Australian Holey Dollar Returned to ANA Money Museum
The 1813 Holey dollar was returned to the American Numismatic
Association's Edward C. Rochette Money Museum on Oct. 23.
The Holey dollar is an 1813 Australian coin struck
on a 1788 Spanish-American real piece of Charles III from Mexico
City. It has a large hole punched out of it; around the hole is an
added legend "NEW SOUTH WALES 1813" on the obverse and "FIVE
SHILLINGS" on the reverse. Australia's first domestic coin, around
350 Holey dollars survive today.
The Spanish real was widely used by many countries as
international currency because of its uniformity and milling
characteristics. Some countries, like Australia, countersigned the
Spanish dollar so it could be used as their local currency. The
Spanish dollar remained legal tender in the U.S. until the Coinage
Act of 1857.
"We are delighted to have the Holey dollar returned
to our museum collection," said ANA Executive Director Jeff
Shevlin.
The historically significant coin was among more than 300 stolen
from the museum by former ANA Collection Manager Wyatt Yeager, who
was sentenced in April to 27 months in federal prison, two years of
supervised release and ordered to pay $948,505 in
restitution.
Yeager sold the Holey dollar in a July 2007 auction in Melbourne,
Australia.
Coinworks, Ltd., the Australian numismatic firm that returned the
Holey Dollar to the ANA, acquired the coin from an Australian
auction house in July 2007. The company specializes in Australian
rare coins and notes.
"Coinworks is an organization that prides itself on its strong
ethic and commitment to the industry. That Coinworks initiated the
discussions regarding the return of the 1813 Holey dollar to its
rightful owner (ANA) is a clear demonstration of the principles by
which we operate," said Belinda Downie of Coinworks.
Other recovered coins
The ANA has also recovered several other stolen coins, including a
gold pattern from The Netherlands, several Mexican Reales from the
17th to 18th centuries, a Tetradrachm of Lysimachus from Thrace,
and coins from Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica and Peru.
Upon their return, the coins were photographed, cataloged and
returned to the Money Museum's vaults.
Additional security measures
The ANA upgraded its security and surveillance systems following
the theft, and continues to enhance security measures. In the
coming months, the museum also will hire additional part-time staff
to catalog and photograph the ANA's museum collection and make
museum resources available online to members.
"This project will take several years, but it is intended to
secure this valuable ANA resource," Shevlin said.
If you have additional information or tips about coins stolen from
the ANA collection, please contact 719-482-9841.
The American Numismatic Association is a congressionally chartered
nonprofit educational organization dedicated to encouraging people
to study and collect money and related items. The ANA helps its
28,000 members and the public discover and explore the world of
money through its vast array of education and outreach programs, as
well as its museum, library, publications, conventions and
seminars. For more information, call 719-632-2646 or go to
www.money.org.