State Historical Society of Iowa Press Release

SHSI's "History for Lunch" lecture series continues next week

U of I Professor Emeritus Jim Ehrhardt will discuss rare coins and currency

DES MOINES –The State Historical Society of Iowa’s History for Lunch lecture series continues next week with a discussion about coins and currency, including a rare Mormon $5 gold piece.

Jim Ehrhardt, a recognized authority on the history of money in Iowa, will speak at noon, Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, at the State Historical Society of Iowa, Centennial Building, 402 Iowa Avenue in Iowa City. The program is free and open to the public. Seating is limited. Call 319-335-3911 for more information.

Ehrhardt will discuss a rare Mormon $5 gold piece and the original currency issued in Iowa City and other towns like Keokuk and Dubuque, as well as other interesting 20th century pieces.

The State Historical Society of Iowa will have rare and unusual coins on display as part of the program. SHSI’s collections include historical pieces ranging from colonial times to the near-present, and include many examples of the widely diverse types of money used in Iowa during its first 150 years.

After retiring from the University of Iowa as Professor Emeritus, Ehrhardt has focused on his lifelong avocation as collector and researcher of old coins and currency. For the last year, he has been volunteering at the State Historical Society of Iowa, working with its extensive holdings of coins and currency.

Ehrhardt is the author of Iowa National Bank Notes and several articles on his findings about Iowa-related numismatic items. Recently, he published an article revealing the identity of a feature on national currency that had eluded researchers for almost 100 years.

 

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The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs is responsible for developing the state’s interest in the areas of the arts, history and other cultural matters with the advice and assistance from its two divisions: the State Historical Society of Iowa and the Iowa Arts Council. DCA preserves, researches, interprets and promotes an awareness and understanding of local, state and regional history and stimulates and encourages the study and presentation of the performing and fine arts and public interest and participation in them. It implements tourism-related art and history projects as directed by the General Assembly and designs a comprehensive, statewide, long-range plan with the assistance of the Iowa Arts Council to develop the arts in Iowa. More information about DCA is available at www.culturalaffairs.org.

 

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