What is the rarest numismatic book or pamphlet?

Tdec1000

Just curious.

sumnom

Usually the one I want.

astrorat

The one I can't find ... "The Silver Twenty-Cent Piece" by Robert Rupp

OGDan

The Rose book on chopmarks is up there.

RichieURich

Thian's Register of Confederate Debt, I believe is known to the extent of 5 copies.

Dentuck

There was a Whitman-authorized special imprint of the leather-bound 2008 Limited Edition Red Book. These
were distributed to members of the Numismatic Literary Guild at the organization's August 7, 2007, bash in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 125 copies were given out at the bash, and 10 were distributed to various numismatists
and/or archived at Whitman headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Numismatic book dealer Charles Davis sold a copy
for $1,000 and one or two others are rumored to have changed hands privately for similar amounts. As Davis
pointed out in his catalog, "The number produced is approximately 1/3 that of the next scarcest issue ---
the 1987 Milwaukee convention --- meaning that only 135 people can boast a complete collection of Red Books."

Staircoins

"The Glorious Sticker - Why Every Coin Needs a Bean"

By David Hall

coindeuce

I firmly believe that bibliophiles here who also collect U.S. coins would recognize the unique hand signed personal copy of A.W. Browning's "The Early Quarter Dollars of the United States", published by Wayte Raymond in 1925 and pedigreed to Rory Rea - Jim Mathews - Jules Reiver - H.A. Sternberg as being one of, if not the most rare of numismatic books in the last century. It was the first definitive reference on Draped Bust and Capped Bust quarter dollars, by a virtually unknown author at the time, who remains a great mystery to the present. The book is merely a compilation of plates of all of the known die marriages of early U.S. quarters at the time, for which only a few new discoveries have been added since.

keets

There was a Whitman-authorized special imprint of the leather-bound 2008 Limited Edition Red Book.

isn't this the equivalent of a "Grade" rarity when i think the OP is looking for an "Absolute" rarity??

Dentuck

<< <i>isn't this the equivalent of a "Grade" rarity when i think the OP is looking for an "Absolute" rarity?? >>




Perhaps!

When you include "pamphlets," there are probably quite a few that were issued in smaller quantities. And
you might also include unpublished manuscripts or review copies of manuscripts that never went to press,
where only a handful exist.

Coinosaurus

There are a lot of unique items, ie. author drafts, auction catalog proof copies, auctioneer's bid books, original photographs, "#1" copies of limited editions, etc., that numismatic bibliophiles can collect. Of course, "unique" doesn't always mean valuable.

Sonorandesertrat

Any printed work of numismatic literature for which there are > 100 survivors is not really rare. There are lots of books and auction catalogs that beat that by a factor of ten, especially works printed in the 19th century. For example, there are almost certainly less than 10 known copies (according to Karl Moulton) of the 1849 edition of Eckfeld & DuBois' 'A Manual of Gold and Silver Coins of all Nations Struck Within the Past Century.'

firstmint

That's WITH the 49'er gold sample packet on p.235.

I just happen to have a plated, Large Paper copy of the February 1873, S.W. Chubbuck sale by John Haseltine (2 known), which beats the Deluxe, leatherbound, 1925, Ard W. Browning early quarter dollar book (4 known).

RichieURich

<< <i>That's WITH the 49'er gold sample packet on p.235.

I just happen to have a plated, Large Paper copy of the February 1873, S.W. Chubbuck sale by John Haseltine (2 known), which beats the Deluxe, leatherbound, 1925, Ard W. Browning early quarter dollar book (4 known). >>



Sounds to me like that one wins the title of rarest numismatic book or pamphlet.

Tdec1000

My two best books are The encyclopedia by Breen and my Overton book

Sounds like some of you guys have some rare birds in your collection!

coindeuce

<< <i>

<< <i>That's WITH the 49'er gold sample packet on p.235.

I just happen to have a plated, Large Paper copy of the February 1873, S.W. Chubbuck sale by John Haseltine (2 known), which beats the Deluxe, leatherbound, 1925, Ard W. Browning early quarter dollar book (4 known). >>



Sounds to me like that one wins the title of rarest numismatic book or pamphlet. >>



Maybe someone could invite Dan Hamelberg here to take the crown for rarest numismatic book. He probably owns it if anyone does.

streeter

And here I always thought that the rarest item in numismatics was a complete set of Bob Hughes business cards.

Unknown

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GeorgeKellogg

This one's pretty darn rare, which I'm lucky enough to have in my library. I'm pasting in the Bowers and Merena auction description.

