The Amon G. Carter Family Collection had as a major feature private and territorial gold coins. This portion of the collection was showcased in a Stack’s Public Auction catalog and sold in January 1984.
This gold specialty was extremely popular during the period that members of the Carter Family were adding these rare numismatic items to their collection. Other competitors for this material included such famous names as George O. Walton, J.K. Lilly, Dr. Conway Bolt, to mention but a few. It was apparent after World War II that there was a profound interest in the early private and territorial gold coins, as these items were very representative of the growth and history of America during an important period. At this time, collections formed from the early 20th century up to World War II were coming on the market, as the owners passed away or decided not to continue collecting. There was great demand, including from the Carter Family, for historical items in the territorial field.
The Amon Carter family had a profound interest in the culture of America, especially those things associate with the West. This interest focused on the money used during and after the early pioneer days of the West, and how this money helped to develop the economy of that part of the nation.
Amon G. Carter, Sr., also collected art and artifacts that portrayed the West during its development. He assembled one of the most complete collections of Remington art and statuary, together with other art that glorified the West. As a Texan, he established the Amon G. Carter Museum to display the culture of the Western States, probably the finest collection of Western art ever assembled. It was a natural for him to be attracted to the coins of the West, and work with his son , Amon G. Carter, Jr. to amass as complete a collection as he could, before placing it in a museum. The collection was not sold until Amon G. Carter, Jr. died in 1982. As noted, the collection was sold by Stack’s in 1984, in a public auction, which was dedicated to the Carter Family and its numismatic accomplishments.
As the pioneer and territorial collection is so extensive, next time I will discuss the historical pieces it contained, and how it represented the culture of the West.
