December 1983 brought our sale of the spectacular John L. Roper Collection of Early American and Colonial Coins. We were honored to have been chosen to present this auction, comprising 684 lots of many of the choicest and rarest coins in this specialty, one of the most important collections ever formed and then sold at auction.
John L. Roper II, was a native of Norfolk , Virginia who traced his ancestors to the earliest settlers in this colony. Mr. Roper (whose friends called him Jack), was for decades CEO and president of the Norfolk Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. Active before, during and after World War II , their dry docks were used by many of the commercial and military ships of companies worldwide. In the early 1970s, under the direction of Jack and his sons, the company built a new dry dock facility to accommodate the largest ships that sailed the seven seas. Jack was dedicated to the City of Norfolk, was an active officer in several banks and work diligently with many charities. He loved the history of the Virginia settlement and the development of Norfolk. He decided to collect the money used in the colonies as a result of this great interest in the early days of his state and city. He loved to discuss the history of each colony and the evolution of the money that was used as our country grew from the earliest European settlers through the establishment of the United States of America. The Roper Collection contained a major assemblage of all the colonial coins struck, obtained from dealers like Stack’s, and from auctions of his time, with many featuring some great pedigrees.
In the early 1970s, as a major officer of the United Virginia National Bank, Jack offered his collection for display in the lobby so others could learn about the country’s monetary growth. Though the collection was to be on display for three to six months, it was very popular, with hundreds of thousands of children, adults and families visiting and learning, each coming away with greater knowledge of the nation’s coinage history. In order to accommodate all the interested visitors, the exhibition was there for about two years.
Late in that same decade, Mr. Roper began discussions with Stack’s about having his cabinet cataloged and offered for auction. He was very interested in featuring as much information about the coins as we could, so that it would become a lasting reference on the items and a tribute to his dedication to finding superb examples and building such an important collection. When he passed away in April 1983, Jack left instructions that Stack’s, who had worked closely with him for many years, would offer his collection at public auction.
In order to prepare this important catalog, we had a team dedicated to the task. Norman, Larry and I were involved, but we also engaged noted numismatists David Sunderman and Richard Picker, both known specialists in colonial America. We wanted our promise to "Jack Roper" to be accomplished. And it was.
This was by far one of the most important collections to come on the market in many a decade. In the list below you will find the colonial types that were included with the number of each in parentheses:
NEW ENGLAND. (2)
MASSACHUSETS SILVER (37)
SOMMERS ISLAND (6)
LORD BALTIMORE(4)
ST. PATRICK (23)
ROSA AMERICANA (including patterns) (54)
VIRGINIA (6)
ELEPHANT TOKENS (8)
NEW YORKE (2)
GLOUCESTER (1)
HIGLEY (including "what goes round") (7)
VOCE POPULI (8)
PITT TOKEN (3)
RHODE ISLAND (9)
FRENCH COLONIES (11)
CONTINENTAL DOLLARS (5)
NOVA CONSTELLATIO (6)
IMMUNE COLUMBIA (4)
CONFEDERATIO (4)
MASSACHUSETTS (7)
CONNETICUT (42)
NEW JERSEY (42)
VERMONT (37)
NEW YORK (12)
FUGIO (16)
RHODE ISLAND (5)
J.CHARMERS (1)
WASHINGTON (52)
STANDISH BARRY (1)
ALBANY (2)
KENTUCKY (3)
FRANKLIN PRESS (1)
TALBOT, ALLUM & LEE (1)
MIDDLETON (3)
CASTORLAND (3)
NEW YORK THEATRE (1)
SILVER CENTER CENT (1)
BIRCH CENT (1)
SILVER HALF DISME (1)
COPPER 1/2 DISME (1)
DISME (1)
Also included were United States half cents and large cents, territorial gold and foreign coins that circulated in the colonies.
The Roper Collection offered an opportunity to acquire some of the greatest rarities, varieties, and finest known pieces. It was known as the "Finest and most complete type collection of Colonial American coins offered for sale at public auction in almost a half a century!"
Closing out Stack’s great year of 1983 with the sale of the John L. Roper Collection, reinforced our reputation as a leading numismatic auctioneer and dealer and we looked forward to more landmark sales in the years to come.
