I just received the 1987 Superior Gallery Auction of the Buddy Ebsen Collection!Calling Firstmint!!!
Realone
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He was an amazing numismatist, sim[ply a phenom collection, they even got Jules Reiver to attribute many fo the coins and he had a lot of may of the varieties of all denominations. His collection is rarely mentioned at all and should be remembered as so of the great collections of all time. Anyone here attend it or know about it that can add commentary?
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I think I also bought an amazing early date D or S mint Walker. There were numerous wonderful mint state type coins and if I recall correctly, a few later date Walkers that were incredible. Coin for coin, it has to rank as one of the finest sales I have ever seen.
By the way, I don't know if it's true or not, but I heard that Buddy Ebsen did not actually own most of the coins that were consigned to that sale.
Collector of Early 20th Century U.S. Coinage.
ANA Member R-3147111
Yikes, I was wrong. I just looked it up. He played Davy Crockett's sidekick, George Russell. lol. Another guy played Jim Bowie.
I knew it would happen.
<< <i>I just received the 1987 Superior Gallery Auction of the Buddy Ebsen Collection! >>
...and I thought my mailman was slow.
<< <i>
<< <i>I bought the 1854-O Seated Half out of that sale, while working for Mark Salzberg at the time. It subsequently graded MS68 at NGC - I think it was the first classic type coin that NGC had graded MS68 at the time.
I think I also bought an amazing early date D or S mint Walker. There were numerous wonderful mint state type coins and if I recall correctly, a few later date Walkers that were incredible. Coin for coin, it has to rank as one of the finest sales I have ever seen.
By the way, I don't know if it's true or not, but I heard that Buddy Ebsen did not actually own most of the coins that were consigned to that sale. >>
Mark,
you heard wrong, Buddy was a big colelctor and started the Beverly Hills Coin Club in the 1980's or thereabouts. A believe you might be thinking of another Beverly Hills neighbor and actor named Adolphe menjou who loaned his name to a previous coin auction that took place also in Beverly Hills. >>
Alan, do you know for a fact that I heard wrong? I know that Mr. Ebsen was a well known collector, but I heard that a major dealer had consigned much of the material to the sale nearing his name. While it's possible that what I was told was not true, I am not confusing it with another auction.
Yikes, I was wrong. I just looked it up. He played Davy Crockett's sidekick, George Russell. lol. Another guy played Jim Bowie.
Fess Parker played Davy. Those were good times waiting for Disney to come on Sunday nights. How about Toby Tyler?
roadrunner
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<< <i>
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<< <i>I bought the 1854-O Seated Half out of that sale, while working for Mark Salzberg at the time. It subsequently graded MS68 at NGC - I think it was the first classic type coin that NGC had graded MS68 at the time.
I think I also bought an amazing early date D or S mint Walker. There were numerous wonderful mint state type coins and if I recall correctly, a few later date Walkers that were incredible. Coin for coin, it has to rank as one of the finest sales I have ever seen.
By the way, I don't know if it's true or not, but I heard that Buddy Ebsen did not actually own most of the coins that were consigned to that sale. >>
Mark,
you heard wrong, Buddy was a big colelctor and started the Beverly Hills Coin Club in the 1980's or thereabouts. A believe you might be thinking of another Beverly Hills neighbor and actor named Adolphe menjou who loaned his name to a previous coin auction that took place also in Beverly Hills. >>
Alan, do you know for a fact that I heard wrong? I know that Mr. Ebsen was a well known collector, but I heard that a major dealer had consigned much of the material to the sale nearing his name. While it's possible that what I was told was not true, I am not confusing it with another auction. >>
Mark,
I find it interesting that what you heard is the exact story of Adolphe Menjou of Beverly Hills when Abs Kosoff conducted the Adolphe Menjoue Sale in Beverly Hills in the '50's. Adolphe didn't really colelct, they weren't his coins but he lent his name to the sale to attract attention. Whereas Buddy Ebsen was a known collector, in fact Superior went out of their way and thanked Buddy for all his business in the auction catalog. Again Buddy started the Beverly Hills Coin Club and if he wasn't a major colelctor why would he? Heck he had the funds, he had the interest in the hobby, he was obviously very serious about collecting to be the club's founder, he had a strong relationshp with a dealer that did business near his home.....if it smells like a duck, walks like a duck etc. And what you heard years ago is the exact story that has been proven about another big actor that lived in Beverly Hills......strange isn't it. I think this is a a job for Firstmint. >>
Alan, it's not really too surprising. Over the years, there have probably been a good number of name sales where there were major consignments by those other than the name on the catalog. In fact, a number of the names are completely fictitious
Buddy Ebsen did have coins in this sale. But I was told by a very reliable source (Goldberg..hint, hint), that only a few of the coins were his. A few slugs and other "high" value items.
