THE CELINA COIN COMPANY

Perhaps a good place to start the story of the Celina Coin Company is with the family patriarch, Edmund Hugo Brandts (b. 3/27/1879 d. 2/11/1932), a/k/a Emil Edmund Brandts. He was born in Gladbech, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and came to America on November 18, 1903, at age 24. He was a partner in the Mersman Brothers Brandts Furniture Company incorporated in 1906 in Celina, Ohio. He left the partnership to form the Celina-Maid Furniture Company and the Brandts Furniture Company.

Edmund married Lillie Mary Hirsch (1882-1959) on June 6, 1905. They had four sons and a daughter. All except the daughter are buried at the North Grove Cemetery in Celina, Ohio.

Edmund formed the Celina Realty Company with partners to develop property and build houses. He owned property on Grand Lake that had cottages and tents for summer rentals. The Mercelina Hotel and restaurant were built on the property about 1911. His businesses failed during the depression and he died by suicide. His brief obituary stated he, died from the effects of gas fumes. He had been ill.

The first son was Edmund Hugo Brandts, Jr. (b. 11/22/1907 d. 2/8/1987) who was born in Celina, Ohio. He graduated from Babson College in Massachusetts, married Leah Kathryn Dull (1907-1981) on September 20. 1924, and had a son. After she died in 1981, he married Matilda Hare in 1982. He was a co-owner and manager of the Marcelina Hotel.

Second son was Carl Anthony Brandts (b. 11/28/1909 d. 12/9/1966), born in Celina, Ohio. He married Anna Lee Fesker (1909-1958) on July 3, 1930. They had three children. He was a co- owner of Marcelina Trailor Court and Marcelina Park. After 1949, Carl Brandts did not continue with the coin company but went into business with the St. Mary's Heating and Plumbing Company. His two sons were doctors. He died of a stroke at age 57.

Third son was Theodore Conrad Brandts (b. 9/11/1912 d. 10/8/1948), known as T. C. Brandts. He married Ruth Jean Hoel (1912-2003) on September 21, 1935. He joined the ANA on June 1, 1941, as member 8525. He died of polio at age 36.

Fourth son was William Victor Brandts (b. 9/16/1914 d. 4/13/1942), born in Celina, Ohio. He married Julia Lenora Mastriana (1914-2001). He graduated from Ohio State University and was attending law school in June 1937, when he was injured in a truck rollover accident. A spinal injury left him as an invalid for five years before his death. He joined the ANA on February 1, 1942, as member 8860 about a year prior to his death at age 27.

If the Celina Coin Company had an infancy, it is not recorded. They advertised extensively in Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine beginning in February 1943.

The first ad in The Numismatist for the Celina Coin Company was in the March 1943 issue. Their address was given as the Mercelina Hotel in Celina, Ohio. This property was owned and managed by the Brandts family. The Celina Coin proprietors were T. C. Brandts and Carl Brandts. The ad offered pricelists on request. An April 1943 ad in The Numismatist listed T. C. Brandts without Carl. Another ad in The Numismatist for July, 1943, offered large cents and ran without the name of a proprietor. Their May 1944 ad had the names of Ted and Carl. In October 1944 they ran a two-page ad listing coins with prices.

They conducted a number of mail bid sales that probably include more that those listed in Gengerke, A public auction was held for the Ohio State Numismatic Society convention April 7, 1948, while Ted Brandts was still living. Their 1949 auction was conducted by new owner William Wilson. He conducted auctions into 1951.

The Newman Numismatic Portal includes records of invoices of coins sold by B. G. Johnson to Ted and Carl Brandts of the Celina Coin Company. They had access to great coins and were positioned to sell them through their store and mail bid sales. The death of Johnson on February 24, 1947, cut of that supply.

 

The Celina Coin Company was noted for handling rarities. Often mentioned is the 1870-S three- dollar gold piece, unique in collectors hands. The coin was in the Virgil Brand collection and handled by B. G. Johnson with the Brand estate. Johnson sold in to Ted and Carl Brandts for $7000 on Ted's birthday, September 11, 1945. They ran a full-page ad in The Numismatist in December 1945 and sold it to Louis Eliasberg for $11,500 in January 1946. In recent articles it was described as having a value of $10 million. When it sold at auction this January, it brought half that amount.

Following the death of Theodore Brandts in 1948, the company was sold to Robert Franklin Wilson (b. 1/18/1898 d. 3/28/1952). He joined the ANA in 1943 as member 9777. In 1949, Wilson relocated the company to 209-11 E, Market Street in Lima, Ohio. In 1945 he served on the U.S. Assay Commission. He served on the Lima city council 1945 to 1949. He had operated a sporting goods company and the Robert F. Wilson company as a mail-order company. He died of a stroke at age 54.

The Celina Coin Company was an important dealership briefly during 1943-48. The death of B. G. Johnson and unfortunate early death of Ted Brandts brought that to an end. Although the business was continued by Robert Wilson, it was diminished in importance.

A new Celina Coin Company LLC was incorporated January 19. 2016. Registered agent is Jordan Hayne. Their address appears to me to be a mail box at the UPS Store in Celina.

Julia Casey writes:

 

 

To read the Kelly's Coins and Chatter issue on NNP, see:
https://archive.org/details/kellyscoinschatt1n06kell/page/n1/mode/2up

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
THE CELINA COIN COMPANY (https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n05a16.html)

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web