mikebyers.com Dealer in Major Mint Errors, Die Trials & Patterns - Author of NLG Best World Coin Book World's Greatest Mint Errors - Publisher & Editor of minterrornews.com.
It is amazing how many important rarities trace back to Brand. Not sure he was underrated though - to me, he was always considered to have one of the best collections ever.
@ianrussell said:
It is amazing how many important rarities trace back to Brand.
I agree with this and this is the reason for this thread!
Not sure he was underrated though - to me, he was always considered to have one of the best collections ever.
My perspective is that he's pretty underrated as his collection often isn't mentioned at all. Just look at all the slabs posted in this thread. Some of his biggest coins don't mention him at all!
I compare this to Eliasberg who's name is on many slabs even though he purchased the bulk of his collection from Clapp. With Brand, it's not just that Brand isn't included, but that many other people are included!
Slabs that don't mention Brand:
1792 "J2" Cent: Parmalee, Norweb, Weinberg
1792 "J3" Cent: (nobody)
1793 Strawberry Leaf Cent: Parmalee
1793 Strawberry Leaf Cent: Dan Holmes (different coin)
Though I am late to the party, this post has a vast knowledge of great coins and patterns.
All of the replies add more and more history in the life of Virgil Brand and his massive collections.
Glad that I came across this thread.
Will check back to see what else has been added in this man's life.
Wayne
One of my great enjoyments in numismatics is associating coins with past collectors, so I was delighted to run across yet another Virgil Brand coin, this one now owned by our own forum member @DLHansen!
One day I hope the Brand pedigree will be as prominent as the Eliasberg pedigree with many people wanting their coins to be associated with Brand and seeing his name on many inserts
1802 Draped Bust Dollar
PCGS PR64 POP 2/0
Certification #60087183, PCGS #6905
PCGS Price Guide $450,000
Ex: Virgil Brand
Heritage wrote:
3. PR64 PCGS. Captain John W. Haseltine; Thomas Cleneay Sale (S. Hudson Chapman and Henry Chapman, 12/1890), lot 949; Peter Mougey Sale (Thomas Elder, 9/1910), lot 962; John P. Lyman Sale (S. Hudson Chapman, 11/1913), lot 14; H.O. Granberg Sale (B. Max Mehl, 7/1919), lot 30; Virgil Brand (journal number 92339); Armin Brand; B. Max Mehl private treaty sale to Ambassador and Mrs. R. Henry Norweb (1/1937); Norweb Collection (Bowers and Merena, 11/1988), lot 3770; Don Hosier (Superior, 2/1991), lot 1960; Jack Lee Collection III (Heritage, 11/2005), lot 2199; Dallas ANA Signature (Heritage, 10/2012), lot 4594, realized $411,250, a record price for a non-Cameo example; the present coin.
@Zoins I am relatively sure you know, but QDB wrote a book about Virgil Brand. I read it ( a LONG time ago) and recall that I enjoyed it. In case you do not have a copy, I see where one is available on Amazon. Search for "Virgil Brand: The Man and His Era" and it will pop up. Of course, the book may be available somewhere less for less. I did not spend much (actually, any ) time searching once I found a copy.
@Mark said: @Zoins I am relatively sure you know, but QDB wrote a book about Virgil Brand. I read it ( a LONG time ago) and recall that I enjoyed it. In case you do not have a copy, I see where one is available on Amazon. Search for "Virgil Brand: The Man and His Era" and it will pop up. Of course, the book may be available somewhere less for less. I did not spend much (actually, any ) time searching once I found a copy.
I love books by QDB, especially the ones available electronically by PCGS. I especially loved reading about Abe Kosoff.
I haven't read the Virgil Brand book yet, but it might be worth reaching out to QDB and PCGS to see if QDB will let PCGS publish that book, along with several others they already do publish.
@zoins Yes, the Kosoff book was good. When I first started collecting, Abe Kosoff seemed a major player. As a kid, I never purchased anything from him and after I returned to collecting (the typical "growing up/starting a family" hiatus) he was gone.
@zoins Another thought: If you reach out to QDB, maybe ask him about his autobiography. I was truly looking forward to that but it's been delayed a few years.
Stack's Bowers said: Rare and Famous John Law Medal
1720 John Law From Riches to Ruin medal. Betts-128. Silver. MS-63 (PCGS).
40.6 mm. 350.1 grains. A spectacularly attractive example of this rare John Law medal, perhaps the most visually impressive medal of the entire series. Lustrous and lightly reflective medium gray surfaces show choice light blue toning tinged with gold, and hints of other shades in protected areas. Crisp and choice on both sides, profoundly detailed and perfectly attractive. Only the most trivial marks are seen, but the surfaces are fresh and original.
