The sale features 500 lots of rare and desirable works of numismatic interest, including highlights from the superb Alan Luedeking Latin American numismatic Library, classic nineteenth- and early twentieth-century works on Russian coins and medals from the library of Dr. Ira Rezak, the Dr. Jeff Hosford collection of Crosbyana, key works on ancient coins, and great classic works on American numismatics, some from the library of the New Netherlands Coin Company. Additional consignors to the sale include Norwegian numismatist Jan Olav Aamlid, Minnesota dealer Allan Davisson and the estate of the late Northern California coin dealer Robert R. Johnson.

There are any number of rarities in the sale, covering the numismatic spectrum.

A printed catalogue may be obtained by sending $25 to: KOLBE & FANNING NUMISMATIC BOOKSELLERS LLC, 141 W JOHNSTOWN ROAD, GAHANNA OH 43230-2700. The catalogue is also accessible free of charge at Kolbe & Fanning website: www.numislit.com.

The sale features no fewer than seven original editions of Sylvester Crosby’s Early Coins of America, including two from the library of the author and five other quite special copies. Other American rarities include an original 1925 Browning work on quarter dollars annotated by Walter Breen; a nice 1921 John Story Jenks sale with original photographic plates; three Eckfeldt and Du Bois works featuring actual gold examples from the California Gold Rush; a superb deluxe leather-bound set of the virtually unknown 1881 edition of Loubat’s Medallic History of the United States; all three of James Mease’s extremely rare 1821-1838 works on United States numismatics, the earliest works on the topic written from a numismatic perspective; B. Max Mehl’s own set of Mehl’s Numismatic Monthly; George Woodside’s own annotated copy, with plates, of the 1892 sale catalogue of his collection of United States pattern coins; the unique and extensive numismatic archive of Chicagoan Michael A. Powills, a noted coin collector prominent in American Numismatic Association affairs and the leading numismatic book dealer of his time, containing many thousands of letters from the key movers and shakers in American numismatics, circa 1930-1980; papers relating to the Dr. John E. Wilkison collection of United States pattern gold coins; and a deluxe edition of Valentine’s famed 1924 work on fractional currency, annotated by Walter Breen.

Classic works on medieval and modern coins and medals include a superb set of the 1791 Beskrivelse over Danske Mynter og Medailler from the library of the Prime Minister of Denmark, along with other classic works on Scandinavian numismatics including the extremely rare supplement to the Beskrivelse; a number of rare and important 16th- and 17th-century merchant guides, often termed “Coin Books”; several very rare works on coining technology; rarities on Scottish and English numismatics from the Allan Davisson library; the first 21 volumes of Rivista Italiana, 1888-1908; the firm’s own annotated copies of over 300 Glendining & Co. auction catalogues, 1966-1986; and two leather-bound presentation volumes on Canadian numismatics written by Alfred Sandham.

Desirable works on Russian numismatics include an exceptionally fine set of the Grand-Duc Georges Michaïlovitch’s 1916 Monnaies de l’Empire de Russie, from the library of Frank Sternberg; a nice complete set of the Russian edition of Chaudoir; most of the key early and mid-twentieth century auction sales of Russian coins; Hutten Czapski’s very rare 1875 treatise on early Russian coins; and rare titles by Iversen, Oreshnikov, Sontsov, Count Tolstoi, and others.

Nearly 150 highlights from the Luedeking library of Latin American numismatics are featured, among them virtually all of the great classic works, including a complete run of José Toribio Medina’s principal numismatic works and several minor Medinas as well; the unique bid-book of the 1878 Fonrobert Central America auction sale; 14 lots of invaluable checklists of Latin American and Caribbean tokens compiled by David Henkle; rare Meili and Alejandro Rosa works; along with various seldom-encountered periodicals and virtually complete sets of specialized auction sale catalogues on the topic. It is the most comprehensive library on the topic ever handled by Kolbe & Fanning. The balance of the library will be sold in a Spring 2011 Kolbe & Fanning sale, as will remaining works from the Rezak library.

