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The earliest catalog we will review is dated 1862 and was produced by auctioneers Bangs, Merwin & Co. located at the Irving Buildings 594 & 596 Broadway (near the Metropolitan Hotel). The subject was “Coins, Medals and Tokens.” The auction was to take place on a Thursday evening, August 7th 1862 at 5PM. This Civil War period catalog describes 490 lots. “Gentlemen who cannot attend the Sale, may have their orders to purchase executed by the Auctioneer.” It is interesting to note that the inside cover of the catalog has a full page advertisement for a price guide book covering “Medals & Tokens struck in honor of the Presidents of the United States and Presidential Candidates from Adams to Lincoln.” The cloth bound addition was $1., the paper copy was available at seventy-five cents. The catalog starts with a very good condition 1798 dollar and ends with A Napoleon, French Exposition token. I would love to have this collection to sell today. Nothing made after 1859, and mostly early Colonial pieces!
George A. Leavitt & Company of 787 & 789 Broadway (Opposite Grace Church) offered the “E. B. Sterling Collection of U.S. Postage and Revenue Stamps” at an “Evening Sale” on Thursday February 16, 1888 at 7PM. Preview was available from 9AM on the day of the auction. All stamps were offered on the “each” basis. Thus a lot of “3” stamps were sold 3 times the bid. E.B. Sterling, Esq., the seller was from Trenton, NJ. Mr. Ed Frossard was the expert cataloger. This was the seventy-ninth auction catalog that he produced on stamps. The catalog presented 595 lots. I did not realize that there were early revenue stamps for matches and playing cards!
As we make the turn into the 20th Century we have an opportunity to view a collection of “Autographs, Pamphlets, Engravings, Broadsides, etc. relating to Abraham Lincoln.” The auction was cataloged by Anderson Auction Company 5 West 29th Street and slated for Tuesday at 3PM, March 22nd 1904. How ironic that this auction is offering President Lincoln memorabilia. Lincoln was President when Bangs & Merwin produced their catalog on coins, medals and tokens 42 years earlier. The auction contained “letters written by his biographers and members of his cabinet; Original poems on his death, statements by his pallbearers, letters by Army and Navy officers, Resolutions by Corporations, unique caricatures, rare slavery items, original War Department documents, rare broadsides, etc., etc.” This catalog will be the subject of it’s own article in a future “Auction World” column as it is loaded with very interesting material and has the prices realized. Just as an example of prices: The lowest selling lot was seven cents for “Special orders for military escorts in Albany New York for Lincolns funeral.” The highest was $82.00 for lot #89 which was two sides of a folio written and signed by a very young Abraham Lincoln.
A 1915 catalog produced by Merwin Sales of 16 East 40th Street offered an “Important Collection of Rare Old Pistols & Guns, Indian Relics, Etc” to be sold on January 21st & 22nd 1915 commencing at 10:30 and 2:30 o’clock each day. The catalog was available for $1.50. Viewing was for 4 days prior to the auction. There were 900 lots of antique weapons. A great catalog, complete with bid sheet.
“Currier & Ives Prints and Whaling Items including the collection of the Estate of William A. Rosenbaum of Belgrade Lakes, Maine” was to be sold at the “Plaza Art Galleries, Inc.” facility on East 59th Street on November 7th & 7th 1930 at 8:15PM. This is a fully illustrated catalog in black and white. There was a fine selection of scrimshawed whale’s teeth offered. 383 lots were sold by auctioneer W.H. O’Reilly.
Old auction catalogs provide us with a glimpse into the past. We have an opportunity to see what types of items were offered and what was popular. To think someday people may be pawing over the catalogs that we produce today asking themselves questions like; They sold “Beanie Babies” but, what about the adults? Who was Ronald McDonald? I know where the San Francisco Bay is where was that “ebay”?
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