KOLBE & FANNING 121ST NUMISMATIC LITERATURE SALE RESULTS

Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers are pleased to announce the results of their 121st sale, which closed on June 2, 2011. It was one of the firm's largest and most diverse sale offerings in several years. The estimates of the 1576 lots in the catalogue totaled $165,000; the sale, including the buyer premium, brought over $179,000.

The sale started off with the second part of the Alan Luedeking library. The highlights of the Luedeking library were sold for generally quite strong prices this January in New York City by Kolbe & Fanning. Formed with great care and persistence over many years, the second sale of this remarkable library featured over 700 additional lots of works mainly on Latin American numismatics, some quite rare. Many items had never been offered for sale by Kolbe & Fanning or, at least, not in many years, and bidding was intense.

Luedeking's comprehensive, often complete, runs of sale catalogues and periodicals were avidly competed for, as were many rare and obscure specialized monographs. Some highlights follow: a complete run of 48 Asociación Numismática Española (A.N.E.) auction sales, 1955–92, were estimated at $400 but sold for $2,070 (prices quoted include the 15% buyer premium); a large lot of 180 auction catalogues and fixed price lists featuring Latin American coins and paper money was the focus of heavy bidding, selling for $1,725 on a $500 estimate; Maury Bromsen's 1960 tribute to José Medina sold for $276; a lot of 17 pamphlets on Central American numismatics, estimated at $70, realized $374; a featured lot was Jorge Ferrari's 1976 monograph on the 1828 Vauxhall token, along with a nice example of the token itself, was estimated at $500 and brought $1,322; estimated at $750, a complete set of Freeman Craig fixed price lists and auction sale catalogues along with a later-produced "complete list of prices realized" sold for $1,437; a second example, in lesser condition, of the fabled 1908 catalogue of the Gonzalez collection of Chilean brought $1,265 on a $1,500 estimate (the leather-bound January sale example realized $3,220); and Rosa's large-format 1904 work on early Latin American medals realized $1,265 on a $750 estimate.

Following the remainder of the Luedeking library, nearly 200 additional lots from the Dr. Ira Rezak library were featured in the sale, including a number of seldom-seen works on Russian coins and medals. Highlights from the Rezak library produced extremely strong results in the January 2011 New Sale and the trend continued in this second offering. Auction sale catalogues featuring Russian coins and medals were in great demand: a lot of six American and European sales were estimated at $100 but realized $345; an unplated example of the 1950 Christie's George Michailovitch sale catalogue, handpriced, sold for $374 and another annotated unplated copy brought $356, estimated respectively at $75 and $50. Estimated at $500, Ira Rezak's research files on Russian numismatics were a highlight, selling for $1,265. A complete set of the Journal of the Russian Numismatic Society, 1979–2010, so ably edited by Randolph Zander in the earlier years and currently by Robert Julian, was another high point, bringing $920 on a $500 estimate.

The remaining 650 lots, the property of well over a dozen consignors, covered the numismatic spectrum. Some highlights include: a plated example of the 1929 Thomas Elder sale of the George Alfred Lawrence realized $2,875 on $2,250 estimate; an exceptionally well-preserved example of Snowden's 1861 classic on Washington medals sold for $1,552; a fine original 1875 Crosby opus on American colonial coins, with the rare 1873 title and introduction, went for $3,105; a nice example of Strigerwalt's little 1884 Illustrated History of United States Coins had an estimate of $300 but sold for $$575; the first three Pridmore volumes on British Commonwealth coins realized $489 though estimated at $200; an interesting volume containing fifteen priced W.E. Woodward sales issued on thick paper brought $1,552; a substantial run of The Numismatic Chronicle, 1881–2004, was estimated at $6,000 and realized $5,635; a very rare 1861 flyer promoting a lottery scheme by Augustus B. Sage of coins, medals and tokens realized $1,610 on a $350 estimate; and an original 1863 San Francisco Mint payroll document confirming the employment there of author Brett Harte brought $920.

A few printed catalogues are still available and may be obtained by sending $10 to: KOLBE & FANNING NUMISMATIC BOOKSELLERS LLC, 141 W JOHNSTOWN ROAD, GAHANNA OH 43230-2700. On January 7, 2012, Kolbe & Fanning will be holding a public auction at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in conjunction with the New York International Numismatic Convention. Consignments of exceptional numismatic works are now being accepted. Inquiries may be directed to David F. Fanning at df@numislit.com, (614) 414-0855, or to George F. Kolbe at gfk@numislit.com, (909) 338-6527.

Wayne Homren, Editor

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