August 2002 Issue

By James C. Johnston Jr.
Photos by Steven Vater

            
  If you are going to collect coins, you should join the American Numismatic Association. As a part of the membership deal, you’ll get the association’s magazine each month, The Numismatist. Serious stamp collectors join the American Philatelic Society, and collectors of antiques and collectibles, of all sorts, join societies and study groups. It is just a great thing to do if you want to increase the pleasure that comes with collecting.

          Most clubs and associations connected with hobbies have meets, bourses, meetings, and conventions. You should get involved. It’s a lot of fun as is sometimes writing about the hobby. Over the years, I’ve written articles for Linn’s Stamp News and The Numismatist.

          Back in March of this year, The Numismatist, the official magazine of the American Numismatic Association, ran one of my articles entitled “Aaron Burr Numismatist.” The Numismatist, is a truly fine publication with a hundred and nineteen year history. This publication is, in and of itself, a powerful reason to join the A.N.A. Dues are only $33.00 a year.

          To join the A.N.A. just write to American Numismatic Association at 818 N Cascade Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO., 80903-3279, and ask for a membership form. Now having made a plea for all budding numismatists to join the A.N.A. and truly to get into the hobby, I’ll tell you the tale of Aaron Burr, a vice-presidential numismatist.

          Aaron Burr came from a distinguished American family. His maternal grandfather was Jonathan Edwards, the great Puritan minister, writer, and third president of Princeton. His father was the Reverend Aaron Burr, a co-founder and second president of Princeton. Burr was graduated from Princeton.

          Burr attempted to join his cousin, Benedict Arnold, on Arnold’s invasion of Canada, but he was sent home because he was thought to be too young. Later on he joined the American Revolutionary Army and rose to the rank of Lt. Colonial. According to writer Gore Vidal, Burr found himself near Kinderhook, New York at Van Buren’s Tavern where he stayed for a while. He even suggests that Burr was really the father of U.S.’ eighth president, Martin Van Buren. They did look alike!

          Burr became a lawyer after the Revolution, a United States Congressman, Senator, and Vice-President of the United States as a runner-up to Jefferson in 1800. Burr’s ambitions to be president then governor of New York were crushed by Alexander Hamilton who swayed both the presidential election of 1800 and the New York’s governor’s election of 1804 against Burr. This was too much, and Burr engaged Hamilton in a fatal duel in 1804. Burr was forever branded as the “Man who killed Hamilton.”

          Hamilton’s reputation enlarged after his death. Burr’s reputation diminished, and his political future was ruined. In 1807, Burr decided to take over the Spanish lands next to the United States’ south western corner and set up his own republic. He was captured, tried for treason and acquitted.

          Burr’s closest friend and best correspondent was his only legitimate child, his daughter Theodosia. Theodosia was the best educated woman in America. Burr saw to that. He loved his daughter’s brilliant and elevated mind. It was for her son, Aaron Burr Alston, that he collected a cabinet of ancient, middle ages and modern coins.

           As a former vice president of the United States, Burr thought that he could make a successful, almost royal, visit to Europe. Here he gathered ancient coins, thalers, and other

historic numismatic gems. He was given a substantial number of items by his European friends. On the whole, he found Americans in Europe cold to him.

           Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, France’s foreign minister, refused to receive Burr. He announced that he kept an oil painting of his friend General Hamilton over the fireplace in his study to honor the memory of the man Burr killed.

          By the time Burr arrived in France, his money was running out, and good society was shunning him in Paris. The United States’ chargé d’affaires in Paris, Jonathan Russell, reported stories to President Madison about Burr trying to bring about an alliance between France and Great Britain for the conquest of the United States. These stories were fantastic, but there was Burr’s record of attempted empire building to consider. Doubts about Burr abounded. Many, including Madison, would rather Burr stayed in Europe.

          In 1811, Burr sold some of the coins, for he had no other resources or anyone to help him. Talleyrand’s refusal to help was very bitter, because Talleyrand had long been a guest at Burr’s home, Richmond Hill, when he was hiding out in America as a refugee from Robespierre’s “Reign of Terror” when thousands were beheaded in the “Palace de la Revolution.”

          In 1811, Burr sailed for the United States on the Vigilant. He had a special cabin which had been fitted out, at his own cost, with shelves for his rather extensive library. Captain Combes (or Coombes) was not altogether pleased with having Burr on board, but that was taken care of when the English seized the Vigilant and brought her to England.  There Burr parted with more of his coin cabinet and eventually made his way back to the United States.

          When he arrived in Boston, Burr found himself very short of funds. Not wanting to give up what was left of his coin cabinet, he sold some French dictionaries to Harvard for forty dollars.

          He now had enough money to take him back to New york with what was left to him of the coins, but this story was not going to have a happy ending. He never got to give ten year old Aaron Burr Alson his numismatic gift. Aaron Burr’s grandson was dead and Theodosia was broken by grief. She would take a sea voyage on the Patriot  for her health. Burr would never see his bright and beautiful daughter again. The Patriot was lost at sea. The ship was rumored to have been taken by pirate Jean Lafitte who had the habit of stripping his prize ships of all treasure then killing all on board. Lafitte then sank the ships. All evidence was sent into the deep.

          Burr lost his taste for numismatics.

          He was in debt for the next 25 years, except for a short period when he was married to Eliza Jumel, the widow of a rich merchant and the rumored former mistress of a Providence brothel. After the wedding, Burr was supposed to have stolen Eliza’s carriage and horses and sold them for $500! He died broke atop the New York Merchants Exchange in 1836. This building is featured on “Hard Times Tokens” of the period.