THE NUMISMATIC BOOK CATALOGUES OF GUSTAV FOCK

I recently re-discovered on my library shelves a bound volume of book catalogues issued in the 1930’s by the firm of Gustav Fock of Leipzig. All are printed on thin paper, newspaper-style stock, and slightly age-browned.

In recent years some major numismatic libraries have been sold - at auction.

The Hess library was sold, at auction, by Peus, Frankfurt/M in 1991. It took two days to sell, and included 2746 lots.

The (remaining part of) the Rollin & Feuardent library was sold, at auction, by Drouot, Paris in 1993 in two sessions on one day, and comprised 444 lots.

The (remaining part of) the Jacques Schulman library was sold by Frankfurter Munzhandlung, Frankfurt/M, at auction, in 1995, containing 1726 lots.

The M and M library was sold, at auction, by Kunker, Osnabruck in 2005. It took two days and comprised 3589 lots.

During the inter-war years in Germany, the leading academic bookseller was Gustav Fock GMBH, of Leipzig. The business had been established in 1879, and whilst it had no doubt faced hardships during the Second World War and into the Soviet period, it struggled on, but finally, in 1955, it closed its doors.

Fock’s Katalog 619 was published in 1930. It included the Library of Dr. Emil Bahrfeldt of Berlin (1850-1929). It ran to 136 pages and included some 2819 items for sale, at fixed prices. The catalogue included, as a frontispiece, a fine photographic portrait of Bahrfeldt, and was preceded by an 8-page list of his published works, including no less than 261 papers, books and other publications.

The catalogue concludes with 8 pages of advertisements by coin dealers: Riechmann & Co, (Halle- Saale), Holmbergs (Stockholm), Meuss (Hamburg), Adolph Hess (Frankfurt/M). Fock himself also advertised for sale mahogany coin cabinets. Oxford University Press offered Barclay Head’s 2nd edition of his Historia Numorum (1911) at 50 shillings, and Hill’s Medals of the Renaissance (1920) at a similar price. G.E.C. Gad. of Copenhagen advertised Schou’s Beskrivelse af Danske og Norske Monter, published 4 years earlier, in 1926, at 75 kroner, along with three of Wilcke’s handbooks, published in 1921,1927 and 1929, all at low prices. De Gruyter of Berlin were promoting Boehringer’s, still an essential work today, Die Munzen von Syrakus, published in 1929, at 80 reichmarks.

Amongst the gems offered for sale in the catalogue, all priced in reichsmarks, were 89 volumes of the Numismatic Chronicle, 1838 – 1929, plus the Journal, 1836-1838, for 1250 RM; BMC Greek “Complete in 28 volumes” for 2500 RM - the final volume, covering Cyrenaica, was published after Bahrfeldt’s death. Spink’s ‘Circular, volumes 1-37 (1893-1929)- a complete run, could have been had for 480 RM, the first 14 Ars Classica sales, 1920-1929, for 350 RM, a single volume of Pellerin’s Recueil, with 64 plates, for 16 RM, and, exceptionally, a complete set of Reichel’s Munzsammlung, St. Petersburg, 1842-1850 (“NIcht uniform gbdn”), for 900 RM. Ricauld de Tiregale’s magnificent Medailles de Pierre le Grand, Potsdam, 1772- “avec portr. et nombre grav. Folio”, was just 90RM…..

Later in 1930, and what must have been a veritable coup for Fock, he offered the complete library of Messrs Bruder Egger of Vienna. In Catalogue 635 (Antiquariatskatalog Nr. 635), he listed for sale, again at fixed prices, some 2568 items in 160 pages. Towards the end of this catalogue are two pages, promoting reprints of standard works that Fock were offering on subscription: Sabatier’s two-volume Description general des monnaies Byzantines…. To be published December 31, 1930 at (what seems to be a very reasonable) 48 RM. The second reprint, offered here, and just published, was Henri Cohen’s 2nd edition of his great reference work: Description Historique des monnaies frappes sous l’Empire romain; at 400 RM. Seemingly to justify his price, Fock says in his two-page promotional text that copies of the original would sell for 1500 RM…..

In the catalogue itself, a complete set of the Zeitschrift fur Nukismatik- 37 volumes (1874-1927 + the register) could be had for RM 1000, in wrappers, or for an additional 125 RM, in half cloth - did they have two sets ….? On the final page of the Catalogue – almost as an afterthought, or simply perhaps to fill valuable selling space, they offered the magnificent and excessively rare 12 volumes of Georg Michailowitsch’s “Russische Munzen” 1888-1901…. For 1100 RM… and Svoronos’ Ptolemies, complete in 4 volumes, 1904-1908… for 250 RM.

