Celebrity Numismatist Harry "Parkyakarkus" Einstein

Zoins

In researching coins for Garrett and Robison, I've come across Harry Einstein and thought he was worthy of mention.

Is he known as an astute collector? Some of his coins ended up with Brent Pogue as shown below.

Harry Einstein (May 6, 1904 – November 23, 1958), known professionally as Harry Parke and other pseudonyms, most commonly Parkyakarkus, was an American comedian, writer, and character actor. A specialist in Greek dialect comedy, he became famous as the Greek chef Nick Parkyakarkus on the Eddie Cantor and Al Jolson radio programs, and later on a program of his own. He appeared in eleven films (as Parkyakarkas or a close variant) from 1936 to 1945.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_"Parkyakarkus"_Einstein

From E-Sylum:

CELEBRITY NUMISMATISTS
[...]
Some names that come to mind immediately are Buddy Ebsen, Jascha Heifitz, Hoagy Carmichael, Gary Burghoff ("Radar" on M.A.S.H.), Moshe Dayan (from Israeli politics), Harry Einstein ("Parkyakarkus" from old radio days), and from more recent times John LaRocquette. I'm sure you will receive many more names of the famous or infamous who were collectors. A couple of more collectors of note come to mind. Adolph Menjou (Movies) and Wayne Gretzky (Sports - albeit more of an investor than a collector)."

https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v03n21a02.html

Here's a photo from the Stack's 1986 catalog:

Here's one of his performances:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAKNFIMT24w&feature=emb_logo

**NOTE: **These two coins were in the Einstein Collection sale but not actually owned by Einstein, so I've "hidden" them under a quote. They are here for posterity.

And two of his coins, the 1804 and 1802 Bowed Liberty Dollars:

1804 Bowed Liberty Dollar - Class III - Restrike - Double Struck - PCGS AU55 - Ex-Berg, Garrett, Einstein, Pogue

• https://www.pcgs.com/cert/38997237
• https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-LYACG/1804-draped-bust-silver-dollar-class-iii-restrike-bb-306-second-reverse-proof-55-pcgs
• https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1047274/appreciating-t-harrison-garrett#latest

1802 Bowed Liberty Dollar PCGS PR64 POP 0/4/0 - Ex-Robison, Einstein, Pogue

• https://www.pcgs.com/cert/32709114
• https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-6QOVY/1802-draped-bust-silver-dollar-proof-restrike-or-novodel-bowers-borckardt-302-bolender-8-rarity-7-proof-64-pcgs
• https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1048957/appreciating-ellis-h-roby-robison-like-pogue-did#latest

291fifth

He is an excellent example of how "all glory is fleeting". I had never heard of him before this thread was posted.

thebeav

I remember that guy. Of course it helped that I had an uncle who was a fan of old-time radio.
Boy, he had some stuff all right !

BAJJERFAN

Was he known to park his carcass?

Zoins

@BAJJERFAN said:
Was he known to park his carcass?

He was....

He collapsed in front of his audience after a performance and, lat first, people thought his collapsing to his death was part of the act.

https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/2008/11/comedian-dies-d.html

Comedian Harry Einstein, 53, known as Parkyakarkus, collapses moments after finishing what Friars Club members said was "the most hilarious speech of his career" during a tribute to Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. (Note: The runover page wasn't microfilmed, so we don't have the rest of the story).

On his way back to his seat, Einstein touched Art Linkletter on the shoulder, stumbled and grabbed the back of his chair, then fell into the arms of Milton Berle. "It was like a wave of horror had suddenly swept over the room," a witness says.

My colleague Brian Hanrahan points out that Einstein's sons are Albert Brooks, Bob Einstein and Charles Einstein.

Zoins

Here's an impressive gold coin of his!

1803 $10 Eagle - BD-6 13 Lg Rev Stars - PCGS MS61 TOP POP 1/0 - Ex-Einstein, Taraszka

• https://www.pcgs.com/cert/36674560
• https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-IXU2H/1803-capped-bust-right-eagle-bd-6-taraszka-32-rarity-7-large-reverse-stars-13-stars-ms-61-pcgs

Stack's Bowers wrote:

1 - PCGS MS-61. Ex our (Bowers and Merena's) Harry Einstein Collection sale, June 1986, lot 444; Heritage's Portland ANA Auction of August 1998, lot 7744; Anthony J. Taraszka. The present example.

