Now, do you regret throwing away those old auction catalogs?, John Ford's numismatic library just so

SethChandler

$1,600,000!!!!!!

For a bunch of coin books!!!!

I didn't realize this was such a serious aspect of our hobby?

RYK

I am enjoying buying and collecting old books and auction catalogs nearly as much as the coins themselves. They just take up so much space!

Pistareen

About 100 people (including myself and MrEureka) were in Riverside, CA for the Ford Library sale before the Long Beach convention.

This was not just any library, this was the finest numismatic library ever assembled by a private American collector. An example: some advanced libraries have a few catalogues by the Chapman brothers (ca. 1879-1930). Some especially advanced libraries have those catalogues with photographic plates. In many cases, there are less than 10 copies known with photographs. Ford did not just have plated copies -- he had the Chapman's own copies with their extra notes, names of winning bidders, especially fine photographs, etc., and all in perfect condition. The Ford library contained books whose rarity is legendary, and all the lots in the same had impeccable provenance to libraries owned by folks like F.C.C. Boyd, Hiram Deats, David Proskey, Charles Wormser, the Chapman Brothers, and many others.

Three individual volumes brought in excess of $30,000. None of the lots I bought cost more than $300. There was something for everyone.

Numismatic literature collecting is a serious little subset of our field, but little is the key word. The main organization devoted to it, the Numismatic Bibliomania Society (NBS), has only a few hundred members. The folks who would spent over $1000 on a single book can probably be counted on two hands and two feet. Those who specialize in such things are as serious about condition, rarity, pedigree, etc. as any coin collector though.

Were there other forum members at the sale?

John K.

PreTurb

Well... The Ford library was not your standard library - it was filled with some incredibly rare stuff.

BillJones

Sorry to burst your bubble, but most old auction catalogs are not worth the paper they are printed upon. I had a bunch with I got ready to move, and no one, I mean no one wanted them for auction. It was not worth the postage to send them anywhere.

Ford's stuff probalby had a lot of rare books and some old landmark auctions. The modern stuff is pretty much of a waste unless it was from a MAJOR sale, like Eliasberg.

LAWMAN

I collect numismatic books, monographs, pamphlets, auction catalogs (selectively). They are a wonderful compliment to your coins. It doesn't matter to me whether or not my library is worth a lot of money; in knowledge and entertainment value, it is priceless.

The thing is that a lot of great stuff can be bought cheaply at used bookstores and other out- of- the- way places.

I don't think the selling price for Mr. Ford's collection is going to do any harm to the value of my library or anybody else's library and it might just help to put this area of collecting on the map. I hope so.