The E-Sylum:  Volume 7, Number 47, November 21, 2004, Article 17

QUIZ ANSWER:  ROSCOE STAPLES

  Last week we asked, "Who was Roscoe Staples, and what
  does he have in common with numismatists David Proskey,
  H.G. Sampson, Lorin Parmelee, Charles Steigerwalt,
  Dr. Thomas Hall, Virgil Brand, B. G. Johnson and
  James Kelly?"

  Only John M. Kleeberg, whose writing was quoted in an
  earlier E-Sylum issue on the topic, came forth with an
  answer.  He writes:

  "I am assuming that I am disqualified from this quiz about
  the owners of the finest example of the strawberry leaf
  cent.  But I would add to the above list the Estate of Virgil
  Michael Brand, Deceased, for the period from 1926 until
  around 1934 (when Horace and Armin split the Brand
  Estate), and Armin W. Brand for the period from around
  1934 to February 1941, because otherwise the title to the
  coin would be up in the air for fifteen years.  I always try
  to list decedents' estates in coin pedigrees, although other
  writers of pedigrees (notably Del Bland) don't. I was
  exposed to the Surrogate Court of New York County at
  a young and tender age, and so the probating of wills and
  the grants of letters of administration (to say nothing of
  administrations with will annexed, cum testamento
  annexato) bulk large in my consciousness.

  In New York County we have wills back to 1660 - the
  early ones are in Dutch (which continued to be used
  extensively into the eighteenth century).

  Incidentally, I've heard it said that Horace got the better
  half of the Brand Estate.  I've never thought this was so.
  As I understand the split, Horace took the gold and
  Armin most of the other coins. Occasionally, if there
  were duplicates, the brothers would each take one (or
  two).  Thus Virgil M. Brand had four (!) New Yorke in
  America tokens, and I believe that Horace took two
  and Armin took two. If you look at the coins that trace
  back to Armin, such as the strawberry leaf cent, or
  those New Yorke in America tokens - Armin did not
  do badly at all.?

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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