particularly for the ceremony (Fig. 5). ANA President Tom Uram took the necessary initiative to provide 50 unique medals recognizing this necessary occasion. The obverse of the medal replicates that of the Gobrecht greenback, albeit with out a date. The famed signature C. GOBRECHT F. remains to be readable on the bottom of Liberty’s seat. The reverse of the medal makes use of the identical wreath that’s discovered on the half dimes and dimes Gobrecht designed, with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA round, and CHRISTIAN / GOBRECHT / Grave memorial / unveiling / November 13, 2024 inside. These medals have been solely out there to these in attendance on the ceremony.
Along with this medal, the ANS assortment incorporates a number of different items that commemorate Christian Gobrecht. The primary was produced in 1962 by Steel Arts Firm (to not be confused with the Medallic Arts Firm) for the corporate Coin Medals. It was designed by Toivo Johnson and Robert Schabel and celebrates the creation of the Flying Eagle design, first used because the reverse of the Gobrecht Greenback (Fig. 6).
One other piece within the ANS assortment was engraved by Joseph Dinardo in 1982 and commemorates the transient tenure by Gobrecht as Chief Engraver (Fig. 7).
Lastly, the ANS assortment has the whole run of 16 medals produced by the Hanover Numismatic Society (HNS) between 1966 and 1980 (Fig. 8). Every of them portrays Gobrecht on the obverse alongside along with his title, delivery and demise years, the 12 months of manufacturing, and HNS. A lot of the reverse designs, which modified annually, replicate one in every of Gobrecht’s designs, together with his famed Gobrecht Greenback and several other of the medals.
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