Key works on ancient numismatics include a complete set of Ernest Babelon’s landmark Traité des Monnaies Grecques et Romaines; an original set of Eckhel’s 1792–98 Doctrina Numorum Veterum in an armorial binding; the Chapman brothers annotated salesroom copy of the famous 1905 Jacob Hirsch auction sale of the Rhousopoulos collection of ancient Greek coins; a number of key antiquarian works on ancient coins; and Andreas Alföldi’s exceptionally fine set of Mazzini’s five-volume Monete Imperiale Romane.

Inquiries may be directed to David F. Fanning at df@numislit.com, (614) 414-0855, or to George F. Kolbe at gfk@numislit.com, (909) 338-6527.

Related posts:

1. Kolbe & Fanning to Hold Notable Numismatic Book Auctions This Fall
2. Kolbe & Fanning to Auction Part II of the Stack Family Numismatic Library on June 3rd
3. Kolbe & Fanning Complete Second Sale of Stack Family Numismatic Library

Featured in the sale among the many interesting lots of American interest are: the Currency Act of 1764, a rare British Parliamentary Act regulating American colonial paper money, the severe restriction of which provided in part the justification of the American Revolution; the Wayne Homren collection of some fifty early American newspapers with numismatic content, including a 1787 description of Fugio coppers, Birmingham coppers in 1752, a 1788 account of the Massachusetts Mint, George Washington’s 1792 comments on the establishment of the U.S. Mint, a contemporary account of 1794 dollars, early Mint Reports, a contemporary account of the 1851 Lewis Roper sale, and the 1857 loss of the S.S. Central America; nice examples of the first two coin publications of Q. David Bowers, issued in 1955 and 1956, and specially bound combined presentation editions of both the Garrett and Norweb collection sales; a special hardbound edition of Barney Bluestone’s famous Grinnell paper money sales; a 1914 letter from S.H. Chapman to William H. Woodin, discussing plated Gable sale catalogues; Evelyn’s 1697 Numismata, which includes the earliest illustration of the St. Patrick’s coinage; Sanborn Partridge’s rare 1979 article on Vermont coins, hand-annotated by the author; the famous 1878 Adolph Weyl sale of the Fonrobert collection of over 6,000 American and Canadian coins, tokens and medals; a nice first edition, first printing of the Red Book; a rare antebellum children’s guide book with currency tables, published in 1857 in Charleston by William Babcock; Confederate States of America publications on currency; a nautical almanac for the year 1803 signed by early American naval hero Thomas Truxtun that may well have accompanied Truxtun when he captured the French frigate L’Insurgente in 1799 and during the successful encounter in 1800 with La Vengeance, which resulted in President Jefferson presenting Truxtun with the first Congressional medal made in the United States; an interesting collection of American numismatic literature from the Civil War years; and two of the rarest limited editions of the Red Book: the 2008 ANS sesquicentennial and 2008 NLG Bash volumes, limited to editions of 250 and 135 copies respectively.

A few of the important works on ancient, medieval and modern numismatics include: a fine copy of John Evelyn’s 1697 Numismata, the first substantial work on English medals, once in the libraries of Rogers Ruding, Matthew Young and Edward Hawkins; a set of the Forni reprint of Babelon’s Traité des Monnaies Grecques et Romaines; a handsomely bound sales room copy of the iconic 1974 Zurich Kunstfreundes sale of superb ancient Greek coins, with buyers’ names and prices; a nice selection of Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum fascicules; the first 15 volumes, 1960-1989, of Numizmatika i Epigrafika; Medina’s classic 1924 Medallas Europeas Relativas à América; Cayón’s 1990-95 four-volume Compendio de las Monedas del Imperio Romano; the seldom-encountered Forni reprint of Imhoof-Blumer’s Die Antiken Münzen Nord-Griechenlands; and Éditions Spéciales of seven Victor Gadoury works on French coins.

