BURDETTE GARNER JOHNSON (1885-1947)

Burdette Garner Johnson (1885-1947) ... was born on January 2, 1885, son of William A. Johnson (1849-1931) and Luella Lou Conway Johnson (1859-1914) at De Soto, Missouri. While a schoolboy in St. Louis, Missouri, he was a correspondent with the Chapman Brothers buying Roman coins at age fifteen in September 1900. He is referred to by his late biographer Al Wick as self-educated and is purported to have read a book a day. After graduating elementary school he moved to his relatives in Columbus, Indiana to work for Prudential as a cashier.

In September 1902 he left his position as cashier of the Prudential Office, Columbus, Indiana, to work in St. Louis for Frank Elmer Ellis (1862-1937), at St. Louis Stamp and Coin (q.v.). Johnson helped Ellis move from 1003 Pine Street to 115 North 11th Street in March 1903. In the April 1903 issue of The Numismatist, Burdette G. Johnson is listed as a new member of the ANA, Member No. 473, who specialized in ancient coins especially Roman.

In 1907 he owned St. Louis Stamp &Coin with David A. Sutherland, his partner, whom he bought out in 1908. Johnson maintained Ellis' advertising practice and policy running a new and different full page ad on the inside cover of Philatelic West each month.

He held 36 auction sales from 1902 to 1915. Armin Brand on behalf of the estate of Virgil Michael Brand gave consignments of coins to Johnson... In 1919 he traveled to Great Britain, France, Belgium and Holland to purchase coins.

During the Depression a young girl named Mary Cruzan was abandoned by her parents. Johnson took her in and educated her treating her as his own daughter.

In 1933 both Henry Chapman, who was very feeble and infirm at the time, and Burdette Johnson were hired by the Brand brothers to appraise Virgil Brand's gold coin collection. Henry Chapman was slated to appraise first and so was responsible for unwrapping the coins which was a timely process considering the double envelopes and ties Brand kept on each coin. Johnson was to confirm or reevaluate as he deemed appropriate. Apparently the feeble Chapman took too long and Johnson kept yelling to Henry Chapman asking what was taking so long.

In January 1939 Spink &Son , Ltd., sent Miss M. A. Dunn of Brooklyn two coins, an 1804 and a 1805 U. S. Silver Dollar with the suggestion she show them to Burdette Johnson for authentication. Johnson considered them fakes. They were bought in November of that year by Farran Zerbe. In 1961 M. H. Bolender authenticated them as genuine.

He died on February 24, 1947 on a streetcar en route to his coin shop.

Mary Cruzan (1921-1996), Johnson's virtually adopted daughter inherited the residue of his U. S. Colonial coin stock including a 1782 Libertas Americana, that sold for $20,900 in 1997. The 240 lots of coins were sold posthumously in June 1997 at Christies, New York, and realized $1.1 Million USD. Fifty years after his demise Burdette G. Johnson's legacy to his daughter Mary Cruzan set a record at auction.

He is buried in Valhalla Cemetery, Bel-Nor, St. Louis County, Missouri.

To read the complete article, see:
JOHNSON, BURDETTE GARNER (https://sites.google.com/a/numismaticmall.com/www/numismaticmall-com/johnson-burdette-g)

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