Home, sweet home: Highlights of the 1933 Double Eagle Tour

By Angela Modany

Editor’s note: This is the last of a nine-part series that follows the European tour of one of the Smithsonian’s most treasured coins, the 1933 Double Eagle, affectionately known as “Our Girl.”

Seven countries, nine international flights, and one month later—the girls are safely home!

Looking back, the Smithsonian team is humbled by Europe’s enthusiastic response. Why did thousands of people wait in long lines on rainy days to see “Our Girl”? Curator Karen Lee enlisted the help of a translator to find out: “Because it is our once-in-a-lifetime chance!” so many visitors replied.

For one last glimpse of the excitement in Europe from “Our Girl’s” travels:


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Sam and Betsy—the interns extraordinaire who gave "Our Girl" her voice and spunk—are equally humbled by the opportunity to reach out to the blogosphere from the National Numismatic Collection. With Lee and "Our Girl" in a new city every week, it was certainly a challenge to keep up with them! The interns wrote and rewrote the blog entries, striving to hit exactly the right tone—charming, fun, educational and professional. They worked as a team and developed a loving relationship as they learned about the blogging process and developed their individual creative voices. They are thrilled that the blog series has received 1,612 views so far!

7_We really made it,  Gold Smith Hall, London, England

Time to rest for now–but who knows what other exciting projects are in store for the National Numismatic Collection?!

Karen Lee is an associate curator and Samantha DesRochers and Betsy Franz are interns in the National Numismatic Collection at the National Museum of American History.