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WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC LITERATURE JUNE 9, 2024I often have a Numismatic Diary article in this space, but with the second part of my library in Saturday's Kolbe & Fanning numismatic literature auction, I thought I'd comment on some of my consigned items. I'll miss them but here's hoping they all find good new homes. -Editor Lot 303: Armand Champa Library Materials [Champa, Armand]. MATERIALS RELATING TO THE 1994–1995 SALES OF THE ARMAND CHAMPA LIBRARY.
Also included is Bill Yost's third draft and preliminary layout of his unpublished Index and Account of the Numismatic Books & Manuscripts of the Armand Champa Library (dated November 2, 1996). Materials generally fine or nearly so. A fascinating group of ephemeral items relating to the Armand Champa Library sales, accompanied by annotated catalogues and Homren's notes made in preparation for, and immediately after, the sales. Included in the more ephemeral items are printed 1995 emails from the new BiblioNumis-L list being promoted by Harry Bass and Wayne Homren. Yost's never-published work was envisioned to include a history of the collection, provenances, author and dealer index, consignor index, title index, index of illustrations, and a master index. Ex Wayne Homren Library. A real trip down memory lane. Harry was my first (OK, only) billionaire pen pal. And Armand was a great friend and inspiration. I bought quite a number of lots in the sale, a burst of acquisition before settling down to married life. That sale announcement postcard could be a real rarity - was I the only person to save one? -Editor
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I believe I acquired this at a coin show as an example of colonial money accounting. Neat item of numismatic-related ephemera. -Editor
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Lot 354: Mysterious American Numismatic Rarity Franklin, C.W. A HANDBOOK OF AMERICAN, GREEK AND ROMAN COINS. Bellevue, 1907. Small 8vo, original brown pebbled cloth, gilt. 119, (1) pages; illustrated throughout, including on variously numbered and unnumbered plates. Spine a bit rubbed, else near fine. The first copy we have ever handled of this virtually unknown book. John Lupia has investigated the author, Calvin Westley Franklin (1854–1911), and has compiled what information he was able to find about him on his website numismaticmall.com. The rarity of this book is a mystery, given that it includes what appear to be paid advertisements from various banks and businesses, including coin dealers S.H. Chapman and A.C. Gies. One would assume that copies would at the very least have been distributed through these channels, but this appears not to be the case. The unusual mix of coverage (ancient coins and modern American coins) may have contributed to the lack of interest among collectors. While I have not had a chance to investigate the illustrations used in this book, they look familiar and I would not be at all surprised to find them elsewhere. An intriguing volume. Ex John Beck Library; ex Wayne Homren Library. 
I acquired this early on in my numismatic literature journey. Fellow Western Pennsylvania Numismatic Society member Harry Colborn tipped me off to an estate sale with multiple box lots of coin books. He was interested in large cent literature; I bought all of the lots and sold Harry the copper books. The consignment turned out to be from the family of John A. Beck, the banker and voracious coin buyer. I never knew what to make of this unusual item either, but I've never encountered another copy. Rare and perhaps unique. -Editor
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Lot 359: Hardcover Gilbert & Elder on 1796 Cents Gilbert, E., and Thomas L. Elder. THE VARIETIES OF THE UNITED STATES CENTS OF 1796. New York, 1909. 4to, original brown cloth, gilt. (16) pages (last leaf blank); 2 fine photographic plates of cents. Three printed supplement sheets, describing varieties 22–31 and 33–40 (skipping 32), laid in. Hinges a bit weak, but holding; Very good or better. A nice copy of the Special Hardbound Edition. One of only 300 copies printed, most of which were bound in card covers.
In a letter sold in our June 1990 Adams sale, George Clapp wrote: 
As the youngster of the group, I had the opportunity over the years to purchase entire libraries when club members passed away. Jim Sloss's widow Sarann was a delight to speak with. I visited the Sloss home in Beaver, PA a couple of times buying catalogs and books, most of which stayed in my library for decades. -Editor
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Lot 383: Rare 1866 Cincinnati Coin Sale Broadside Hubbard, S.G. [auctioneer]. COINS, BOOKS, &C. AT AUCTION. ON FRIDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 9TH, 1866, AT 7 O'CLOCK, WILL BE SOLD THE CABINET OF COINS AND A PORTION OF THE PRIVATE LIBRARY OF THE LATE DR. G.T. COLLINS. THE COINS CONSIST OF AMERICAN, ENGLISH, ROMAN AND GRECIAN, COPPER AND SILVER, SOME OF WHICH ARE RARE. AMONG THE BOOKS ARE SOME THAT ARE RARE AND VALUABLE. ALSO, A GOLD WATCH, MAGNIFYING GLASSES, &C. (Cincinnati), November 9, 1866. Broadside [approximately 48.5 by 32 cm]. 209 numismatic lots + (54) lots of books, etc. Attractively framed in brown wood with gilt interior border using museum glass. Four fold-marks; some browning. Very good or better.