A printed catalogue may be obtained by sending $10 to: KOLBE & FANNING NUMISMATIC BOOKSELLERS LLC, 141 W JOHNSTOWN ROAD, GAHANNA OH 43230-2700. The catalogue is also accessible free of charge on the Kolbe & Fanning website at www.numislit.com.

On January 8, 2011, Kolbe & Fanning will be holding a public auction at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in conjunction with the New York International Numismatic Convention. Consignments of important numismatic works have been streaming in, including the superb Alan Luedeking library of works on Latin American numismatics; classic nineteenth- and early twentieth-century works on Russian numismatics; key works on ancient coins; great classic works on American numismatics; a superb set of the 1791 Beskrivelse over Danske Mynter og Medailler; and an original 1925 Browning work on quarter dollars annotated by Walter Breen. Consignments of exceptional numismatic works will be accepted for this sale until the end of October. Inquiries may be directed to David F. Fanning at df@numislit.com, (614) 414-0855, or to George F. Kolbe at gfk@numislit.com, (909) 338-6527.

Related posts:

1. Kolbe & Fanning Complete Second Sale of Stack Family Numismatic Library
2. Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Book Auction to be Held in NYC in January
3. David F. Fanning Numismatic Literature is conducting a mail-bid auction, with a closing date of October 28.

Some highlights include:

• Lot 390, the Coin Galleries set of Stack’s catalogues, brought $21,000 on a $10,000 estimate

• Lot 517, a nearly complete set of Numismatic Notes and Monographs, brought $4500 on a $4000 estimate

• Lot 399, the Stack’s office copy of the Brobston fixed price list of United States half cents, identifying many purchasers from this important list, brought $3200 on a $1000 estimate

• Lot 389, a daybook and ledger used by the Stack Family to record the sales from their early years, including their first auction, brought $3000 on a $2500 estimate

• Lot 266, a bound volume of rare George A. Leavitt sales, brought $2700 on a $500 estimate

• Lot 642, a beautifully bound first edition copy of Dalton and Hamer’s important work on Conder tokens, brought $1750 on a $1000 estimate.

The catalogue and prices realized list for this sale can be found on the Kolbe & Fanning website at www.numislit.com.

This was the first sale conducted by the new joint venture between George F. Kolbe and David F. Fanning, who combined their respective numismatic literature businesses earlier this year. The firm’s next auctions will be the September 12 sale of select antiquarian items from the Anders Frösell library and the September 16 sale of the library devoted to ancient coins, art and antiquities formed by Robert J. Myers.

On November 18, the firm will be conducting a further mail-­-bid sale, for which consignments are still being accepted. On January 8, 2011, Kolbe & Fanning will be holding a public auction at the Waldorf-­-Astoria hotel in conjunction with the New York International Numismatic Convention. Select consignments of important numismatic works are currently being solicited for this sale.

Queries may be directed to David F. Fanning at df@numislit.com or (614) 414-0855, or to George F. Kolbe at gfk@numislit.com or (909) 338-6527.

Related posts:

1. Kolbe & Fanning to Auction Part II of the Stack Family Numismatic Library on June 3rd
2. January 2010 George Frederick Kolbe Public Auction Sale: The Stack Family Numismatic Library
3. Numismatic Literature Dealers George Kolbe and David Fanning Join Forces

For over fifty years, the fabled American portion of the library resided in antique bookcases lining one wall of Harvey Stack’s office, and along the opposite wall as well. Other portions of the library were, for many years, located throughout the main floor of the firm’s New York City retail location at 123 West 57th Street and many of the great classic works on ancient and foreign coins and medals were carefully arranged on the second floor in the Coin Galleries offices.

Covering virtually all aspects of numismatics and replete with rarities, it was one of the finest working libraries on numismatics ever formed in the United States.

