JOHN FRANCIS LEBLANC (1887-1964)

Regular readers of my articles may have noticed that for the past five weeks my topic has been a person mentioned the previous week. This week I look into J. F. LeBlanc, the business successor to William Hesslein.

John Francis LeBlanc was born in Boston on June 13, 1887. He was the son of Louis LeBlanc (1850-1908) and Adelia Adeline Wanders LeBlanc (1859-1932).

On June 4, 1913, he was married to Mary H. Legendre (1892-1927). They had two sons. In 1916 he was employed with the Liberty Trust Company.

He was admitted to the American Numismatic Association on May 1, 1918. His membership number was 1986. At that time, he was living in Dorchester, Massachusetts.

He joined the American Numismatic Society on November 12, 1920. At about that time, he was a clerk in a bank.

He joined the Boston Numismatic Society in 1921 and was later recognized as a life member.

He placed an ad in The Numismatist of June 1929 from 18 Tremont Street, Room 124, in Boston. His ads occasionally mentioned numismatic literature. He used the name John F. LeBlanc through December 1931.

In 1932 through the May issue, ads appeared under the name of J. F. LeBlanc still from 18 Tremont Street, In June of 1932 he ran a new ad under the name of Associated Coin and Stamp Co. located at 101 Tremont Street in Boston. The ad noted they were "Successors to Wm. Hesslein." The ad closed with the statement, "An auction will be held shortly. If not on our list, please write us." I am not aware of any auction conducted by the firm. That June ad was the last in The Numismatist. In 1933, they had one ad in Hobbies Magazine.

 

In the August 1934 issue he contributed an article on "The 1853 Half Dollar Without Arrows."

William Hesslein claimed to be "the best-known coin dealer in the United States" based on his extensive advertising. He disappeared mysteriously in 1932. J. F. LeBlanc disappeared in a different way later in 1932. He stopped advertising.

It is possible that LeBlanc had enough business from established customers without the need for promotional advertising. John Coffee described him in 1961 as "A prominent Boston coin dealer."

LeBlanc died in Dorchester on May 10, 1964. He is buried with his wife at Blue Hill Cemetery in Braintree, Massachusetts. His obituary mentioned, "Late member of Bank Officers Assn." It did not mention numismatics.

His life is well documented in public records, but infrequently mentioned in newspapers or in numismatic publications.

The building at 101 Tremont Street in Boston is an eleven story office building, also known as the Paddock Building, built about 1901. It has been the location for several coin dealers.

William Hesslein was located in that building from May 1913 until February 1932.

J. F. LeBlanc and Associated Coin & Stamp was there from 1932 until at least 1961.

Colonial Trading Co., Inc. was there in Suite 500/501 in 1993 to 1998. Proprietors were James E. Skalbe and Russell R. Smith. My article on Skalbe was in The E-Sylum on January 26, 2020. There was a Colonial Trading Co. advertising at 102 Tremont Street in 2003.

There has recently been a Colonial Trading Company at 41 Bromfield Street, operated by Lou Chorney. This was below the Money Museum of Boston. The address is a half block from the Paddock Building. This was mentioned in the December 3, 2023, issue of The E-Sylum.

The Colonial Trading Company has moved to 333 Washington Street in Boston, about two blocks from the Paddock Building. Who can report on the current status of the Money Museum of Boston?

 

The Money Museum of Boston is a non-profit organization committed to sharing the interest, purpose, and knowledge of scarce and historical coins and currency. Being just off the freedom trail in Boston, we have a particular focus on the colonial history of The United States. We look to offer our visitors the opportunity to discover the 2,700 year history of precious metal currency. Each of our tour hosts guide and educate their guests with personalized interactions, eager to share their passion with each revered guest.

Our guides all have been involved in the coin industry for most of their lives and consider their passion of coins and paper money a key component of their identity.

From error coins to the oldest of paper notes, The Money Museum of Boston covers every aspect of our money's history, conceived with the intention to pass along the life-long devotion to the world of money!

To visit the Money Museum of Boston website and Facebook page, see:
The Money Museum of Boston (https://moneymuseumofboston.org/)
https://www.facebook.com/MoneyMuseumBoston/

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
JAMES EDWARD SKALBE (1955-2017) (https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n04a09.html)
MONEY MUSEUMS IN THE U.S., PART ONE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n49a16.html)

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