B.Max Mehl lovers...Some More Mehl-Morabilia

Gemini

In 1937 Mehl published a booklet on the "Commemorative Coins of the United States". For those collectors who are interested a brief discription of the covers:
The covers are printed in purple ink show an eagle facing right standing on a flat plane with its wings raised up.

The reverse of the booklet has a drawing of a castle like stone arched entrance with a protective wrought fence in its design are eight pointed stars with alternating crosses. In the arch a Fugio coin inlay and below that a sign in print: B.Max Mehl. below on the cover in text Entrance to the Offices of B. Max Mehl The Largest and Finest Appointed Offices in the World.

The booklet contains some 59 pages with obverse and reverse photos of coins 1892-1937 with comments made by Mehl which sometimes they are very humerous.
He has also commented his thoughts on approved new issues and I will post some of his comments on these in the future.

Mehl has also included the comments made from newspapers and the Numismatist magazine which makes for some interesting reading. Also he has listed the mintages the selling price and provided information on numbers unsold and those that went back to the melting pot.

Mehl attempted this early booklet for those who became interested in the new commems which really began to spew out of the Mint. The coin information highway must have really moved like molasses in those days because Mehl himself admits he didn't know for sure what some of the designs were about.

For example: Long Island Commem-1936
The obverse bears conjoined portraits of two rather tough looking gentlemen, but so far have been unable to ascertain just who they are or who they are supposed to represent.
The reverse is supposed to be a sailing vessel and was apparently modeled from one of the toy ship models.
However, since it is a legal coin authorized by the United States Congress, we accept it with more or less grace as a member of the fast growing family of commemorative coins.

Comments on the 1925 California Diamond Jubilee Half Dollar-1925
This is my favorite coin because San Francisco is my favorite city (not that you give a damn).
This beautiful coin was struck to commemorate the Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of California being admitted into the Union (this coin should have been struck in gold)
Obverse is a very fine piece of art work showing a miner washing gold.
The reverse is a bear, the emblem of California (why, I dont know), I have traveled and toured California from one end to the other and have never seen a bear.
Of these fine coins the Mint reports 150,200 were struck at the San Francisco Mint, the unsold number 63,606, leaving a balance of 86,594 in circulation or sold to collectors at $1.00 each. Although the number distributed to collectors is fairly large, the coin has been very scarce for the past several years and seems to be in demand with prices steadily on the upgrade... (Mehl-1937)

-To be continued-

edited for spelling

Louis

I recently purchased a B. Max Mehl 1947 auction catalog. It was the sale of the Frederick W. Geiss Collection and included was a prices realized list. One thing I found interesting was that there were 3 complete sets from the Panama Pacific Exposition ($50 round, $50 octagonal, $2.50, and the $.50). The prices these three sets sold for were $1400, $1400 and $1300. The first two were in the hammered copper frame and the third was in the leather and plush box.

FrattLaw

The competition for Mehl's stuff has been hot and heavy I had to switch to Wayte Raymond -- got a book to go along with some albums I already have --- Silver Dollar Book

I'm still searching for more of Mehl's stuff though!

Michael