HARVEY STACK'S NUMISMATIC FAMILY, PART 99

In September 1985, Stack’s auctioned 1,954 lots of very interesting coins from a variety of popular series. It provided a great chance for collectors to fill in the gaps. Whether it was type coins from half cents to double eagles, Proof sets, or rolls of coins, one could find them in this comprehensive sale. It was a typical sale for Stack’s at the time, with consignments from a number of fine collectors, most of whom used our sales to gather funds for new purchases, to complete a collection or start a new series. This made our typical sales very popular with both bidders and consignors.

And then, we moved into the 50th Anniversary Sale, a major offering and a great celebration. It took place over three days in October; there were three catalogs and each had its own focus. One had only 128 lots, all rare U.S. silver type coins from the Jimmy Hayes Collection. The second catalog offered coins from the Bartle Collection and the Carl Zelson Collection, 758 lots of choice and rare U.S. coins. The third and last catalog presented the Zurich Collection of Foreign Gold & Silver and English Gold & Silver Coins, 780 lots in total. Each session contained coins that were in great demand, attracting collectors and dealers from all over. The auction room was filled from start to finish and the prices realized reflected the importance of the event.

The first collection offered was famous as it had been formed by renowned collector and representative to Congress Jimmy Hayes. He had started collecting as a youngster when his family brought sacks of coins for him to go through to try to complete a collection. By the time he was in college his interests had turned to United States type coins, influenced by my cousin Norman’s book on the subject that explored some different ways to build such a set. Jimmy took Norman’s ideas and made them his own, deciding to collect the first year of issue of each change in design among United States silver coins. It made the task more difficult and more expensive, but Jimmy Hayes loved the challenge!

For the first year of each denomination there was a 1792 half disme, a 1794 half dime, a 1796 dime and quarter, a 1794 half dollar and silver dollar (in this case the Lord St. Oswald specimen). Then followed examples for the first year of each new design, mostly in outstanding gem Mint State. This was a very special type set and Jimmy showed the collection at coin shows and clubs around the country. When Stack’s offered him a stand-alone catalog in the 50th Anniversary Sale he agreed. The catalog was very special, and the sale was a great success.

After the Jimmy Hayes coins were offered, the second part of our 50th Anniversary Sale began with The Bartle Family Gold Coin Collection, highlighted by comprehensive collections of gold dollars, quarter eagles, three-dollar gold coins, early and later half eagles and eagles, and a wide selection of double eagles, as well as both types of $4 gold Stellas. In addition, we offered the Carl Zelson Collection of United States Coins that featured many Mint State pieces and was highlighted by an original run of early Proof sets, 1858-1900, sold by the year.

On the third and final day of the sale, we offered collectors of world coins the Zurich Collection, an extensive cabinet, mainly of pieces from medieval times up through the early 20th century. There was an extensive group of English coins that included a number of Coronation sets from the 18th to 20th centuries. There were many great sets and many great rarities.

Our final sale of the year, in early December, featured 1,737 lots of collector coins across many areas of numismatics, both United States and foreign items. Once again, this was a Stack’s sale that had something for everyone and was a great ending to 1985, a year of great achievement that was going to be hard to exceed.?

He writes:

To read the complete article, see:
Harvey Stack Remembers: Growing Up in a Numismatic Family, Part 99 (https://www.stacksbowers.com/News/Pages/Blogs.aspx?ArticleID=harvey-stack-remembers-part-99-stacks-bowers-galleries)

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
HARVEY STACK'S NUMISMATIC FAMILY, PART 98 (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n25a16.html)
TYRANT COLLECTION U.S. TYPE COIN ANA EXHIBIT (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n23a07.html)

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