~ Guttag Brothers Rare Coin Dealer Store Cards ~
Broadstruck
Posts: 30,497 ✭✭✭✭✭
1923-1926 Guttag Brothers, 30mm Diameter, Rare Coin Dealer Store Cards, Struck by Medallic Art Company / Sculptor Jonathan M. Swanson
Last year I had a chance to purchase a high grade collection of Guttag Bros rare dealer store cards in 3 phases which was assembled in the 1940-50's. The obverse of each features a allegorical scene of a nude muse holding the lamp of knowledge for a boy to study a coin along with 3 different reverse designs. I bought the full collection including all the different metal type duplicates. Since only the bronze column flanked framed reverse design issue is common, however still tough to find variety as a fully struck early die stage without excessive die erosion. I am keeping it intact since this is without a doubt the most complete private collection ever assembled as only American Numismatic Society museum collection holdings come close.
Here's a first look at the at the full collection... Enjoy!
BRONZE
COPPER
BRASS
ANTIQUE BRONZE - FACTORY APPLIED PATINA
LEAD
MAGNESIUM ALLOY
GILT COPPER
ZINC
ALUMINUM
SILVER
Last year I had a chance to purchase a high grade collection of Guttag Bros rare dealer store cards in 3 phases which was assembled in the 1940-50's. The obverse of each features a allegorical scene of a nude muse holding the lamp of knowledge for a boy to study a coin along with 3 different reverse designs. I bought the full collection including all the different metal type duplicates. Since only the bronze column flanked framed reverse design issue is common, however still tough to find variety as a fully struck early die stage without excessive die erosion. I am keeping it intact since this is without a doubt the most complete private collection ever assembled as only American Numismatic Society museum collection holdings come close.
Here's a first look at the at the full collection... Enjoy!
BRONZE
COPPER
BRASS
ANTIQUE BRONZE - FACTORY APPLIED PATINA
LEAD
MAGNESIUM ALLOY
GILT COPPER
ZINC
ALUMINUM
SILVER
To Err Is Human.... To Collect Err's Is Just Too Much Darn Tootin Fun!
1
Comments
Are you missing any varieties?
<< <i>That is an amazing collection. And the designs are wonderful.
Are you missing any varieties? >>
Thanks Shamika!
I'm missing two metal types on the nudes.
Also a bronze 1926 International Philatelic Exhibition which has a different obverse design featuring busts of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln... Which is pretty common but I just haven't found the right example that fits this collection.
The magnesium token is off the scale.
Do you know if silver and gold were struck?
<< <i>
<< <i>That is an amazing collection. And the designs are wonderful.
Are you missing any varieties? >>
Thanks Shamika!
I'm missing two metal types on the nudes.
Also a bronze 1926 International Philatelic Exhibition which has a different obverse design featuring busts of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln... Which is pretty common but I just haven't found the right example that fits this collection. >>
Wow you shure like nudes rare coins.
Hoard the keys.
<< <i>Wow! Way cool.
The magnesium token is off the scale.
Do you know if silver and gold were struck? >>
Thanks Cladking!
Yes those are the metal types I'm missing
Simply stunning. What would the Guttag Brothers have used these for? Did they essentially take the place of business cards or did they hand them out with an order or stack them on theri counter ... ??? And do you have any idea why they struck so may different varieties?
Given that it was Broadstruck posting something, I knew it would be something cool and high grade.
But I was not in any way prepared for this.
Yowza!
<< <i>Broadstruck:
Simply stunning. What would the Guttag Brothers have used these for? Did they essentially take the place of business cards or did they hand them out with an order or stack them on theri counter ... ??? And do you have any idea why they struck so may different varieties? >>
Thanks Mark!
Here's a page from the July 1927 The Numismatist which mentions sale price of the store cards.
So, let's see. You have 24 of the store cards at 10 cents each, so you spent a total of $2.40, right??
More seriously, thanks for the page from The Numismatist. I am still impressed with the huge variety the Guttag Brothers struck!
And like an idiot I sold it.
njcc
Tom
<< <i>You can tell that kid is a pure coin collector. He is letting nothing distract him from looking at that coin. >>
Amazing.
I'm getting an odd sense of deja vu, though. Haven't I seen an earlier thread about these?
"Everything is on its way to somewhere. Everything." - George Malley, Phenomenon
http://www.americanlegacycoins.com
<< <i>I just updated the set with the addition of the Silver varieties which completes this collection
So, was this the coin(s) you were waiting for a while but the package 'disappeared'?
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
<< <i>Hmmm. Foreplay with coins. Neat. For the record, the Guttag boys may have beaten George Bauer by a whisker on the issuance of a coin dealer's store card. Bauer founded his business as a Rochester, N.Y. dealer in Ancients and Chinese coins the late 1800's. He later commissioned German immigrant Alphonse Kolb of Bastian Brothers in Rochester, N.Y. to engrave dies for the Bauer coin enterprise token. I presently own those original dies. Medallic Art Company was a direct competitor of Bastian Brothers in the 1920's.
Wow. George Bauer is ANA Life Member #4. That's pretty cool
<< <i>BRONZE
I like this reverse the best. I wonder why it wasn't used on more metals.
<< <i>
<< <i>BRONZE
I like this reverse the best. I wonder why it wasn't used on more metals.
This flanking column & lower wreath reverse design is actually the most commonly seen and earliest issued Guttag as well over a thousand had been struck in bronze only. As you can see by the early die strike above there were some striking issues. Since due to the flanking high relief figures on the obverse the reverse looks bent but is just slightly vertically convex in the center. On the other two reverse designs struck later you'll notice there's no longer a raised reverse rim. Although there's nothing written on these store cards my theory is that to alleviate this issue striking pressure was increased which caused severe die deterioration. As can be seen by the additional examples below most all struck of this reverse design are non convex however show moderate to heavy die erosion and are lacking design details from repeated die polishing. Therefore finding an example that's fully struck without signs of die erosion is quite challenging.
BHNC #203
A blast from the past but worth saving.
Just had to say that this is a great die pair again @coindeuce !
I wish all the photos remained in the thread. All I see now is the sad faced tinypic guy where they all used to be.
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
Great collection !
Yes.... we lost a lot when the software was upgraded.....Just a monumental task to try to rebuild it. Cheers, RickO
I have books a hundred years old with pictures in them you can still see. I weep for electronic posterity.
It is the same thing with family photos, Cap.
How many pictures lost when we upgrade our phones and forget about the transfers?
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
Was it lost due to the forum upgrade or other reasons like photo services needing to charge money to survive?
Archivists lose sleep because of digital photography. They have to think in terms of 100’s of years.
But did they have to vandalize older photos posted by people in good faith back when the service was something else?
Sad news to report...Frank, aka Doublestruck, passed away on the morning of April 23, 2023. The world, especially the collecting world, has lost a unique and brilliant man...and I have lost a good friend.
Correction: he was aka "Broadstruck". Grieving causes errors, apparently.
That’s sad news to hear. Especially as a newer member I always enjoyed his input.
This deserves it's own thread. That's very sad to hear, many people will miss him on these boards... myself included.
Click on this link to see my ebay listings.
I hope this isn't true...great person to interact with on the forum!