1893 November 13 to George F. Kunz (New York City) from Joseph W. Richards (same as above) (Letter refers to a pamphlet being asked to be returned and some copper coins and risk of counterfeiting. Aluminum ingots and the cheapness (65 cents/lb.) of aluminum come up with Prof. Richards suggesting that the use of aluminum for coinage would be wiser than “poisonous” copper. Also the discussion of the aluminum medals of the 1889 Exposition comes up again)., 1893

The collection contains 17 letters, one registry return receipt, and one envelope. Two of the letters are typewritten, the remaining material is handwritten. All of the letters have a letterhead either of Lehigh University departments, American Electrochemical Society, Economic Geology and J. B. Mackintosh, E.M. All of the letters are addressed to George F. Kunz (1856-1932), a well-known gemologist and vice-president of Tiffany & Co. in response to inquiries from Kunz. The letters from Kunz making the inquiries are not in the collection. How the original letters from Lehigh personnel sent to Kunz were returned to Lehigh is not certain. According to “The Curious Lore of George Frederick Kunz” by Lawrence H. Conklin, a mineralogist, relates that in 1973 many “letters to Kunz” were offered for sale by the bookseller, Raphael Gould, trading as the American Library Service and marketing groups of “letters to Kunz” to interested parties. Perhaps during this time Lehigh University archive was offered these “letters to Kunz” specifically because of the Lehigh University notation.