In the earlier parts of this story about this great collection I discussed the father and son’s joint interest in choice and rare coins and told how Amon Jr. continued in this pursuit after his father’s death.
This father and son collecting relationship is not unique and we have had the pleasure of serving many such pairs, including name collections like that of James A. Stack, Samuel Wolfson, Reed Hawn, and many others. In this case, Amon Carter, Sr. shared his dedication to finding the finest and rarest examples available and to finding and preserving the pedigrees to the collections formed by knowledgeable and studious collectors. Both father and son were fortunate to have been purchasing when many such collections came on the market.
The Carter Collection was very strong in gold coins of the United States and, later, in foreign issues. To give some idea of the depth of the collection, I list below some of the highlights:
Gold dollars. A complete set, mostly Mint State, including 27 Proofs
Quarter eagles ($2.50 gold). The collection had 18 examples from 1796 to 1834, very high grade, and 21 Proofs.
Three-dollar gold pieces. This series was virtually complete, and had outstanding Proof specimens of the 1875 and 1876.
Four-dollar gold Stella. Included were the Flowing Hair and Coiled Hair Stellas of 1879 and 1880, plus the extremely rare Quintuple Stella, representing this unusual denomination.
Half eagles ($5 gold). There were 34 different dates and types from 1795 to 1834, including rarities like 1815 and 1819. Then followed an outstanding group of later dates, with 29 different dates from 1860 onward.
Eagles ($10 gold). Complete in all major varieties, 1795 to 1804, and then an additional 33 Proofs, including an 1858 in exceptional condition.
Double eagles ($20 gold). This collection was virtually complete and included a Mint State example of what was, at the time, one of the rarest dates and mints, the 1927-D. This series was further enhanced by choice branch mint examples, and, starting in 1861, some 30 different Proofs including the rare 1883 and 1884. Another highlight was a 1907 Ultra High Relief Saint-Gaudens $20.
There was also a 1843 Proof set, which included the silver and copper coinage in a presentation box. Other highlights included a pair of $50 Panama Pacific coins, along with the smaller denominations of this set.
In my next parts I will tell more of what was in the collection, especially the private and territorial gold coins, including the "slugs" that were part of this great and historically important collection.
