“Lonesome John” Devine - the very first full-time error coin dealer
Zoins
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How influential was Lonesome John Devine? Did he pave the way for @FredWeinberg, @Byers, @ErrorsOnCoins and other full-time error dealers? Did he pave the way for Mint Error News?
He was known as “Lonesome John” because he was "the first (and lone) full-time error coin dealer".
He was:
- Founding Member of CONECA
- First inductee into the CONECA Hall of Fame
- Founder of The Error Coin Museum
- Publisher of Error-Variety News
- Publisher of CONECA’s journal
- Publisher of Errorscope-Gram (later simplified to Errorscope)
Here's a short background:
In the early 1970s John Devine and John Burrison formed a company called John-John Specialties. As I recall, Burrison worked as a co-pilot/navigator for a major airline. This gave them the opportunity to visit many area coin shows and dealers where the flights were scheduled, allowing them to add to their error stock. Devine’s residents was the home base and he put the error coin catalogs together and sold mainly through mail order. There were many layoffs in the engineering field during this time and Devine felt he needed to find more stable employment. Burrison lost interest in the hobby so Devine ended the relationship and started his own error coin mail-order business out of the family’s dining room. Spellman suggested the name of “Lonesome John” based on the fact that he was to become the first (and lone) full-time error coin dealer at that time.
Articles
- https://conecaonline.org/hall-of-fame-inductees/
- https://coinweek.com/coins/error-coins/another-error-coin-pioneer-passes-lonesome-john-devine-1933-2013/
- https://www.coinworld.com/news/precious-metals/coneca-celebrates-30th-anniversary-with-relea.html
Here's my 1983 John Devine token for The Error Mint Museum, struck by Del Romines for ANA 1983.
Anyone remember or have these?
Comments
Here are two of John's books:
John's and his wife Peggy were two of the nicest people to grace this planet. He was my mentor in 1972, helping a 15 year old surf-punk kid create an award winning display for the '73 Error-O-Rama show. He also helped broker the sale of the 1969-S DD Lincoln which I had recently discovered to Natalie Halperin of New York. John was a generous and sharing individual who paved the way for many collectors. Thank you John.
I lived fairly close to John and got to know him pretty well – when I get to the office this morning I’ll post some more thoughts and background on him and Peggy
for PCGS. A 49+-Year PNG Member...A full numismatist since 1972, retired in 2022
Interesting numismatic history....Error coins are certainly a significant market segment now....Cheers, RickO
John was one of the first, but not the very first, mint error coin dealer.
Even back in the mid-60's, Don Katona, Dow Rice,Neil Osina, Duane Spellman,
& others were also dealing in errors - and Leo Young in Oakland,
and Sol Kaplan in Cincinnati also played with mint errors.
Lonesome John was always friendly, shared his knowledge, and
was willing to buy some rare errors when others weren't, or
didn't have the knowledge to know if they were genuine.
My dozen or so Numismatics, Ltd. (BH, Calif.) Mint Error Catalogs
were printed by John's printing company, and he took all the
photos of my coins that went into the catalog.
I lived in the SF Valley, and John was in Agoura Hills (between
Calabasas and Thousand Oaks) so it was only a 20m minute
drive to his offices. He handled some of the best major errors
that came out in that time period.
for PCGS. A 49+-Year PNG Member...A full numismatist since 1972, retired in 2022
Thanks for the info Fred. It's great to learn more about what things were like earlier.
That's an interesting list and also interesting you mentioned Duane Spellman.
Ronn Fern & Ken Potter's article said it was Duane Spellman that suggested Lonesome John was the first "full-time error coin dealer", indicating perhaps Duane did not see himself as a "full-time" error coin dealer?
Were any of these "full-time" error coin dealers from your perspective?
https://coinweek.com/coins/error-coins/another-error-coin-pioneer-passes-lonesome-john-devine-1933-2013/
That's great to know. It's nice that you lived so close and even did business together.
Can any of those major errors be traced to him via provenance now? It would be great to see some of the coins that he handled.
Interesting take on how he acquired his nickname.
Agreed. It's interesting how he acquired it and also interesting that he used it on his book covers!
Those names I mentioned were mostly
part-time dealers, although Leo Young,
Neil Osina, Sol Kaplan all had coin shops.
Yes, Lonesome John's 2x2 flips and
authentication certificates show up
now and then, at shows and online.
for PCGS. A 49+-Year PNG Member...A full numismatist since 1972, retired in 2022
From 1974 - 1978 I mailed out over 25 price lists of major mint errors. My all time favorite was my first catalog which was photographed, printed and distributed in 1975 by John Devine (Lonesome John). It was a 26 page catalog containing the finest major mint errors with photographs, descriptions and prices.
You can view the entire catalog here: https://mikebyers.com/1975catalog.html
I've seen a few of those, and noticed that many of the Lincoln Cents stored in them ended up toned deep orange and purple. To this day when I see a 1970s dated Lincoln error with that toning, I assume it was once handled by Lonesome John.
