QUERY: EARLIEST SALE OF U.S. NUMISMATIC AUCTION CATALOGS SOUGHT

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V17 2014 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 17, Number 13, March 30, 2014, Article 9

I just purchased a catalog of Coins and Medals by Henry Cook of Boston (in conjunction with Leonard & Co.) dated May 23-24, 1866. Pages 19-20 of this catalog lists a small number of numismatic catalogs, including the 'Finotti Collection of Coins and Medals" (Lot 462), a grouping of six catalogs including the Levick sale (Lot 466), the October 1863 Woodward's Sale (Lot 468), "Catalogue of Cogan's United States Cents...Philadelphia 1858; rare" (Lot 469), and a few others.

Being a comparatively new collector of early U.S. numismatic literature, I hadn't realized that as early as 1866 numismatic catalogs were sought after and actively bought and sold. Moreover, at this early date dealers apparently had a sense of which catalogs were "rare." My question is: what is the earliest known offering of U.S. numismatic catalogs for sale? I can't imagine it would be too much earlier than May 1866.

Great question. Still on my review shelf is a copy of John Lupia's American Numismatic Auction to 1875, Volume I: 1738-1850. Many of the early sales include not coins but numismatic literature; however, these seem to always be books rather than other catalogs. I was aware of the Cook sale and have a copy in my library somewhere. It's the earliest I've seen containing auction catalogs. John's volume II will cover the gap between 1850 and 1866. Meanwhile, can anyone cite one earlier than the Cook sale? -Editor