The main group of "gem" quality coins, were in deed consigned by a dealer who bought them from the heirs of an old time east coast dealer. I know this because the entire consignment was sold, pre auction, to another dealer, for an undisclosed price, who in turn, would recieve all the proceeds of the sale from the Goldbergs. Buddy had nothing to do with the "bulk" of this auction.
Oh, and I was in attendance.
njcc
The vast majority of the "gem" coins in this sale had a certain look. Very FRESH!!! After a while of looking at large groups of coins, it becomes second nature to tell what coins had sat undisturbed for long periods of time. It was very obvious while viewing the sale that there was more than one consignment in this sale.
Buddy's coins included a California slug, circulated in condition, along with a few others. Again, the "gem" quality coins in this sale were not his.
njcc
PS this was a great maketing ploy by the Goldbergs. They even had a reception for him and all bidders at a Yacht club in Marina Del Ray. Really cool.
Nearly every catalogue has the phrase "and other important properties" which could mean several consignors to "house" coins.
Unfortunately, there is no accurate way to tell what coins belong to what consignor, unless you have inside information, and even then, many times you or the inside source would have to sign an agreement to uphold confidentiality.
My HB copy of the 1987 Ebsen sale belonged to Ed Trompeter, who had Buddy sign his catalogue. There was a picture of ET taken at the reception afterwards and is tucked inside the front cover. Trompeter was a very wealthy client of Superior and bought numerous Proof gold coins from the Ebsen sale. I seriously doubt that they belonged to Ebsen, as quite a few came from the 1982 Eliasberg sale.
One should not necessarily believe the name on the cover of any auction catalogue made today was the main consignor to the sale, unless it is a specialized sale (such as Large Cents, Patterns, Halves, etc.).
Sometimes there are numerous sales with the same consignor's name over the course of several years. I believe that Dr. Alfred R. Globus holds the record on that, both in numbers of catalogues and length of time in selling.
and they're cold.
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Mary
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<< <i>I heard Mark Feld's inventory consists largely of Ellie Mae's hand me downs. >>
<< <i>PS this was a great maketing ploy by the Goldbergs. They even had a reception for him and all bidders at a Yacht club in Marina Del Ray. Really cool. >>
I remember a place called the Yacht Club in Marina Del Rey. It was an exclusive, members-only club. The drinks were expensive. I remember that because part of the hospitality I was treated to by the exclusive member who got me in there was the honor of being stuck with the tab.
<< <i>I believe this is a re-hash of an old thread...
Buddy Ebsen did have coins in this sale. But I was told by a very reliable source (Goldberg..hint, hint), that only a few of the coins were his. A few slugs and other "high" value items.
The main group of "gem" quality coins, were in deed consigned by a dealer who bought them from the heirs of an old time east coast dealer. I know this because the entire consignment was sold, pre auction, to another dealer, for an undisclosed price, who in turn, would recieve all the proceeds of the sale from the Goldbergs. Buddy had nothing to do with the "bulk" of this auction.
Oh, and I was in attendance.
njcc >>
I had heard the same thing. Most of the coins originally came from Charles Wormser (owner of New Netherlands Coin Co.; John Ford was his business partner at one time). What I just discovered, after watching a taped extemporaneous talk by Kevin Lipton, is that Lipton was the dealer who bought Wormser's coins and put them up for auction in the 'Ebsen' Sale.
RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'
CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
BST Transactions: DonnyJf, MrOrganic, Justanothercoinaddict, Fivecents, Slq, Jdimmick,
Robb, Tee135, Ibzman350, Mercfan, Outhaul, Erickso1, Cugamongacoins, Indiananationals, Wayne Herndon
Negative BST Transactions:
Mark Goldberg, a later partner in Superior Galleries resided in Marina Del Rey.
Charles Wormser, a later owner of New Netherlands Coin Co. inherited the business from his father Moritz in 1940. Charles died in 1994, so the coins (and H.M. Naglee gold button, et al.) came from him, not his heirs.
John J. Ford, Jr., was a contracted associate (1951-1961) with Wormser and remained an associate until he left the firm in 1970. He was never a business partner in the New Netherlands Coin Co.
To my knowledge, only one of those sales was a single consignor sale: the Louis Eliasberg collection of world gold coins. And the consignor was not Louis Eliasberg, it was one of his sons.
(Actually, correction: the Oliver Jung collection/catalogue was from a single consignor, but it was offered along with another sale.)
