Inventor Name
Perkins, Jacob
Repository
American Antiquarian Society
Manuscripts Department
185 Salisbury Street
Worcester, MA 01609-1634
http://www.americanantiquarian.org/visit.htm
Physical Description
1 box.
Summary
Jacob Perkins (1766-1849) of Newburyport, Mass. was an engraver, inventor, and silversmith, having produced the first steel plate for bank notes and the dies for minting state coins during the Confederation period. He was a prolific inventor in the fields of steam power and the outfitting of ships. Perkins established a factory in England in 1819 for making plates and printing bank notes, and also produced millions of British postage stamps. His steel plate, a preventive against counterfeiting, was eventually adopted by law throughout this country. Perkins was elected to the London Institute of Civil Engineers and received many awards and medals for his achievements. This collection is a compilation of research materials on Jacob Perkins, assembled largely by Charles Henry Taylor (1867-1941), publisher of the Boston Globe, and includes several original items such as sample bank notes on his many inventions, with copies of engravings and specifications, biographical and genealogical information, photographs of engravings, sketches, and his British postage stamps, and many copies of various printed articles concerning Perkins and his inventions.