ROBERT BASHLOW, PART THREE

 

In the third installment, I will discuss Robert Bashlow and Walter Breen. Walter Breen was working with Dr. William H. Sheldon at Columbia University in the 1950's. One result was the 1958 publication of Penny Whimsy, the revision of Sheldon's 1949 book, Early American Cents, the work that gave us all the 70 point grading system.

 

Columbia Medical School had a program for talented youth around 1953 to 1956 now known as the Columbia superkids project. Breen was coordinator of parapsychological research studies for the superkids who included Robert Bashlow.

To be included, he must have tested at the genius level. However, in my research I never found evidence that he had any post-secondary education. He went into the coin business at a young age, probably before he was twenty.

Several years ago, I was doing research on Walter Breen and came across the name of Bashlow in the 1998 trial deposition of Breen's wife, Marion Zimmer Bradley. She was involved in a civil suit brought by one of Walter's abuse victims.

Q. Did Walter ever tell you that he thought it was a mutually desired situation between [Victim X] and himself?
A. I had read that in his book.
Q. Which book?
A. He wrote a book called Greek Love under the name of John Eglington.
Q. And you reviewed some of the manuscripts of that book before it was published?
A. Yes, I did.
Q. And did you contribute by doing proofreading?
A. I did proofreading, yes.
Q. Did you do some editorial work on that book?
A. I attempted to, but I found out afterward that everything I had done had been thrown out by the publisher, Robert Bashno (phonetic).

Later questions related to Bashlow and David Bradley. David Robert Bradley (11/18/1950 – 9/11/2008) was the son of Marion with her first husband, Robert Alden Bradley. David would have been 13 in 1964.

Q. The question is: Did you undertake any action to prevent any further contact between Robert Bashlow and your then 13-year-old son after you learned that Mr. Bashlow had sexually propositioned your son?
A. Well, I would say that -- that that was much more David's business than anyone else.
Q. So you didn't do anything to prevent Mr. Bashlow, did you, from coming in contact with your son?
A. No, I did not.

 
Numismatic Journal image courtesy Kolbe & Fanning Booksellers

Bashlow's association with QWERTYUIOPress is somewhat unclear. It is also affiliated with Ted White [Theodore Edward White or TEW]. In 1961, Bashlow's QWERTUIOPress was the printer for The Numismatic Journal, published by Lynn Glaser and edited by Walter Breen. At the time, Breen was about 31, Bashlow was 22 and Glaser was 18.

Bashlow and QWERTYUIOPress published Walter Breen's Dies and Coinage in 1962. This was reprinted by Hewitt in 1965.

Walter Breen wrote Greek Love under the pseudonym of J. Z. Eglinton. This was published by Oliver Layton Press in 1964. Ownership of the firm is subject of some speculation. One possibility is that Robert Bashlow owned the company or at least funded the publication.

In 1967, Bashlow was co-author with Tuli Kupferberg of 1001 Ways to Beat the Draft. This was the third and last title published by Oliver Layton Press.

Next week, the death of Bashlow.

 

To read the complete CoinWeek article, see:
CONFRONTING THE LEGACY OF WALTER BREEN (https://coinweek.com/editors-choice/confronting-breen/)

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
CONFRONTING THE LEGACY OF WALTER BREEN (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n45a11.html)
ROBERT BASHLOW, PART ONE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n18a15.html)
ROBERT BASHLOW, PART TWO (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n19a16.html)

 

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