Parts of other catalogues were single consignors: the 2006 "Norweb" sale by Stack's (written by ANR, before the merger), contained a Washingtoniana collection that belonged to the Norwebs, offered with no additions or deletions, but just about nothing else in the catalogue was from the Norwebs. The Lucien LaRiviere catalogues of 2001 included Betts medal collections from Mr. LaRiviere, but nothing else with his pedigree.
Just about any major sale has dozens or hundreds of consignors. Sometimes the named consignor is named because he/she/it asked to be named, or because it's a high value consignment, or because the auction company thinks that name (or the idea the name represents) is a selling point. Sometimes the "named consignor" is a pseudonym for a consignor who doesn't want to be identified but plenty of people know who it is anyway ("Franklinton"); sometimes it's completely and utterly made up out of thin air -- the Drew St. John sale was named for the name of a boat on a lithograph in our offices.
Eliasberg. Norweb. Ford. Garrett. Pittman. All single consignors. Most others? Not so much.
Betts medals, colonial coins, US Mint medals, foreign coins found in early America, and other numismatic Americana
thanks Jay for the link
Ttt
LOL!
I was at that sale also, and what I remember
the most was that the actress Michelle Williams
was in the audience - she was just beautiful !
(she was in a movie with Micheal Caine,
and another ractor I can't recall called "Blame it on Rio"
And, yes, I heard the same thing about Ebsen's
coins - only some of the major rarities were his.
Our offices were very close to Superior then,
and there were always interesting deals and people
in the area.
At Numismatics, Ltd. around the same time, I was selling
coins to Gary Burgdolf (sp?) who played 'Radar' on
"MASH", and he was so taken by the error coins I showed
him he insisted that I should be on the Johnny Carson
show with them - he did contact the show in Burbank,
but they apparently didn't have any interest.
I think I was bumped by the little old lady with Potato Chips
in shapes of animals, people, etc..... !!
for PCGS. A 49+-Year PNG Member...A full numismatist since 1972, retired in 2022
Fred - I remember Michelle Johnson buying the Buss 94-S dime a year later. Close enough, right?
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
This is the pertinent post - do watch the videos
Andy - you get points for remembering the correct Sale/year.
for PCGS. A 49+-Year PNG Member...A full numismatist since 1972, retired in 2022
Michelle Johnson was very attractive... she was 17 at the time I believe....Cheers, RickO
This 1842-D $5 Large Date Latge Letters is from the Ebsen sale
Latin American Collection
I have a deluxe copy of the May 31, June 1, 2, 1987 The Buddy Ebsen Collection Sale catalog which appears to have been signed by Buddy Ebsen (?). The catalog is housed in a blue box type holder.
This deluxe version of the sale catalog is about twice as thick as the regular sale catalog, the reason being there were 56 black & white photographic quality plates inserted and bound with the catalog. This is in addition to 14 Color Plates in the front section of the catalog.
Here is a photo of the cover of this special deluxe edition. You will quickly note that the coins were "raw" in 1987 and many were photographed in trays from a coin cabinet! The majority of the silver coins appear to have been attractively toned.
Boosibri, your 1842-D Large Date, Large Letters appears to have been Lot 2498 in this sale. It is plated twice, once in the regular catalog plus as a special photographic plate!
I have Buddy Ebsen's obituary's from both Coin World and Numismatic News "laid in" the catalog. Coin World quoted a Donn Pearlman article from the March 1987 issue of The Numismatist that "Ebsen's favorite coin was an 1851 $50 octagonal Augustus Humbert slug from California, with many nicks."
Realone, thanks for the topic. I will find some time to enjoy looking through this catalog and enjoying the MANY great coins in this sale.
W. David Perkins Numismatics - http://www.davidperkinsrarecoins.com/ - 25+ Years ANA, ANS, NLG, NBS, LM JRCS, LSCC, EAC, TAMS, LM CWTS, CSNS, FUN
Buddy Ebsen was the original Tin Man in the movie 'The Wizard of Oz'.
The aluminum powder in the make up nearly killed him, he was very sick from it.
Superior's hardbound catalogs in the 80-90's are all objects of beauty.
As I also have a deluxe copy housed in a blue leather sleeve.
Well doggie - you should be happier than a itchy pig rubbing against a rail fence.
I really had the hots for Jane Hathaway.
Interesting fact about her...she ran for a congressional seat after the show ended and ol' Buddy wouldn't endorse her.
Love the coin cabinet trays full of gold and silver coins. Very classy.
Plus, a whole row of Stellas!
Yep.
Looks like at least 2 rows of Stellas. :-)
This issue is so tough to find and is the most difficult Dahlonega $5 to find in high grade and about as rare as the 1861-D. I searched for an example for 8 years and this is the nicest coin I have ever seen for the issue.
Latin American Collection