Lot 902

Salesroom Copy of Famed Farouk Sale

From the Armand Champa Library

Sotheby & Co. February 24 - March 3, 1954.  The Palace Collections of Egypt, Important and Valuable Collection of Coins and Medals. Fine.  306 pages, 27 plates, half of the sessions priced and named in ink, bound in green half morocco by Alan Grace, marbled boards, original green card covers bound in.  An exceptionally important copy, Sol Kaplan's catalogue used during the bidding at Koubbeh Palace on this incredible and motley collection.  Buyer's names such as Kosoff, Pittman, and (in the case of a group lot of Saint-Gaudens $20 pieces from 1924 to 1933) Spink are recorded, as are hammer prices and further descriptions and commentary.  The pattern section is especially well-annotated.  Only a handful of Americans were at this event, and salesroom copies with such annotations are extremely rare.  The Grace binding is splendid yet utile.  A very important piece of numismatic literature, a 20th-century classic and a great rarity with such provenance.  Additional materials from Armand Champa, the original Champa lot ticket, and some articles about John Pittman's experiences in Egypt are included.  A prize for the advanced literature collector or researcher.  From our sale of the Armand Champa Library, Part I, November 1994, Lot 493.  Earlier owned by Sol Kaplan.

firstmint

Interestingly, yes, Dan Hamelberg owns the other plated, Large Paper 1873 Chubbuck sale; and yes he is the owner of the finest private American numismatic library ever assembled!

And, I also happen to have one of the three 1954 annotated King Farouk catalogues...mine is Gaston DiBello's copy, and is in the original covers.

streeter

Speaking of Farouk,

PCGS has uploaded Bowers book on Abe Kosoff and if you go to the home page you can read it. The chapter on the Farouk auction is wonderful. Kosoff seemed like a hell of a guy. I wished I would have known him. Kudos to PCGS.

I have some of Bill Mertes personal books from his store in Chicago from the 40's & 50's. What a time to be in coins, WOW.

CaptHenway

<< <i>There was a Whitman-authorized special imprint of the leather-bound 2008 Limited Edition Red Book. These
were distributed to members of the Numismatic Literary Guild at the organization's August 7, 2007, bash in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 125 copies were given out at the bash, and 10 were distributed to various numismatists
and/or archived at Whitman headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Numismatic book dealer Charles Davis sold a copy
for $1,000 and one or two others are rumored to have changed hands privately for similar amounts. As Davis
pointed out in his catalog, "The number produced is approximately 1/3 that of the next scarcest issue ---
the 1987 Milwaukee convention --- meaning that only 135 people can boast a complete collection of Red Books." >>



I have one of those........

CaptHenway

How about "The Official Grading Guide to 1804 Silver Dollars," since every copy must get burned every six months as the standards change?

astrorat

<< <i>How about "The Official Grading Guide to 1804 Silver Dollars," since every copy must get burned every six months as the standards change? >>

GeorgeKellogg

<< <i>And, I also happen to have one of the three 1954 annotated King Farouk catalogues...mine is Gaston DiBello's copy, and is in the original covers. >>



Very cool. My annotated copy helped me track down this 1858-D half eagle that DiBello purchased at the Farouk sale in Cairo. It was later purchased at auction by Harry Bass, but Bass didn't realize that it was a Farouk coin. The photography is by BluCC.

Dentuck

<< <i>How about "The Official Grading Guide to 1804 Silver Dollars," since every copy must get burned every six months as the standards change? >>




"A rare 1804 silver dollar from the Amon Carter Jr. Collection was sent
to a leading grading service and was encapsulated as EF-45. Later, the
same coin was sent to the same grading service and became AU-58, an
improvement of 13 points! Scientific or not? What do you think?"

--- Q. David Bowers, A Guide Book of Lincoln Cents, chapter 6
("Grading Lincoln Cents: Theory and the Marketplace"), page 90

PerryHall

<< <i>

<< <i>How about "The Official Grading Guide to 1804 Silver Dollars," since every copy must get burned every six months as the standards change? >>




"A rare 1804 silver dollar from the Amon Carter Jr. Collection was sent
to a leading grading service and was encapsulated as EF-45. Later, the
same coin was sent to the same grading service and became AU-58, an
improvement of 13 points! Scientific or not? What do you think?"

--- Q. David Bowers, A Guide Book of Lincoln Cents, chapter 6
("Grading Lincoln Cents: Theory and the Marketplace"), page 90 >>



Which grading service was used? Anyone know?

Staircoins

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>How about "The Official Grading Guide to 1804 Silver Dollars," since every copy must get burned every six months as the standards change? >>




"A rare 1804 silver dollar from the Amon Carter Jr. Collection was sent
to a leading grading service and was encapsulated as EF-45. Later, the
same coin was sent to the same grading service and became AU-58, an
improvement of 13 points! Scientific or not? What do you think?"

--- Q. David Bowers, A Guide Book of Lincoln Cents, chapter 6
("Grading Lincoln Cents: Theory and the Marketplace"), page 90 >>



Which grading service was used? Anyone know? >>

This would be the coin that QDB was writing about - the Adams-Carter Class III 1804 Dollar, graded PR58 by our hosts.