An Interesting Occurrence
Not all collections are valued into the millions. In fact,
few are. Of the more than 10,000 collections and properties consigned to our
sales over the years the typical holding is apt to have been valued from about
$10,000 to several hundred thousand dollars.
One particularly pleasant memory comes to mind concerning a
small, or at least it was supposed to be small, collection owned by a retired,
elderly lady of modest circumstances who spent her summer months on a New
Hampshire lake not far from our offices. It seems that she read about our
company in an article in The New York Times and had saved the clipping until her
next trip northward. After making an appointment with Dr. Richard A. Bagg, our
director of auctions, she brought to our office a small box of coins for which
she had been offered several thousand dollars by a leading dealer. Immediately
Rick Bagg recognized that the silver Liberty Seated Proof coins and other items
added up to a much higher sum. Further, she indicated that she had additional
items at home, and they were of the same quality. She left our offices with a
signed receipt and an auction contract, and upon going home she shipped the
remaining pieces.
Her collection was catalogued, photographed, and showcased
in our next New York City sale. After the last coin had been sold, her net
realization amounted to a total of a quarter million dollars. When Rick Bagg
sent her the settlement check, she said, "I was hoping to receive $25,000
at most. I don't know what to say!"
A Collection From the Midwest
In the same category was a collection sent to us by a
Midwestern lady who had inherited the coins from a relative. The group consisted
mainly of commemorative half dollars housed in brown paper envelopes bearing the
imprint of B. Max Mehl, the famous Fort Worth, Texas coin dealer who was in
business from 1903 to 1957 and who during the course of his career sold many
memorable collections, including those of Ten Eyck, Dunham, Atwater, and Neil.
Before contacting us, she had taken the coins to two local dealers and had
experienced unsatisfactory results.
