BUILDING THE LILLY COLLECTION, CONTINUED

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V19 2016 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 19, Number 49, December 4, 2016, Article 18

In a series of recent blog posts, Harvey Stack wrote about his family's role in helping form the Josiah K. Lilly Collection. Here are excerpts from the latest installments (#14 and #15). -Editor

We had in stock a few Bechtler coins, two octagonal slugs ($50) of the U.S. Assay Office, and a few other California pieces. We had a general discussion with Mr. Lilly about the California Gold Rush and other gold discoveries in the American West. We also talked about the coins issued in California, Colorado, Oregon and Utah. Mr. Lilly knew about the series as he had read about them, making use of his massive library at Eagle’s Nest that included many volumes about the early West. He decided that we should start assembling Pioneer and Territorial gold coins to add to his collection. He left shortly after we had arranged a delivery visit in May.

That spring we reached out to dealers around the country to see what coins in the Pioneer and Territorial series were available at fair market prices. We first contacted George Walton, who was both a collector and a dealer. Being from the Carolinas he traveled as a bank examiner into the hills of Georgia and the Carolinas. He visited numerous banks in those areas, and purchased from the banks a huge assortment of Bechtler coins. We acquired from him a number of these of various denominations and varieties. From James and Co. in Virginia, we got a few $50 slugs, from F.K. Saab of St. Louis came a few slugs, and Mormon pieces. From Dan Brown in Denver we found items made by Clark Gruber and from R. Green of Chicago we were able to acquire a few scarce California gold pieces. From the F.C.C. Boyd Estate we got Wass, Molitor and Kellogg round slugs, and we picked up a few other nice pieces at coin shows we attended during that period. Just like that we had the basis of a collection for Mr. Lilly to examine, study and acquire. We knew where to look and were able to make some advantageous acquisitions. I took these pieces with me on my next delivery trip.

My arrival in early May kept to our usual schedule. I arrived at Eagle's Nest, was greeted by Mr. Lilly and went straight to his "Hobby House." We reviewed the coins I brought, the French and English pieces, other European issues, and of course the Ancient Greek and Roman coins he had seen in the office. He admired the artistry of the Ancient coins, and expressed his amazement at what was produced under relatively primitive conditions. He asked that I continue to search for Greek and Roman issues so his collection would reflect the beginnings of gold coinage in the Ancient world.

In addition we reviewed the Pioneer and Territorial coins I had brought with me, and again Mr. Lilly was amazed, considering the primitive conditions in California and the rest of the West, that such designs and coins could be created, assayed and weighing correctly. He asked that we continue to find other pieces as examples of the economic conditions that developed in the West in its formative days.

In addition, since his collection now exceeded 4,000 different coins of the world (with a virtually complete set of the United States gold from 1795 to 1933), he felt that we could expand the collection to the gold coinage of the entire world. Since initially we were only assembling the largest denominations, (ie: Doubloons), he wanted us to add the lower denominations which played major roles in the world's commerce.

Mr. Lilly’s interest in history fostered an interest in rare books and manuscripts and a desire to retain the printed word for future reference and study. Many volumes in his collection were first or unique editions. He started with early copies of both English and American interest. During my first visit to the Eagle's Nest, I saw a huge wing on the building and learned that was where his library was housed.

Though we talked about the library during a number of my visits, it was not until about 1954 that I had the privilege of venturing into that wing. It was behind a steel safe-type door, perfectly insulated against heat and moisture, to preserve the books and manuscripts. He loved these collectibles, and each volume was housed in special library boxes, labeled on the exterior. The first volumes I saw were the "first editions" of William Shakespeare, and then I saw and held a Guttenberg Bible, the Audubon original folios, the original works of Edgar Allen Poe, and original works of Mark Twain, to mention but a few. In addition I saw Albrecht Durer's "Apocalypse” and the first edition of Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" printed in the 1470's. Among more modern works he had original Ian Fleming books and manuscripts.

Among the document files I saw the letter from George Washington accepting the Presidency of the United States, and a copy of the Declaration of Independence from John Hancock. There were also old and important maps, including an Ancient hand-painted map.

Housed in the library were some 20,000 books plus 17,000 manuscripts. Just to be able to walk through and see these great treasures was an experience I could never forget.

In 1960, the Lilly Foundation built a magnificent library at Indiana University in Bloomington, and it was to this facility that Mr. Lilly donated his collection. It is named The Lilly Library and is one of the most important collections of books and documents in America.

THE BOOK BAZARRE

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