JOHN WHITE HASELTINE (1838-1925)

John W. Haseltine was an important coin dealer in the late nineteenth century. He was born in Philadelphia on September 6, 1838. His father, John William Haseltine (1793-1871) was a successful businessman and his mother, Elizabeth Stanley Shinn (1811-1882) was an amateur landscape painter. White was a grandmother's maiden name.

Haseltine married Rose Amelia Idler, daughter of coin dealer William Idler on June 9, 1869. They had one daughter, Marion Lucy, born on June 21, 1870, who married Thomas T. Richards.

Haseltine acquired some rare coins through Stephen K. Nagy. Walter Breen identified Nagy as Haseltine's son-in- law. A search of genealogy references concludes that this was not true. Nagy was married in 1909 to Gertrude B, Devere, daughter of William H. Devere and Wilhelmina Weldy.

Haseltine's first job at age 16 was as a clerk in a book store. From there he went into the wholesale shoe and boot business. In 1859 to 1861, he had a store in New Orleans. He returned to Philadelphia at the start of the Civil War.

On August 20, 1861, he joined Company B of the Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment and served as a first lieutenant until promoted to captain on October 1, 1863. He participated in battles at Bull Run, Gettysburg and Gaines Mills. He had three horses shot from under him and was wounded on August 15, 1864, at Deep Bottom near Petersburg.

After the war he was employed with mining companies as secretary and treasurer. He worked for Ebenezer Locke Mason in 1869 before opening his own store. In 1876 he hired the young Chapman brothers to help in the store.

He was active with the Masons in Philadelphia. He also joined Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Post 2 in Philadelphia. Two other Masons who were members were Oliver Bosbyshell and A. M. Smith.

Haseltine had connections at the Mint that included Bosbyshell. Some Mint products came from William Idler while others may have come from the Mint directly. These included rare dollars and patterns.

In 1872 he published Description of the Paper Money Issued by the Continental Congress of the United States and the Several Colonies following in 1876 with Descriptive Catalogue of Confederate Notes and Bonds. In 1881, he published Catalogue of John W. Haseltine's Type Table of Dollars, Half Dollars, Quarter Dollars. It was an auction catalog of coins from his collection but also intended to be a reference book on those series.

Hazeltine conducted 87 auctions between 1870 and 1898. He took a break from numismatics and worked as a stockbroker. His brothers, James Henry Haseltine and Charles Field Haseltine, were artists and Haseltine managed their art gallery in New York City.

Haseltine presented an address at the 1908 ANA convention in Philadelphia. This was published in the October/ November 1908 issue of The Numismatist. It is worth reading in its entirety as is the earlier address by Lyman Low. After the talk, the chair, Farran Zerbe. referred to Haseltine as the numismatic refrigerator, with much on ice that is not only meat but very stimulating.

His talk touched on his discovery of the Confederate cents and dies, the Nova Constellatio 1000 and 500 mill pieces, and the Washington reverse New Jersey Cent.

Captain Haseltine died in Philadelphia on February 28, 1925. He is buried at West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, across the Schuylkill from Philadelphia. The American Numismatic Association inducted him into their Numismatic Hall of Fame in 1974.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
THE CHAPMAN BROTHERS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n42a15.html)

 

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