MICHAEL HODDER ON JOHN J. FORD, JR.

I guess I'd better chime in on this. Ford wasn't stingy with numismatic information, he was cagey. Remember, he was a businessman as well as a collector. In areas he was actively interested in, like Betts medals, he did himself no good telling potential competitive bidders what he had and what he wanted. In areas he was less active in, like currency or 19th C. U.S. Mint medals (always excepting Indian Peace Medals), he shared what he knew with anyone he respected who asked for it, like Carl Carlson and Doug Ball, for examples. It always helped if that person wasn't likely to be a competitor for something Ford wanted, too!

In other areas where his collections were largely static, like state coppers or Massachusetts silver, Ford gave a trusted few full access to his collections. When I first went to his house in Phoenix to study his New Jersey's for my own research interests I found Breen had already been there before me, given the same unrestricted right to examine the collection. I found Breen's notes again when I worked on Ford's Vermonts and Connecticuts.

I met Ford when I catalogued a small collection of territorial gold coins for Sotheby's in the early 1980's. He showed up at 980 Madison Avenue dressed in an wool overcoat, Homburg and pigskin gloves. He told me later his father had given him that advice, to look like someone who could buy the place. We went across the street for a drink. He told me he thought I might amount to something.

For years afterwards Ford would call me three or four times a week. We'd talk numismatics, collectors and dealers, auction sales, for about an hour. He was my contact with the world of post-War numismatics and through his reminiscences I heard about the doings of the greats of classic American numismatics, Proskey, Boyd, the Chapmans. As time went on we became good friends. I'm happy to hear he called John Kraljevich, too, and while I don't remember telling Kraljevich that Ford "thinks you're salvageable" I hope I did because that's a good line.

Ford knew his business well. He never forgot what Abe Kosoff told him once, when Ford was bragging about how much better a numismatist he was than Abe. Kosoff turned to him and said (paraphrasing) "Young man, you may know coins but I know collectors." Ford didn't cultivate everyone in the business unless he respected them for what they knew or what they could do for numismatics. His imprimatur was always a two way street.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
ON THE TUTORSHIP OF JOHN J. FORD (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n38a13.html)

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web