Auction Catalogs

B. Max Mehl was one of the most important catalogers of the first half of the 20th century, with 116 numbered auction catalogs running from 1906 to 1955. Descriptions of the early sales & the following profile are courtesy of Mark Borckardt:

Benjamin Max Mehl, the Fort Worth, Texas numismatist, conducted his first published mail bid sale on May 12, 1906. However, in the December 1903 issue of The Numismatist, Mehl ran a half page advertisement listing 33 lots for sale to the highest bidder. That inauspicious beginning set Mehl on the road to be considered the most influential numismatist of the first half of the 20th century. He applied for ANA membership in June 1903, listing his address as 1211 Main Street in Fort Worth, Texas. His membership was accepted as ANA member number 523 the following month. Mehl, the son of Solomon and Rachel (Goldstick) Mehl, was born in Lithuania on November 5, 1884, and died in Fort Worth, Texas on September 28, 1957. He married Ethel Rosen in Fort Worth on August 18, 1907. They had two daughters, Loraine and Danna.

Mehl claimed in 1950 that he celebrated his 50th year as a numismatist, although the 1899 through 1905 Fort Worth city directories record him as a clerk in the dry goods and clothing store of his older brother, Abe M. Mehl, located at 1211 Main Street. No directory was available for 1906. His first Fort Worth city directory listing as a numismatist was in 1907.