LEWIS THEODORE BRODSTONE, 1872-1936

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V19 2016 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 19, Number 25, June 19, 2016, Article 16

John Lupia submitted the following information from his Encyclopedic Dictionary of Numismatic Biographies for this week's installment of his series. Thanks! As always, this is an excerpt with the full article and bibliography available online. This week's subject is coin and stamp dealer and publisher Lewis Theodore Brodstone. -Editor

Lewis Theodore Brodstone, July 20, 1872-1936, born in Monroe, Wisconsin son of Norwegian parents, Hans Olai Theodore Brodstone (1846-1881) and Mathilde Emelie Brodstone (1847-1924). His sister is Evaline Brodstone, also known as Lady Vestey (1875-1941).

In 1885 he lived with his mother and sister in Beaver, Nuckolls County, Nebraska.

He worked for the Overland Limited, an electric lighted train on the Chicago Union Pacific & Northwestern Line.

1896 Brodstone and Wilkinson published The Philatelic West, Superior Nebraska.

In 1896 he held the Nebraska state record for cycling two years in a row. In 1895 at 9,451 miles and in 1896 with 12,028 miles.

In September 1897 at the sixth annual Convention of the Nebraska Philatelic Society Brodstone served as the secretary-treasurer.

He changed the title of his magazine in 1898 to The Philatelic West and Camera News (1898-1907)

He changed the title of his magazine in 1907 to Philatelic West and Collectors' World (1907-1924)

He joined the ANA in 1908 and is member no. 1118. He collected Nebraska Broken Bank bills and paper money.

In 1913 he donated a Centennial of Independence of the Netherlands medal to the Rochester Numismatic Association (RNA)

In March 1919 his lifelong friend and editor of Nebraska History and Record of Pioneer Days, Addison E. Sheldon, wrote about Brodstone and his amazing magazine :

"L. T. Brodstone of Superior is a genius. No one can read a letter he writes, but he prints the most wonderful, successful, magazine in Nebraska--the Philatelic West. It is one organ of collectors and hobby riders. It circulates all over the world. Its advertising columns are a gold mine. It tells all about the rare coins, stamps, weapons, implements, relics. It is a great popular lecturer on human history for no one can be a "bug" collector without becoming a student of history. From the latest issue we glean that one can now buy World War shrapnel for $4 each; German helmets, $3.00, French and German shell cases, 85 cents, German gas mask $2.50 and war currency at any price you please."

He died of post operative complications at Rochester, Olmstead County, Minnesota on November 10, 1936. His sister Lady Vestey donated a park to Superior, Nebraska as a memorial to her brother Lewis.

In July 1939 Lady Vestey donated 400 paper money specimens to the Nebraska State Historical Society that belonged to her late brother Lewis.

The largest hoard of Philatelic Literature ever assembled was that of William Reynolds Ricketts (1869-1956). Ricketts was inducted into the Philatelic Society Hall of Fame in 1988 for his many years creating an index to all philatelic literature. Among the hundreds of boxes of books and periodicals was a vast hoard of The Philatelic West. The hoards compiled by Ricketts were purchased by George Atkins, an insurance agent, and philatelist living near Durham, North Carolina. Atkins sold the vast hoards at Eden, North Carolina.

John N. Lupia purchased all of The Philatelic West except for a few copies purchased by the American Philatelic Society (APS) for the American Philatelic Research Library (APRL). The Lupia Numismatic Library now has over 1,500 copies of The Philatelic West making it the largest known hoard of that title ever. The NumismaticMall.Com Book Store will be selling a near complete set, various complete volumes and issues. Please visit the Book Store at this website. Or, write john@numismaticmall.com .

To read the complete article, see:
BRODSTONE, LEWIS THEODORE (https://sites.google.com/a/numismaticmall.com/www/numismaticmall-com/brodstone-lewis-theodore)