On January 9, 2010, 400 lots of key works from this magnificent library were sold by George Frederick Kolbe at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City in conjunction with the New York International Numismatic Convention. The total price realized, including the 15% buyer premium, was nearly $950,000, or an average of nearly $2,400 per lot. Added to that were 100 lots of duplicates from the American Numismatic Society Library, bringing the sale’s grand total to slightly over one million dollars.

Comprising 1072 lots, this upcoming second Stack’s sale is particularly rich in often-consulted standard reference works, although it also includes a number of rarities and particularly desirable items that did not find their way into the first sale.

Highlights among the 506 American lots in the June 3 sale include:

• Stack’s 1930s Ledger and Daybook featuring accounting Information for their first auction
• Coin Galleries’s special hardbound set of Stack’s auction sales, essentially complete from 1935 into the 1970s; the firm’s soft-cover set of Stack’s Fixed Price Lists
• An original 1894 American Numismatic Association Convention Program, one of only three known
• Several photocopy sets of The Barber Papers, a most important archive comprising personal and professional papers from U.S. Mint Chief Engraver (1879-1917) Charles E. Barber [the originals were donated to the Smithsonian Institution by the Stack Family some years ago]

Other material inclues; A number of American counterfeit detectors, including Heaths; a number of seldom-offered early ANA Convention auction sales; a bound volume of George L. Leavitt coin auction sales including two unlisted in Gengerke; a collection of Stack’s office copies of B. Max Mehl auction catalogues; a complete set of Lester Merkin catalogues; Harvey Stack’s heavily annotated 1959 Pennypacker Sale featuring Leonard Holland’s choice large cent collection; Wayte Raymond’s earliest known numismatic publication; an inventory and appraisal of the Byron Reed Collection; Stack’s office copy of the famous Brobston price list of half cents, featuring buyers’ names; a great many bound special edition Stack’s sales, some rarely offered; and many more American numismatic works of exceptional interest.

The second half of the sale is largely comprised of still indispensable works on ancient, medieval and modern numismatics covering the international numismatic spectrum.

A few works featured among them include: important references on Renaissance medals; classic European auction sales of ancient Greek and Roman coins; a beautifully bound original set of Dalton & Hamer’s Provincial Token-Coinage of the 18th Century; Dattari’s own heavily annotated set of Monete Imperiali Greche, still the classic work on the coins of Roman Egypt; a complete set of American Numismatic Society Museum Notes and a nearly complete set of Numismatic Notes and Monographs; Graham Pollard’s own set of Italian Renaissance Medals in the Museo Nazionale of Bargello; Salvesen’s 1987 Trade Dollars & Trade Coinage of the World, one of only 15 copies issued; and a run of various Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum fascicules.

Printed copies of the upcoming June 3, 2010 sale catalogue may be obtained by sending $10.00 to Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers, 141 W. Johnstown Road, Gahanna, OH 43230-2700. Telephone: (614) 414-0855; Fax: (614) 414-0860; Email: df@numislit.com. The catalogue is also accessible free of charge at the firm’s web site: www.numislit.com.

Related posts:

1. Kolbe & Fanning Complete Second Sale of Stack Family Numismatic Library
2. January 2010 George Frederick Kolbe Public Auction Sale: The Stack Family Numismatic Library
3. ANA Library Obtains Four Rare Books From Stack’s Family Library Auction

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.

The ANA’s copy is one of five issued in a large format; 200 were printed in small size. Of these, four are typically thought to have survived to the present day, based on auction sales. However, according to an annotation found in another large paper copy and a note in an 1883 bookseller’s catalogue issued by Charles Lowell Woodward, at least one of the five copies issued had, at that early date, been “cut down” and another had been “burnt.”

