CLAUDE C. BIRDSELL (1879-1963)

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V28 2025 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 28, Number 18, 2025, Article 12

E-Sylum Feature Writer and American Numismatic Biographies author Pete Smith submitted this article on Ray Williamson's numismatic mentor Claude Birdsell. Thanks. -Editor

Ray Williamson, the subject of my article last week, mentioned that his mentor was Claude C. Birdsell. This week I set out to see what I could learn about him.

Claude C. Birdsell was born on February 27, 1879, in Heyworth, Illinois. He was the son of William Jesse Birdsell (1857-1930), a farmer, and Flora Buck Birdsell {1858-1919). The 1880 Census lists him as their daughter. It must have been dark in the delivery room.

His parents took the family from Bloomington, Illinois, to a farm outside of Webster City, Iowa. Claude moved to Eagle Grove, Iowa, in March of 1902 and took a job with the Chicago and North Western Railroad as a fireman. He was promoted to engineer and retired from the railroad in October 1945.

Birdsell was a member of the Masons for fifty years. He died on May 23, 1963, in Eagle Grove, Iowa, and is buried there at Rose Hill Cemetery.

Ray Williamson Rare Coin Review letter mentioning Claude Birdsall

Raymond Williamson wrote a letter to Q. David Bowers that was published in the Summer 1985 issue of Rare Coin Review.

"Hesslein was recommended to me by Claude C. Birdsall, my home town mentor in Eagle Grove, Iowa. Birdsall had an aversion to B. Max Mehl claiming that Mehl had rooked him re a 1799 copper cent with a worked over date."

Sharp-eyed readers may note that the letter had the name spelled "Birdsall" and the rest of this article has the name spelled "Birdsell." That difference cost me a couple of hours going back to look for the original quote.

The name of Claude C. Birdsell, Claude Birdsell or C. C. Birdsell does not show up in the Newman Numismatic Portal or The Numismatist archive. The name of Claude C. Birdsall appears only once in the Rare Coin Review letter.

The Newman Numismatic Portal is an incredible resource for numismatic research. The lack of references to Claude Birdsell shows that he is one of many coin collectors who do not become known to the broader numismatic community. Unfortunately, this makes for a boring story for The E-Sylum.

You never know where a numismatic thread will lead until you pull on it. So far this one is a dead end, but who knows - perhaps someday we'll learn more about Claude Birdsell's numismatic connections. And those clues may not be online (yet). Perhaps some scrap of paper or a note on a 2x2 coin envelope will yield a new connection. Be on the lookout, folks. -Editor