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B. Max Mehl (1884–1957) was a prominent coin dealer in the U.S. for more than 50 years. He was born in Congress Poland, which was then part of Imperial Russia, but his family moved to present-day Lithuania, and then to the U.S.; Mehl lived in Fort Worth for most of his life. He started selling coins as a teenager, and joined the American Numismatic Association aged 18. By 1910 he was one of the most prominent dealers in the U.S. His customers included Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. He auctioned coins from the collections of prominent numismatists, and he was the first dealer to advertise in non-specialist publications, helping to broaden the hobby's appeal. To generate interest and sell his books, he offered to buy a 1913 Liberty Head nickel for $50, knowing there were none in circulation. His great auction sales were in the 1940s, but he later became less active, dying in 1957. He was elected to the Numismatic Hall of Fame in 1974, and the CoinFacts Dealer Hall of Fame in 2010. (Full article...)

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On this day

November 25: Evacuation Day in New York City (1783); Thanksgiving in the United States (2021)

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Early American currency went through several stages of development during the colonial and post-revolutionary history of the United States. During the American Revolution, the colonies became independent states. No longer subject to arbitrarily imposed monetary regulations by the British Parliament, the states began to issue paper money, to pay for military expenses. This sixty dollars banknote was issued by the state of South Carolina, dated 8 February 1779; it is part of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution.

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Banknote design credit: South Carolina, engraved by Thomas Coram; photographed by Andrew Shiva

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