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When Andrew Zebriskie acquired part of the Humbert collection, was it at auction or private treaty?
Lakesammman
Posts: 17,710 ✭✭✭✭✭
I'm over 65 and struggling with the search function at the NNP! 
Any help would be appreciated. 
Gone but not forgotten: IGWT, Speedy, Bear, BigE, HokieFore, John Burns, Russ, TahoeDale, Dahlonega, Astrorat, Stewart Blay, Oldhoopster, Ricko, Big Moose, Cardinal, CoinsAreFun.
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Excerpt from this thread:
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/840865/augustus-humbert-collection
"Augustus Humbert's collection of Private California gold is the most fabulous collection of the gold rush period. It was mostly sold to Andrew Zebriskie (except for duplicates of the $50 Kellogg!) which was auctioned by Henry Chapman in 1909. Here are the lots that contained coins predigreed to Humbert."
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From the Newman Numismatic Portal (key part in bold):
https://nnpbeta.wustl.edu/Library/PersonDetail/2086
Andrew Christian Zabriskie
Biography
Born in New York. Married Frances Hunter June 6, 1895.
Entered 7th regiment of the National Guard of the State of New York as a private in 1873. He resigned from the guard in 1898. He was an unsuccessful candidate for congress in 1908.
He served as third vice president of the ANS March 16, 1880, to March 18, 1884, first vice president from March 18, 1884, to March 16, 1896, and then as 10th ANS President until January 16, 1905. He had been a member since 1874.
Zabriskie had privately purchased gold coins from the collection of August Humbert before it was offered for public sale. His collection was sold at auction by Henry Chapman in June 1909. Private and territorial gold pieces brought the highest prices. His Brasher Doubloon realized $3650. An 1849 Cincinnati Mining & Trading $10 piece realized $1800; an 1849 J. S. Ormsby $10 piece realized $1600; an 1855 Kellog & Company $50 piece realized $1250; and an 1851 Humbert $50 realized $1000. The first day of the sale realized $23,203.00, a new record for one day at auction. The total for two days was $26,235.00. He died at his home Blithewood, Barrytown-on-Hudson, New York.
Author of A Descriptive Catalogue of the Political and Memorial Medals struck in Honor of Abraham Lincoln, Sixteenth President of the United States. Seventy-five copies were printed in 1873. The book listed 189 medals and medalets. Several lists of addenda were published in the AJN.
bio: WWWA-1
obit: NUM 29 Nov 1916 page 520
Source credit: Pete Smith, American Numismatic Biographies
I think @ColonelJessup was involved in that deal. You should PM him for details.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
MidLifeCrisis - thanks much!
Reviewed that thread and was trying to trace a plated coin from the Zabriskie sale specifically to Humbert via a verifiable auction appearance rather than by inference from a "private sale".
Andy - appreciate the tip - have PM'd the Colonel!
Have been doing some reading online - looks like it might have been a combination of both.
In the preface to the Zebrieske sale, Chapman notes some coins were acquired from the Humbert Estate.
On the other hand, in a catalog from the Humbert sale, there are quite a few lots with the letter "Z" initialed in (see below). The catalog with the red lettering (of the 3 I've located) is likely the Chapman copy as there are lots of notes at the end regarding accounting from the sale, purchase of catalogs with prices realized, etc. Interesting to see the name Clapp as well - underbidder?
It's in reference to this coin in my collection, acquired from Regulated.
It matches the plate coin from the Zebriskie sale. Note the "ding" between the 3 and 4 o'clock position.
Hoping one of these days to get the coin re-holdered with both the Humbert and Zebriskie provenance.
PS - Anything I know on the topic is thanks to Regulated. He's pointed me in the right direction with catalog references to try and track down the provenance.
How cool is that
Excellent!