The only other copy of this broadside that we have handled was in the second Bass sale (Kolbe Sale 77, lot 342), where an example brought $2400 hammer. We know of no other copy having been sold, with the Fuld, Champa, Ford and Newman Libraries all lacking a copy. The ANS Library holds the only other copy known to us, and that is permanently off the market. Attinelli 45. McKay 10166. I'll really miss this one. Purchased already framed from Charlie "Cheech" Litman at the Pittsburgh Coin Exchange on my lunch break one day, it hung next to the desk in my library for decades. Perfect for us numismatic bibliophiles. -Editor
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Lot 421: The Donald M. Miller Archives Miller, Donald M. ARCHIVAL MATERIAL INCLUDING ANNOTATED PUBLICATIONS FROM THE LIBRARY OF DONALD MILLER. Includes:
a binder containing 61 sheets of handwritten notes by Miller on 19th-century American political tokens; Joseph Barnet's copy of the 1899 second edition of Lyman Low's Hard Times Tokens, acquired by Miller in 1949 from David Bullowa at the same time that Miller acquired Barnet's collection; a disbound copy of the 1899 second edition of Low, bound with the 1906 supplementary article as published in the American Journal of Numismatics, as well as W.F. Dunham's Instant Finding List, notes on the Levick sale, and an original set of Edgar Adams's 15 Photographs of Hard Times Tokens, Numbered According to Low (c. 1913); Thomas H. Isitt's lightly annotated copy of the 1899 second edition of Low, bound in leather with the 1906 Supplement; correspondence between Donald Miller and Charles Kappan, E.E. Rogers, E.A. Rice, Charles McSorley, William Dewey, James Fawcet and others; miscellaneous notes on varieties of American tokens, with pricing information; notes on collections of tokens and published materials about them; an inventory of Miller's numismatic library;
a worn copy of the April 1870 issue of the American Journal of Numismatics, including J.N.T. Levick's early Condition varies, with some of the material in binders coming loose. Generally very good or better unless otherwise noted.
Donald Miller is probably best-known for being the author of A Catalogue of U.S. Store Cards or Merchants Tokens (1962), which was a revision and expansion of Edgar Adams's earlier work on the subject. Miller formed extraordinary collections of American tokens, most particularly Hard Times Tokens and 19th-century store cards. His interest was broad, however, and there are materials here relating to Washingtonia, shell cards, The largest numismatic library I ever purchased belonged to Don Miller of Indiana, PA. I'd visited him at his home a couple times, and his widow contacted me after his death. We had very similar numismatic interests - about 85% of the book titles were already in my library, and I sold the duplicates through The Money Tree. Among the unique items I kept was this wonderful group of ephemera and archival material. Interesting aside - the Millers lived in the home movie star Jimmy Stewart grew up in. -Editor
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Lots 433 and 434
Lot 433: Fantastic 1804 Dollar Signed by All Four Authors & Researchers
Newman, Eric P., and Kenneth E. Bressett. Associates in Research, Walter H. Breen and Lynn Glaser. THE FANTASTIC 1804 DOLLAR. Second printing. Racine: Whitman, 1962. 8vo, original brown textured cloth lettered in silver. 144 pages; illustrated. Signed by all four authors and associates on the title page. Fine. The only copy we recall handling that has been signed by all four authors and I'm proud of this accomplishment. I was quite lucky to know three of the four (all legends of American numismatics) and get their signatures in person. I had to track down Lynn Glaser and got him on the phone one day. I introduced myself and asked if he'd be willing to sign my copy as well. He agreed, and I shipped it off to him. It returned with the fourth signature, and as far as I know this is the only copy of this classic book thus signed. -Editor
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As the consignor I'm naturally inclined to overvalue my own material, but I'd like to think I'm not the only bibliophile to appreciate this association copy inscribed by a fellow author and researcher. One of the most important books in American numismatics is also widely available, but a scant few have such contemporary inscriptions. One of the last additions to my library before deciding to consign it, I paid multiples of the estimate in this sale. -Editor
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Lot 455: An A.M. Smith Corkscrew
Smith, A.M. STRAIGHT-PULL CORKSCREW WITH WOODEN GRIP ADVERTISING A.M. SMITH'S WINE AND SPIRITS BUSINESS. Minneapolis, late 1800s–early 1900s. 11.5 cm iron shaft with 9 cm wooden grip. Printed text promoting Smith's business at 247–249 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis. Shaft lightly rusted; grip text legible. Very good. A neat memento of one of the more prominent American numismatic authors of the later 19th century. According to Pete Smith's American Numismatic Biographies, A.M. Smith moved to Minneapolis in 1886, where he engaged successfully in the wine trade. The wooden grip of this promotional corkscrew advertises the availability of 
A gift from Pete Smith himself, this decorated one of my library shelves for decades. Neat association item. -Editor
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Vattemare's System of International Exchanges was initially aimed at the exchange of duplicate books between libraries, and was later extended to include works of art, maps, natural history specimens, coins, medals and other similar objects. He came to America in 1839 and again in 1847, and was granted funds by Congress and by several state legislatures to further his scheme, which met with greater success here than in Europe. This elusive 1861 work describing American coins, medals and tokens from 1652 to 1858 was written to complement the collection given to the Bibliothèque Impériale (Nationale) in the name of the government and citizens of the United States. Following an interesting historical overview, from colonial issues to pioneer gold, some 381 pieces are described in detail. P.O. van der Chijs was the foremost Dutch numismatist of his day; some of the pencil annotations record additional American coins in the numismatic cabinet at Leiden.
Another association copy with a marvelous pedigree, signed by the greatest numismatist in early America. I've always gotten goosebumps handling this one. Good luck in the sale, everyone. -Editor
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Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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