Opening of the Time Capsule, Boston

The capsule of the 18th century, discovered in early December 2014 in Boston in a granite block of the State House of Massachusetts, was opened Tuesday, January 6, 2015. Our previous article was a quick summary of his discovery. Today we will introduce you to the content.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Museum of Fine Arts of Boston has followed up the opening of the box operations. After the object was out of his stone cladding, a team of curators and engineers have conducted various laboratory examinations. Pamela Hatchfield, curator at the Museum of fine Arts of Boston and Conservative colleague Gerri Strickler have scanned the package prior to opening. Pamela Hatchfield first began by removing a plaster jacket and then loosen the screws with a suitable device. The welded edges and corroded lead was reduced by using a hammer and a chisel.

So what did it revealed?

-Coins between 1652 and 1855, 

-a silver plate that appears to have been engraved by Paul Revere,  

-a copper medal depicting George Washington, 

-newspaper  

-the impression of the seal of the Commonwealth,

-calling or business cards,

-Title page from the Massachusetts Colony Records.

About after opening, the objects are in conservation treatment by Pamela Hatchfield and Annette Manick, chief curator of the paper section. Click here to view the article edited by the Museum of Fine Arts.

The currency held in the hands of the conservative correspond to a pine tree shilling, a silver shilling issued early in the second half of the seventeenth century, here in 1652, under the authority of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. This type of currency quote in VF state, according to the World Coins 1601-1700 between 5 and 6.000 dollars (Réf. KM#10 or KM#15). But according to his pedigree, the price could exceed this estimate!