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Some pretty funny correspondence between B. Max Mehl and John J. Ford in the Ford Library Sale
Longacre
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I don't know if anyone has looked at the auction catalog of the library of John J. Ford being presented by Kolby and Stacks. There is a lot of great stuff in there, and there seems to be a lot of interesting "correpsondence files" that Ford kept. One of the dealer correspondence files contains letters between Mehl and Ford (lot #1079). Part of the file is Ford’s letter to Mehl expressing dissatisfaction with his purchases (“For some time I have heard rumors concerning your erroneous and somewhat fallacious cataloging…”),
and then Mehl’s devastating response (“In my younger days you would have gotten a pretty hot letter from me in response to yours…I have had fair clients differ with me on the classification of the condition of coins and I always feel that they have as much right to their opinion as I have to mine, but no one has a right to place himself on a pedestal and say that he alone is an authority on the classification of coins as you have done in your letter…Out of a total of sixty bids, most of them ridiculous, which we had to take the time to enter, you received three lots… You seem to take pleasure in writing an insulting letter. Of course, I realize you must be a great expert according to your bids and your knowledge of the value of coins…On lot #776, you bid $60.25 and the coin sold for $132.50; Lot #770 you bid $40.20, and the coin sold for $120… and so on down the line. So, I think, Mr. Ford, there might be a little question as to your absolute authority on numismatics.”).
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This correspondence between the two dealers is pretty funny. I wonder if there are as many "characters" in numismatics today as there were in the past? Did anyone know Ford (or Mehl) personally?
and then Mehl’s devastating response (“In my younger days you would have gotten a pretty hot letter from me in response to yours…I have had fair clients differ with me on the classification of the condition of coins and I always feel that they have as much right to their opinion as I have to mine, but no one has a right to place himself on a pedestal and say that he alone is an authority on the classification of coins as you have done in your letter…Out of a total of sixty bids, most of them ridiculous, which we had to take the time to enter, you received three lots… You seem to take pleasure in writing an insulting letter. Of course, I realize you must be a great expert according to your bids and your knowledge of the value of coins…On lot #776, you bid $60.25 and the coin sold for $132.50; Lot #770 you bid $40.20, and the coin sold for $120… and so on down the line. So, I think, Mr. Ford, there might be a little question as to your absolute authority on numismatics.”).
*************
This correspondence between the two dealers is pretty funny. I wonder if there are as many "characters" in numismatics today as there were in the past? Did anyone know Ford (or Mehl) personally?
Always took candy from strangers
Didn't wanna get me no trade
Never want to be like papa
Working for the boss every night and day
--"Happy", by the Rolling Stones (1972)
Didn't wanna get me no trade
Never want to be like papa
Working for the boss every night and day
--"Happy", by the Rolling Stones (1972)
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coinguy.......
Besides, these days, at least, if a coin sells in auction for double or triple what one person bids, it doesn't necessarily mean that bidder didn't know what he was doing.
These are actually the precursors to the eBay feedback system – but it seems ol’ Max wasn’t afraid of a retaliatory negative.
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Mark
<< <i>These are actually the precursors to the eBay feedback system – but it seems ol’ Max wasn’t afraid of a retaliatory negative >>
Didn't wanna get me no trade
Never want to be like papa
Working for the boss every night and day
--"Happy", by the Rolling Stones (1972)
<< <i>These are actually the precursors to the eBay feedback system – but it seems ol’ Max wasn’t afraid of a retaliatory negative. >>
Great thread, I love this side of the hobby.
If this was a similar modern thread with someone "Outing" Ford for his lowball "Make an offer' bids on eBay, there would be 50 responses of "Blocked"
"You Suck Award" - February, 2015
Discoverer of 1919 Mercury Dime DDO - FS-101
<< <i>Well, I must say, I'd like to think, that had I received such a letter from someone I'd represented, I'd be a tad more diplomatic in my reply than my great uncle Max was. >>
True, but Mehl wasn't "representing" Ford, Mehl was running the auction I believe. This would be like you bidding in an ANR/Stacks auction, getting badly shut out on almost every lot, and then writing QDB and soundly criticizing him telling him that he didn't know what he was talking about when he cataloged the sale. It really sounds like sour grapes.
BTW I once wrote a complaining letter to QDB about the same thing; the response was more diplomatic than that of Max but judging by the $ amounts listed in the archived letter of Mehl, the amount of financial pain was much greater for me than that of John Ford; in both instances we, in the end, owned the coins.
<< <i> the amount of financial pain was much greater for me than that of John Ford; >>
Mayce, maybe not. Mehl died something like fifty years ago so they are probably discussing an auction from the late 40's early 50's. A loss of several hundred back then could possibly be the same as $10K today.
<< <i>
<< <i> the amount of financial pain was much greater for me than that of John Ford; >>
Mayce, maybe not. Mehl died something like fifty years ago so they are probably discussing an auction from the late 40's early 50's. A loss of several hundred back then could possibly be the same as $10K today. >>
Good point.
Just curious, what did the Mehl letter bring in the Ford Sale? Ford's heirs were probably the winner in the whole thing!
LOL
TD