THE WILKISON GOLD PATTERN COLLECTION

In September 1973, Paramount International Coin Corporation (under the auspices of the noted gold coin expert, David Akers) purchased the collection of Dr. John E. Wilkison of Springfield, Tennessee. The collection consisted of 47 gold U.S. Pattern coins, 35 of which were different, and eight pieces that were unique. Dr. Wilkison built his collection over the period from 1942 to 1973, purchasing coins from the likes of dealers Charlie Green (who represented Dr. Wilkison at the 1954 sale of the King Farouk collection) and Abe Kosoff (who provided several major rarities and helped broker a mega-trade with the pattern specialist and author, Dr. J. Hewitt Judd). Dr. Wilkison’s collecting accomplishments surpassed those of any previous collector of gold U.S. Pattern coins (the King Farouk collection was the only one that was close and it had fewer different pieces and fewer total pieces).

In 1975, Akers published a book titled, “United State Gold Patterns: A Photographic Study of the Gold Patterns Struck at the United States Mint from 1836 to 1907.” Leaning heavily on the Wilkison collection and borrowing images from other collections and institutions, Akers was able to illustrate 46 of the 51 gold pattern coins. For the missing five pieces, Akers used copper versions of the same Judd numbers as illustrations.

In subsequent years, the Wilkison collection was broken up and sold off. Most have ended up in strong hands, which means they will not be entering the market any time soon. This, then, is the first of a series of articles that will seek to track down the coins from the Wilkison collection and update pedigree chains and grades, where known. Have the coins scattered to the winds or is there another collector who is trying to surpass Dr. Wilkison’s accomplishment? Stay tuned.

1860 $5 Gold Pattern, Judd 271, Pollock 319, Gold, Reeded Edge

Judd 271 is unusual in that the diameter is the same as a $10 gold piece, but to keep the weight the same as a regular $5 gold piece, the planchet was rolled out much thinner than normal. Another unusual aspect of Judd 271 is that the V in FIVE is actually an inverted A. Judd 271 is represented by only two examples, both of which (amazingly, but not surprsingly) were once owned by Dr. Wilkison. The good doctor acquired his first example in the early 1940’s from Abe Kosoff for $4,200. In 1962, Dr. Wilkison traded for Dr. Judd’s collection of gold patterns, which included a second (and better) Judd-271. Wilkison retained both examples, presumably keeping the first one as potential trade bait.

To read the complete articles, see:
REVISITING THE DR. JOHN E. WILKISON COLLECTION OF GOLD U.S. PATTERNS (http://www.pcgsblog.com/ron-guth/news/revisiting-the-dr-john-e-wilkison-collection-of-gold-u-s-patterns)
REVISITING THE DR. JOHN E. WILKISON COLLECTION OF GOLD U.S. PATTERNS, Part II (http://www.pcgsblog.com/ron-guth/news/revisiting-the-dr-john-e-wilkison-collection-of-gold-u-s-patterns-part-ii)
REVISITING THE DR. JOHN E. WILKISON COLLECTION OF GOLD U.S. PATTERNS, Part III (http://www.pcgsblog.com/ron-guth/news/revisiting-the-dr-john-e-wilkison-collection-of-gold-u-s-patterns-part-iii)
REVISITING THE DR. JOHN E. WILKISON COLLECTION OF GOLD U.S. PATTERNS, Part IV (http://www.pcgsblog.com/ron-guth/news/revisiting-the-dr-john-e-wilkison-collection-of-gold-u-s-patterns-part-iv)
REVISITING THE DR. JOHN E. WILKISON COLLECTION OF GOLD U.S. PATTERNS, Part V (http://www.pcgsblog.com/ron-guth/news/revisiting-the-dr-john-e-wilkison-collection-of-gold-u-s-patterns-part-v)
REVISITING THE DR. JOHN E. WILKISON COLLECTION OF GOLD U.S. PATTERNS, Part VI – 1873 to 1876 (http://www.pcgsblog.com/ron-guth/news/revisiting-the-dr-john-e-wilkison-collection-of-gold-u-s-patterns-part-vi-1873-to-1876)

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