Nautical Numismatics

a museum and marketplace celebrating the pivotal role of watercraft in the development of North America, as captured in the art of currency and coin. Before there were roads, before there were rails, there were oceans, rivers, lakes, and canals. Watercraft of all kinds — clipper ships, paddle-wheelers, canal barges, canoes paddled by Native Americans and French voyageurs, and even Huck Finn rafts, sailed these waters, opening the continent. From 1804 to 1806, Lewis and Clark sailed upstream the Missouri, then down the Snake and Columbia – and a dozen others in between – opening the West. Then came the Erie Canal in 1825, linking the Atlantic to the Great Lakes and beyond. Many of the vignettes in our collection illustrate Native Americans watching with consternation as ships and railroads penetrated their lands. With the coming of railroads the importance of waterways slowly faded. We tend to think the 21st century is changing at an incredible rate. But just imagine yourself back in those early days of our country – the times they were a-changin’, faster than ever. The aesthetic beauty and romantic legacy of these watercraft are immortalized in these historical artifacts.