By Harvey G. Stack, Senior Numismatic
Consultant
If you ever attended a live
public auction then you will understand the excitement that is in the room, the
bidding fever, the competition between two or more buyers and the audience
response when the unusual occurs. This can be a new record price, the anticipation
of an upcoming lot, the calling out of bids to try to discourage opposition,
and the loud chatter that builds along with the excitement. It becomes a show
with no script and the actors are the auctioneer and the bidders, the
people sitting beside you, in front or back of you and those standing in a
corner so not to be observed.
One recent weekend I was
reviewing a group of Stack’s public auction catalogs from the early 1970s. I
came across the name, Winner F. Delp -- Stack's conducted the sale of his
collection in November 1972. Winner was a personal friend of the Stack family
and I had the privilege of helping him build his noteworthy collection.
He started collecting just before in went into service in World War II in 1942
and returned to numismatics upon his return home in 1947.
Mr. Delp loved well struck
specimens, lovely iridescent toning and very attractive examples. How was
he able to acquire so many choice and gem examples? It is a matter of
timing and history. Many early collections were started in the 1920s and
suddenly stopped being developed during the four years of World War II.
Major collectors were drafted into service and were busy fighting a war; they
had no time for collecting. However, there were old timers from the
1920s through the early 1940s who unfortunately passed away or lost
interest. For this reason, collectors of the period had an unusual
selection to choose from, and they of course collected the best they could
find. The dealers of the period had huge inventories acquired during the
1920s through the end of the War, increasing the choices for collectors.
Some of the great pedigree names
we know today came from the inventories assembled and accumulated during this
period. For a dealer to have a dozen or even a roll or two of a given
date on hand gave the collector a wide choice. So in collections formed from
the 1940s to the mid 1970s one could find outstanding pieces, sometimes in
abundance.
As I read the Delp catalog, which
was a great collection for the 1970s and an outstanding collection in today’s
terms, the list of prior owners was amazing. To give you an idea of the
pedigrees found in this one collection the pedigrees included: the
Randall Hoard, T.K. Harvin, John J. Pittman, Sam Wolfson, Grant Pierce, Charles
Jay, Massachusetts Historical Society, Fairbanks, Woodin, F.C.C. Boyd, King
Farouk, R.L. Miles , Jr., Maurice Bauman, Calvin Emmons, Alto, Gaston DiBello,
Jerome Kern, George Walton, James Dines, and many more. These names became
legendary after their collections were sold, and are repeated with pride in the
pedigrees listed in many outstanding collections being offered today.
That's is how the value of
pedigree grows. Old name collections of yesteryear, known for the quality
of the items, become well known as they are noted in the catalogs later
offering the pieces for sale. As collections were sold and the coins
moved to later collections, the pedigrees are expanded to reflect the
collectors who have appreciated the pieces in the past.
If you are a student and
understand the value of pedigree, you appreciate the ownership of a "known
coin of the past" and cherish it because it did survive. That was the
approach of Winner F. Delp -- to gather together specimens that were cherished
by others before him and add them to his. He did what every noteworthy
collector did: he found a coin, examined it, studied it, developed a liking for
it, and with pride added it to his collection.
It might have been easier in the
mid 20th century to find such examples but the prize is always worth the
chase. Today, it is harder to accomplish what earlier collectors were
able to do in the mid 20th century, but the reward for finding and owning these
pedigreed coins is the pride of possession!
Over eight decades Stack’s and
Stack’s Bowers have dedicated themselves to working with the collector,
learning what his goals are, helping him find and acquire the famous “coins of
the past” and form an outstanding collection. Often we are then honored and
privileged to present the collections formed in a specialized catalog to
permanently commemorate the endeavors of the collector.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this,
Harvey G. Stack
No comments:
Post a Comment