Fock’s Katalog 651, again appearing in 1930, covered the whole spectrum of the subject, ran to 144 pages, and included 3089 items; it included 4 pages of advertisements at the end of the catalogue, by the likes of: Edmund Rappaport of Berlin; and Fock’s near neighbour, Friedrich Redder, of Leipzig; the flourishing Jacob Hirsch, now firmly-established in Geneva was promoting his 10-year old Ars Classica business, as well as his very recently-established dealership in fashionable New York: Dr. Jacob Hirsch Inc. 30 West 54 th Street. Scott Stamp & Coin Company, also of New York, took a full-page, and advertised their Wayte Raymond publications, all priced at between 25c and $1.

Fock triumphed again, in 1934, with Catalogue 695, including books from the library of Prof. Dr. B. Pick, of Gotha. It ran to 144 pages, and included no less than 3496 items. Amongst the thousands of items listed for sale were Dessewffy’s (now) rare Barbar penzei, 1910 (“mit 54 taf”) - for 7.50 RM; and Donop’s (now) exceptionally rare description of the Jersey Hoard: Les Medailles Gallo-Gaeliques, with 32 plates, 1838, for just 10 RM.

The final two such catalogues of numismatic libraries issued by Fock seem to have been 710 (January 1937) and 714 (October 1937). The former included the libraries of three Professors: Holzinger, of Prague, Reisch, of Vienna, and Studniczka of Leipzig, and comprised items (4001) - 8758, on 154 pages.

The second, Catalogue 714, included the huge library of Justizrats Dr. Jur. E. J. Haeberlin of Frankfurt/M. It ran to no less than 136 pages and listed 3495 items for sale.

By this time, Bernard Quaritch in London had already established himself as one of the leading academic booksellers in Europe. He was the sole distributor of the Royal Numismatic Society’s Numismatic Chronicle, and handled the publications of many Learned Societies in Europe. His Catalogue 469 was published in 1933, ran to 44 pages, and listed for sale some 574 items. It included many rarities: Adler’s Museum Cuficum Borgianum Veletris, 1782, in half calf, and offered at 16 shillings; two copies (yes!) of Anderson’s beautifully produced Selectus Diplomatum et Numismatum Scotiae Thesaurus, 1739- one in red morocco, gilt edges at £4. 4. 0 , whilst the other, in “old Russia, gilt” for a guinea less. Quaritch also had BMC Greek, complete- Quaritch says “Complete as far as published” (it has never been completed) in 29 volumes, in cloth - it must have been “as new”, surely…… for a relatively high £75; the complete 10 volumes of BMC Oriental (1875-1890), in cloth - and already, in 1934, he says “Very scarce”, for £30, and Quaritch did also have a few volumes that he offered singly….. John Evelyn’s Numismata, 1697, in “contemporary calf, joints neatly repaired” was on offer at a seemingly low £1.1. Mionnet’s Description de Medailles, 1806-1813, plus the Recueil de Planches, 1808, the Supplement, 9 volumes, 1818-1837, and the Tables, 1837- 17 volumes in all, in “half green roan, uncut” appears to be a bargain at £22.10, as does the set of Numismatic Chronicle, including both the Journal, 1836-1838, and the Proceedings, and Institutes, from 1836 – so, all in all, complete from 1836-1930; bound in “full and half calf, a very fine set”, for a low £52. A collection of (most of) Sestini’s numismatic works 1789-1831, and all listed fully in the catalogue, and bound in 9 volumes in half calf- “a little worn”…….could have been had for the low price of £10.10.

Some eleven pages of the catalogue were given over to auction, and privately-issued catalogues – a quite remarkable selection, including Spink’s Catalogue of Montagu’s Milled Coins, 1891- for 6 shillings….. Many, if not most, of the sales catalogues were priced with the buyers noted. The section included 6 parts of Montagu’s sales(1895-1897), bound in half calf- for £1.2s- and they were all hand priced, and with the buyers noted….. Murdoch’s 8 sales, bound in two volumes, also priced and with the buyers, and again in half calf - was offered for 3 guineas… ….. Leonard Forrer’s Catalogue of Sir Hermann Weber’s Greek Coins, certainly still in print at the time, and published by Spinks, who were just down the road in Piccadilly –perhaps they had already just recently moved to KIng Street – in any case, not far from Bernard Quaritch, was offered for 12 guineas.

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