The depiction of a treasure chest full of coins, and bank bills being studied under a magnifying glass, make this piece an instant classic. The reverse types of ruined investors hanging, scrambling, and throwing themselves into a river are among the most fascinating in the entire Betts series as well. It's no wonder collectors enjoy this rarity so much. This example brought $13,800 in the Ford sale of 2006; Adams' was not quite as pretty and brought $7,637 in 2014.
John Law medals are scarce as a class, and the story of how Law's cockamamie economic concepts relate to the expansion of France's territory in the New World is a singular vignette in a series full of them.
Provenance: From the E Pluribus Unum Collection. Earlier from the Virgil M. Brand Collection, Part 10, Sotheby's, October 24, 1985, lot 505; our (Stack's) sale of the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, Part XIII, January 2006, lot 605.
Here's a wonderful 1858 proof half eagle, one of only 5 known.
This is graded NGC PR66* UCAM. The only one graded higher is the Ten Eyck, Clapp, Eliasberg specimen at PR67UCAM
Heritage said:
Lyman Low (11/1912), lot 31; Virgil Brand (journal #62958); D. Hopkins Collection (Stack's, 3/1985), lot 807; Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, Part IV (Bowers and Merena, 11/2000), lot 469, $78,000; Palm Beach Signature (Heritage, 3/2006), lot 1892, $195,500; Baltimore Auctions (Stack's Bowers, 3/2014), lot 4085, $170,375
@Zoins said:
Here's a wonderful 1858 proof half eagle, one of only 5 known.
This is graded NGC PR66* UCAM. The only one graded higher is the Ten Eyck, Clapp, Eliasberg specimen at PR67UCAM
Heritage said:
Lyman Low (11/1912), lot 31; Virgil Brand (journal #62958); D. Hopkins Collection (Stack's, 3/1985), lot 807; Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, Part IV (Bowers and Merena, 11/2000), lot 469, $78,000; Palm Beach Signature (Heritage, 3/2006), lot 1892, $195,500; Baltimore Auctions (Stack's Bowers, 3/2014), lot 4085, $170,375
That is a beauty- now just needs to get some provenance on that label!
In addition to coins, Virgil Brand had a variety of exonumia including medals, So-Called Dollars, Masonic Tokens and even some military GAR medals. Here's a GAR medal attributed to Brand from Heritage.
Since you kept this posting alive, I like to throw my 50Cents into the mix. I had referenced this piece before but not under this posting theme. I find this blog to be a very a nice read. Thanks for posting
My Piece a pattern
****Judd-244 (Pollock-300) 1859 50c (Half Dollar) Longacre’s “French Head” obverse with a regular reverse of a Half Dollar of 1859. Struck in copper with Reeded Edge****
This is a curious mulling of the Longacre’s Liberty Head Obverse (French Head) with the Paquet wide wing Eagle reverse as used in the regular 1859 Half Dollar (both obverse and reverse display “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”), however, most interesting is the reverse was punch on a planchet with an incuse profile of George Washington. The profile is the match to the profile used in the 1866 version of the various George Washington’s 5 Cent pattern pieces dated 1866.
The Pedigree includes Brand:
Ex: S.K. Nagy (10/1907), Virgil Brand; Anderson-Dupont Collection, Part II (Stack's, 11/1954), lot 2419; S.E. Goldsmith Collection (Stack's, 10/1958), lot 1450; Morris Evans Collection (Bowers and Merena 8/1998), lot 2047; Orlando Sale (Stack's, 1/2007), lot 1019; Los Angeles ANA (Bowers and Merena, 8/2009), lot 4152, Simpson Part III, (Heritage 1/2021), Lot# 3082
Also Plate coin for type (J243/J244) in Judd’s United States Patterns and Trial Pieces - 10th Edition
This is the extract from Brand's Ledger
OMG ... My Mother was Right about Everything!
I wake up with a Good Attitude Every Day. Then … Idiots Happen!
