Dutch Roots

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In February 14, 1835, the Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York was established during a dinner
at Washington Hall. The society’s website states that it was founded “by a group of prominent New York City gentlemen, including Washington Irving, as a membership organization dedicated to preserving knowledge of the history and customs of New York City’s Dutch forebears,” and that John Jacob Astor was among the organizers that provided financial backing for the new group. 

This society is still going quite strong after nearly 200 years, making it one of the country’s oldest fraternal organizations. To be eligible for membership, a man must prove that he is a descendant of a pre-1785 resident of New York State. In addition to three meetings a year, a dinner in honor of Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of the Netherlands, is held in early December.

Distinguished Speakers 

An important part of the dinners are the featured speakers who have included numerous famous people, such as Theodore Roosevelt (also a member), Mark Twain, Daniel Webster, John D. Rockefeller Jr., and, more recently, Henry Kissinger. 

While not as famous as those men, Andrew Christian Zabriskie, who became a member in 1908, will be familiar to many numismatists. He joined the American Numismatic Society (ANS) in 1874 and was elected ANS president in 1896, a position he held for eight years. In 1873 at the age of 20, his work A Descriptive Catalogue of the Political and Memorial Medals Struck in Honor of Abraham Lincoln was published, and this remained the definitive reference on the subject for many years.

Society Insignia

On the society’s membership badge, a medal in the shape of the arms of New York is suspended from an orange ribbon, with a top bar that has ST. NICHOLAS across it. The medal’s reverse is blank except for STERLING at the bottom and an engraved membership number in the center. The back of the top bar is marked STERLING, and it has the member’s name and the date he joined engraved on a circular disc. Andrew Zabriskie’s badge, which is illustrated herein, is struck in 18k gold and is so marked on the reverse; the disc on the top bar is also gold.

Easter Festival

The April 14, 1903, issue of The Sun, a New York City newspaper, described the annual “Paas,” or Easter festival, of the St. Nicholas Society. It reported that “As a souvenir of the evening each guest received a large bronze medal which the society had caused to be struck for the occasion,” adding that it was “a fine specimen of the engraver’s art.”

The standing figure of Peter Stuyvesant is shown on that medal’s obverse, with the first New York City courthouse in the background. NEW AMSTERDAM MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT PROCLAIMED FEB. 2. 1655 is around the rim, and PETER STUYVESANT/DIRECTOR GENERAL is beneath the figure. On the reverse, the seal of New York City is depicted in the center, with ST. NICHOLAS SOCIETY FOUNDED FEB. 28. 1835 around the rim. NEW YORK CITY/1903 is beneath the seal. The 50mm bronze medal was struck by Tiffany & Co. of New York.

1909 Celebration

A uniface bronze medal debuted the year of the Hudson-Fulton Celebration. It depicts, appropriately enough, Henry Hudson’s vessel Halve Maen (“Half Moon”) at the top and Robert Fulton’s steamboat Clermont at the bottom. Between them, the inscription reads ANNIVERSARY DINNER/SAINT NICHOLAS SOCIETY/OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK/DEC. 6, 1909/ 1609 1807. The sculptor was Chester Beach, and his signature is at the lower right corner of the 55 x 77mm medal.

At the society’s 1912 dinner, a large uniface bronze tablet was on display. Produced by Victor D. Brenner in memory of Washington Irving, the society later moved it to Washington Irving High School. Irving’s portrait facing slightly left was adapted from an 1820 oil painting by C.R. Leslie. The date 1783 is to the left of the portrait, and 1859 is to the right. Below, the inscription in incuse letters is ERECTED BY/THE SAINT NICHOLAS SOCIETY OF THE CITY/OF NEW YORK/IN APPRECIATION OF/WASHINGTON IRVING/HIS CHARACTER—HIS GENIUS—AND HIS SERVICE/AS A FOUNDER OF THE SOCIETY. The sculptor’s signature, V. D. BRENNER/MCMXII, is in tiny letters at the lower left. According to an article in the December 7, 1912, issue of The Sun, “each diner was presented with a small replica of the tablet in bronze.” The medal is 81 x 88mm.

It is unfortunate that although the society’s website discusses its medal of merit and literary awards, no
mention is made of the other medals it has issued. It seems likely that those described here aren’t its only contributions to numismatics.

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A version of this article appears in the July 2025 issue of The Numismatist (money.org)