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Leatherbound 1913 Star Coin Encyclopedia

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:100.00 USD Estimated At:150.00 USD
Leatherbound 1913 Star Coin Encyclopedia
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Mehl, B. Max. THE STAR COIN ENCYCLOPEDIA. EIGHTH EDITION. CONTAINING COMPLETE LISTS OF ANCIENT, MEDIEVAL AND MODERN COINS OF THE ENTIRE WORLD… Fort Worth: Compiled and Published by The Numismatic Bank of Texas, B. Max Mehl, Manager, 1913. 12mo, contemporary (original?) black levant-grained quarter morocco with open-grained black leather sides; rounded corners; Coin Book decoratively impressed on upper cover in gilt (almost entirely oxidized); green floral-patterned endpapers. 206, (2) pages; illustrated. Extremities worn, with crack at spine head, but binding sound; internally fine. Seemingly a specially bound early edition commissioned by Mehl. The eighth edition appears to have been distributed shortly after Mehl's return from New York City in 1912, where his proposed partnership with Wayte Raymond had failed to reach fruition. Perhaps Mehl took a few early copies of the eighth edition of the Encyclopedia with him, or, having met Wayte Raymond's binder, sent them to be bound after his return. The patterned endpapers present in this copy are virtually identical to those favored by Raymond at the time (and as found in some hardbound copies of Adams & Woodin's 1913 work on patterns and the deluxe edition of the 1913 Adams work on California gold). The endpapers, decorative lettering, and the very outlay of a fair amount of cash to bind a book seemingly not otherwise worth it, argue for official status, either for presentation purposes or as a personal memento. Having not seen another identical example, it is impossible for the cataloguer to be certain, but circumstances point in that direction. Should this turn out to be a Mehl-sanctioned binding, the estimate is surely too low; if not, the eighth edition appears to be quite scarce, and it should be worth a fair amount of the estimate based on that factor alone. Ex Kolbe Sale 91, lot 728; ex Charles Davis sale of Oct. 30, 2010, lot 405. Ex Raymond Hale library.