WILLIAM HESSLEIN (1868-1932)

PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE FULL ISSUE PREV FULL ISSUE

V28 2025 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 28, Number 19, 2025, Article 19

E-Sylum Feature Writer and American Numismatic Biographies author Pete Smith submitted this article on dealer William Hesslein. Thank you! -Editor

A profile of William Hesslein was in The E-Sylum five years ago on May 3, 2020. This article will expand somewhat on what was mentioned then. Public records for William Hesslein have gaps and inconsistencies. My emphasis is on his residence and his family more than on his numismatic business. This is my best guess on the facts.

William Hesslein was born in Manhattan on June 27, 1868. His parents were Samuel A. Hesslein (1831-1904) and Rosalie De jong Hesslein (1845-1916). Their children included Edgar Joseph Hesslein (1865-1938), William (1868-1932). Gertrude Hesslein Bloch (1871-1956), Ida Hesslein Hirsch (1875-1951), Estelle Hesslein (1879-1931) and Arthur Maurice Hesslein (1885-1921). The 1868 birth record does not include the first name but it must be William based on birth years for his siblings.

The 1880 Census has the family indexed as Hessler but shows ages as Samuel 48, Rosalie 34, Edgar 15, William 12, Gertrude 9, Ida 5 and Estelle 6 months.

William Hessslein married Clara M. Howard on April 28, 1891, in Jersey City, New Jersey. Clara was granted a divorce on April 5, 1894. She charged her husband with improper conduct with another woman at the Manhattan Hotel in October 1893. She probably had other legitimate reasons.

William Hesslein married Stella Cecilia Stickney on December 8, 1895, in Jersey City, New Jersey.

The 1900 Census shows William Hesslein, born in June 1865. He is living at 878 Elm Street in New Haven, Connecticut, with Stella, age 32, Helen (1893-1981), age 7 and Jorden (1893-1961), age 7. William is listed as a travelling salesman.

The 1900 Census is unreliable. It gives an incorrect year of birth for William and the twins. It lists the son, George Irwin Hesslein as Jorden. It gives their place of birth as Ohio rather than Chicago. The Census reports that William and Stella had been married for nine years rather than five. This would have given legitimacy to their children. If Stella was the mother of the twins, they were born before William was divorced from Clara.

In March 1905 Hesslein advertised in The Numismatist from P. O. Box 879 in New Haven, Connecticut. His application for membership in the ANA was published in November 1905. He was listed as new member #786 in December 1905.

In the November 1906 issue of The Numismatist, Hesslein offered $2½ gold pieces at auction closing January 15, 1907. This was his first reported auction.

In 1909, Hesslein offered a fixed price list. Also in 1909, he was admitted to the New York Numismatic Club.

The 1910 Census has William Hesslein, age 41, and Stella, age 41, living with another couple and a servant at 674 Elm Street in New Haven. They had been married for 18 years. His profession is Numismatist.

In 1912, he relocated his office from home to the Malley Building in New Haven. In May 1913, he relocated to the Paddock Building on Tremont Street in Boston. In February 1917, he changed his business address to 101 Tremont Street in Boston.

With the move to Boston, Hesslein began to run classified ads in the Boston Globe on February 3, 1916. These ran several times a week until December 12, 1919.

Hesslein advertised extensively with small ads in general circulation magazines like Popular Mechanics and Popular Science. He offered his prices paid list for 10 cents.

Between Hesslein's third auction sale in 1910 and his 108th sale in 1924, there are only ten confirmed sales. That puts his number of sales at just fifty.

In 1920. Helen Hesslein, age 26, was a boarder in New Haven. George Hesslein. Age 26. was living with his wife, Eva, in New Haven. William and Stella have not been found in the 1920 Census.

John W. Adams had comments about Hesslein catalogs in the October 2013 issue of Penny-Wise:

"Why would anyone collect a cataloguer whose output is ill-mapped, where the content is minimal, with the series lacking any special features and, given their extreme scarcity stemming from the mediocrity of the material at the time of issue."

Hesslein's ad in the May 1929 issue of The Numismatist included this statement: "I claim to be the best-known coin dealer in the United States." I believe that statement to be true. He did make that claim.

The 1930 Census has Stella, age 61, and Helen, age 36. Living in Waltham. Massachusetts. William was probably living in Boston but not with his wife and not found in the Census.

The 1940 Census had Stella Hesslein, age 72, living with George Hesslein, age 47, and Helen Hesslein, age 47.

William Hesslein conducted his last auction sale, number 144, on December 4, 1931. He ran ads in the December 1931 and January 1932 issues of The Numismatist promoting his next sale. Presumably he continued to take consignments for that next sale. But then he disappeared, probably around January of 1932.

In February 1932, his ad was still running in Popular Science magazine. On February 29, 1932, an auction was conducted and the assets of the company were sold to the mortgage holder for $600. It is likely that some creditors remained unpaid.

In 1932, J. F. Le Blanc with Associated Coin and Stamp Co. advertised as successors to Hesslein at 101 Tremont Street in Boston.

Hesslein's reported disappearance was not mentioned in numismatic literature or local newspapers at the time.

"Mysterious Death of William Hesslein
Some thirty to thirty-five years ago William Hesslein, once of New Haven, Conn., later of Boston, Mass., handled a great many coins. Mr. Hesslein was for a time a sort of travelling salesman who sold druggist's sundries, if I recall correctly. He travelled all over the eastern part of the United States and seemed to do quite a business in his line. With these he handled coins, which he carried from city to city in a grip-sack and many fine coins came his way.

Presently came rumors of financial troubles of some sort when suddenly Mr. Hesslein disappeared from public view and to my knowledge has never been seen or heard of again, not by his own family even. This was some ten years ago or over. Simply he disappeared as suddenly as a meteor, whether by suicide or otherwise no one, not even his family ever learned."

Ray Williamson wrote a letter that was published in the June 1985 issue of Rare Coin Review:

"In the late 1930's or early 1940's, I heard fourth-hand gossip that Hesslein had acquired a batch of high-priced gold coins on consignment for an auction, and had then decamped with his secretary – and the gold coins."

I suspect that the rumors are an embellishment based on scant facts. I can believe Hesslein may have failed to pay a consignor. I really doubt that Hesslein, at 84 years old, decamped with his secretary.

My best guess, based on my recent research, is that he was a suicide around January 1932.

A search for William Hesslein in the Newman Numismatic Portal yields 311 hits. A search for William G. Hesslein yields just twelve. I am not aware of any contemporary source that gives his middle initial. There was a William G. Hesslein (1875-1955) who was a farmer in Illinois.