The E-Sylum:  Volume 6, Number 21, May 25, 2003, Article 11

BOWERS, BOWERS, AND BOWERS

  Karl Moulton writes: "The mention of George Bowers could
  use further clarification.  This was George W. Bowers, who
  is not to be confused with the other George Bowers, from
  Camden, Arkansas, who joined the ANA in 1953, #21285.
  I can find no reference confirming that George W. Bowers
  ever belonged to the ANA, yet he was an active collector of
  numismatic books and most likely a nice collection of American
  coins.

  The mention that "the truly rare stuff went for a song" at the
  local West Virginia auction is quite accurate.  Out of the
  20,000 or so volumes in the collection, I was fortunate enough
  to end up with one of the great rarities from the Bowers holdings.
  Apparently, Bowers was a good customer of Wayte Raymond
  in the 1920's.  A confirmation of this, was that he had a nice
  original, regular edition 1925 Ard W. Browning book on U. S.
  Quarters.  However, the best "find" was the 1928 Wayte
  Raymond publication "United States Gold Coins of the
  Philadelphia and Branch Mints."  It is only the second example
  traced of the Deluxe Leatherbound Interleaved Edition with
  George W. Bowers' name imprinted in gilt on the front cover.
  The book is in Near Mint condition and autographed by
  Raymond on the title page.  It is marked copy "E" of a
  presumed run of 10 (according to an ad in the Feb. 1931
  Numismatist).  It originally sold for $15., which was a rather
  lofty price for a coin book during the depression.  The only
  other copy that has come to the market was William C.
  Atwater's fine copy which was sold in George Kolbe's
  February 1990 sale, lot 451, for $1650. on an estimate of
  $500.

  [I was referring to some of the coins, which went for a song
  according to one dealer who attended the sale.  I recall him
  saying he purchased a high-grade Continental Dollar for about
  10% of its retail value at the time.   -Editor]

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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