Harvey Stack Remembers: Growing up in a Numismatic Family, Part 109

March brought two separate catalogs focused on different specialties. First was our offering of over 1,500 lots of United States gold and silver from a Prominent Numismatist, in this case someone who wished to remain anonymous. It was a wonderful array of popular and high-quality items, a sale that had something for everyone.

Our presentation of material from the James A. Stack, Jr. Collection continued on March 15 with a specialized collection of over 420 lots of choice and rare United States Paper Money. It was basically a type set and included Demand Notes, Legal Tender Notes, Compound Interest Notes, Gold Certificates, Treasury Notes, Federal Reserve Notes, and Silver Certificates, as well as Gold Bank and National Bank Notes. Most were Crisp Uncirculated and the sale attracted many collectors of these popular series.

In May 1990 we once again held an auction in conjunction with the Metropolitan New York Numismatic Convention, held at the Park Sheraton Hotel in New York. This major show drew audiences from across the country and our sale was a comprehensive offering of nearly 2,200 lots of rare United States gold, silver, and copper coins, from a number of different consignors. The following month we presented the Adrian Ross Collection of United States Copper Coins, some 1,846 lots of United States and colonial issues that included many rarities. The half cent collection was virtually complete, the large cents included numerous varieties, and the small cents brought to market many Proof and Mint State examples. Many of the coins in the collection had been originally acquired from Stack’s over a period of 50 years, both through over the counter sales as well as auction lots.

Our annual “Apostrophe” event with partners Rarcoa, Superior, and David Akers was once again a highlight of the summer auction season when it crossed the block in August. Each company offered their own selection of rare and choice United States coins and the quality of the material attracted collectors from all over of the country. As always, it was a highlight event for vacationing and traveling numismatists.

September brought a super array of early United States silver coins, plus a large collection of United States gold and territorial pieces. These were consigned by a major financial institution and the sale totaled over 1,550 choice and rare lots. For generations Stack’s had been fortunate to be selected by a record number of bank and trust companies and well-known financial institutions when they needed assistance with numismatic related sales. 

In honor of Stack’s 55th anniversary as public auctioneers in October (another record in the field), we were fortunate to present the famous Allen F. Lovejoy Collection of United States Dimes, 1796 to date. This cabinet featured one of the most extensive groups of dime die varieties and outstanding grades ever auctioned. It contained nearly 650 lots and had been formed over several decades, with Mr. Lovejoy working closely with both Harvey and Norman Stack. Such an important sale drew personal attendance from dime collectors nationwide, and established a new value scale for this specialty. Buyers were happy to have this opportunity to add to their collection these important coins, many of which had come from pedigree collections sold decades earlier. In addition to this very special collection, our 55th Anniversary Sale had a catalog of important United States gold, silver and copper coins as well as paper currency. It was surely an event to remember.

Our final public auction of the year, in November, focused on ancient and world coins. Highlighting the sale was the collection of Ancient Roman gold coins known as Men of Rome The Golden Military Years Lvcivs Svlla to Severvs Alexander 82 B.C. – 235 A.D. To go with this extensive collection built by John Whitney Walter, we featured a specialized collection of Ancient and Foreign gold coins, mostly having gold coins from each century, from the Greeks to the modern European issues. It was a historic collection of money through the centuries and a great conclusion to another momentous year of Stack’s auctions.