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The E-Sylum: Volume 12, Number 19, May 10, 2009, Article 15
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QUERY: JOHN J. FORD COLLECTION: SOLD AND UNSOLD

Karl Moulton writes:
Apparently, there should have been some clarification made in the press release about my Ford/"Franklin Hoard" book. The Ford sales mentioned in the press release were the 21 separate, named sales conducted by Stack's between 2003 & 2007.

Other Ford collection items had been offered or sold previously beginning in 1983 when he sold his Hitler memorabilia. In 1990 & 1992, Ford consigned his 1852/1 USAOG "Proof" $20 to Superior. It failed to meet the reserve both times and was labeled as "Coiner John Kellogg's Personal Coin". Ford was not named as the consignor, but the same coin was sold in the Ford part II sale by Stack's, lot 363. In that offering, there was no mention of John G. Kellogg's prior ownership.

Other items were sold by Stack's in 1993 (slave hire badges & some Colonials). Other Ford Colonials (Connecticut) were offered in the June and September 1994 sales by Stack's. They list the consignor as the Ford Family Trust. Ford sold his Confederate States of America bonds in June of 1997 through Smythe at the Memphis show.

If there are other sales of Ford materials (especially foreign offerings) it would be nice to complete the list.


David Gladfelter writes:
Steve Tanenbaum has asked me many times, what happened to Ford’s substantial but unknown collection of U.S. merchant tokens? Any answers?

We do know, from Q. David Bowers, that his Nova Constellation silver pattern set was sold privately circa 2005.


David pointed out a tidbit I'd missed in Bowers' new Whitman Encyclopedia of Colonial and Early American Coins. On p74 he states that "in the early 21st century Stack's, acting on behalf of the Ford family, sold the coins to a private collector."



There are other UNSOLD segments of the collection; Alan V. Wienberg summarizes below the portions he's aware of. -Editor
Since you mentioned an unsold segment of the Ford Collection, I thought I might expand on the list so that collectors might anticipate that someday these treasures will be auctioned:
  • the finest collection of "Pseudo-Low" Hard Times tokens ever assembled, said by Steve Tanenbaum (who knew JJF well and is an expert in the HTT field) to surpass in value the original Low-listed Hard Times tokens auction by Stack's
  • allegedly over 500 political ferrotypes, the largest group ever privately assembled
  • an extensive collection of early Breton (listed & unlisted) Canadian tokens
  • an extensive collection of Sutler tokens (and scrip?)
  • an extensive collection of early American political tokens as listed (or unlisted) in DeWitt & Sullivan (and political ribbons?)
  • an extensive collection of Western territorial, Indian and Post Trader tokens


Some of these segments had already been catalogued by Dr. George Fuld for Stack's but remain unsold.



Wayne Homren, Editor

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