PROFILE: ROBERT A. SCHUMAN, M.D.

Welcome to our sale of the Robert A. Schuman, M.D. Library. Bob (as he was generally known in the hobby) was involved in numismatics since the late 1950s, and he developed a level of connoisseurship that is infrequently encountered. Indeed, over the years of his collecting, he became an expert in no fewer than three areas: U.S. large cents, Hard Times Tokens, and numismatic literature. These are all areas that require years of study to attain expertise, though they all have their charm and their capacity to entice and intrigue the more casual collector.

Bob was far more than a casual collector, though. Even as a teenager, he took his coins seriously, delving into die varieties and other minutiae. He was a born specialist, so perhaps it comes as no surprise to learn that his only years away from the hobby were when he was attending university and medical school as he trained to become a radiologist: another sort of highly skilled specialist that requires a keenly interpretive mindset. His years as a large cent collector really blossomed when he became aware of EAC—Early American Coppers— and Bob became active in the social world of collecting. Bob tells that story himself in the article we reprint on the following pages.

Later, Bob was introduced to the world of Hard Times Tokens, and he set about nurturing this interest with the same dedication and intensity that he had given to his large cent collecting. Large cents and Hard Times Tokens have something in common besides their general size and shape: they both require a library. U.S. large cents have the richest literary history of any specialized area of American numismatics, and the generation of collectors involved in EAC in the 1970s and 1980s were especially devoted to that history, which is on display throughout this catalogue. The literature of Hard Times Tokens is less well developed, but the obscurity of many of the issues, and the complexity of the political and economic context in which they were issued, demands research in order for them to be fully appreciated. Bob was up to the challenge, and built a substantial library to support his interest in these tokens.

As with many collectors, Bob's interests narrowed and focused over the years, and this is reflected in his library. He occasionally consigned parts of his library for sale, even parting with some of its high points if they no longer reflected his core interests (see his large paper Hickcox and other gems in our Sale 153, for instance). At the same time, he carefully developed his remaining library. His set of Chapman catalogues lacks only one unplated catalogue and includes every single plated sale. His collection of plated Elder catalogues is one of the best ever formed, as is his run of unplated Elder sales. His set of unplated United States Coin Company catalogues is complete, and his holdings include four of the firm's rare plated sales. There are many additional highlights. Bob worked carefully with his preferred bookbinder, Judith Ivry of Manhattan, to preserve his books either through fine bindings or the creation of custom-made book boxes. His library was truly beautiful, and enhanced the lovely home he shared with his wife, Carole, who supported Bob's collecting interests throughout their marriage.

Bob was a friend of ours, one of several good friends we have lost in recent years. The sale of his library marks a closing to one lifetime of passionate collecting, but it provides any number of other numismatists the opportunity to build their own libraries and enhance their personal collecting experience. We are, therefore, excited to bring Bob's library to your attention and invite you to take advantage of the opportunity presented by its sale.

To read the complete article, see the Kolbe & Fanning sale catalog:
Sale 178 IMPORTANT NUMISMATIC BOOKS The Numismatic Library of Robert A. Schuman, M.D (https://numislit.cdn.bibliopolis.com/images/upload/kolbefanningsale178-web.pdf)

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web