NumismaTalks: ANA eLearning Academy Webinars

Batavia's Bounty: Blood on the Coral, Silver in the Deep
October 9, 2025, 12pm MT

Collectors often measure a coin's worth in dollars and cents, but some pieces carry a far darker weight—an echo of lives lost and empires built. Shipwreck coins, battered by the sea, may never win a beauty contest, yet they hold a haunting place in history.

On October 9, step aboard the Batavia, pride of the Dutch East India Company, and set sail on its inaugural voyage. Destined for the lucrative spice trade with a belly full of silver, the Batavia promises fortune, glory, and a new chapter of global commerce until it collides with an unseen reef off an unknown continent.

What follows is mutiny, murder, and madness. Survivors not only face the sea, but each other. More than a shipwreck, this is the greatest tale of sunken treasure ever told – a saga of good versus evil – and it's all true!

Caroline Turco has a passion for storytelling. From the operatic stage to her "historypod" mic, she brings a unique blend of expertise and curiosity to the role of assistant curator at the ANA. A Renaissance woman at heart, Caroline loves art, history, and culture, which serendipitously mingle in the study of numismatics. When not at work researching coins or diving down rabbit holes, she can be found adventuring with her family to make new members. (Also, she'll probably still be talking about coins!)

The American Bank Note Company Archives: Monetary History and a Rich Research Opportunity
October 23, 2025, 12pm MT

The American Bank Note Company international archives holds a wealth of information about bank note production around the world. Held by the ANA Dwight N. Manley Numismatic Library, this collection includes information about paper money design, production, and shipment as well as internal correspondence by ABNCo staff. Some of this correspondence gives insight into the economic and political situations in countries that have achieved independence from former colonial powers. This presentation will include information about the types of documents, research opportunities, and points of access that are available as the ANA library staff and volunteers catalog and digitize these files.

Akio Lis joined the ANA as library manager in 2021. He was awarded the ANA Young Numismatist of the Year in 1998 and received an internship with the ANA library in 2003. After moving to Colorado Springs in 2005, Akio volunteered with the Dwight N. Manley Numismatic Library and worked with young numismatists (YNs) during Summer Seminar in the production of the YN fundraising auctions. Akio brings to the role of library manager a deep interest in history and research, as well as an in-depth knowledge of the ANA library holdings. He has worked to increase accessibility and recognition of the holdings of the Dwight N. Manley Numismatic Library and continues in the long tradition of growing this necessary numismatic asset.

Small Change on the Ship of Gold
November 13, 2025, 12pm MT

The treasure of the SS Central America (sank Sept 12, 1857) is mostly known for its large, historical gold bars and boxes of Double Eagles. But an important story lies within the money of smaller denominations, the California Fractional Currency, the silver coinage, and the lower denomination gold, some of it found in spectacular mint-state condition. This NumismaTalk will explore the occurrence and distribution of this "small change" on the shipwreck site, and show how the numismatics illustrates this singular period in the nation's history, the California Gold Rush, and the changing face of American money in the mid-19th century.

Bob Evans is the co-discoverer of the shipwreck site of the gold-rush era treasure ship SS Central America, which sank in 1857 with the greatest lost treasure in United States history. He is well-known in the numismatic world as the chief scientist and historian of the project that recovered the lost treasure, including tons of gold ingots and coins, from the bottom of the Atlantic, 7,200 feet down. Since its discover and recovery in the late 1980s, Evans has been the curator of the treasure, and an author of several articles and essays, including award-winning studies published in The Numismatist. Bob enjoys sharing discoveries, as he continues to research the stories found within the shipwreck and its treasure, a fascinating deep-sea time capsule.

Aman Shah, a high school senior and Life Scout from Fremont, California, began collecting coins at age eight after finding a 1929 penny in change. This year, he earned second place in the Q. David Bowers Young Numismatist competition with a research article on California fractionals from the SS Central America. He has also written a paper on depictions of Liberty on U.S. coinage and their role in shaping American identity. Aman enjoys collecting Spanish colonial coins, researching Bay Area history, and fostering civic engagement in his community.

The Numismatic History of the Silk Road(s)
December 11, 2025, 12pm MT

The Silk Road has captured the public imagination and inspired museum exhibitions, coffee table books, cultural festivals, and archaeological programs over the last several decades. This is amazing considering the largely forgotten (at least in the west) history of Central Asia. Yet, this vast trade network began at the very end of the 1st millennium B.C. and operated almost continuously for more than 1,500 years involving Rome, China, and all of the regions in between them. Previous exhibits have focused mostly on the cultural objects, archeological remains, surviving narratives, etc., but relatively few have focused on the numismatic legacy of the Silk Road(s). This presentation will outline the history of the Silk Road(s) focusing on the coins that formed an integral part of the vast trade network across Eurasia.

Douglas Mudd is the curator/director of the American Numismatic Association's Edward C. Rochette Money Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is responsible for developing, planning, and content of the Museum's exhibition program and the organization and care of the ANA collections. He has created dozens of numismatic exhibits for the museum and for the ANA's semi-annual conventions. His recent work has expanded the museum's exhibits into the virtual world of the internet, including Trenches to Treaties: World War I in Remembrance, and Money of Empire: Elizabeth to Elizabeth.