Since you kept this posting alive, I like to throw my 50Cents into the mix. I had referenced this piece before but not under this posting theme. I find this blog to be a very a nice read. Thanks for posting
My Piece a pattern
****Judd-244 (Pollock-300) 1859 50c (Half Dollar) Longacre’s “French Head” obverse with a regular reverse of a Half Dollar of 1859. Struck in copper with Reeded Edge****
This is a curious mulling of the Longacre’s Liberty Head Obverse (French Head) with the Paquet wide wing Eagle reverse as used in the regular 1859 Half Dollar (both obverse and reverse display “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”), however, most interesting is the reverse was punch on a planchet with an incuse profile of George Washington. The profile is the match to the profile used in the 1866 version of the various George Washington’s 5 Cent pattern pieces dated 1866.
The Pedigree includes Brand:
Ex: S.K. Nagy (10/1907), Virgil Brand; Anderson-Dupont Collection, Part II (Stack's, 11/1954), lot 2419; S.E. Goldsmith Collection (Stack's, 10/1958), lot 1450; Morris Evans Collection (Bowers and Merena 8/1998), lot 2047; Orlando Sale (Stack's, 1/2007), lot 1019; Los Angeles ANA (Bowers and Merena, 8/2009), lot 4152, Simpson Part III, (Heritage 1/2021), Lot# 3082
Also Plate coin for type (J243/J244) in Judd’s United States Patterns and Trial Pieces - 10th Edition
Very nice pattern half dollar @retirednow! Both a mule and overstruck on another pattern!
This is a very impressive pedigree, including Nagy and Dupont as well!
It would be great to add this to the insert and CoinFacts which only mentions Bob Simpson at the moment.
Virgil Brand was not a collector of coins in as much as he was a collector of "coin collections". If you had coins he wanted, he would by your entire collection!
@Shamika said:
Virgil Brand was not a collector of coins in as much as he was a collector of "coin collections". If you had coins he wanted, he would by your entire collection!
It seems like buying entire coin collections is an approach more well-to-do collectors employ. More recently, @tradedollarnut has said he's done this and @DLHansen has done it as well.
That being said, I haven't heard of Virgil Brand's collection being largely purchased from other collectors, the way say Eliasberg purchased the Clapp collection and Newman purchased the Green collection. What collections did he buy?
@Shamika said:
Virgil Brand was not a collector of coins in as much as he was a collector of "coin collections". If you had coins he wanted, he would by your entire collection!
It seems like buying entire coin collections is an approach more well-to-do collectors employ. More recently, @tradedollarnut has said he's done this and @DLHansen has done it as well.
That being said, I haven't heard of Virgil Brand's collection being largely purchased from other collectors, the way say Eliasberg purchased the Clapp collection and Newman purchased the Green collection. What collections did he buy?
Brand bought the collection of DeWitt S. Smith - at the time it was said: His cabinet of the "Private gold " issues was probably the finest which has yet been assembled. His set of the Three Dollar gold-coins was complete; of the United States silver he lacked but a very few examples; his collection of Cents and Half Cents was also extremely fine, and it is doubtful if any of our American cabinets have a set of Colonials equal to that he possessed. He was a liberal contributor towards the erection of the new building of the American Numismatic Society, which he joined March 20, 1899.
The collection was purchased from the estate by Virgil Brand in 1908 for $62,619.98.
@Shamika said:
Virgil Brand was not a collector of coins in as much as he was a collector of "coin collections". If you had coins he wanted, he would by your entire collection!
my best stuff came from whole collections that I was lucky enough to get from collectors with a good eye
edit: buying those collections also taught me how to be more patient with my buying, hold out for the extraordinary
@Shamika said:
Virgil Brand was not a collector of coins in as much as he was a collector of "coin collections". If you had coins he wanted, he would by your entire collection!
It seems like buying entire coin collections is an approach more well-to-do collectors employ. More recently, @tradedollarnut has said he's done this and @DLHansen has done it as well.
That being said, I haven't heard of Virgil Brand's collection being largely purchased from other collectors, the way say Eliasberg purchased the Clapp collection and Newman purchased the Green collection. What collections did he buy?
Brand bought the collection of DeWitt S. Smith - at the time it was said: His cabinet of the "Private gold" issues was probably the finest which has yet been assembled. His set of the Three Dollar gold-coins was complete; of the United States silver he lacked but a very few examples; his collection of Cents and Half Cents was also extremely fine, and it is doubtful if any of our American cabinets have a set of Colonials equal to that he possessed. He was a liberal contributor towards the erection of the new building of the American Numismatic Society, which he joined March 20, 1899.
The collection was purchased from the estate by Virgil Brand in 1908 for $62,619.98.
I've read that too, but what's interesting is that it seems few coins have a Smith-Brand pedigree, which you would imagine there would be more of. Of course, it's noted in this thread that few slabs mention Brand, and it seems few slabs also mention Smith.