Zoins

And another top pop!

Incredible Gem Mint State 1852 Eagle
The Single Finest Type II No Motto Eagle Known to PCGS
1852 Liberty Head Eagle - PCGS MS66+ TOP POP 1/0 CAC

• https://www.pcgs.com/cert/38634096
• https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-LYDBP/1852-liberty-head-eagle-ms-66-pcgs-cac

Stack's Bowers wrote:

Provenance: From the D. Brent Pogue Collection. Earlier, from our (Bowers and Merena's) Harry Einstein Collection sale, June 1986, lot 452; Heritage's sale of the Gold Rush Collection, January 2005 FUN Signature Sale, lot 30057; Heritage's sale of the Madison Collection, January 2008 FUN Signature Auction, lot 3261.

thebeav

Wow, Never knew he was Albert Brooks dad !

Icollecteverything

The Bowers and Merena auction was three days long, June 23, 24 and the 25th in 1986. Is there any history of how/why it was so long after his death and who had his collection?
I don't have the auction catalog anymore but I won one lot, an 1806 large cent which I still have.

Zoins

@Icollecteverything said:
The Bowers and Merena auction was three days long, June 23, 24 and the 25th in 1986. Is there any history of how/why it was so long after his death and who had his collection?

I don't have the auction catalog anymore but I won one lot, an 1806 large cent which I still have.

Here's the catalog. It doesn't say anything about why it was sold in 1986, long after he died in 1958, except for that the collection stayed in a bank vault all those years. Thanks to Stack's Bowers for scanning and placing these online for us.

Q. David Bowers wrote:

The offering of the Harry Einstein Collection is a numismatic milestone. After the death of Harry Einstein, familiarly known as "Parkyakarkus" to millions of radio listeners, the collection was stored in a bank vault, where it has remained until the present time. The rarities offered in the following pages are thus new to the present generation of collectors.

https://media.stacksbowers.com/VirtualCatalogs/CatalogLibrary/harryeinsteincol1986bowe.pdf

We can speculate by looking at the history of his wife Thelma Leeds. Although Harry died in 1958, his wife survived him until 2006 at age 95. Her second husband died a few years before the sale in 1983. It's not too far fetched to imagine Thelma revisiting her years with Harry after becoming a widow the second time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelma_Leeds

Zoins

@291fifth said:
He is an excellent example of how "all glory is fleeting". I had never heard of him before this thread was posted.

Not only for his acting, but his coins too.

Here's what David Bowers wrote in the sale catalog.

Q. David Bowers wrote:

For many years Harry Einstein was a close personal friend of Abe Kosoff, the respected dealer who founded the Professional Numismatists Guild and who was one of the hobby's great leaders for decades. Through Abe, many rarities and prize specimens were acquired—pieces of a quality not normally available.
[...]
The cabinet of Harry Einstein will long be remembered as having those two essential ingredients that are so highly desired in our field: quality and rarity.

Icollecteverything

Can you imagine what it was like to see that large collection coming out of the vault after all those years?

Icollecteverything

That 52 Eagle is spectacular........

Zoins

@Icollecteverything said:
Can you imagine what it was like to see that large collection coming out of the vault after all those years?

It would have been amazing at Stack's to see that and at the auction. Given that he was collecting in the 30s to 50s, some of those coins haven't been seen for half a century!

Stack's Bowers wrote:

Harry Einstein collected voraciously throughout the late thirties, forties and fifties. He shared his remarkable collection with only his family and his friend, Abe Kosoff. Few people knew that the country's great funnyman was also one of America's most serious collectors. He retired from performing in 1948, concentrating on his investments and his ever-growing coin collection.

Zoins

There may be an issue with the 1802 Draped Bust Dollar provenance from Stack's. It doesn't seem likely that Stack's sold this coin in 1982 for Robison and then in 1986 for Einstein, given the Stack's sale said the collection remained in a bank vault the entire time. Either that or there's more to the story.

