Descriptive Entry

This accession consists of research material created and compiled by Richard G. Doty in preparation for his book, "The Soho Mint & The Industrialization of Money." Published in 1998 by the National Museum of American History in association with Spink & Son and the British Numismatic Society, the book documents the lives and work of Matthew Boulton, Matthew Robinson Boulton, and James Watt in the creation and business of the Soho Mint in Birmingham, England. The mint began with steam-powered machines that could mass produce unforgeable copper coinage and moved on to exporting its coins and technology across the globe. While conducting research, Doty would record himself reading correspondence and other documents aloud. Later he would make transcripts from the recordings. Materials include book manuscripts; research notes; copies of archival materials; and transcripts of correspondence and other documents with annotations.