Hickcox’s groundbreaking work was a necessity for early generalists. Decades later, however, numismatic specialists found faults with the book; Hickcox’s reputation didn’t fare much better. From 1874 to 1882, he was employed in the Copyright Division at the Library of Congress. As Q. David Bowers writes in American Numismatics Before the Civil War, Hickcox’s “numismatic career came to an abrupt halt in 1882 when he was arrested for the crime ‘of opening mail letters and pocketing the money.’ Hickcox admitted his guilt. In March 1882, he was summarily relieved of his honorary membership in the American Numismatic Society.”

Numisma

Author John W. Adams, in United States Numismatic Literature, Volume I, wrote that the 19th century magazine Numisma was “undoubtedly the most lively publication of its kind, it provides us with an intimate glimpse into the hobby as it and its personalities then existed.”

Numisma was published by editor and cataloger Ed Frossard. The first nine volumes were published bi-monthly but the final volume was issued over a five-year period. This periodic schedule along with printing on inferior-quality paper may be a reason fewer than a dozen sets are currently known to be extant. The ANA’s copy includes all 59 issues but is missing a four-page supplement issued to accompany the January 1884 issue. It also includes a useful six-page index written in pencil in the back of the bound volumes. This copy may have belonged to former ANS President Benjamin Betts, as evidenced by “B. Betts” written in pencil on the front flyleaf.

In the pages of Numisma, Frossard dished out opinions, offering praise to some and tongue-lashings to offending competitors. In the last Numisma issue, December 1891, Frossard includes an item about a fledgling group of collectors called the American Numismatic Association. “This lately founded association aims at becoming a medium of intercommunication between collectors in all sections of this vast country. … The future of this association is bright with promises of widely reaching usefulness and success,” he writes.

Historical Sketches of the Paper Currency of the American colonies

Historical Sketches of the Paper Currency of the American Colonies, Prior to the Adoption of the Federal Constitution and Historical Sketches of American Paper Currency (ANA Library Catalog No. US40.P5a V. 1 & 2), written by Henry Philips Jr. in 1865 and 1866, respectively, are bound into one volume. The first volume consists of monographs on the colonial paper money of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and Vermont, along with a reprint of Elisha Potter’s work on Rhode Island. The second volume compresses Phillips’ work on continental paper money.

Thomas Elder catalog

Elder’s work in numismatics started with an advertisement in 1899 and ended with his death in 1948. A passionate collector and commercial success, Elder released nearly 300 catalogs, starting in 1903 and ending in 1940. The ANA has 236 of the 294 Elder catalog dates in its collection. “We know of only one complete set (of Elder catalogs) – the author’s own – and it has disappeared into the mists of time,” Adams writes.

The catalog of Thomas Elder’s 21st sale, conducted Oct. 5-7, 1908, documents the rare coins collection of James B. Wilson. It was a notable sale of American coins, especially important for large cents. Elder called the collection the finest ever sold at auction, and notes that “most of these choice pieces were purchased by Mr. Wilson at the Frothingham sale in May, 1883. Several are from the Parmelee collection.”

The catalog’s fine photographic plates show some delightful illustrations: Eight of the plates illustrate large cents; three plates depict United States gold coins; there are four plates of silver dollars, two of halves and one each of quarters and dimes; two plates depict pattern silver dollars and ten early half dimes; three plates illustrate ancient, medieval and modern foreign coins; and four plates depict pioneer gold rarities.

To find out more about these books, visit www.money.org and click on “Library” under the Explore the World of Money scroll-down menu. From here, search the library catalog for “Stack Family Library,” and you’ll find full auction catalog lot descriptions of new ANA Library materials from this sale. In the coming years, the ANA library staff hopes to digitize these materials, making them available on the online catalog with the click of a mouse.

Related posts:

1. January 2010 George Frederick Kolbe Public Auction Sale: The Stack Family Numismatic Library
2. Kolbe & Fanning to Auction Part II of the Stack Family Numismatic Library on June 3rd
3. Kolbe & Fanning Complete Second Sale of Stack Family Numismatic Library