Another thing maybe that if the areas of focus DeWitt had were private gold, 3 dollar gold and large/half cents, these coins appear in this thread, but there's a healthy mix of other coins as well including silver dollars, other denomination gold, patterns, etc.
There are at least two Smith-Brand coins in this thread, neither of which mention either collector.
The following is interesting on $3 gold for Smith-Brand. There are an estimated 6 specimens of the 1856 $3 gold but it's unknown which specimen was owned by Smith and Brand. Can we make a guess based on the following pedigrees?
John Dannreuther said:
1. PR65+ Deep Cameo PCGS. CAC. T. Harrison Garrett; Robert Garrett (1888); John Work Garrett (1919); Garrett Collection -- Johns Hopkins University Collection (Stack's, 3/1976), lot 394, $21,000; Connoisseur's Collection (Superior Galleries, 1/1989), lot 338, $39,600; Jascha Heifetz Collection (Superior Galleries, 10/1989), lot 4242, $49,500; Boys Town Sale (Superior Galleries, 5/1990), lot 5506, $68,750. The present coin.
2. PR64+ Deep Cameo. CAC. F.C.C. Boyd; World's Greatest Collection (Numismatic Gallery, 1/1946), lot 271; Abe Kosoff (8/3/1971); Harry W. Bass, Jr. Foundation Collection (HBCC #4006).
3. PR62 Cameo PCGS. CAC. Ed Trompeter Collection, Part I (Superior Galleries, 2/1992), lot 98, $14,850; ANA National Money Show Signature (Heritage, 3/2011), lot 4729, $28,750; ANA Sale (Stack's, 8/2012), lot 11671, $32,200; Fenn Family Collection, Part III / FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2017), lot 5832, $41,152; Dell Loy Hansen Collection.
4. PR62 NGC. ANA Signature (Heritage, 8/2017), lot 4117.
5. Proof, Grade Unknown. Auction '81 (RARCOA, 7/1981), lot 391, $20,500; Dennis With (possibly the PR62 Cameo PCGS).
6. PR58. Adolphe Menjou Collection (Numismatic Gallery, 6/1950), lot 1374, $40; John Jay Pittman; Pittman Collection, Part II (David Akers, 5/1998), lot 1890, $16,500; MONEX (Steve Contursi and Todd Griffiths).
Additional Appearances
A. Brilliant Proof. Jacob Shapiro (aka J.F. Bell); J.F. Bell Collection (Stack's, 12/1944), lot 270, $230.
B. Grade Unknown. Mike Brownlee.
C. Grade Unknown. Dewitt Smith; Virgil Brand (journal #46912).
D. PR62 PCGS. Probably coin #3 above.
E. PR64 PCGS.
@Zoins said:
The following is interesting on $3 gold for Smith-Brand. There are an estimated 6 specimens of the 1856 $3 gold but it's unknown which specimen was owned by Smith and Brand. Can we make a guess based on the following pedigrees?
John Dannreuther said:
1. PR65+ Deep Cameo PCGS. CAC. T. Harrison Garrett; Robert Garrett (1888); John Work Garrett (1919); Garrett Collection -- Johns Hopkins University Collection (Stack's, 3/1976), lot 394, $21,000; Connoisseur's Collection (Superior Galleries, 1/1989), lot 338, $39,600; Jascha Heifetz Collection (Superior Galleries, 10/1989), lot 4242, $49,500; Boys Town Sale (Superior Galleries, 5/1990), lot 5506, $68,750. The present coin.
2. PR64+ Deep Cameo. CAC. F.C.C. Boyd; World's Greatest Collection (Numismatic Gallery, 1/1946), lot 271; Abe Kosoff (8/3/1971); Harry W. Bass, Jr. Foundation Collection (HBCC #4006).
3. PR62 Cameo PCGS. CAC. Ed Trompeter Collection, Part I (Superior Galleries, 2/1992), lot 98, $14,850; ANA National Money Show Signature (Heritage, 3/2011), lot 4729, $28,750; ANA Sale (Stack's, 8/2012), lot 11671, $32,200; Fenn Family Collection, Part III / FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2017), lot 5832, $41,152; Dell Loy Hansen Collection.
4. PR62 NGC. ANA Signature (Heritage, 8/2017), lot 4117.
5. Proof, Grade Unknown. Auction '81 (RARCOA, 7/1981), lot 391, $20,500; Dennis With (possibly the PR62 Cameo PCGS).
6. PR58. Adolphe Menjou Collection (Numismatic Gallery, 6/1950), lot 1374, $40; John Jay Pittman; Pittman Collection, Part II (David Akers, 5/1998), lot 1890, $16,500; MONEX (Steve Contursi and Todd Griffiths).
