Remembering Brent Pogue - Article by Q. David Bowers
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From Q. David Bowers
It was with great sadness that I and others learned of the unexpected passing of D. Brent Pogue, quietly in his home. I have had the privilege and honor of knowing and working with Brent ever since he entered numismatics in the 1970s, and in recent years all of us at Stack’s Bowers Galleries have partnered closely with him and his family in the sale by auction in five events, of his extraordinary collection of early American federal coins from the 1790s through the 1830s. Brent was the very definition of an extraordinary numismatist, a connoisseur. A careful student with a fine library at hand, he researched every coin he hoped to add to his collection.
In connection with our offering of his coins I and Christine Karstedt interviewed him several times, learning the story of his adventures in numismatics. Brent was born in Dallas on December 19, 1964. It has been said that some people are endowed with a collecting spirit and intellectual curiosity from birth, and for Brent this was certainly true. Starting as a teenager and with the guidance of his father Mack, Brent with connoisseurship, knowledge, and persistence built the finest-ever collection of early American federal coinage of the early years. No other private or museum collection past or present has come even close to his achievement.
In 1974 his dad, Mack, a nationally-known real estate developer based in Dallas, brought home a large bag filled with wheat-back Lincoln “pennies,” the type made before 1959. He had bought it from his brother Jack for $100. Mack, with a keen eye on encouraging entrepreneurship, gave it to Brent with an option to buy it for $110 within a week. Brent took it to his room, and with a copy of the Guide Book at hand, proceeded to go treasure hunting. Before long he found a 1915 cent that was as bright as new! It was worth $65!
“I was immediately hooked,” Brent recalled.
That was not all, Brent continued. “My first thought, since there was no mintmark, was ‘How did this penny make it from Philadelphia to Dallas? Then I asked myself ‘who was the president of the United States in 1915? What else was happening that year?’ Only after that did I think about the business side. I walked into my father’s bedroom. He was reading the newspaper. I exercised my option the same day.”
The rest, they say, is history: as the familiar comment goes. And what a nice history it has been from that day 45 years ago up to the present time. After having looked through the bag of cents and having immersed himself in reading the Guide Book from cover to cover, Brent expanded his horizons. Using the local bus he went to North Dallas to visit Ed Hipps’ coin shop and talk with the owner. “He was always so kind to me,” Brent recalls, although “I was hardly his biggest client.”
From that point Brent became a dealer of sorts, in a modest way. In his words:
“In 1974 I was in elementary school. I walked to school every morning. Didn’t everybody? I was not allowed to cross busy Douglas Avenue on the way. I broke the rule one day, crossed, and went into a 7-11 store where I purchased two jawbreakers for two cents.
“Each day the bell would ring calling us to class. Until then, my classmates and I would play touch football on the school’s grass field. On this particular day I had one of the jawbreakers in my mouth. A friend of mine asked if he could have the other. I said ‘no.’ He said he would give me an 1855 half dollar for it. It was at his house. I did not let him out of my sight that day and followed him home after class. He found the coin. The next day I sold it to another one of my friends for $16. It was off to the races! Coins were a fixture in my life from then on.”
Brent expanded his numismatics interest further and began building a fine reference library of auction catalogs and standard works. In 1978 his dad, having been an observer up to this time, joined him in numismatics. A familiar comment from Brent was “I was the steering wheel and my dad was the gas.” Both followed the market and participated in many sales.
In 1979 when Bowers and Ruddy Galleries conducted the first of four sales of the Garrett Collection for the Johns Hopkins University, Brent and Mack participated. In 1982 in the same firm’s sale of the Louis E. Eliasberg U.S. Gold Coin Collection, Brent and his dad were front row center during the preview. For the sale itself Brent was beside himself as he had to travel back to Dallas to participate in a track meet. The Pogues kept their eyes on the important coins in the sale—the only 1822 half eagle in private hands and the only 1854-S half eagle privately owned. In the end, Mack telephoned Brent, “We got them both!”
Speaking of the track meet, Brent was an athlete in several venues, ran marathons and triathlons, and participated in ocean swims. Recreational sports continued to be a lifetime passion.
Brent enrolled in the University of Texas at Austin and in 1987 was awarded a degree in economics. After that he worked with Goldman Sachs on Wall Street for three years as an analyst in that firm’s real estate department. In 1990 he went to work for the family business, the Lincoln Property Company based in Dallas, but with their New York City office. Next was a move to the Chicago office, followed a few years later to a move back to Dallas where he helped form a mortgage acquisition business as a subsidiary of Lincoln and established the Praedium Fund. In that capacity Brent moved to Los Angeles as an asset manager. “That went on for several years until my passion for coins overwhelmed me.”
In 2001 Brent went into rare coins full time and turned his passion into a business. While adding to his own collection he attended many conventions and auctions to buy and sell. His first major transaction was the purchase of a type set of copper and silver coins from Stack’s in 2002. In 2003 he completed the acquisition of the Foxfire Collection formed over a long period of years by Claude Davis, M.D. In 2005 he negotiated for and completed the purchase of the Great Lakes Collection of $3 gold, complete except, of course, for the 1870-S. This was the finest known such collection at the time, replete with many gems.
Figuratively, “I have fallen asleep with a coin book on my chest every night, from the beginning. Adding to my pleasure has been working with you as well as other leading dealers and auction houses,” he commented.
Comments
Brent was an exemplary numismatist who will long be remembered. QDB is a scholar whose writing is a joy to read.
