Four items from the famed Stack’s Family Library now call the ANA’s Dwight N. Manley Library home. Purchased from George Frederick Kolbe’s January auction in New York City, the ANA’s new American numismatic literature rarities include a rare large paper copy of the first work devoted exclusively to American coins and a complete set of the 19th-century numismatic journal Numisma.

The Stack’s Family Library was assembled over seven decades by the New York numismatic firm founded by brothers Morton and Joseph Stack and carried on by their children. For more than fifty years, the library’s fabled American portion resided in antique bookcases lining two walls of Harvey Stack’s office.

Covering many aspects of numismatics and replete with rarities, the library’s sale was the most anticipated numismatic literature sale in recent memory and attracted bidders from around the world. The 400-lot sale marked only the second time a single-day numismatic literature auction grossed more than $1 million.

“We put a high priority on having a complete library collection, and are committed to upgrading and expanding it. When the opportunity arises, as it did during the Stack Family Library Sale, we took a serious look at adding rare and significant materials to the library,” ANA executive director Larry Shepherd said. “We think the ANA library is a major asset for the whole numismatic community. By obtaining these items, we are preserving them and making them available to members and scholars for viewing.”

The library won four lots in the sale, which were purchased using general funds from the ANA annual operating budget. All will be housed in the Frank J. Katen Rare Book Room, which is environmentally controlled to keep items in pristine condition.

Following are descriptions of each of the items purchased at the auction.

An Historical Account of American Coinage

John H. Hickcox’s 1858 work, An Historical Account of American Coinage (ANA Library Catalog No. GA40.H5), was the first to attempt a comprehensive history of U.S. coinage, and features five plates showing American colonial coins. The book is inscribed in ink on the front flyleaf: “M. L. Spooner, Troy, N. Y., April 12th 1968,” and autographed below in blue ink by Morton Stack. (more…)

Two of the finest-known gold 1804 eagles have been added to the Museum Showcase at the 2010 ANA National Money Show™ in Fort Worth. The coins are part of the renowned Harry W. Bass Jr. Collection of American gold coins, and are on display at the ANA’s Edward C. Rochette Money Museum in Colorado Springs.

The Mint began producing gold eagles ($10 coins) in 1795. Production of the coins ceased in 1804 due to a shortage of gold and a perceived lack of need for the denomination. The 1804 eagle thus became famous for being the last coin for the type, and the last eagle struck for circulation for over thirty years. The estimated number of survivors, including the one on display in Fort Worth, is thought to be 80-100 pieces, all from one die pair, of which a considerable number have been damaged.

A twist was added to the story in between 1834 and 1835, when restrikes of 1804 gold eagles and silver dollars were minted by special order of President Andrew Jackson as diplomatic gifts to a king, two emperors and a sultan. Since the last time that silver dollars or gold eagles had been produced was in 1804, the Mint created new dies for the coins and struck them as proofs. There are four known 1804 proof eagle restrikes, including the one on display in Fort Worth; these coins have been nicknamed the “King of Eagles.”

The ANA National Money Show is one of the premier coin shows in the country, and features more than 500 ANA-member dealers; a Museum Showcase with numismatic rarities from the Smithsonian Institution, ANA Money Museum and private collections; a wide array of educational programs; fascinating exhibits created by ANA members; and a $1 billion display by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. For more information, visit www.nationalmoneyshow.com or call 719-482-9857.

The show is at the Fort Worth Convention Center and is open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Admission is $6 daily and free for ANA members and children 12 and under.
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The ANA Museum Showcase will make its National Money Show™ debut March 25-27 at the Fort Worth Convention Center. This spectacular gallery gives visitors a unique chance to see some of the world’s most beautiful and valuable coins.

The showcase will be located just inside the bourse entrance, and features several numismatic treasures. The Smithsonian Institution’s exhibit, “Good as Gold: America’s Double Eagles,” explores the history of the U.S. $20 gold piece. The display includes the first (1849 pattern) and last (1933) double eagles ever produced, and a 1907 Saint-Gaudens ultra-high-relief $20 pattern coin that President Theodore Roosevelt gave his daughter Edith for Christmas that year.

The Museum Showcase also will present three historic and beautiful 1879 Quintuple Stellas. These coins are exceedingly rare; only five gold and perhaps 12 copper specimens are known. The National Money Show display includes the two finest gold specimens and one rare copper piece – all exhibited courtesy of the BRS Legacy Collection. The ANA thanks Laura Sperber for arranging this display.

The ANA’s Edward C. Rochette Money Museum will display pieces from its collection, including the Cohen and Idler/Bebee specimens of the rare 1804 Draped Bust dollar, two of 15 struck at the U.S. Mint.

The showcase also features the Walton specimen of the famed 1913 Liberty Head nickel, one of only five known. These nickels left the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia under suspicious circumstances. In 1919, former Mint employee Samuel Brown placed an advertisement in The Numismatist, offering to pay $500 for any 1913 Liberty Head nickel. The next year at the ANA’s annual convention in Chicago, Brown displayed a five-piece set. Later, Fort Worth dealer B. Max Mehl advertised that he would pay $50 for the rarity. (more…)