Lorin G. Parmelee was born on May 27, 1827 near Wilmington, Vermont. He lived a brief time in Illinois but returned to the east. Parmelee was a bean baker in Boston until 1893. During the 1850s, as he received a number of copper cents, he garnered requests from collectors to search these for needed dates. He began selling some of those for 10 to 25 cents each, at the same time beginning his own collecting activities. Parmelee purchased several collections intact, including the Seavey Collection in 1873 for which he paid $15,000. He also bought the Bushnell Collection which he had the Chapman Brothers sell in June 1882. Much of his collection was sold by Harlan Page Smith of the New York Coin and Stamp Company in June 1890, including the Doubloon which was lot 451 and realized $415.