The panorama of American numismatics has many landmarks. One of the first was the establishment of the Mint Cabinet in July 1838—setting the foundation for what is the core of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution today. Similarly, the founding of the American Numismatic Society in 1858 and of the American Numismatic Association in 1891 will be forever remembered. Some of our readers were part of the November 1962 Treasury release of the exceedingly rare (up to that point) 1903-O dollar. And then there was the discovery and marketing of the unequalled treasure of American gold ingots and coins from the treasure of the S.S. Central America.
In the field of great collections and their sale, the 19th century had its own landmark events—the Bushnell Sale in 1882, the Parmelee Sale in 1890, and others. Similarly, a number of great collections crossed the auction block in the early 20th century.
This brings us to relatively modern times when quite a few great collections have been cataloged and sold, with Stack’s Bowers Galleries and its antecedents handling more than all other auction firms combined. A short list includes the Garrett Collection for the Johns Hopkins University, the Amon Carter, Jr. Family Collection, the Norweb Collection, selections from the Virgil M. Brand Collection, the unique Louis E. Eliasberg Collection, the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, and the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection.
Then, starting in 2015 came our offering of the greatest collection ever formed in terms of high quality, rarity, and value. In four events we have showcased the D. Brent Pogue Collection Parts I to IV. Already, the total realization is greater than any rare coin collection sold anywhere in the world! Part V, to be held on Friday evening, March 31, in conjunction with Sotheby’s, will be epochal as well.
The sale will be held at the Evergreen Museum & Library in Baltimore. Owned by and under the custodianship of the Johns Hopkins University, this is the ancestral home of the Garrett family, starting with T. Harrison Garrett, who began his interest in coins while a student at Princeton in 1864, A scion of the family that developed and controlled the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Garrett, in addition to his business activities, was a collector extraordinaire. In Evergreen House he had a complete set of autograph documents of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, a full double-elephant-folio set of John J. Audubon’s Birds of America, and an incredible library. A special area connected to the library was set aside for his coin collection—which grew to become the finest in America in its time.
Our sale of the D. Brent Pogue Collection Part V will be extraordinary for the coins it contains and for the venue in which it will be held. Nothing like this has ever been done before.
You are invited to attend in person. Our staff will be at the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo at the Baltimore Convention Center on Thursday and Friday—a dynamic event in its own right. Our auction will include sessions of coins, tokens, medals, and paper money—including the Blue Moon Collection, a cabinet that has been off the market for more than a generation. A lively dealers’ bourse will be a drawing card as well. Lot viewing for the Pogue Collection Sale V will be in a special area.
The staff of Stack’s Bowers Galleries will be on hand to meet and greet you—the red carpet will be rolled out! Plan to be there!
Alternatively, if you are not planning to be there in person, “attend” in virtual reality—as a spectator or as a bidder in real time. You can see and be part of history as it is being made.
Between now and then, we invite you to study our catalogs for the Baltimore sales or to view the items on line. The sharp images in full color will give you an “I am there” experience.
The key to numismatic knowledge and success is knowledge. And, there is no better single source of knowledge than in building a working library of useful books. For your library we recommend two beautiful volumes now in print, describing the Pogue Collection. Details are given below.
Thank you for being part of the Stack’s Bowers Galleries family of clients and friends.
Treasures from the D. Brent Pogue Rare Coin Cabinet, by Q. David Bowers. 208 pages, color illustrated, quality hardbound. This tells the stories of 100 special coins from the collection. $39.95 plus shipping. Personally autographed by Dave on request.
The 1822 Gold Half Eagle: Story of a Rarity, by Q. David Bowers. 128 pages, color illustrated, quality hardbound. $39.95 plus shipping. This also contains a wealth of information about other coins, people, places, and things—a “you are there” experience. Personally autographed by Dave on request.
For more information or to order visit http://media.stacksbowers.com/poguecollection/pogue-the-books.html
