B R IE F SKETCH
:0 F THE
P R O G R E S S IN T H E U N IT E D S T A T E S
OF THE MEDÄLUC ART
In the early days o f our Republic, France contributed
the most of our artistic medals.
A large- number of the. coins, medals, tokens and
insignia produced in the United States in these early
days are of little artistic merit so ¡far as their technical
and decorative values are concerned; y e t the directness
of their symbolism and design is of great interest to stu-
dents of history,
£ Prior to the establishment of our mint in i 793. and up
to about 1802, there 1 existed many minting : places' with
and sometimes without the authority o f the State, These
coins and; tokenshave the interest oférudity and.naivete.
Many of these specimens are treasured»By our collectors
and museums,and the cabinets of the UnitedStates Mint
and of the Numismatic Society also con tain many ex a rn-
ples .of thati period.
; v ] T b e . h i s t o r y o f t h e U n i t e d S t a t C S Mint,. i n d e e d , i s m o s t
r e m a r k a b l e , a s t o i t s p r o g r e s s , w h e n , w e l o o k b a c k t o t h e
t im e iO f i t s e s t a b l i s h m e n t . T h e < n : it e m p l o y e d a p e r s o h e l