Buddy Ebsen Collection

toothpuller

As I recall Buddy Ebsen [Jed Clampett in The Beverly Hillbillies] was a prolific coin collector. Are any of the Ebsen coins still around? Does anyone recall what he specialized in?

jom

I think it was Walkers but I might be confusing him with Chris Shenkel (the ABC annoucer). Superior sold Ebsen's collection in the late 80s.

jom

gemtone65

I seem to recall his collection being sold at a Superior auction, perhaps in the 1980's. I don't remember what area of numismatics he specialized in. Every once in a while apiece is offered for sale at auction noting the Ebson pedigree. Perhaps you could do some searches on E-bay occasionally and find some of his coins for sale.

At the time of the sale, I believe Ira and Larry Goldberg were still principals in Superior. So, undoubtedly they could provide you with more information. Also, I'm sure one of the forum members has the Ebson catalogue, and you'll probably hear from them shortly.

RotatedRainbows

I remember that sale, if memory serves me it was 1986. He had a wide range of pieces from many different series, I have the catalog around here somewhere but it is probably still packed away in a box. The Goldberg's were still in charge of superior when the sale took place.

DMWJR

Weehhhhllllllll doggies! That sale was in June of 1987, Superior Pre-Long Beach Sale.

roadrunner

I remember going through that catalogue and being amazed at the number of high quality 19th century type pieces he had.

roadrunner

dragon

Yes, Buddy Ebsen had a very impressive collection indeed. Many very high quality type pieces and also many high quality gold coins including a high grade Stella or two if I remember correctly. The Ebsen sale drew a lot of attention back in the mid 80s, and rightfully so.

Dragon

Mikey

I don't think he's dead yet.

Bear

If Mr Epsen is still alive, do you think he will be pi$$ed at us refering to him as deceased?

DesertLizard

He is 94 yrs. old!!!

Read about his film career here.

Ebsen Career

shylock

There was topic here about the Ebsen collection a long ways back Jethro. Coinfacts.com has two of his coins in their archive (1839 1/4 Eagle, 1855-S 3 Dollar).

shylock

"Superior Galleries "The Buddy Ebsen Collection" May 31, June 1, 2, 1987. The sale included 3211 lots that realized a total of $7,669,691.81 (including the 10% buyers fee). The top grossing coin was an 1879 Coiled Hair Stella (lot 2444) which realized $165,000. He had an amazing collection of Gold and Type, both. Most of his silver type coins came with great original toning."

Dem dare gold in dem hills.

STOCKFORD

sale was in 1987 and I bought a $4 stella gold piece

truthteller

I remember the sale. He had some killer original roles of CH BU Lincolns and raw lincolns, all pre 1920's, pristine, better dates. From the forward in the catalog, he had just married a lady half his age and had to sell off his coins to support her "habit" for travelling. I'm sure all the money garnered was spent on the first vacation.

TRTH

Jaredc

I do remember a thread a long way back on his collection because there were quite a few auctions of some of his collection being sold on e-bay coincidentaly at the same time. I beleive that many of the pieces have now been pedigreed into PCGS slabs. It contained, from what I have heard, some of the nicest deep red 2 cent pieces that are out there.

Zoins

Old Thread Update

@dragon said:
Yes, Buddy Ebsen had a very impressive collection indeed. Many very high quality type pieces and also many high quality gold coins including a high grade Stella or two if I remember correctly. The Ebsen sale drew a lot of attention back in the mid 80s, and rightfully so.

Dragon

1861 $3 PCGS PR64 Guttag-Garrett-Ebsen-Trompeter specimen

I just found this 1861 3 dollar proof coin Ex: Ed Trompeter, Buddy Ebsen, Garrett, Guttag Brothers.

• https://www.pcgs.com/auctionprices/details/1861-pr/8024
• https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1861-3/8024

Broadstruck

@Zoins thanks as I've been patiently waiting 17 years for an additional post on this thread

JBK

What a coincidence. I recently bought four of his personal checks signed by him, one of which was for hearing aids.

