The E-Sylum:  Volume 10, Number 46, November 11, 2007, Article 12

HARRY FORMAN: IZZY SWITT CONNECTION?

Alan V. Weinberg writes: "I recall visiting Harry Forman
at his home in Philadelphia some 25 years ago. He showed
me an extraordinary .900 fine gold 76mm or so 1892-93 World's
Columbian Exposition medal, with a prominent flat rim dent.
I asked what happened to it as it had appealed enormously
to me but for the rim dent (I hate rim dents!) Harry told
me he'd previously removed it from his waist high safe on
the basement's cement floor and dropped it. As I recall,
Harry wanted $5,000 for it at the time. I passed, due to
the rim dent.

"Perhaps three years ago I bought an extraordinary large
size .900 fine gold World's Columbian Exposition medal out
of an ANR auction. I'd never seen it before. Immediate
underbidders on the phone were dealer/collector Tony
Terranova and New York City collector Gil Steinberg.

"At the time I asked ANR for the provenance of their medal
as it had no pedigree and had not appeared before. All they
would say was what was in the catalogue description - that
it was found in the back of an old Philadelphia safe.   I
began to wonder if the medal came out of a safe belonging
to Philadelphia's legendary Israel Switt, the deceased
jeweler /coin dealer who owned the disputed ten 1933
Saint-Gaudens $20's.  Some three years later a reliable
source indicated that my guess was on target.  I now believe
that medal did pass through the hands of 'Izzy' Switt.

"Reading last month's Numismatist article on Harry Forman
and his office in his home's basement, everything suddenly
came together. Harry was close with Switt and almost certainly
obtained his large gold WCE medal, now badly bruised, from
Switt.  It's interesting how pieces of the puzzle slowly
appear.

"Both medals (the ANR auction medal and Forman's) were
excellent quality medals of heavy deep yellow gold, definitely
at least .900 fine. They were both from dies for which no
other medal in another metal exists.  In fact, knowing Switt's
Philadelphia Mint connections, I would surmise they might
have been struck there."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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