Remember When: A Numismatic Saga, Part 6

By Harvey G. Stack, Senior Numismatic Consultant

History of Stack’s Numismatic Auctions

Harvey Stack continues his reminiscences and the story of Stack’s, with numismatic traditions dating back to 1858, in its present form founded in New York City in 1933. Stack’s held its first public auction sale in 1935. Today, Stack’s Bowers Galleries is the longest established and most accomplished rare coin firm in America.

Various Phases of Growth

Back in the 1930s and continuing into the 1940s, from our offices at 32 West 46th Street and later, at 12 West 46th Street, we often held our auctions on premises. This provided a familiar and friendly atmosphere for collectors attending, and the recording and billing departments were located in-house. Now and again we would hold sales in the Hotel Pennsylvania as well.

Stack’s further branched out to convention sales for the American Numismatic Association and for local shows such as the annual New York Numismatic show held in New York City and the New England Numismatic Association shows in various New England States. It was always a pleasure to work with the committees and members of these groups.

My uncle, Joseph Stack, was the family auctioneer for several decades. He trained my cousin Benjamin Stack and me to be auctioneers. We learned how to conduct an auction as well as organize a sale. Later on Joseph became a prominent hobby auctioneer. Donald D’Amato co-conducted some of our sales.

For a long time my father, Morton Stack, led the team of catalogers who prepared descriptions ranging from coins of ancient Greece and Rome, down to the latest United States commemoratives, and just about everything in between. These experts included myself, Norman Stack, Benjamin Stack, Shirley Stack (my aunt), and specialists such as Fred Knobloch, Edward May, Hans Holzer, Hans M.F. Schulman, Henry Grunthal, Dr. and Mrs. Vladimir Stefanelli, Cornelius Vermeule, Dr. William H. Sheldon, John J. Ford, Jr., Homer Downing, James C. Risk, George Wyer and many others. Some were staffers, while others were consultants.

I like to think that our numismatic team (past and present) has always been by far the most expert and experienced ever gathered together!

Our auctions from the late 1940s into the early 1960s took place in Steinway Hall, the Great Northern Hotel, and the Park Sheraton Hotel (today’s Park Central). I have mentioned some of these sales and the collectors and collections involved in earlier “Harvey Stack Remembers” articles (see our archived material here on our website)

Over 800 Sales

Stack’s has conducted well over 800 sales under the Stack’s name and our subsidiaries, most prominently Coin Galleries. Our catalogs constitute a vast research library and include just about every rarity in ancient, world, and American numismatics. The catalogs for our series of sales offering the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection -- which in total realized nearly $60 million -- are an unequalled research archive on their own.

By the early 1950s Stack’s had established itself as the leading American auctioneer of rare coins. Now, I can reflect on over three quarters of a century of leadership, and look forward to many years more.

Today, as part of Stack’s Bowers, our gallery remains at 123 West 57th Street, where we’ve been since 1953, recently renovated and updated. We have also expanded our New York City presence to include offices and a private auction gallery in the Directors Guild of America building diagonally across the way at 110 West 57th Street.

I invite you to visit New York City, and while here make Stack’s a pleasant stop on your itinerary. You will be surrounded with a lot of tradition and will enjoy our staff and the selection of items we offer.