Zoins

@Broadstruck said:
@Zoins thanks as I've been patiently waiting 17 years for an additional post on this thread

No prob I'm fascinated by pedigrees!

Zoins

A few people mentioned his Stellas. This Buddy Ebsen Coiled Hair Stella is now owned by Dell Loy Hansen.

1879 $4 Stella, Coiled Hair, PR66 CAM pop 1/3/2 (ca) pop 9/2/3 (all) Garrett-Ebsen-Holecek-Hansen specimen

• https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1879-4-coiled-hair-ca/88058
• https://www.pcgs.com/cert/25376953
• https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/alltimeset/148143
• https://coins.ha.com/itm/proof-four-dollar-gold-pieces/1879-4-coiled-hair-judd-1638-pollock-1838-r6-pr66-cameo-pcgs-secure/a/1201-5405.s?hdnJumpToLot=1&x=0&y=0

Bangs & Co., 1/1882 - T. Harrison Garrett Collection - Robert Garrett Collection - John Work Garrett Collection - Johns Hopkins University - Bowers & Ruddy 11/1979:431 - Superior “Auction ‘80” 8/1980:385 - Buddy Ebsen Collection - Superior 5/1987:2444 - Holecek Family Trust - Stack's 10/2000:1623, $310,500 - Heritage 1/2014:5405, $85,1875

GoBust

I remember the sale well, i stretched for some early American silver. A really terrific sale that was exciting to me as a young collector. His set was loaded with Capped Bust Halves which was my sole focus at the time. The "texas tea " oil money in them their hills was put to good use by Jed! I always felt he was one of the most important celebrity collectors in history. His catalog of coins is easy to review on the Newman bn portal.

Zoins

1850 Seated Liberty Dollar PCGS MS64 pop 213/2/0, Ebsen-Morelan-Hansen specimen

This dollar was in @tradedollarnut's collection, who has a nice description in his Registry Set, which I'm glad is still around. It's now in Hansen's collection.

• TDN's Registry Set: https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/mycoinfacts/1850/222399/3772
• DLH's Registry Set: https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/alltimeset/161862
• Cert Verification: https://www.pcgs.com/cert/22106227

Here are Bruce's comments:

The Buddy Ebsen specimen - slightly finer than the other graded at this level. Completely original and very prooflike. Marvelous electric blue toning compliments areas of brown. Very sharply struck.

Hydrant

He was a very nice man. He was originally cast in the Wizard of Oz. As the Tin Man. I think? Something about being allergic to the make-up caused him to drop out of the roll. I could be wrong. Either way he was a very good and common sort of man, regardless of his fame. R.I.P.

Zoins

@Hydrant said:
He was a very nice man. He was originally cast in the Wizard of Oz. As the Tin Man. I think? Something about being allergic to the make-up caused him to drop out of the roll. I could be wrong. Either way he was a very nice and common sort of man, regardless of his fame. R.I.P.

Very interesting. Here's some info from Wikipedia which confirms him dropping out of the Wizard of Oz due to being allergic to aluminum dust in the makeup.

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

Buddy Ebsen, (born Christian Ludolf Ebsen Jr.,[1] April 2, 1908 – July 6, 2003; also known as Frank "Buddy" Ebsen[2]) was an American actor and dancer whose career spanned seven decades. His most famous role was as Jed Clampett in the CBS television sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971); afterwards he starred as the title character in the television detective drama Barnaby Jones (1973–1980).[3]

Originally a dancer, Ebsen began his career in Broadway Melody of 1936. He also appeared as a dancer with child star Shirley Temple in Captain January (1936). Ebsen was the original choice for the role of the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz, but fell ill due to the aluminum dust in his makeup and was forced to drop out. He appeared with Maureen O'Hara in They Met in Argentina (1941) and June Havoc in Sing Your Worries Away (1942). In Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), he portrayed Doc Golightly, the much older husband of Audrey Hepburn's character. Before his starring role in The Beverly Hillbillies, Ebsen had a successful television career, the highlight of which was his role as Davy Crockett's sidekick, George Russell, in Walt Disney's Davy Crockett miniseries (1953–54).

tradedollarnut

FWIW - many of the best coins in that catalog were consigned by a coin dealer (Lipton?) who had just bought an old time dealer’s stock (Wormser?)

