On October 4, 2016 Connecticut book & ephemera dealer Henry Berry posted on the EXLIBRIS-L mailing list an offering of a group of
numismatic letters written to George Kunz circa 1890s-1920s. The group has likely by now been sold, but I wanted to document it here. Berry can be
reached at henryberryinct@gmail.com. He kindly provided the images shown here. Thanks. Here are
descriptions of a couple of the letters. -Editor  A list of 21 letters mostly handwritten concerning numismatics to George Kunz, the famed Tiffany & Co. mineralogist and gemologist. Many of
the letters are about or make reference to the redesign of American coins in the early 1900s, a project promoted by president Theodore Roosevelt; and
all show the relationship and activities among varied prominent individuals interested in coins and medals (numismatics) in the late 1800s and early
1900s. George Kunz was a central figure in the movement of coin redesign and also the design and making of medals, some of which were done by
Tiffany.
1.[TYPED LETTER SIGNED; ST. GAUDENS’ MOTTOLESS PIECE] T. L. Comparette [Thomas Louis, 1868-1922], noted coin collector and author, 1-page typed
letter with "Confidential, but not [underlined] suggested from 'higher up' " at top and handwritten date above it Nov. 20, 1907,
Comparette reviews the grounds for the opposition to redesign of the coins, suggests a position for dealing with it, and advises Kunz on what he can
do to forward the aim of redesign, letter reads in part, "I do not know how the new coin appeals to you and what position you are going to take
in the discussion of it that is now raging...the effect that opposition from all parts may have not only on the fate of the new piece but on any
future effort to improve our coinage. As you must certainly know, the President's [Theodore Roosevelt] task is a most thankless one...it would be
assailed...no matter how beautiful [the new design] might be...Does it not strike you that friends of numismatics, and the numismatic societies ought
to take a calm view...even if the coin does not strike their individual fancy, welcome the effort and demand [underlined] that it be kept up until
all the rest of the series has been similarly treated?...If we down this one we cannot expect further efforts...The mottoless piece will be strongly
assiled [sic] by religionists...If you are in favor of better coins why not busy yourself just a little to party the opposition. I think the
President who has shown himself friendly to a neglected art deserves our support….”; NOTE: President Theodore Roosevelt took an active role in the
movement to redesign U. S. coins; a brief letter of his to his Secretary of the Treasury Leslie. M. Shaw on this interest sold at Heritage Auctions
for $94,000 in 2012; a Nov. 11, 1907, Roosevelt letter to the New York state Reverend Roland C. Dryer who had written to the president objecting to
the removal of the phrase “In God We Trust” from St. Gaudens-designed $10 and $20 gold coins sold at Heritage Auction in 2005 for over $40,000; this
confidential letter to George Kunz from Comparette mentioning the “mottoless piece will be strongly assiled [sic] by religionists [such as Rev. Dryer
whom Roosevelt wrote to]” undoubtedly refers to the contemporary controversy over the removal of the motto “In God We Trust” from the coins which is
the subject of Roosevelt’s letter to Rev. Dryer, Comparette’s letter to Kunz referring to this controversy that was a public issue to some extent was
written 9 days after Roosevelt’s letter to Dryer. $550.00
 
2. [TWO RELATED AUTOGRAPH LETTERS SIGNED/ALS/T. ROOSEVELT MEDAL] Two related letters concerning an inaugural medal regarding Theodore Roosevelt:(1)
John M[oulder] Wilson, 1837-1919, Civil War Union General, Medal of Honor recipient for action at the Battle of Malvern Hill in Virginia, in 1862,
Chairman of the Inaugural Committee for Theodore Roosevelt in 1905 involved in the design and production of the popular Tiffany and Co. medal by
Augustus Saint-Gaudens, 4-page handwritten letter 4-7/8” x 6-1/4”, dated March 2nd, 1909, from Washington, D. C., to sculptor Adolph A. Weinman in
New York, Wilson explains why he does not want to offer the “expert inauguration medal design [for T. Roosevelt’s first inauguration in 1905] by you
[Weinman] under the supervision of Mr. St. Gaudens”, other parts of Wilson’s letter are, “I have your letter of the 27th [?] in reference to the
request of Mr. Kunz; the gentleman wrote to me not long since and I replied…telling him [Kunz] the exact number of medals that were struck off and
just how they were distributed. So far as our Inaugural Committee was concerned, we desired that this expert medal should be treasured as of the
greatest value as a souvenir and I have the letter from the President [Theodore Roosevelt] asking that we should give Mr. St. Gaudens a carte blanche
to go ahead, which we did; when it was completed Tiffany + Co. were requested not to strike off more than we ordered, for we did not desire the medal
to be hawked about the country and become too common…no one has been authorized to order more. I tried to help Mr. Kunz as far as I could and gave
him my only copy of the smaller medal that we had made for personal distribution and I fully explained to him that as far as I was concerned it would
be impossible for me to help him as nothing would persuade me to part with the only one of your [Weinman’s] medals that fell to my share….”; (2)
Adolph Alexander Weinman, 1870-1952, “Weinman is…best remembered as the designer of the Walking Liberty Half Dollar (a design now used for the
obverse of the American Silver Eagle one-ounce bullion coin) and the ‘Mercury’ dime along with various medals for the Armed Services of the United
States. Among these are the identical reverses of the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and the
American Campaign Medal. [wikipedia], 1 page handwritten letter 8-1/2” x 11” with Adolph Alexander Weinman letterhead dated March 5, 1909, to George
Kunz, beginning with, “Enclosed herewith I am sending you General John M. Wilson’s reply to my letter requesting his consent for the casting of two
additional replicas of the Roosevelt Inauguration Medal…[continuing in part] his position of not granting the request seems definite…let me know if I
can be of any assistance in this matter….”; NOTE: the pair of letters makes for an exceptional item considering the writers who are a Civil War Medal
of Honor winner and noted sculptor in the redesign of American coins, the topic of Theodore Roosevelt’s 1905 Inaugural Medal, mention of president T.
Roosevelt, mention of St. Gauden’s and Weinman’s design under his supervision, and Gen. Wilson’s reasons for not consenting to additional strikes of
the medal and declining to provide his copy of the medal he received as chairman of the Inaugural Committee as a model for additional copies;
CONDITION NOTE: edgewear along right edge of Weinman letter. 475.00
For the full description of the letters, see:
NUMISMATIC LETTERS TO GEORGE F. KUNZ
(https://docs.google.com/document/d/
1S9u6SypSv59FfaFDAy8lPd_2VEZRQPPLUG6BvhwRJ6A/pub)
Wayne Homren, Editor
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