It would be great to compare the 1982 and 1986 catalogs.

https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-6QOVY/1802-draped-bust-silver-dollar-proof-restrike-or-novodel-bowers-borckardt-302-bolender-8-rarity-7-proof-64-pcgs

Stack's Bowers wrote:

Provenance: Dr. G.F.E. Wilharm Collection; B. Max Mehl's sale of the Dr. G.F.E. Wilharm Collection, February 1921, lot 592; William Forrester Dunham Collection; B. Max Mehl's sale of the William Forrester Dunham Collection, June 1941, lot 1055; Abe Kosoff; Michael F. Higgy Collection, by sale, August 1942; Numismatic Gallery (Abe Kosoff); Numismatic Gallery's (Abe Kosoff) sale of the Michael F. Higgy Collection, September 1943, lot 817; Beverly Hills Stamp & Coin Co. (Max L. Justus), August 1957 fixed price list; Newport Balboa Savings and Loan, by sale, via Abe Kosoff and Ken Nichols; Stack's sale of September 1978, lot 304; Ellis Robison Collection; Doris and Ellis Robison; Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute, Cornell University, Brown University, and Russell Sage College, by gift, 1981; Stack's sale of the Robison Collection, February 1982, lot 1884; Superior Galleries' session of Auction '84, July 1984, lot 171; Bowers and Merena's sale of the Harry Einstein Collection, June 1986, lot 1734; Bowers and Merena's sale of the Collections of Phillip Flannagan, Dr. Robert I. Hinkley, Dr. John C. Wong and Tree Many Feathers, November 2001, lot 4297.

Zoins

1820 Capped Head Left Half Eagle - Bass Dannreuther-7 - Curl Base 2, Large Letters - Rarity-7. PCGS MS65+ TOP POP 2/0 CAC

Here's another top pop CAC coin provenanced to Einstein and Brent Pogue. With so many of Einstein's coins ending up with Pogue, I wonder if there was an explicit strategy to buy Einstein coins by either Mack with David Akers or Brent with Richard Burdick. Anyone know? Anyone around when these coins were being acquired by either or both Pogues?

• https://www.pcgs.com/cert/32189881
• https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-2RY80/1820-capped-head-left-half-eagle-bass-dannreuther-7-curl-base-2-large-letters-rarity-7-mint-state-65-pcgs

Of the Pogue sale:

Stack's Bowers wrote:

Provenance: Bowers and Merena’s sale of the Harry Einstein Collection, June 1986, lot 344; Heritage’s sale of April 2008, lot 2435.

ricko

Beautiful coins indeed.... remarkable that the collection remained stored for so long. I had heard of him... listened to some old radio recordings a friend had once. Did not know he was a coin collector. Cheers, RickO

Zoins

@ricko said:
Beautiful coins indeed.... remarkable that the collection remained stored for so long. I had heard of him... listened to some old radio recordings a friend had once. Did not know he was a coin collector. Cheers, RickO

He was a very private collector, sharing only with his family and dealer Abe Kosoff. His collection's sale did come out in 1986 so there was some publicizing at the time. I agree it's amazing these coins were locked away for so long. Back then, it would be treat to just see these coins. Now, it's a treat to see them too, but we can see a lot with the great TrueViews and auction house photos.

Floridafacelifter

And two of his coins, the 1804 and 1802 Bowed Liberty Dollars:

1804 Bowed Liberty Dollar - Class III - Restrike - Double Struck - PCGS AU55 - Ex-Berg, Garrett, Einstein, Pogue

• https://www.pcgs.com/cert/38997237
• https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-LYACG/1804-draped-bust-silver-dollar-class-iii-restrike-bb-306-second-reverse-proof-55-pcgs
• https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1047274/appreciating-t-harrison-garrett#latest

1802 Bowed Liberty Dollar PCGS PR64 POP 0/4/0 - Ex-Robison, Einstein, Pogue

• https://www.pcgs.com/cert/32709114
• https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-6QOVY/1802-draped-bust-silver-dollar-proof-restrike-or-novodel-bowers-borckardt-302-bolender-8-rarity-7-proof-64-pcgs
• https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1048957/appreciating-ellis-h-roby-robison-like-pogue-did#latest

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful information! I’m relatively new to the forum, and I own these two Bust $- and studying the provenance of my coins is an important part of my overall collecting enjoyment!

yspsales

Well done sir...