The seated dollars were most certainly part of that deal. The 1852 is also in my old set

Zoins

Here's another silver piece that PCGS recognizes with the Ebsen pedigree:

1874-CC Dime PCGS MS63 pop 56/3/0 Ebsen-Gardner specimen

• https://www.pcgs.com/cert/90107029
• https://coins.ha.com/itm/seated-dimes/dimes/1874-cc-10c-arrows-ms63-pcgs-fortin-101/a/1214-98274.s?ic4=GalleryView-ShortDescription-071515

1987 Ebsen Catalog Description:

FINEST KNOWN 1874-CC DIME

An absolutely awesome coin and in this grade, a legendary rarity. Mostly well struck, some slight weakness in Liberty's hair but the surfaces are ablaze with frosty mint lustre and are fully prooflike. Delicately toned with faded light violet. This is a high Rarity-7 with less than a dozen known specimens in all grades. Not only is this coin Choice Brilliant Uncirculated but to the best of our knowledge, this is the only Mint State example known to exist. This is the lowest minted Carson City Dime, only 10,817 were struck. Unpriced in the Guide Book, with the Extremely Fine 40 grade listed at $3250. We expect some spirited bidding among Dime and Carson City enthusiasts and would not be surprised if this important Dime reached well into the five figures. ($15,000-UP)

Eugene Herr Gardner Sr. Commentary:

just do not know enough superlatives to do justice to the description of this coin. Perhaps the Superior catalog from which it was purchased summed it up best with just a few words, "a legendary rarity." Only four Mint State coins have been graded, and this coin from the Ebsen Collection at MS63 is the finest. There are three other MS62s ranked right behind it. The 1874-CC is ranked High R.7 by Fortin and Greer in Mint State. Fortin terms it the "key date to the series." All this is bundled together along with remarkable toning, a reflective, prooflike surface, excellent strike, and a strong provenance. Enough said. I could continue to rhapsodize forever and still not fully express my feelings about this coin.

The pops were much lower in 2014 during the Gardner Sale. PCGS pops have gone from 1/0 to 3/0. NGC pops have gone from 0/0 to 0/1 (MS64).

Population Data (7/14): PCGS shows two MS62 and one MS63, the present coin, sole finest at that service. NGC shows only a single MS62 example.

Here's the slab:

Zoins

Buddy Ebson's favorite coin was his territorial slug:

Famous actor and collector Buddy Ebsen once stated that the favorite piece in his collection was an abraded Fifty Dollar slug, because he imagined all of the places where it was spent in the old west.

• https://coins.ha.com/itm/territorial-gold/territorial-and-fractional-gold/1853-20-assay-office-twenty-dollar-900-thous-xf45-pcgs-k-18-r2-famous-actor-and-collector-buddy-ebsen-once-stated-th/a/358-9194.s?ic4=GalleryView-ShortDescription-071515

MFeld

As I recall, > @tradedollarnut said:

FWIW - many of the best coins in that catalog were consigned by a coin dealer (Lipton?) who had just bought an old time dealer’s stock (Wormser?)

The seated dollars were most certainly part of that deal. The 1852 is also in my old set

That is my understanding regarding Kevin Lipton.

ricko

Some beautiful coins in that collection....That gold 1861 3 dollar piece is spectacular. Cheers, RickO

jdimmick

I remember the 1874-cc dime, it was from ebsen, then gardner, one of the finest known.

thebeav

I remember hearing that he felt that his greatest personal career disappointment was his failure to keep that role as the 'tin man'. He was quite the dancer and would have been a fine tin man. Not that there was anything wrong with Jack Haley.

tommy44

I remember sitting a couple of seats from him at a Superior auction in the late 70s. He was buying coins I could only dream of owning on my limited budget.

