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A Plated Copy of Elder's Gschwend Sale

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:1,400.00 USD Estimated At:2,000.00 USD
A Plated Copy of Elder's Gschwend Sale
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Elder, Thomas L. CATALOGUE OF THE EIGHTEENTH PUBLIC AUCTION SALE OF A SPLENDID COLLECTION OF AMERICAN AND ENGLISH COINS, THE PROPERTY OF PETER GSCHWEND, ESQ. OF PITTSBURGH, PENNA. New York, June 15-16, 1908. Small 4to [27 by 17.5 cm], original gilt-printed card covers. 83, (1) pages; 2 leaves of addenda tipped in at end with instruction slip; 1097 lots, plus addenda lots 1098-1108 and A-BB; 17 fine photographic plates throughout, first with tissue guard. Front cover reattached with archival tape. Near fine. The scarce photographically illustrated edition of Elder's first blockbuster catalogue. The Gschwend collection begins with astonishing colonials, many of which are plated: an NE shilling; Higley coppers; a Rosa Sine Spina; two Liber Natus pieces; Maryland silver; and so on. (The NE sixpence appears to be the fake from the Clay sale; this and the threepence were pulled from the sale.) The large cents and half cents include important specimens in remarkable condition. Pattern coins of the 1860s are very well represented. An excellent sale, and a useful reference for provenance studies. William Hartman Woodin had purchased the collection intact from Gschwend and, after removing a small number of coins needed for his collection, consigned it to Elder. Elder called it "the finest and most important that has been held in this city since the Parmelee sale in 1890." Originally from Pennsylvania, Gschwend later moved to New York City, engaging in the dry goods business on Fifth Avenue. At the time of the sale, he was "one of the few remaining numismatists of the days when such men as Messrs Mickley, Newlin, Cogan, Woodard (sic), Bushnell, Hazeltine (sic), and Levick held their sway in the realm of coin collecting." The two addenda leaves are scarce, with this copy including the notice to append the leaves to the end of the catalogue. Adams 18 (A+ overall, A in large cents, half cents, colonials, Washingtonia, patterns and early silver). Ex Michael Spurlock library.