Lot 351: The Decorah Numismatic Journal
E. W. HOLWAY: The Decorah Numismatic Journal, 1875,Cooley & Holway, Decorah Iowa, 4 issues, all published, 40(4) pages, 5cx8", beige wrappers. Fine. (100.00)

Perhaps the rarest of American numismatic periodicals, one has to questionwhy it existed in the first place, other than perhaps to eat up otherwise idletime on a press. In the 1st issue it predicted its demise which was announcedin the 4th issue despite having received a two line plug in the American Journalof Numismatics. Its content dealt primarily with the coins and medals ofGermany, not a surprise as Decorah was the home to Luther College.

Lot 352: Annotated Johnson on Bolen Cards

EDWIN L. JOHNSON: J. A. Bolen's Medals, Cards, andFac-Similes. An Accurate and Comprehensive Descriptive Catalogue ofBolen's Works, With Number Struck in Each Metal, Springfield,Mass., 1882, 14, (4) pages, interleaved with blank sheets onwhich halftone photographs have been pasted, heavilyannotated throughout in pencil, original russet cloth stampedin blind and gilt, pages mostly loose in the case (400.00)

Davis 542. Copy No. 32 with that numeral stamped in blue ink under thecopyright notice. Extremely scarce, for although 150 copies may have beenprepared, few seem to have survived. As published, the list enumerates anddescribes 43 tokens. In the present example, No. 44 has been added in a neatpen ("dies cut Oct. 1893 - 250 copper, 465 aluminum"). Each page is thenannotated in pencil with the number struck in each metal receiving a checkmark. In some cases, an additional metal (brass, w.m.) has been noted. Theillustrations were pinched from the serial publication "Live AmericanNumismatic Items" which ran in The Numismatist 1911-1912.

Lot 619: Dr. Sheldon's Signed Copy of Wuertzbach

CARL WUeRTZBACH: (Complete Set of MassachusettsColonial Silver Money), Lee, Massachusetts, 1937, portrait of theauthor, 8 printed leaves, errata slip, four double pagephotographic plates depicting obverses and reverses of 83coins, oblong quarto, 21cx28c cm, maroon grainedcomposition folder. Little if at all used, but the front cover isdetached, an unfortunate but not uncommon condition.(600.00)

Davis 1199. Copy No. 24 signed by Wurtzbach and presented to Dr.William H. Sheldon. In the November 1947 issue of The Numismatist,Sheldon wrote Wurtzbach's obituary referring to the work as a "brochure,the standard reference on the subject, illustrated from his own collection,later purchased by T. J. Clarke and one of the finest in the field." Hefurther called Wurtzbach "with Mr. Hines, Mr. Newcomb, and Mr. Clapp,the big 4 of the big cents. A beloved friend ...a shrewd, straight, andcourageous trader."

In the almost simultaneously dated preface to EarlyAmerican Cents, he acknowledged "the heaviest indebtedness to the Chapmanbrothers, Carl Wurtzbach, J. Macallister and George Clapp. Proud of hisaccomplishment, Wurtzbach prepared this photographic record, probablyin an edition of fewer than 50 (not sequentially numbered) copies, forpresentation to his friends, although it would appear that many copies weredistributed after his death and are not signed. The collection containedcoins with awesome pedigrees: Brand, Bushnell, Clay, Hall, Finotti, McCoy,Mickley, Parmelee, and Stickney among others. The errata slip, whichcorrects the failure to describe variety No. 52 in the main text, is not presentin all copies seen.

To view the catalog online, see:www.charlesdavisnumismatics.com/numis_images/SaleNov16.pdf