Additional Appearances
A. Brilliant Proof. Jacob Shapiro (aka J.F. Bell); J.F. Bell Collection (Stack's, 12/1944), lot 270, $230.
B. Grade Unknown. Mike Brownlee.
C. Grade Unknown. Dewitt Smith; Virgil Brand (journal #46912).
D. PR62 PCGS. Probably coin #3 above.
E. PR64 PCGS.
So I think we can rule out #1 as T. Garrett died before the Brand collection sold. Even though John Work Garrett did pick up some of the Brand coins.
FWIW: I do not like the providence of a coin to be on the slab. I rather it be contained in the PCGS (or NGC) records of ownership to include even less famous owners. However, the crack out game would significantly degrade any coin's history. And thus it could only provide history of "meaningful" coins that typically already have historical records.
But this would enable current owners to register Brand in the coin history without re-slabbing the coin.
FWIW: I do not like the providence of a coin to be on the slab. I rather it be contained in the PCGS (or NGC) records of ownership to include even less famous owners. However, the crack out game would significantly degrade any coin's history. And thus it could only provide history of "meaningful" coins that typically already have historical records.
But this would enable current owners to register Brand in the coin history without re-slabbing the coin.
I like that idea, but I also like the significant ones listed on the holder’s insert.
B.G. Johnson, sold privately on 7/19/1945 for $13,250
Abe Kosoff (Numismatic Gallery)
Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection
Bowers & Ruddy 10/1982:378, $687,500
David Akers
D. Brent Pogue Collection
Stack's/Bowers & Sotheby's 5/2016:4026, bought back at a hammer price of $6,400,000
Josiah Lilly Specimen - Est. EF40
Harlan P. Smith circa 1884 - bought as a piece of "old tenor gold" for $6.50. (This old gold pieces had melt value that exceeded their face value for many years, which is why most were melted.)
B.G. Johnson, sold privately on 7/19/1945 for $13,250
Abe Kosoff (Numismatic Gallery)
Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection
Bowers & Ruddy 10/1982:378, $687,500
David Akers
D. Brent Pogue Collection
Stack's/Bowers & Sotheby's 5/2016:4026, bought back at a hammer price of $6,400,000
Josiah Lilly Specimen - Est. EF40
Harlan P. Smith circa 1884 - bought as a piece of "old tenor gold" for $6.50. (This old gold pieces had melt value that exceeded their face value for many years, which is why most were melted.)
Parmelee Collection
Dunham
Charles Williams
Kosoff & Kaplan, coin dealers
B. Max Mehl
Amon Carter
Josiah Lilly
Smithsonian
Adam Eckfeldt Specimen - Est. VF35
Adam Eckfeldt
Smithsonian
Love, love, love!!!
Virgil had some great coins!
Here's a pop 2/0 Brand-Bass coin from just a few years earlier.
@BestGerman said:
David S. Wilson Collection (S.H. Chapman, 3/1907), lot 69, $650; Virgil Brand Collection (Bowers and Merena, 11/1983), lot 279, $55,000; Auction '85 (Stack's, 7/1985), lot 1914, $66,000; Harry W. Bass, Jr. Foundation Collection (HBCC# 3132).
Paul Gilkes said: Last of Virgil Brand numismatic items in crates
Brand’s massive estate, including his numismatic holdings, were inherited by his brothers Horace and Armon upon his death in 1926.
At the time, Virgil Brand’s numismatic collection was estimated at a staggering $5 million.
The brothers spent years sorting and inventorying and attempting to split the collection equally, according to Burd.
Q. David Bowers, in his book Virgil Brand: The Man and His Era, writes that by 1934 everything in Brand’s estate was finally appraised except 16 boxes of Masonic Chapter pennies, 12 boxes of Civil War tokens, two boxes of Hard Times tokens and some items worthy only for melting.
"It seems the three crates purchased by Chicago Coin fell into the ‘melting’ category and were simply put aside for over 80 years,” Burd said. “Except for a few silver pieces, all of the medals and tokens are of base medals — white metal, copper, copper nickel, brass and aluminum."
Burd provided the following synopsis involving the crates he acquired:
"In 1939, Horace’s wife Erna, filed for divorce, after 15 years of marriage. Finalized in 1940, she received 1/5th of his coin collection plus their 35-room mansion on East Cedar Street in Chicago.