I was remarking on another thread how far he would have gotten if he had not died at age 58.

He had money and dealer connections.

coinsarefun

Amazing man, amazing collection! I remember my Mom and my grandfather tuning in to listen.
Makes my miss my mom and dad.
.
.
For mom
.

.
.
For Dad
.
.

WinLoseWin

@Floridafacelifter said:

And two of his coins, the 1804 and 1802 Bowed Liberty Dollars:

1804 Bowed Liberty Dollar - Class III - Restrike - Double Struck - PCGS AU55 - Ex-Berg, Garrett, Einstein, Pogue

• https://www.pcgs.com/cert/38997237
• https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-LYACG/1804-draped-bust-silver-dollar-class-iii-restrike-bb-306-second-reverse-proof-55-pcgs
• https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1047274/appreciating-t-harrison-garrett#latest

1802 Bowed Liberty Dollar PCGS PR64 POP 0/4/0 - Ex-Robison, Einstein, Pogue

• https://www.pcgs.com/cert/32709114
• https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-6QOVY/1802-draped-bust-silver-dollar-proof-restrike-or-novodel-bowers-borckardt-302-bolender-8-rarity-7-proof-64-pcgs
• https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1048957/appreciating-ellis-h-roby-robison-like-pogue-did#latest

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful information! I’m relatively new to the forum, and I own these two Bust $- and studying the provenance of my coins is an important part of my overall collecting enjoyment!

.
.
.
For @Zoins and @Floridafacelifter and others:

Be aware that many auctions were labled for the most notable consignor decided by the auctioneer, but many coins in the auctions belonged to other consignors.

More common today is a separate catalog for the main consignor.

Even years ago there were some single consignor auction sales such as Garrett, Norweb, Eliasberg and others, but many other named sales were actually multiple owners.

Such sales often have something like "and other consignments" in smaller print under the headlining consignment as is the case with this catalog as seen here. It appears on the title page but not on the cover of this particular catalog.
.
.
https://archive.org/details/harryeinsteincol1986bowe/page/n13/mode/2up
.
.
Some auctions have all the consignments mixed together with no indication of what belonged to who. Sometimes notable consignor pedigrees are listed with each lot. Other times a main consignment got its own section in a catalog.

The latter is the case for the Harry Einstein auction. The lots from his estate went from lot 1 through 855 and is also noted in the introduction on page 8. If they had not done that, it may have been impossible to know what was in his collection.

The 1804 and 1802 Proof Bust Dollars were never part of the Harry Einstein collection, but they were offered in Bowers and Merena's Harry Einstein Collection AUCTION, June 1986 as noted in some pedigrees. That is very different than saying that Harry Einstein was the owner.

All that can be confusing without researching or already knowing whether the person named in an auction sale title was the actual owner.

The gold coins posted above by Zoins were actually part of the Einstein collection based on the catalog.

Floridafacelifter

Thank you!

Zoins

@WinLoseWin said:

@Floridafacelifter said:

And two of his coins, the 1804 and 1802 Bowed Liberty Dollars:

1804 Bowed Liberty Dollar - Class III - Restrike - Double Struck - PCGS AU55 - Ex-Berg, Garrett, Einstein, Pogue

• https://www.pcgs.com/cert/38997237
• https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-LYACG/1804-draped-bust-silver-dollar-class-iii-restrike-bb-306-second-reverse-proof-55-pcgs
• https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1047274/appreciating-t-harrison-garrett#latest

1802 Bowed Liberty Dollar PCGS PR64 POP 0/4/0 - Ex-Robison, Einstein, Pogue

• https://www.pcgs.com/cert/32709114
• https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-6QOVY/1802-draped-bust-silver-dollar-proof-restrike-or-novodel-bowers-borckardt-302-bolender-8-rarity-7-proof-64-pcgs
• https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1048957/appreciating-ellis-h-roby-robison-like-pogue-did#latest

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful information! I’m relatively new to the forum, and I own these two Bust $- and studying the provenance of my coins is an important part of my overall collecting enjoyment!

