THE A.J. VANDERBILT COLLECTION

Did you know A. J. Vanderbilt starting buying coins from Stack’s Rare Coins in New York City in 1936, at the age of 15? We are proud to present the A.J. Vanderbilt Collection of U.S. Coins and Currency at our upcoming official auction of the Whitman Coin and Collectibles Spring Expo.

In 1926, an emergency appendectomy put a curious, intelligent 5-year-old boy in bed for an extended period of time. His concerned mother wanted to find a way to keep him still so that he could heal from surgery. She had come up with a few ideas, but the one that he seemed to enjoy the most was sorting through a large bag of pennies she had brought home from the bank. He would sit for hours, looking at them with a magnifying glass and categorizing them by date, mint and condition. The seed was planted, and a coin collector was born.

In 1936, at the age of 15, he started buying and selling through Stack’s Rare Coins in New York City. He was their youngest client and worked with them until his death at age 96.

He traveled the United States and visited many banks to find the newest and best coins he could. After joining the Navy and serving in the Pacific during World War II, he started a collection of foreign coins, but only from places he had visited.

After World War II ended and he received his PhD, the collector went to work for the government in Washington, DC. His job required a fair amount of travel, giving him the opportunity to add to his foreign collection. He was also in much closer proximity to New York and Stack’s. With the help of the Stack’s brothers, his collection grew into what is one of the finest in the country.

For his family, it was fun to see his face when a box from Stack’s arrived at the house. He would first examine the box to check the seal. Then his pocketknife came out and he precisely sliced the tape. The lid was raised with reverence; he would almost be holding his breath. And, there in that little brown box was a small envelope with a plastic bag inside holding a beautiful coin. His eyes would light up as he removed the coin, holding it only by the rim. Out came the magnifying glass to check for any scratches or marks. He was truly like a kid in a candy shop. After he looked it over, my mother and I would be called into the room to see the new addition to his collection. After much oohing and aahing, he would place the coin back into the little plastic bag and set it on his desk so he could look at it again later.

There is something almost magical about these coins, not only their physical beauty but also wondering where they had been, who had held them in the past and where they might have traveled. The man who collected them truly cared for his coins, not just their value, but their history as well.

The family this collector left behind hopes those who purchase his coins and paper money will find them just as beautiful and interesting as he did, and that they will make new history with them.?

To read the complete article, see:
Did You Know? About the A.J. Vanderbilt Collection (http://www.stacksbowers.com/News/Pages/Blogs.aspx?ArticleID=2853)

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