"During the 1940s and 1950s she gradually sold off her portion of the coins," according to Burd. In 1960 she moved to Wisconsin taking with her a large group of crates consisting of books and magazines plus the three crates of medals and tokens.
"When she died in 1985 she left all the crates to her friend and neighbor who eventually moved to Illinois and in 2015 decided to liquidate her possessions."
The friend and neighbor contacted a book dealer, who contacted a coin dealer who notified Burd of the availability of the crates of tokens and medals.
"Being able to pedigree these items to Virgil Brand and have them return to Chicago was wonderful," Burd stated. "And now being able to supply this new material to the numismatic community is very exciting and satisfying."
Pedigree: PR66+ PCGS. Possibly Col. Mendes I. Cohen Collection (Edward Cogan, 10/1875), lot 149; John W. Haseltine; John Colvin Randall Collection (W. Elliot Woodward, 6/1885), lot 934; David S. Wilson Collection (S.H. Chapman, 3/1907), lot 79; Virgil M. Brand (Brand Journal #37148); Armin Brand; Christmas present to Frieda Brand in 1935; Jane Brand Allen; Virgil M. Brand Collection, Part I (Bowers and Merena, 11/1983), lot 280, to bidder #223 (either Stanley Kesselman or Joe Kuehnert in partnership with Anthony J. Terranova); Auction '85 (Superior, 7/1985), lot 941; Harry W. Bass, Jr; Harry Bass Core Collection (HBCC-3154); on display at ANA headquarters until 2022. The present coin.
I wonder how his beer tasted. The Brand brothers brought the family recipe to Chicago from the Motherland. One of my favorite provenances, besides Col. Green. I like his story as well, the wild and crazy life he led.
Comments
1886 Morgan Dollar - Obverse Die Cap Mint Error
PCGS MS64
Ex. Virgil Michael Brand; Amon Giles Carter Sr.; Roy Gray; Fred Weinberg
Virgil Brand continues to amaze. He had amazing coins across all categories: classics, patterns, territorials and now errors!
This coin has been called:
See more in this thread:
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1067174/the-best-error-known-per-fred-weinberg-brand-carter-1886-obverse-die-cap-at-greatcollections#latest
Virgil Brand is very underrated!
I knew Virgil Brand had tokens and Masonic tokens, but this might be the first So-Called Dollar I've run across!
It's a beautiful piece so I'm on the look out for it
<<< Virgil Brand is probably the most underrated coin collector of all time. Do you agree or disagree >>>
Completely agree!
Your hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need it.
It is amazing how many important rarities trace back to Brand. Not sure he was underrated though - to me, he was always considered to have one of the best collections ever.
Owner/Founder GreatCollections
GreatCollections Coin Auctions - Certified Coin Auctions Every Week - Rare Coins & Coin Values
I agree with this and this is the reason for this thread!
My perspective is that he's pretty underrated as his collection often isn't mentioned at all. Just look at all the slabs posted in this thread. Some of his biggest coins don't mention him at all!
I compare this to Eliasberg who's name is on many slabs even though he purchased the bulk of his collection from Clapp. With Brand, it's not just that Brand isn't included, but that many other people are included!
Slabs that don't mention Brand:
Slabs that mention Brand:
Though I am late to the party, this post has a vast knowledge of great coins and patterns.
All of the replies add more and more history in the life of Virgil Brand and his massive collections.
Glad that I came across this thread.
Will check back to see what else has been added in this man's life.
Wayne
Kennedys are my quest...
Here's a nice tribute from Jesse Patrick!
One of my great enjoyments in numismatics is associating coins with past collectors, so I was delighted to run across yet another Virgil Brand coin, this one now owned by our own forum member @DLHansen!
One day I hope the Brand pedigree will be as prominent as the Eliasberg pedigree with many people wanting their coins to be associated with Brand and seeing his name on many inserts
1802 Draped Bust Dollar
PCGS PR64 POP 2/0
Certification #60087183, PCGS #6905
PCGS Price Guide $450,000
Ex: Virgil Brand
Here's the full provenance chain from Heritage:
https://coins.ha.com/itm/early-dollars/silver-and-related-dollars/1802-1-pr64-pcgs-b-8-bb-302-high-r7-restrike-or-novodel-pcgs-6905-/a/1219-5134.s
@Zoins I am relatively sure you know, but QDB wrote a book about Virgil Brand. I read it ( a LONG time ago) and recall that I enjoyed it. In case you do not have a copy, I see where one is available on Amazon. Search for "Virgil Brand: The Man and His Era" and it will pop up. Of course, the book may be available somewhere less for less. I did not spend much (actually, any
) time searching once I found a copy.
