THE POGUE FAMILY COLLECTION AND EPIC PAST SALES

Before citing auctions of other great collections, it is important to emphasize the scope and importance of the Pogue Collection, which is phenomenal in some ways while being limited in others. The Pogues did not build sets of all series of classic U.S coins. More than 90% of the coins in the five sales were dated before 1840. Before 2004, the Pogues were limiting their collection to pre-1840 U.S. coins, with but a few exceptions.

The focus on the period 1793-1839 period is consistent with a tradition that dictates that design types that started before 1837 and ended before 1840 are ‘early U.S. coins’.

The epic collections and corresponding great auctions of the past did not emphasis early U.S. series in this manner. They all included extensive runs of coins from later time periods. Even so, the amazing accomplishments of the Pogues and their advisors in the field of pre-1840 U.S. coins are worth emphasizing repeatedly. This core (1793-1839) Pogue Collection is incredibly cool and is meaningful to a wide range of coin collectors.

These great sales have been part of the culture of coin collecting in the U.S. ever since the 1850s. Rarities from the auctions of the McCoy Collection in 1864 and the Mickley Collection in 1867 are often discussed in the present.

It is relevant that books about Eliasberg, the Garrett Collection and are popular among collectors. John J. Pittman is a legend who is frequently discussed in the present, including repeated references to his approach to collecting. Published interviews with Pittman are themselves collected and studied.

Here is a list of other great collections sold at public auction that are particularly relevant to the Pogue sales. The names of the auction firms are beside the point. The years during which auctions were held are cited along with the last names of collectors. McCoy (1864), Mickley (1867), Parmelee (1890), Cleneay (1890), Stickney (1907), Earle (1912), Jenks (1921), Boyd (1944-45), JAS (1975, ’89-90, ‘94-95), Norweb (1987-88), Eliasberg (1982, 1996-97), Pittman (1997-98) and Newman (2013-14).

Among collections that have been publicly auctioned over the last 40 years, only one rivals the Pogue Collection in regard to U.S. coins dating from 1793 to 1839. This is the all-time greatest collection of classic U.S. coins overall, the Eliasberg Collection. A comparison of Eliasberg pre-1840 coins to Pogue coins would require a separate discussion. It is pertinent that there were a large number of Eliasberg pedigreed coins in the Pogue Collection.

To read the complete article, see:
The Marvelous Pogue Family Coin Collection, Part 22: Epic Sales in the Same League (www.coinweek.com/auctions-news/the-marvelous-pogue-family-coin-collection-part-22-epic-sales-in-the-same-league/)

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