Currency Collection

The “hobby of kings” and the “king of hobbies.” Those two phrases describe the act of collecting coins. What is it about collecting currency that is so intriguing and alluring? Maybe it is the potential value of a coin or piece of paper money. Value, however, depends on several factors: age, rarity, and condition just to name a few. Maybe it is the history of the coin: who owned it or from where did it originate? From a historical standpoint, collecting currency presents a great opportunity since many pieces document both date and general location of creation. This context helps collectors, numismatics (those who study currency), and others place the coin or paper money into the proper place of space and time. Depending on the type of collector currency can be a log of where an individual has traveled, an inheritance from friends or family, an investment, or a simple hobby with or without a systematic approach. The currency collection from the Linam Ranch Museum (hereafter known as the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection) seems to be a mixture of travel log and inheritance. Whether from the travels of Thelma Webber herself or her friends and family, she collected and displayed currency from Japan, the Philippines, China, Mexico, Korea, France, the United States, and more, dating from the mid 1800s to mid 1900s.

Just as the reasons for collecting vary, the justification for the designs on currency fluctuates. The designs on currency can be decorative but at the same time can convey messages. For example, during the time of the Roman Empire, currency sported not only the faces of deities and previous rulers but also the face of the current emperor. These coins spread to the far reaches of the empire including modern-day England where people would know the face of their ruler. The importance of imagery is no less prevalent here in the United States, which can be seen on two of the more unique items from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection. In their collection of currency, Thelma kept two paper notes from the Confederate States of America (CSA) based in Richmond, Virginia. CSA notes first circulated in April 1861 when the Confederate government was only two months old and continued until 1864. During the Civil War, CSA notes changed designs many times going through seven different series. The notes had a mixture of designs ranging from real people like Jefferson Davis or George Washington, to mythical figures like ancient gods and goddesses, and to scenes such as slaves, trains, or state capitols. The $20 CSA bill from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection is from the third series issued September 2, 1861, and contains a picture of the Vice President of the Confederacy, Alexander Stephens. Along with Stephens the note displays the picture of a figure representing Industry standing between Cupid and a beehive. The $10 CSA bill from the Virgil and Thelma Linam collection is from the seventh series issued February 17, 1864, and has a portrait of R. M. T. Hunter who was a member of the Confederate Cabinet. With Hunter, the note has a picture of mounted soldiers pulling a cannon while other soldiers fight in the background. These designs on the notes acted as reminders of who was in charge and what they were fighting for. CSA money itself was meant to validate the new government and prove the sustainability of their economy; however, over the course of the war the value of the currency depreciated leading to a failing economy. Thanks to battles such as that at Glorietta Pass, the Confederates held very little claim to the area of southeastern New Mexico, the New Mexico Territory as it was known then, but they did unofficially claim this area as a territory of the CSA meaning that their currency disseminated all the way out here.

Thanks to the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection we have these fine examples of currency from the Confederate States of America and can study not only a piece of history in America but in our little corner of New Mexico.