National Museum of American History (U.S.). National Numismatic Collection.

The origins of the National Numismatic Collection date back to the early years of the Smithsonian Institution. When James Smithson died, among his personal effects were several coins and medals, including one with his likeness. At least two of the gold sovereigns bequeathed to the United States by Smithson are preserved in the National Numismatic Collection. In 1862, the National Institute began sending its numismatic collection to the Institution. The Smithsonian also acquired numismatic objects from the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. G. Brown Goode, Assistant Secretary in charge of United States National Museum (USNM) and an avid collector of coins and medals, promoted the early growth of numismatic holdings at the Smithsonian. In 1881, he organized the numismatic objects as a Section in the Department of Arts and Industries, Division of Anthropology. By 1886 the Section had been eliminated and its objects assigned to the custody of Alonzo Howard Clark, Curator of the Section of Historical Relics. They then fell under its successors: the Section of Historical Collections, Department of Arts and Industries, 1889-1897, the Division of History and Biography, Department of Anthropology, 1897-1904, and the Division of History, 1904-1948. Between 1897 and 1947, numerous collections were received, such as the George Bunker Glover bequest of Far Eastern coins and the United States Mint Collection.

In 1947, the Section of Numismatics was created in the Division of History, and the next year, the Section was given divisional status in the new Department of History. That same year Stuart M. Mosher succeeded the retiring Curator in charge, Theodore T. Belote, as Associate Curator of the Division of Numismatics, a position he held until his death in 1956. Vladimir Clain-Stefanelli became Curator at that time, and, shortly after his appointment, Elvira E. Clain-Stefanelli, joined the Division as Assistant Curator.

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