At about 11 pm it was all over - the end of a journey.

A journey that, for the Pogue family, lasted 35 years, and for collector D. Brent Pogue, spanned the entirety of his adult life.

The collection, which now stands as the most valuable coin collection ever assembled, was built the old-fashioned way: with study, professional representation and attendance at many of the greatauctions of this era.

Texas real estate tycoon Mack Pogue and his son Brent were the duo behind the collection. They burst onto the scene after a stunning debut at Bowers & Ruddy's sale of the Garrett Collection, whena teenaged Brent laid down $250,000 for two coins. He was all smiles in Jim Lowney's photo of him holding one of his prized coins in the December 1980 issue of CoinAge.

This proved to be one of only a few times that the family sought the numismatic limelight.

Of course, the father and son Pogues were a known quantity in high-end collecting circles and amongst the industry's leading figures. Self-promoters they did not feel the need to be.

To read the complete article, see:
The Ghosts of the Numismatic Past Watch Over the End of the Pogue Era(www.coinweek.com/auctions-news/ghosts-numismatic-past-watch-end-pogue-era/)