June 5, 1838

June 5, 1838. The James Smithson bequest, having been awarded to the United States by the English Court of Chancery, is transferred to the U.S. agent Richard Rush. Rush sells the bonds and securities from Smithson’s estate, converts them into English gold sovereigns, and, on July 17, departs for the United States. At the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, the gold sovereigns are reminted as U.S. currency amounting to $508,318.46.

Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Archives

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