From June 28 to July 2, the 4th International Convention of Historians and Numismatists held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic was a resounding success, attracting participants from over 30 countries and totaling 350 attendees. Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC is proud to be among the sponsors for this grand event.
With a primary focus on Latin American and Spanish Colonial currencies, minting houses, history, and art, this convention marked the fourth in a biennial series of International Conventions of Historians and Numismatists (ICHN). The previous editions were Potosi 2016, Arequipa 2018, and Cartagena MMXXI. Santo Domingo MMXXIII boasted the highest attendance of all the editions, setting the stage for another successful biennial convention. The next host for the fifth International Convention in 2025, as decided by the Vice Presidents and members of commissions, will be Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Santo Domingo MMXXIII was hosted by the Sociedad Numismatica Dominicana S.N.D, and organized by a committee led by the Society’s president, José Manuel Henríquez, and ICHN co-founder Daniel Oropeza Alba. The convention took place in the historic Colonial City of Santo Domingo, known as La Ciudad Primada de América, which was founded in 1498. It was in this city that one of the earliest mints in the Americas produced hand-struck silver coins from 1542 to 1552.
We were honored to have Cori Sedwick Downing, partner of Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC, present her new book titled “The Charles and Joanna Silver Coinage of Santo Domingo, from 1542 to 1552.” This remarkable publication was co-authored by Isaac and edited by Daniel Frank Sedwick. This new reference book analyzes the many design varieties found among Santo Domingo Charles-Joanna coinage using detailed, close up photographs and expert descriptions. Purchase your copy today on the Sedwick Coins website at https://www.sedwickcoins.com/books.htm.
Other esteemed authors also had the opportunity to showcase their published or upcoming works. Roberto Mastalir presented his volume V The Great Transition at The Potosi Mint 1649-1653: The Post-Transitional Coinage of 1653-1659, this book part of a multivolume series has been published under Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC and for first time with a very limited printing done in the host city of Santo Domingo, while Glen Murray Fantom introduced his book Boato y Tecnología: Cincuentines, Centenes y Escudos de a Ocho. Las Monedas Especiales del Real Ingenio de Segovia.
Furthermore, Ignacio Gutierrez shared details about his forthcoming publication “Los Doblones de a Ocho Escudos” por Ignacio Gutiérrez delgado – 2023 2 volúmenes segunda edición expandida which includes an special collaboration in a form of an extra chapter written by Augi Garcia, discussing the psychology of the collector and current market scenarios for 8 escudos.
Highlights of Santo Domingo MMXXIII included over two dozen in-person lectures and presentations by notable numismatic and historical researchers. Among the esteemed speakers were Daniel Oropeza Alba from Bolivia, Eduardo Dargent Chamot from Peru, Manuel Chacón from Costa Rica, Glenn Steven Murray Fantom from Spain, Hilton Lucio from Brazil, as well as experts from the United States such as Andrés Felipe Cortázar, Cori Sedwick Downing, Jorge A. Proctor, Ricardo Tallavas de León representing the American Numismatic Association, Jesse Kraft representing the American Numismatic Society, and Burt Webber, a historic shipwreck explorer based in the Dominican Republic, who discussed the history and archaeological recovery of the 1641 shipwreck Nuestra Señora de la Concepción in Dominican Republic waters.
Among many other important speakers from all over Latin America and Spain, such as Glenn Murray Fantom, Hilton Lucio, Jorge Becerra León, Dr. Frank Moya Pons, Daniel Oropeza Alba, Ulises Gardoni, Juan Claudio Lechín Weisse, Gilberto Izcoa Medina, Eduardo Dargent Chamot, Juan Felipe Ramírez, Yanko Ramírez, Richard Cacchione Amendola, Manuel Chacón, Carlos Jara, Alan Luedeking, Nicolás Liakopolus, Ignacio Olazagasti, Eduardo Lay Parra, Indyra Mendoza, Sigrid Bazán y Juan Camilo Rojas among others.
The Convention also paid tribute to the late numismatist Luis Roberto Ponte, who passed away on March 15, 2023, with a memorial tribute.
Additional event components included a special ceremony for the release of a new government postal issue commemorating Santo Domingo’s numismatic history, a discussion among the five-member Santo Domingo MMXXIII Comisión Jurídica, and the selection of the host venue for the sixth International Convention from among the competing entities (the sixth International Convention is scheduled to take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2027).
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