t is generally accepted that the first large-scale collecting of United States coins came in the mid- to late 1850s, but it is not so well known that there were a number of avid numismatists in this country well before this time. Regular coinage began at the Philadelphia Mint in late February 1793, and it was not long after that the first coins were saved for posterity.
It is human nature, especially for those whose have the collecting instinct, to lay aside coins of low value, such as a cent or half cent, as family mementos. In 1793, for example, the saving of a cent coin was the equivalent of laying aside a half dollar or dollar today. Little is known of collecting in the United States before 1820, but it is fairly certain that the Mint kept a supply of current and older coins on hand for visitors to purchase at face value as souvenirs. At first this was done by Chief Coiner Henry Voight, but after his death in 1814 the tradition was carried on by his successor, Adam Eckfeldt. On rare occasion, such as shown by a famous hoard of early U.S. coins found in England some years ago, tourists from abroad would purchase such pieces to show their friends upon their return. Voight seems also to have begun the tradition of laying aside new issues each year for a permanent collection. There was no government appropriation for this activity, and it was