I love books by QDB, especially the ones available electronically by PCGS. I especially loved reading about Abe Kosoff.
Books here: https://www.pcgs.com/books
Abe Kosoff: Dean of Numismatics: https://www.pcgs.com/books/abekosoff
I haven't read the Virgil Brand book yet, but it might be worth reaching out to QDB and PCGS to see if QDB will let PCGS publish that book, along with several others they already do publish.
@zoins Yes, the Kosoff book was good. When I first started collecting, Abe Kosoff seemed a major player. As a kid, I never purchased anything from him and after I returned to collecting (the typical "growing up/starting a family" hiatus) he was gone.
@zoins Another thought: If you reach out to QDB, maybe ask him about his autobiography. I was truly looking forward to that but it's been delayed a few years.
Here's another great error coin owned by Virgil Brand!
https://coins.ha.com/itm/errors/1888-liberty-nickel-indented-by-a-brass-coil-coil-included-ms64-pcgs/a/1344-4610.s?ic4=GalleryView-Thumbnail-071515
The pedigree from Heritage mentions an inventory number and journal number. How can one review Virgil's inventory records and journal entries?
Here's another rare piece from Virgil Brand, a silver "From Riches to Ruin" medal.
This has a wonderful provenance including the Virgil Michael Brand, John Jay Ford Jr., and E. Pluribus Unum collections.
Here's a New Jersey copper colonial piece:
The cert says "Brand-Craige"
Here's a wonderful 1858 proof half eagle, one of only 5 known.
This is graded NGC PR66* UCAM. The only one graded higher is the Ten Eyck, Clapp, Eliasberg specimen at PR67UCAM
That is a beauty- now just needs to get some provenance on that label!
In addition to coins, Virgil Brand had a variety of exonumia including medals, So-Called Dollars, Masonic Tokens and even some military GAR medals. Here's a GAR medal attributed to Brand from Heritage.
Ref: https://coins.ha.com/itm/military-medals/1883-ms-grand-army-of-the-republic-17th-encampment-denver-co-unc-uncertified-white-metal-37-mm-a-prooflike-mint-stat/a/131791-21472.s
Here are two more 1876 U.S. Centennial So-Called Dollars from John William Kline Jr., HK-27 and HK-29, to go with HK-140 above.
Brand appears to be one of the most notable collectors to have So-Called Dollars, along with Thomas Harrison Garret.
Since you kept this posting alive, I like to throw my 50Cents into the mix. I had referenced this piece before but not under this posting theme. I find this blog to be a very a nice read. Thanks for posting
My Piece a pattern
****Judd-244 (Pollock-300) 1859 50c (Half Dollar) Longacre’s “French Head” obverse with a regular reverse of a Half Dollar of 1859. Struck in copper with Reeded Edge****
This is a curious mulling of the Longacre’s Liberty Head Obverse (French Head) with the Paquet wide wing Eagle reverse as used in the regular 1859 Half Dollar (both obverse and reverse display “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”), however, most interesting is the reverse was punch on a planchet with an incuse profile of George Washington. The profile is the match to the profile used in the 1866 version of the various George Washington’s 5 Cent pattern pieces dated 1866.
The Pedigree includes Brand:
Ex: S.K. Nagy (10/1907), Virgil Brand; Anderson-Dupont Collection, Part II (Stack's, 11/1954), lot 2419; S.E. Goldsmith Collection (Stack's, 10/1958), lot 1450; Morris Evans Collection (Bowers and Merena 8/1998), lot 2047; Orlando Sale (Stack's, 1/2007), lot 1019; Los Angeles ANA (Bowers and Merena, 8/2009), lot 4152, Simpson Part III, (Heritage 1/2021), Lot# 3082
Also Plate coin for type (J243/J244) in Judd’s United States Patterns and Trial Pieces - 10th Edition
This is the extract from Brand's Ledger
OMG ... My Mother was Right about Everything!
I wake up with a Good Attitude Every Day. Then … Idiots Happen!
Very nice pattern half dollar @retirednow! Both a mule and overstruck on another pattern!
This is a very impressive pedigree, including Nagy and Dupont as well!
It would be great to add this to the insert and CoinFacts which only mentions Bob Simpson at the moment.
Love the extract from Brand's ledger. He's one of the collectors that kept great records that are still used by collectors today.
