The Sound of a Homeland
The oud, the qanun, the dhol and the duduk — instruments that have carried Armenian song across centuries and continents. The exhibit pairs portraits of musicians with recordings made across the country.
Ազատություն
Liberty
Real Liberty Copper · Belcourt of Newport
Liberty for the Armenian Community
100% of the profits from every Real Liberty Copper Coin purchased here supports the Armenian exhibit and Armenian cultural programming at Belcourt of Newport.
Melkon Rafaelian, born March 5, 1894, and siblings.
The Story
A Family Story.
An Armenian Story.
What a family carries across an ocean is more than memory. It is music, faith, language, tradition, and the will to begin again.
Rhode Island has long been home to a strong Armenian community, families who rebuilt their lives here while carrying their culture, faith, music, food, and traditions forward.
Carolyn Rafaelian’s family story began with her grandfather, Melkon Rafaelian, who survived the Armenian Genocide and came to America through Ellis Island. As his ship entered New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty stood as one of the first symbols of the new life ahead of him.
He eventually made his way to Rhode Island, where he built a home, raised a family, and began a legacy that would continue for generations.
Years later, Carolyn would come into custody of authentic copper removed from the Statue of Liberty during her 1986 restoration. The same symbol that welcomed her grandfather to America became something she could physically preserve and carry forward.
Today, that history continues at Belcourt of Newport through Armenia: An Exhibit of Life and Culture, celebrating Armenian music, photography, art, faith, and tradition for generations to come.
Armenia
One of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations — carried forward in music, faith, bread and stone.
Light through the nave during a service
About the Exhibit
Armenia: An Exhibit of Life & Culture
Armenia: An Exhibit of Life and Culture brings together photography, art, music, stories and cultural history that reflect Armenian heritage and identity. The exhibit at Belcourt of Newport creates a place to celebrate Armenian life and culture while helping preserve those stories for the next generation.
Through the photography of Anastasiya Sergienya and the films of Emmy Award–winning filmmaker David Bettencourt, it travels from village kitchens and market stalls to churches and mountain monasteries.
Photography by Anastasiya Sergienya and David Bettencourt
The First Christian Nation
In 301 AD, Armenia became the first nation to adopt Christianity as its state religion. Seventeen centuries later, thin beeswax candles are still lit on entering the church — a quiet act repeated by every generation.
Bread, Shared
Lavash is rolled thin by hand, baked against the walls of a clay tonir and shared at every table. UNESCO recognizes its making as part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
Hands That Remember
High on the scaffolding of a church interior, painters work its floral murals brushstroke by brushstroke. In a workshop below the mountains, a duduk maker shapes the instrument traditionally carved from apricot wood.
A Portrait of a People
Elders and young people, priests and bakers, musicians and market vendors. Above all, the exhibit is a portrait of the Armenian people — of faces that carry a history, and of the generation that will carry it forward.
From the Exhibit
Scenes of Armenian Life
Monasteries and markets, feast tables and family kitchens — moments from the exhibit’s photographs.
Photography by Anastasiya Sergienya and David Bettencourt
Learn About the Armenian Exhibit
The Coin
Liberty, Struck in Her Own Copper
For generations of families arriving through New York Harbor, she was the first sight of a new life.
Every Real Liberty Copper Coin is struck with original 1886 copper components from the Statue of Liberty — the saddles and rivets that fastened her copper skin to Eiffel’s iron armature — removed during her 1984–1986 restoration and preserved at Belcourt of Newport.
Each coin is individually serialized and arrives with a Certificate of Title. Purchased here, it becomes something more: a bridge between the story of liberty and the story of a people who carried theirs across an ocean.
100% of the profits from every coin purchased here supports the Armenian exhibit and Armenian cultural programming at Belcourt of Newport.
Corporate & group gifts
Save 5% on 5–10 coins and 10% on 11–20 coins. Applied automatically in your cart.
Free shipping · 7-day money-back guarantee · Secure, encrypted checkout
In the box
- Struck copper coin, individually serialized
- Certificate of Title
- Presentation display box
Every order
- Complete provenance documentation
- Free shipping
- 100% of the profits to the Armenian exhibit
Every Coin Gives Back
100%of the profitsEvery Real Liberty Copper Coin purchased here supports the Armenian exhibit and Armenian cultural programming at Belcourt of Newport — helping preserve and share Armenian stories, music, art and traditions.
№ I
The Exhibit
Photography, film, music and stories, preserved and presented at Belcourt of Newport.
№ II
Cultural Programming
Concerts, gatherings and events that bring Armenian music and tradition to Newport.
№ III
The Next Generation
Keeping Armenian stories, music, art and traditions alive for those who come after.
Visit & Learn More
Experience the Exhibit at Belcourt of Newport
A Gilded Age landmark on Newport’s Bellevue Avenue, Belcourt is home to the Armenian exhibit — and to the 1886 Statue of Liberty copper preserved for America’s 250th. Learn more about the exhibit, or plan a visit to Belcourt.
Newport, Rhode Island 02840
Questions
Before You Order
Is this a different coin?
No. It is the Real Liberty Copper Coin — struck with original 1886 Statue of Liberty copper, individually serialized and delivered with a Certificate of Title. What is different is where the proceeds go: 100% of net proceeds from coins purchased on this page supports the Armenian exhibit and Armenian cultural programming at Belcourt of Newport.
How do I make sure my purchase supports the Armenian exhibit?
Order from this page. Every coin added to your cart here — a Standard Coin, or one with a serial number you choose — is recorded for the Armenian exhibit.
Can I choose a meaningful serial number?
Yes. Choose Serial Number lets you look up a specific number — a birth year, a family date, the year someone arrived — and order it if it is open. Serial numbers 0001001–0130000 are available for selection.
How do I know it is authentic 1886 copper?
Each coin ships with a Certificate of Title and is recorded with a unique serial number. The copper components were recovered during the 1984–1986 restoration and have been in continuous custodial stewardship. View the provenance documentation.
How do I reach Real Liberty Copper?
Email us at concierge@reallibertycopper.com.