Crossing the Block: The Teich Family Collection, Part 1

The Teich family’s interest in collecting coins started in 1952 while on a family vacation. A single Indian cent carried by Dr. Samuel Teich, the father, fell to the ground and rolled under the counter in view of the owner of a simple rustic motel. This was a magical moment, as the owner, himself a numismatist, spent the next several hours sharing his collection with the family. The beginning of an exciting family hobby was at hand.

Shortly thereafter, while on a shopping trip to Gimbel’s in New York City, Dr. Teich and his wife Beatrice, stopped by the coin department, and their adventure began. They met Robert Friedberg, bought series coin albums for themselves and their three sons, began learning about American numismatics, and soon purchased from Freidberg some of the rare coins now offered in the Teich Family auction. Not long after, with the help and cooperation of Norman, Morton and Harvey Stack, they learned the finer aspects of numismatics, and began their long standing relationship with Stack’s. They developed into true connoisseurs, and placed emphasis on quality!

The entire family caught the collecting bug, and the sons searched through all their pocket change (and still do), as well as thousands of rolls obtained from local banks to find missing items for their albums (key coins of all kinds were in circulation if you were lucky enough to find them, and the search was exciting and tantalizing). However, emphasis soon shifted to acquiring high-quality classics, dating back to the early 19th century, including proofs, Choice and Gem Mint State specimens of many series, and more.

In the 1950s and 1960s, they were bidders and buyers in most of Stack’s auction sales, including famous collections whose names still echo in the halls of numismatics: the Empire Sale of 1957, the Pelletreau Sale of 1959, Milton A. Holmes in 1960, the record breaking Wolfson Sale in 1962 and many others.

Over the years, they assembled a museum-quality collection of United States proof sets from 1854 into the mid-19th century, as well as additional sets of proofs by series—Indian cents, two-cent pieces, three-cent nickel coins, Shield and Liberty nickels, and more.

In parallel the family expanded its collections to include high quality business strikes of Indian and Lincoln cents, Buffalo nickels, Mercury dimes, Standing Liberty and other quarter dollars, 20^th century gold, and other specialties. This grand family adventure may have been a unique situation in American numismatics.

Years passed, the sons discussed the family treasure and came to Stack’s Bowers Galleries to have us auction the coins that had been locked away—with the hope that they will provide great pleasure to a new generation of enthusiasts and connoisseurs. The Teich family invites you to share in the excitement of coin collecting, to relish the feeling of accomplishment in building a meaningful collection, and to delight in the hobby that has been an integral part of their lives for over 50 years.