Thanks for posting it
Virgil Brand was not a collector of coins in as much as he was a collector of "coin collections". If you had coins he wanted, he would by your entire collection!
It seems like buying entire coin collections is an approach more well-to-do collectors employ. More recently, @tradedollarnut has said he's done this and @DLHansen has done it as well.
That being said, I haven't heard of Virgil Brand's collection being largely purchased from other collectors, the way say Eliasberg purchased the Clapp collection and Newman purchased the Green collection. What collections did he buy?
Brand bought the collection of DeWitt S. Smith - at the time it was said: His cabinet of the "Private gold " issues was probably the finest which has yet been assembled. His set of the Three Dollar gold-coins was complete; of the United States silver he lacked but a very few examples; his collection of Cents and Half Cents was also extremely fine, and it is doubtful if any of our American cabinets have a set of Colonials equal to that he possessed. He was a liberal contributor towards the erection of the new building of the American Numismatic Society, which he joined March 20, 1899.
The collection was purchased from the estate by Virgil Brand in 1908 for $62,619.98.
<<< Virgil Brand is probably the most underrated coin collector of all time.
Do you agree or disagree? >>>
Well obviously.....and by a huge margin.
Even non coin collectors and those who cannot even pronounce the word 'numismatics' have long known this as an indisputable fact.
Your hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need it.
my best stuff came from whole collections that I was lucky enough to get from collectors with a good eye
edit: buying those collections also taught me how to be more patient with my buying, hold out for the extraordinary
Brand was a buying machine.
Who you know, who you.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.-Albert Einstein
I've read that too, but what's interesting is that it seems few coins have a Smith-Brand pedigree, which you would imagine there would be more of. Of course, it's noted in this thread that few slabs mention Brand, and it seems few slabs also mention Smith.
Another thing maybe that if the areas of focus DeWitt had were private gold, 3 dollar gold and large/half cents, these coins appear in this thread, but there's a healthy mix of other coins as well including silver dollars, other denomination gold, patterns, etc.
There are at least two Smith-Brand coins in this thread, neither of which mention either collector.
Dontch ya know
The following is interesting on $3 gold for Smith-Brand. There are an estimated 6 specimens of the 1856 $3 gold but it's unknown which specimen was owned by Smith and Brand. Can we make a guess based on the following pedigrees?
https://coins.ha.com/itm/proof-three-dollar-gold-pieces/1856-3-pr65-deep-cameo-pcgs-cac-jd-1-r7-pcgs-98019-/a/1356-3397.s
So I think we can rule out #1 as T. Garrett died before the Brand collection sold. Even though John Work Garrett did pick up some of the Brand coins.
What others can we eliminate?
FWIW: I do not like the providence of a coin to be on the slab. I rather it be contained in the PCGS (or NGC) records of ownership to include even less famous owners. However, the crack out game would significantly degrade any coin's history. And thus it could only provide history of "meaningful" coins that typically already have historical records.
But this would enable current owners to register Brand in the coin history without re-slabbing the coin.
What others can we eliminate?> @OldIndianNutKase said:
I like that idea, but I also like the significant ones listed on the holder’s insert.
One of the Brand auction catalogs...
Love, love, love!!!
Virgil had some great coins!
Here's a pop 2/0 Brand-Bass coin from just a few years earlier.
The pedigree is as follows:
Here's Virgil Brand's HK-69 U.S. Centennial So-Called Dollar by George Bache Soley.
Photos courtesy of @THOMAS655
Here's a growing list of Virgil Brand's So-Called Dollars:
Here's a Columbian Exposition medal, the dies of which were eventually used by Thomas Lindsay Elder for restrikes.
Wow! Images take one's breath away!
Crazy how Washington blended so well into the Eagle. And then, when you're told there is an undertype...bam!
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
Here's an interesting article on what may be the last of Virgil Brand's items to be disbursed to collectors in 2016.
The pedigree of these items are:
https://www.coinworld.com/news/us-coins/last-of-virgil-brand-numismatic-items-in-crates.html
Very nice thread. thanks for all the posts.
Thanks! He really did have wonderful coins and medals! It's great to be able to celebrate them all here!
1829 Proof Half Eagle PCGS PR66+
Virgil really was a prolific So-Called Dollar collector. Here's his Christopher Columbus HK-624.
Great read of history here.
I wonder how his beer tasted. The Brand brothers brought the family recipe to Chicago from the Motherland. One of my favorite provenances, besides Col. Green. I like his story as well, the wild and crazy life he led.