Zoins

@jdimmick said:
I remember the 1874-cc dime, it was from ebsen, then gardner, one of the finest known.

It was the finest known in 2014 during the Gardner sale. Now there are 2 others at the same grade at PCGS and 1 higher at NGC.

JBK

Here is Buddy Ebsen buying hearing aids in 1986, no doubt so he could hear the bidding at his coin auction the following year. He signed the check with his real name Christian.

The portion of the check showing underneath is from 1938 when he signed with Buddy.

JBK

BTW, this has to be among the best of old resurrected threads.

Soldi

Alright ! New rules ................You got to declare the headline an UPDATE man oh man! I ran to the mirror to see if I was still alive when I read that post > @DesertLizard said:

He is 94 yrs. old!!!

Read about his film career here.

Ebsen Career

BLUEJAYWAY

@Zoins said:

@Hydrant said:
He was a very nice man. He was originally cast in the Wizard of Oz. As the Tin Man. I think? Something about being allergic to the make-up caused him to drop out of the roll. I could be wrong. Either way he was a very nice and common sort of man, regardless of his fame. R.I.P.

Very interesting. Here's some info from Wikipedia which confirms him dropping out of the Wizard of Oz due to being allergic to aluminum dust in the makeup.

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

Buddy Ebsen, (born Christian Ludolf Ebsen Jr.,[1] April 2, 1908 – July 6, 2003; also known as Frank "Buddy" Ebsen[2]) was an American actor and dancer whose career spanned seven decades. His most famous role was as Jed Clampett in the CBS television sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971); afterwards he starred as the title character in the television detective drama Barnaby Jones (1973–1980).[3]

Originally a dancer, Ebsen began his career in Broadway Melody of 1936. He also appeared as a dancer with child star Shirley Temple in Captain January (1936). Ebsen was the original choice for the role of the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz, but fell ill due to the aluminum dust in his makeup and was forced to drop out. He appeared with Maureen O'Hara in They Met in Argentina (1941) and June Havoc in Sing Your Worries Away (1942). In Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), he portrayed Doc Golightly, the much older husband of Audrey Hepburn's character. Before his starring role in The Beverly Hillbillies, Ebsen had a successful television career, the highlight of which was his role as Davy Crockett's sidekick, George Russell, in Walt Disney's Davy Crockett miniseries (1953–54).

Can't forget his TV show Barnaby Jones. Also appearances on Andy Griffith and Twilight Zone shows.

ColonelJessup

@dragon said:
Yes, Buddy Ebsen had a very impressive collection indeed. Many very high quality type pieces and also many high quality gold coins including a high grade Stella or two if I remember correctly. The Ebsen sale drew a lot of attention back in the mid 80s, and rightfully so.

Dragon

As per @tradedollarnut,
The vast majority of the coins (and much value) in that sale were not Buddy Ebsen's. I believe he collected mostly (Territorial) Gold. The vast majority of the type coins were consigned by Kevin Lipton, who had bought the Wormser estate ex: New Netherlands Coin'
I consigned a few gold coins that brought at least 50% over cost.
And I bought more than a few coins that were mega-scores. How about a blue 1893 25c bought as "gem mint state" that soon afterward graded PCGS PR67, now NGC PF69!

That sale was on fire!
Joel Rettew was spending Iraj Sayah's money. Whew

Soldi

That sale was on fire!
Joel Rettew was spending Iraj Sayah's money. Whew _ Yeah baby ! and we all wear suit jackets too _

yspsales

Didn't realize he died in 2003.

Just makes me feel older that dirt.

roadrunner

Buddy Ebsen sale was one of the most important auction sales of the later 1980's. One of the first to be populated with quite a few slabs....in "to die for" grades." After that sale I must have lusted over that catalog a dozen times over the next 10-15 yrs. Raw coins still outnumbered slabbed coin auctions well into the 1990's.

thebeav

Hey RR where have you been.......
I'm glad Uncle Jed lured you out of retirement......

Welcome back !