Henry Griswold Sampson - 1800s US coin dealer

Zoins

I picked up this 1876 Centennial store card by H.G. Sampson in silver because I liked the Abraham Demarest Declaration of Independence side and it's paired with a So-Called Dollar I have. This is from Tim Gabriele's collection.

I know very little about Sampson other than he followed 1794 dollars and travelled to the UK to find coins from this article by Q. David Bowers:

During the mid-19th century, sharp-eyed bullion brokers, bank tellers, and others kept a weather eye out for dollars of this date. Over a period of time, perhaps 100 or so were found in circulation. To these can be added others acquired by numismatists before 1850, primarily by English collectors who sought crown-size coins from that late British possession now called the United States. This had fortunate consequences in later decades when England became a rich source for early American coins, and such dealers as E.L. Mason, Jr., S. Hudson Chapman, H.G. Sampson, and Édouard Frossard went on buying trips there.

https://news.coinupdate.com/bowers-on-collecting-the-famous-1794-silver-dollar/

Can anyone provide any info on Sampson? It would be great to see some photos or catalogs.

Sonorandesertrat

He was a New York City dealer and auctioneer, mostly active in the 1880's. He was a contemporary of Frossard and Woodward, but not really in their league IMO. I have a catalogue of his, dated 1883, because it features large cents and has a photographic plate (still rare at that time) of them. However, I would not go out of my way to collect Sampson's other catalogues/fixed price lists.

Zoins

I just found out that H.G. Sampson was the dealer representing Lorin Gilbert Parmelee while researching the Strawberry Leaf Cent! How great is it to link Sampson with Parmelee?

In bidding for the top condition S-NC-3 variety, Sampson was representing Parmelee and beat out Joseph Napoleon Tricot Levick who was representing Sylvester Sage Crosby.

More here:

• Strawberry Leaf Cent with Auction history: https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-NKRTO/1793-flowing-hair-cent-wreath-reverse-nc-3-rarity-8-strawberry-leaf-vg-10-pcgs
• Sylvester Sage Crosby: https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1062369/pioneer-numismatist-sylvester-sage-crosby-1831-1914#latest
• Joseph Napoleon Tricot Levick: https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1047932/a-silver-merchant-token-i-have-wanted-for-12-years-now-joins-my-collection

Zoins

Making minor progress. H.G. Sampson's first name is Henry, which has been added to the thread title. Still need to find his middle name.

Found here:

https://www.coinworld.com/news/precious-metals/spare-change-advertising-on-embossed-cards-as-a-promotional-vehicle.html

Excerpt:

Fred Reed wrote:
Harlan Page Smith, born March 18, 1839, was a wholesale fruit dealer before associating with numismatist Henry G. Sampson as Smith & Sampson, a short-lived numismatic auction firm, circa 1880 to 1881. From 1881 to 1887, Smith conducted 21 more auction sales on his own account, before entering into a partnership with Proskey in the later year.

David U. Proskey, born Dec. 12, 1853, had begun in the coin and mineral business as a 20-year-old in 1873. He cataloged for J.W. Scott and was editor for a dozen years of the firms monthly The Coin Collectors Journal. He also conducted several auctions on his own account before partnering with Smith in 1887.

The new partners conducted several of the eras most celebrated numismatic auctions, selling cabinets of R. Coulton Davis and Lorin G. Parmelee in 1890, Francis Doughty in 1891, and George Woodside and James Oliver in 1892.

Zoins

Here's a Smith & Sampson coin auction catalog from February 28, 1881 with Sampson's stamp. Photo from numlit.

Zoins

@Zoins said:
Making minor progress. H.G. Sampson's first name is Henry, which has been added to the thread title. Still need to find his middle name.

Found it in his obituary in the ANS American Journal of Numismatics. Griswold:

Zoins

Sampson's tokens and the ANS journal say he was operating at the corner of Broadway and Fulton Streets. He used Abraham Demarest to make these centennial tokens.

Of note, Abraham worked at 182 Broadway, just 1 city block away!

http://www.omsa.org/files/jomsa_arch/Splits/2009/525188_JOMSA_Vol60_6_16.pdf

The state Adjutant General, George W. Brown, at once opened a correspondence with Mr. A. Demarest, 182 Broadway, New York, a skilled die-sinker and engraver, with whom a contract was subsequently made to furnish 26,099 bronze medals, of three classes instead of four (numbers three and four of the joint resolution being united in one class). Only three or four medals were struck in silver. Mr. Demarest also manufactured the dies and furnished the designs; his name appears on the reverse.