Lance.
I still feel very badly about the tragic loss of Brent at such a young age. Although, my heart takes comfort in the fact that he was able to realize his numismatic dreams. Brent achieved, in my opinion, more than any other numismatist in terms of quality, completeness and rarity.
Coin collecting brings out the little boy in all of us.... it's that little bit of Innocence left from our youth that is not lost to time or the ages. It also reminds me that there is nothing like the bond between a Father and Son. I know that my dad was a huge influence on me and I don't think I would have the passion or the success that I have today without his encouragement.
Thank you so much for posting this wonderful article by QDB. He is an excellent author and I always enjoy reading his works.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
Well written article.
Perhaps it is just me, but the title to this thread seems at the very least to be tone-deaf.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
I agree. It ranks up there with the post mortem discussions of CAC in the "post JA" thread.
The actual title of Q. David Bowers' article is:
Remembering D. Brent Pogue
Friend and Numismatist Extraordinaire
and the article finishes with 3 more paragraphs that were not quoted above:
"Brent had other interests than coins, in case readers wonder. He lived in California, where he enjoyed making headway on his golf game. Over a long period of time he went to many places and did many things, traveling in America and in foreign lands. On the personal side, he was a close friend in other areas, such as visiting Wolfeboro, New Hampshire and being a house guest, also visiting with Chris Karstedt and her family. Among his adventures was driving a boat on Lake Winnipesaukee. More daring was something I did not know about until after it happened. One day during a visit here he and my son Andrew decided to go sky diving. They drove over to the coast of Maine and did exactly that—proudly returning to tell their parents after the fact.
Brent was a superb host to us both in Dallas and in California and also the definition of a kind, generous person. Combining his personality with his coin collecting I can say that he ranks among the finest of all people in numismatic history.
Now, I and his other friends are only left with memories."
https://www.stacksbowers.com/News/Pages/Blogs.aspx?ArticleID=Remembering-D-Brent-Pogue
Yes, there is a certain callous flippancy to it.
sometimes you guys read too much into things, but the ball is rolling now, I expect everyone to pile on and the OP will no doubt change the thread title. ridiculous, over the course of four posts we have moved from "tone deaf" all the way to "callousness flippancy" in describing a thread title.
Personally, I'm pretty hard to annoy. So, I'm personally not terribly offended by the title. But, I didn't know Brent Pogue, unlike some other board members. To make a joke within days of his death seems a bit flip.
what joke??
Years ago I was at a national convention auction sale with steve elwood, long since retired. I saw this younger guy(not quite as young as I) buying up all the rarities and high dollar items, steve said thats brent pogue. I never met him but was amazed as his strong buying power, later learned why.
Did Brent Pogue Die of a Broken Heart after Selling his Beloved Coins at Age 54?
I hope not.....that would telling if true.
I give away money. I collect money.
I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.
Attention grabbing thread title.
I'm sure he left with a heart full of joy, only a numismatist could experience, in life
"died of a broken heart" is a joke
When Henny Youngman died at an advanced age, the funeral was populated by a number of comedians. Classic entertainers whose names the guys here in their sixties would remember. The rabbi was performing a fittingly witty eulogy and the folks that worked with and loved Youngman jumped right in. They began to toss out one liners and other short jokes.
That was the only way to send off the funniest man of a generation. It is the greatest honor to leave those behind with a smile, not tears.
Actually, I was serious. It's sad, some people do die of a broken heart.
I think the point here is "what happened." I believe the only information provided is that he was 'found in his home.'
"died of a broken heart" is a joke
so when my Father died at 91 just eight months after his Wife of 70+ years and people remarked to me that "He probably died of a Broken Heart" I should have taken that as a joke?? WOW, that's news to me!!! I took it as a compliment to their Love.
I sort of think that was what the OP was alluding to, but I guess we all infer differently and you aren't alone in your thoughts.
It’s human nature to wonder what happened when someone dies unexpectedly.
It’s also human nature for many people to get strangely on guard when the questions come up. Usually under the guise of “respecting privacy”.
I always wonder which of the two groups the deceased would have more respect for, if they could still offer an opinion.
Speculating on the cause of his death, especially implying selling his coins caused his death, is distasteful as hell.
My Early Large Cents
More likely he converted the proceeds to gold and died of a heart attack when he went to lift it.
In this context, it is a joke. A similar thing happened with my great grandmother. But that was the death of someone close to them. In this context, a relatively young man died suddenly, a year after selling his COIN COLLECTION. It is, at best, tone deaf.
There's a huge difference. In your father's case (and in multiple similar examples I know of), the message is that his wife was his reason to be, and that's a beautiful sentiment, reaching the pinnacle of human relationships. It conveys how strong their bond was. In the case of Brent Pogue, losing his life far too early, saying he died of a broken heart after selling his coins would be to say that he was extremely materialistic, and having sold the items he was known for owning, he had nothing to live for. Even if true, it's crass at best to remember someone as prizing material items above all else.
I'm in full agreement that the title is terribly worded.
Problem was, the title wasn't funny. Had the OP nailed it, the responses would be less dour. Ir was a miss though and there are few redo's in life.
...mulligans and online-forum edit buttons are one in the same though...it’s up to the user to re-take his shot...all we can do is ash the cigar and readjust our golf glove while we wait for it
@DisneyFan - Thank you for changing the title.
And for bringing this great article to our attention.
Ditto
...there you go...right down the fairway, that’s the one that counts right there