Sean Reynolds
"Keep in mind that most of what passes as numismatic information is no more than tested opinion at best, and marketing blather at worst. However, I try to choose my words carefully, since I know that you guys are always watching." - Joe O'Connor
Sean, as you noticed, Lonesome dipped
a lot of copper.
for PCGS. A 49+-Year PNG Member...A full numismatist since 1972, retired in 2022
Wow! That 1851 double eagle on a cent is insane! Are there any modern photos of this? I did a quick search but couldn't find any.
Great to know you were mailing these out in the 70s!
I have his book #2 in my library. Makes me a bit more comfortable handling gold.
bob
Here is more info on the 1851 Double Eagle on a Cent from the Mint Error News website:
https://minterrornews.com/news-1-18-18-20-liberty-stuck-on-large-cent-surfaces-again.html
Sean, back then John was very secretive about what he dipped coins in. He always went into the back room to do it, never in the presence of people. A flip-over double-dated, double struck '73-S cent that he dipped took on a rather bizarre orange tone within months. Back then it really wasn't a big deal.
The counterfeit gold book has been on my shelf for 35-40 years. I’d always wondered what the “Lonesome John” was all about.
Have Vol 1. 5th printing December 1980. I know I bought it new sometime in the early 80s.
I remember him quite well from the early 70's. IIRC he had ads in Error Trends Coin Magazine when I was a subscriber. I may still have a coin or two I purchased from him still in a 2x2 envelope. Also may still have one of his catalogs from the early 70's.
You mention Ken Potter. I have Issue #12, 1988, @$2 a single issue, of his monthly "The Error Shuttle Coin Magazine".Among the tidbits:Page 18 Wexler Resigns Hobby, Page 19 "Coneca Elects New Officers And Board". Fred Weinberg-Seat#8/Errorama,ANA Liason. And a plethora of interesting error coin prices.
Wasn't Lonesone John one of the major driving forces behind the big rush to collect BIE Lincoln cents? It seems like I remember his name on many of the articles in Numismatic News about that aspect of collecting.
No, John Devine didn't ever push collecting BIE's or similar die chips.
(John Wexler does Die Varieties, so maybe that's who you're thinking of,
but I don't recall Wexler promoting or writing much, if anything, about 'em.)
for PCGS. A 49+-Year PNG Member...A full numismatist since 1972, retired in 2022
The orange tone...cyanide, or some blend including it?
Awesome! It's great to see @FredWeinberg on the provenance list, twice! @Byers too
I think maybe you're thinking of Frank Spadone, who wrote a few books on error collecting in the 1960s.
Speaking of early error coin dealers, I am blanking on his name, but there was an eccentric dealer in the northeast who was active back into the early 1970s. I met him a few times at local shows, I think he passed away while attending a WESPNEX show in White Plains in the late 1990s. Can someone refresh my memory?
I also think any post about early error coin dealers should mention Alan Herbert and Natalie Halpern, they may not go back quite as far as Lonesome John but they were instrumental in growing the hobby in the 1970s.
Sean Reynolds
"Keep in mind that most of what passes as numismatic information is no more than tested opinion at best, and marketing blather at worst. However, I try to choose my words carefully, since I know that you guys are always watching." - Joe O'Connor
Sean - you're describing Pete Bishel (sp?)
And, yes I forgot to mention Natalie Halpern -
a fun NYC lady who knew her errors............
Alan was a writer more than a dealer, as far as I know
....and by the way, the first time I brought that 1851
$20 Liberty struck on a Large Cent planchet, I paid
$1,000 from Sol Kaplan of Cincinnati, back in 1973/74
for PCGS. A 49+-Year PNG Member...A full numismatist since 1972, retired in 2022
Interesting thread - reminded me I have a big group of Devine publications... just posted on BST. Anyone collect old Errorscope issues as well?
Yes, thank you. I met him late in his career but Pete was quite the character and he really knew his stuff.
Sean Reynolds
"Keep in mind that most of what passes as numismatic information is no more than tested opinion at best, and marketing blather at worst. However, I try to choose my words carefully, since I know that you guys are always watching." - Joe O'Connor
I have complete sets of the CONE newsletter, ETCM
and the Errorscope too -
I actually helped print them each month at the
(Don) Wallace Trade Bindery in Orange Country.
(from about 1968 to 1971 or so)
for PCGS. A 49+-Year PNG Member...A full numismatist since 1972, retired in 2022
Look who was writing articles in May 1967...
I was two weeks away from my 17th birthday !
for PCGS. A 49+-Year PNG Member...A full numismatist since 1972, retired in 2022
Oh wow I remember Pete from the Bay State coin shows. I was probably 14 or 15. Nicest, strangest guy.
How could you not mention Jean Cohen and her book on BIE Cents?
Of course you’re right – and I did forget Jean’s book- I actually have a signed copy of her first edition of the hardcover From Wayback When...... And there are used to be some pretty serious collectors of those VIPs back in the mid to late 50s and most of the 60s – thanks for jogging my old memory
for PCGS. A 49+-Year PNG Member...A full numismatist since 1972, retired in 2022
That's awesome! Great to see YN authors