From the map below, Sampson's office may be a Dunkin' or Shake Shack now!

Zoins

1849 Mormon Gold Eagle - PCGS AU55 TOP POP 4/1/0 - Ex. Justh; Zabriskie; Brand; Newcomer

Wow! Did Sampson buy this coin for Emil Justh for $16? Or did he buy it from Emil for $16?

• Cert: https://www.pcgs.com/cert/25260310
• Facts: https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1849-10-mormon/10271

CoinFacts Provenance:
Emil Justh Collection - Henry Griswold Sampson 4/1884:100, $16; Frank Dietrich Collection - Charles Steigerwalt 6/1884:296, $22 - Capt. Andrew C. Zabriskie Collection - Henry Chapman 6/1909:458, $75 - Sheppard Collection - Chicago Coin Company (T.E. Leon and Virgil Brand), purchased as part of a six-piece set of Mormon gold coins on 12/31/1911 for $3,700; the set was sold privately in 1912 for $5,000 - H.O. Granberg, exhibited at the 1914 ANS Exhibition, sold privately in 1920 for $3,000 - Virgil Brand Collection - Waldo C. Newcomer Collection - Abe Kosoff 1948 FPL - Charles M. Williams Collection - Kosoff's 1951 FPL - Henry Clifford Collection, sold privately to the Clifford-Kagin Collection - Robert Campbell - Donald Kagin - Robert Rhue - Paul Padget - Donald Kagin - Stuart Levine - Riverboat Collection - Heritage 4/2014:5455, $705,000

pmh1nic

That is one amazing "store card".

yosclimber

The 1880 Census shows him with his wife in Brooklyn, occupation Auctioneer.
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/pedigree/landscape/G8YT-X86

Broadstruck

One of Clark Griswold's ancestors by chance?

Zoins

This well-traveled coin's pedigree starts with appears to start with H.G. Sampson.

1868 Indian Cent in Aluminum - Judd-612 - PCGS PR65+ Cameo - Ex. Sampson, Garrett, Simpson

Heritage mentions "H.G. Samson (2/1882)" but it seems likely that this is H.G. Sampson.

Heritage said:
1868 Indian Cent in Aluminum
Judd-612, PR65+ Cameo
From the Garrett Collection

1868 P1C One Cent, Judd-612, Pollock-677, Low R.7, PR65+ Cameo PCGS. Ex: Garrett-Simpson. Struck from the regular-issue Indian Head cent dies in aluminum with a plain edge. Only about 10 to 12 examples of this aluminum Indian cent variety are thought to exist today. PCGS identifies this as the Garrett Collection coin that was sold in November 1979 as part of the 16-piece 1868 aluminum proof set in the first Garrett sale. A splendid Gem Cameo proof, this piece has fully mirrored light gray surfaces with excellent field-to-device contrast. This is the finest of just three Cameo proofs that PCGS has certified (1/21).

Ex: H.G. Samson (2/1882); Garrett Collection; Johns Hopkins University (Bowers and Ruddy, 11/1979), part of lot 396.

LanceNewmanOCC

@Zoins said:
This had fortunate consequences in later decades when England became a rich source for early American coins, and such > dealers as E.L. Mason, Jr., S. Hudson Chapman, H.G. Sampson, and Édouard Frossard went on buying trips there.

do you, off the top of your head, know of a few examples of what they speak?

or are they just talking about our coinage that had been ex-partriated and their goal(s) was to re-patriate it?

Zoins

@LanceNewmanOCC said:

@Zoins said:
This had fortunate consequences in later decades when England became a rich source for early American coins, and such > dealers as E.L. Mason, Jr., S. Hudson Chapman, H.G. Sampson, and Édouard Frossard went on buying trips there.

do you, off the top of your head, know of a few examples of what they speak?

or are they just talking about our coinage that had been ex-partriated and their goal(s) was to re-patriate it?

I don't know, but that line is from David Bowers. Could be worth reaching out to him and asking.