The Numismatic Bibliomania Society

PREV ARTICLE       NEXT ARTICLE       FULL ISSUE       PREV FULL ISSUE      

V12 2009 INDEX       E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 12, Number 6, February 8, 2009, Article 4

KOLBE NUMISMATIC LITERATURE SALE #109 CATALOGS AVAILABLE

George Kolbe forwarded the following note about his next numismatic literature sale, which is a follow-up to his recent January 10th New York sales of the The Twinleaf Library of Classic Plated. U.S. Auction Sales & Works on Large Cents and The Dr. Ferdinando Bassoli Library Antiquarian & Italian Numismatic Works -Editor
Kolbe Sale109 On March 5, 2009, Kolbe’s 109th sale will feature Part II of both of the above libraries. The auction will also include classic works on historical medals and ancient numismatics; Du Bois’s rare 1846 Pledges of History, the first work on the coin collection at the Philadelphia Mint; numismatic wall art; works on British numismatics; numismatically oriented Acts of Parliament 1695-1883; a little-known 1974 special convention issue of the Red Book; a 1799 Act of Parliament authorizing Matthew Boulton to erect a mint in Russia; and many other notable works on a variety of topics. Printed catalogues are available for $10 or are accessible at no cost at the firm’s web site: www.numislit.com

George kindly forwarded the text of two interesting lots from the sale for publication here in The E-Sylum. The first is illustrated with an image of the copy in my own library - it is NOT the copy offered in George's sale. -Editor


Lot 861 “Mr. Adam Eckfeldt, formerly Chief Coiner, led as well by his own taste as by the expectation that a conservatory would some day be established, took pains to preserve master-coins of the different annual issues of the Mint”

DuBois Pledges of History 861 Du Bois, William E. PLEDGES OF HISTORY. A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE COLLECTION OF COINS BELONGING TO THE MINT OF THE UNITED STATES, MORE PARTICULARLY OF THE ANTIQUE SPECIMENS. by William E. Du Bois, Assistant Assayer of the Mint, and one of the authors of the manual of coins. Philadelphia: C. Sherman, Printer, 1846. 138 pages, 3 blank leaves, finely engraved medal ruling machine frontispiece plate depicting a variety of ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine coins. 16mo: 17 x 10.5 cm. Original printed tan wrappers a little worn, spotted, and dusty, portions of text a trifle foxed. An unsophisticated very good or better example, with honest signs of use. (1,250.00)

Ex libris Harry W. Bass, Jr. Attinelli page 107. Clain-Stefanelli 12515. A pioneering work, comprising the first listing of the contents of the Mint Cabinet. The introduction features the author's evocative statement: "The collection was commenced in June, 1838. Long before that date, however, Mr. Adam Eckfeldt, formerly Chief Coiner, led as well by his own taste as by the expectation that a conservatory would some day be established, took pains to preserve master-coins of the different annual issues of the Mint, and to retain some of the finest foreign specimens, as they appeared in deposit for recoinage."

A printed notice on the title verso reads in part: "By a private contribution, an edition of one hundred forty copies, in the present form, has been struck off, for distribution to such societies and individuals as would be likely to appreciate the subject. It has also been adorned by a vignette, through the generosity of Mr. Saxton and Mr. Longacre, artists." Pledges of History is rarely encountered today, suggesting that the edition of 140 copies was never fully distributed.

Lot 823

MIAMI BEACH
International
Coin Convention
January 3, 4, 5, 6, 1974
Deauville Hotel


823 Yeoman, R. S. THE RED BOOK OF UNITED STATES COINS — 1974 — A GUIDE BOOK OF UNITED STATES COINS. 27th revised edition. fully illustrated. catalog and valuation list — 1616 to date. by R. S. Yeoman. including . . . A brief history of American coinage. Early American coins and tokens. Early mint issues. Regular mint issues. Private, state and territorial gold. silver and gold commemorative issues. Proofs. Edited by Kenneth Bressett. Racine: Whitman Publishing Company, Inc., 1973. 256 pages, text illustrations of coins throughout. 12mo. Original red leather-grained boards, spine lettered in gilt, upper front cover lettered in gilt within a gilt panel, lower front cover stamped in gilt as above. Spine ends and corners a trifle worn, internally unmarked. A fine, bright example. (250.00)

Special Convention Issue. Among the earliest specially-stamped editions of the Red Book, presumably prepared by the 1974 Miami Coin Convention sponsors although the tint and intensity of the gold foil utilized in both impressions is quite similar as is their registration. Clearly, it was not carelessly executed. At present, this appears to be the only example known to have survived from what was apparently a one-time coin convention, presumably manned and attended in substantial part by overseas dealers and collectors with little interest in retaining a foreign value guide rendered useless when its annual successor appeared.

Perhaps five, fifty—pick any small number—were issued for presentation and/or promotional purposes. It was fortuitously obtained at the show, and recently re-discovered, by an American numismatist whose collecting genes prevailed, though he thought little of it at the time. A vague recollection suggests that it may have been obtained it as a door prize. Now named the Deauville Beach Resort, its promotional material recalls that “The Deauville, as it was then known, was the center of Miami Beach’s glamorous 60's lifestyle, where Frank, Dino and Sammy romped while John, Paul, George and Ringo made history.” And for a brief period in early 1974, as documented here, it was the home of the numismatically rich and famous.



Wayne Homren, Editor

Google
 
NBS (coinbooks.org) Web

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com

To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum

PREV ARTICLE       NEXT ARTICLE       FULL ISSUE       PREV FULL ISSUE      

V12 2009 INDEX       E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

Copyright © 1998 - 2020 The Numismatic Bibliomania Society (NBS)
All Rights Reserved.

NBS Home Page
Contact the NBS webmaster
coin