MORE ON THE SHERATON COIN COMPANY

Dan Hamelberg writes:

Ernest P. Henderson (1897-1967) founded the Sheraton hotel chain, a collection of older hotels that he acquired over a period of time, following the same business plan used by Conrad Hilton. Henderson used a style of antique furniture as the name.

By 1945, Henderson and his friend and business associate, Robert L. Moore, had become dedicated collectors of large copper cents. They had scouted around for several years, buying choice examples when found, including from Dr. William H. Sheldon. Moore had a passion for early coppers, while Henderson was, shall I say, quite interested.

They had discussions with three Boston coin dealers—Maurice M. Gould, Frank Washburn, and Harold Whiteneck. Gould and Washburn ran the daily operations, and Whiteneck was an advisor. The business plan was to buy needed cents for the collection of Henderson and Moore, and to build an inventory starting with their duplicates. It was hoped that estates and major collections could be acquired intact. The office was in Room 1012, 10 Post Office Square, Boston.

Tiring of the pursuit, Henderson consigned his main collection to the Numismatic Gallery (Abe Kosoff and Abner Kreisberg), who billed it as the Sheraton Collection in the summer 1947 ANA convention auction held in Buffalo. The highlight was the finest known 1799 cent, the Henry Hines specimen, About Uncirculated, which realized the impressive price of $1,500 in a "down" market in the hobby. Many other choice Hines cents were offered as well.

Gould and Washburn formed the Copley Coin Company, on Boylston Street, Boston. When I first visited there, in 1957, they had hundreds of large cents and other coins still in Sheraton Coin Company envelopes. I came to be fine friends with each of them, and in time bought Maury Gould's collection of counterstamped copper cents.

Maury was a "people person," a familiar figure at coin clubs and a promoter of the hobby. After he retired he relocated to California, where he remained prominent, although no longer dealing. He was a columnist for Coin World. Frank was quieter, more of an office person than a meet-and-greet ambassador. Later, he had some money problems. I recall buying some coins he had held back, but, unfortunately, they were not of great value.

Harold Whiteneck conducted a mail order business then, later, the Court Coin Co. at 20 Court Street in Boston. He had a pilot's license and in the summer would fly to a camp he owned in Maine.

At the American Numismatic Association convention in Boston in the summer of 1960 Henderson spoke at the banquet. Listeners hoped to hear anecdotes about early coppers, but reality was different—a talk that droned on and on about the hotel business and other matters, and no interesting numismatic stories at all. About this time Moore sold his memorable collection of 1794-dated cents privately to Dorothy I. Paschal and Eugene ("Gene") Exner, who split them up.

The Sheraton Coin Company today is but a footnote in American numismatic history, but an interesting one with highly accomplished principals.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: ROBERT HENDERSON AND THE SHERATON COIN COMPANY (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v14n02a18.html)

Wayne Homren, Editor

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