Q.David Bowers
Although Garrett became a member of the American Numismatic Association, he played a minimal part in its activities. An exception to this was his acceptance on November 4, 1925, to serve as head of the ANA Smithsonian Committee. This was in response to American Numismatic Association President Moritz Wormser's invitation. Wormser noted:
I am quite sure that the duties of the committee will in no respect be onerous and at the same time I consider that your addition as a member of it will be productive of great good for numismatics in the shape of valuable suggestions which the ANA may be able to make to the Smithsonian Institution.
I am happy to accept your offer to at least serve as a member of the Committee, and soon as I have succeeded in definitely deciding on the other two members of the Committee, shall fully inform you. Of course, I quite understand the reservations which you have made in your letter as to the time which you would be able to give to the work of the Committee and, nevertheless, I am glad to have you serve on it, even with any limitations which you are compelled to set ....
Correspondence with the American Numismatic Society
In the early 20th century John Work Garrett became a member of the American Numismatic Society and corresponded with the organization from time to time, usually on the subject of Indian peace medals and scarce issues in other series. Occasionally he subscribed modest amounts to assist with purchases of items for the Society's collection.
On December 18, 1920, the Society wrote to John Work Garrett:
We were successful in getting most of the Indian peace medals which we wanted in Mr. Chapman's recent sale. We got the two we most desired, namely the American Fur Company medal with the head of John Jacob Astor on it, and a large size Jefferson medal, as well as some of the minor colonial ones. These cost us $688. We would have gotten more if we felt we had more money to spend.
The Washington Indian peace medal was loaned with a Lord Baltimore medal, the receipt of which was acknowledged on May 13; 1921 by Howland Wood, curator of the American Numismatic Society collection.
The Washington Indian peace medal proved to be of great interest, and Bauman Belden, chairman of the Committee on Indian Medals of the American Numismatic Society, wrote on May 25, 1921 to say:
I had the pleasure of looking at your Washington medal a few days ago, and it confirms my opinion that these oval Washington medals are by three different engravers, showing three styles of work.
The one of 1789, of which we have the only specimen that I have ever seen or heard of, is very crude and quite different from the others.
Then came the two sizes of 1792 and 1793, all of which are quite similar and evidently by the same hand. We have a large one of 1793 and a small one of 1792.
Lastly are those of 1793 and 1795, with the initials J. R. (Joseph Richardson of Philadelphia). and which differ in several ways from the others.
I am very glad to have the chance of comparing your medal of 1795 with those in the Society's collection and hope that you will not be in a hurry to take your medal away as it is of great interest and advantage to have the different varieties where they can all be seen and studied at the same time.
In response to an inquiry by Howland Wood, curator of the American Numismatic Society, Garrett replied on December 21, 1922, to indicate the scope of his collection and his present collecting interest:
My collection, or rather the collection made by my father and to which my brother and I have added, consists of a pretty complete series of Colonial and Continental coins, in" eluding a number of great rarity; a very complete series of American mint issues; nearly 400 patterns of the Philadelphia Mint; a good series of Hard-Times tokens; "Confederate" pieces; and hundreds of medals, including some of the rare presidential ones. I am not adding to the above series at the present. Something over one-half of the California and other private issues are also represented in the collection, some of the pieces being quite unique so far as I know.
I have not yet begun really to specialize, although I think I am tending that way. Aside from the Greek series which interests me at present, most of all, I have been, as you know, interested in the Mohammedan coins and in European issues before 1500. I also have a pretty good series of Byzantine gold and a number of Imperial Roman Aureii.
There is also a number of Confederate, broken bank, and fractional notes, but I have not even checked them up.
From time to time throughout the 1920s John Work Garrett made contributions to help with various projects, including acquisitions of new coins, cases, cabinets, and other items. Bauman Belden wrote to Garrett with a request on June 12, 1925:
Many thanks for your letter of June 9, in which you state you will contribute $50 toward the purchase of the Indian medals regarding which I wrote you on June 5. We have sent in a number of bids on these medals and trust they will be successful.
Would you mind examining your 1795 Washington Indian medal and noting very carefully if it appears to be solid silver? There is a silver medal of the same date in the National Museum at Washington, which Mr. Wood looked at some time ago. Be informed me that instead of being solid silver it Was a plate of heavily silver-plated copper, probably what would be known as "Sheffield plate," as he could see the copper where the engraver's tool had cut through the silver plating.
Whether solid silver or copper silver-plated like the National Museum specimen, the value of the medal is the same. The only reason I am making this inquiry is that in my history of these medals I describe both of these specimens and I am most anxious that my descriptions should be correct.
Until Mr. Wood told me about the National Museum medal, I had supposed that all of these medals were entirely of silver, and this raises the question as to whether those made in 1795, which was the last date, may have been made of copper with heavy silver plating, or whether this individual specimen was made that way, and the others made solid. There are so few of these medals known that it seems to be impossible to do more than simply describe each one of which I can get a description.