JAMES GALEN (1840-1906)

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V21 2018 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 21, Number 44, November 4, 2018, Article 16

John Lupia submitted the following information from the online draft of his book of numismatic biographies for this week's installment of his series. Thanks! As always, this is an excerpt with the full article and bibliography available online. This week's subject is publisher James Galen. -Editor

James Galen in History of Lancaster County

James Galen was an early numismatic and philatelic publisher with a magazine beginning during the nation's Centennial Celebration in 1876. He was an avid coin and stamp collector as well as a collector of curiosities of all sorts especially natural history, and plant species in particular. Unfortunately, he is unknown in the coin and stamp communities since he was a contributor to these fields, but has fame as a botanist. He never married and lived with his mother until her death in 1896.

James Galen (1840-1906),was born on March 23, 1840, son of Edward Galen (1811-1873), and Nancy Armstrong Galen (1818-1896). The family lived in Martic Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He lost the election as town assessor in 1881.

Galen published The Philomath, a semi-monthly journal devoted to the collecting of coins, stamps. etc., printed at Rawlinsville, Pennsylvania, from 1876 to 1877, comprising four 5" x 8". At. least fifteen numbers were issued.

James Galen was reported to own the largest numismatic cabinet in Lancaster County in 1883.

He was a botanist and published on local flora : Galen's First Annual Catalogue of North American Herbaceous Plants, Orchids, Shrubs, Climbers, Alpine, Aquatic, and Bog Plants, Rare Ferns, Etc: For 1882; and Galen's Flora of Lancaster County, Penna., (1884)

He died of paralysis on November 29, 1906. He is buried at the Rawlinsville Methodist Cemetery, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

I cannot find much on his coin activity, collection, and what happened to his very large coin cabinet filled with coins from antiquity to U. S. series. I think he has been a very overlooked person and deserves a more prominent position since he published a journal The Philomath, for collectors of coins, stamps, natural history, etc. He is certainly someone readers of The E-Sylum, especially the bibliophiles should get to know and hunt down his collecting magazine.

Indeed. For someone purported to have the largest cabinet in the country he's a ghost today. Many numismatists of the era like Galen also collected stamps, Indian relics, bird's eggs and the like. But what became of his coins? -Editor

To read the complete article, see:
GALEN, JAMES (https://sites.google.com/a/numismaticmall.com/www/numismaticmall-com/galen-james)

The entire inventory of the Lupia Numismatic Library is for sale. Individual items will be available before the remaining archives are broken up into parcels sold at philatelic auctions in the U. S. and Hong Kong. Check NumismaticMall.com frequently as dozens of new items with estimates will be posted daily until everything is sold.

All inquiries will be given prompt and courteous attention. Write to: john@numismaticmall.com .