For @Zoins and @Floridafacelifter and others:

Be aware that many auctions were labled for the most notable consignor decided by the auctioneer, but many coins in the auctions belonged to other consignors.

More common today is a separate catalog for the main consignor.

Even years ago there were some single consignor auction sales such as Garrett, Norweb, Eliasberg and others, but many other named sales were actually multiple owners.

Such sales often have something like "and other consignments" in smaller print under the headlining consignment as is the case with this catalog as seen here. It appears on the title page but not on the cover of this particular catalog.

https://archive.org/details/harryeinsteincol1986bowe/page/n13/mode/2up

Some auctions have all the consignments mixed together with no indication of what belonged to who. Sometimes notable consignor pedigrees are listed with each lot. Other times a main consignment got its own section in a catalog.

The latter is the case for the Harry Einstein auction. The lots from his estate went from lot 1 through 855 and is also noted in the introduction on page 8. If they had not done that, it may have been impossible to know what was in his collection.

The 1804 and 1802 Proof Bust Dollars were never part of the Harry Einstein collection, but they were offered in Bowers and Merena's Harry Einstein Collection AUCTION, June 1986 as noted in some pedigrees. That is very different than saying that Harry Einstein was the owner.

All that can be confusing without researching or already knowing whether the person named in an auction sale title was the actual owner.

The gold coins posted above by Zoins were actually part of the Einstein collection based on the catalog.

I now know the following means not owned by Harry Einstein! I think I should just give up reading provenance lists!

Provenance: Dr. G.F.E. Wilharm Collection; B. Max Mehl's sale of the Dr. G.F.E. Wilharm Collection, February 1921, lot 592; William Forrester Dunham Collection; B. Max Mehl's sale of the William Forrester Dunham Collection, June 1941, lot 1055; Abe Kosoff; Michael F. Higgy Collection, by sale, August 1942; Numismatic Gallery (Abe Kosoff); Numismatic Gallery's (Abe Kosoff) sale of the Michael F. Higgy Collection, September 1943, lot 817; Beverly Hills Stamp & Coin Co. (Max L. Justus), August 1957 fixed price list; Newport Balboa Savings and Loan, by sale, via Abe Kosoff and Ken Nichols; Stack's sale of September 1978, lot 304; Ellis Robison Collection; Doris and Ellis Robison; Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute, Cornell University, Brown University, and Russell Sage College, by gift, 1981; Stack's sale of the Robison Collection, February 1982, lot 1884; Superior Galleries' session of Auction '84, July 1984, lot 171; Bowers and Merena's sale of the Harry Einstein Collection, June 1986, lot 1734; Bowers and Merena's sale of the Collections of Phillip Flannagan, Dr. Robert I. Hinkley, Dr. John C. Wong and Tree Many Feathers, November 2001, lot 4297.

WCC

@291fifth said:
He is an excellent example of how "all glory is fleeting". I had never heard of him before this thread was posted.

Me either, but then no one is actually prominent due to their coin collecting, except on occasion with other collectors. There are a low number of people who can somewhat legitimately be considered "famous" but it isn't or wasn't due to their collection or collecting. An example is M.A Rothschild whose family name is famous but he is not..

yspsales

To expand on the Glory is fleeting theme... bought an autograph album on ebay a few years ago.

I bought it for the Jackie Coogan and Betty Grable autos.

Alot of other band leaders and actors from the mid 1930's. Including Bing Crosby brother... Bob

It was fun tracking them down. The more obscure the more interesting. Many have stars on the Walk of Fame and had me toying with a similar themed autograph collection.

Who knew Uncle Fester was once married Betty Grable?

LanceNewmanOCC

i am presuming this is the Einstein to which the 1933 $10 comment from David Akers refers to?

Einstein Collection

CaptHenway

@LanceNewmanOCC said:
i am presuming this is the Einstein to which the 1933 $10 comment from David Akers refers to?

Einstein Collection

I would assume so.