Collection of Sale Catalogs: A Few Favorites Auctions & FPLs – CONSERVATORI Ancient Coins of the Greek, Roman & Byzantine World

ASHBURNHAM = SOTHEBY, WILKINSON & HODGE. Catalogue of the Collection of Greek Coins … the Earl of Ashburnham (London, 6 May 1895).

Hand-named & priced copy (annotated & ruled virtually identically to the ANS digitized copy).
Ex-Library of Frank Sherman Benson (1854-1907) & Long Island Historical Society, with “dedication bookplate.”
In 1910, “between 250 and 300 volumes of numismatic books” from Benson’s library were donated to the Long Island Historical Society (now Brooklyn Historical Society), where he had been a director and board member. Those volumes were given the “dedication bookplate” shown, depicting ancient Greek coins within a classical temple.

267 Lots (253 Ancient coins, all Greek), many ill. on 5 Pl.
[Spring 761; Clain-Stefanelli 1938.]
Half brown leather (Morocco), marbled boards, gilt spine (faded).
Multiple digitized & hand-named copies: ANS (Archive); UCLA (Archive); 2nd copy (Archive); Acsearch Lib (direct to PDF).
Most coins apparently from the 1859 Lord Northwick sale, via Samuel Addington. The present Earl was Bertram Ashburnham, 4th Earl of Ashburnham (1797–1878). FSB acquired at least one lot (27), but from a later sale.

BCD THESSALY II = CNG TRITON XV (Parts 1 & 2). The BCD Collection of the Coinage of Thessaly. (New York, 3 January 2012.)

Ex-David Hendin Library; acq. by CJJ July 2022.
Lot 452.3 (Meliboia AE) was ex-Hendin’s Amphora List 75 — but none of the ones I’ve acquired from this sale were ex-Hendin. However, at least one of my “BCD Thessaly Duplicates,” a two-headed Phalanna bronze, was ex Hendin-Amphora List 50.
In the Triton XV commentary, the collector writes:
“David has always remembered to send his coin lists to the writer’s library, and has always refused payment against mailing expenses. One does not always come across such consideration and generosity in the ancient coin dealer-collector community…. Perhaps one day all dealings will be done electronically from our homes, but this writer is glad to have built up his collection while person-to-person contact was still possible.”
In NAC 55 (BCD Lokris-Phokis 133.5), the collector repeated his sentiment above: “This is an opportunity to record the writer’s debt to David. The postage he paid over the years to make sure all his lists reached the BCD library surely exceeds the total amount the writer spent with him for buying coins.”
More provenance notes: I’ve also bought Hendin’s copies of BCD Boiotia (Triton IX), BCD Akarnanien (M&M GmbH 23), and BCD Peloponnesos II (CNG 81.2). I have one or two coins from each of those catalogs, too. (Sadly, I was too slow and someone else got his BCD Corinth [Lanz 105]! I hope they appreciate what they have.)
Incidentally, I also bought Alois Wenninger’s partial set of 9 BCD catalogs (sans BCD Olympia [Leu 90]). Although his copies look a bit more used (am I the only book collector who appreciates “more used”?) & came with ownership marks, the Hendin ones are especially interesting to me for his and the collector’s joint history.

1,000 lots (incl. many groups), fully illustrated. 415 pages. [Annotated in Esty’s Auction Catalog Collection (see also: Esty’s BCD page); Brousseau (2010) “Annexe” p. 575 (Lanz 94); cited in Numiswiki Auction Catalogs for Important Coin Collections]
See addl. bio & coll. background on “Provenance Glossary” page & my BCD Collection Biblio.

Cataloged by BCD with his extensive commentary. With “Introduction to BCD Thessaly” (CNG [by V.E.?]), “Note from the Collector” (BCD), and “Note from Victor England.” Extensive “Historical Introduction,” map of the region, bibliography, and commentary for each city.
While the Nomos 4 sale (BCD Thessaly I) included most of the highest-grade, highest-value specimens (“the crown jewels” of the collection, as Kirk Davis wrote), BCD Thessaly II is the much more comprehensive catalog. The sections for each city are virtual die studies in their own right. Packed with bibliography, provenance info, rich historical detail, and numismatic narrative, it is much more than a sale catalog. Easily the most important reference on Thessalian coinage, and will no doubt remain so for a long time.
ACSearch first 1,000 lots (doesn’t separate XV.1-2 from XV.3 [non-BCD], printed in separate catalogs, only one coin per group lot, CNG’s web archive shows all); pdf catalog on Issuu or on Archive.
Lots 218 (Larissa), 115.4 (Krannon), 952.2 = RPC 452, ex 21 (Hadrian) now in Curtis JJ Coll.

BEMENT GREEK = NAVILLE / ARS CLASSICA. Catalogue de Monnaies Grecques Antiques […] de feu Clarence S. Bement, Première Partie: Ibérie à Eubée, Auction VI (Lucerne, 28 Jan 1924), Seconde partie: Attique à Mauritanie, Auction VII (Lucerne 23 Jun 1924).
[The third sale at Naville Ars Classica VIII included Roman & Byzantine; his American and European coins were sold by Chapman (Philadelphia, 1916 & 1918), his library by Elder (New York, 1923).]

Ex-American Numismatic Society Duplicates, acq. September 2022.
With two different ink stamps (one blue, one red), but both reading: “Envoi de Dr. J. Hirsch, expert / c/o Ars Classica / 5, rue Lévrier / Genève”

1,082 + 827 Lots, 37 + 31 Plates. Original softcover, tissue-guarded plates.
[Spring 476, 477; Clain-Stefanelli (p. 152) 1942* (all three sales); Daehn 2086 (both sales); Grierson (1966) p. 178; Kroh –; see also ASW (2008, AJN) “Catalogs and Their Collectors”; Available Online: Ars Classica VI via Heidelberg (or via Archive, bound w/ VII, PRL); Ars Classica VII via Heidi (or via Archive, bound w/ VI, PRL); Comparette 1921 (Hathi).]
See addl. bio & coll. background on “Provenance Glossary” page.

Lot 1520 [from Part II] (Hidrieus Tetradrachm) now in CJJ Coll. (also ex Whittall = Weber 6604 = SNG Lockett 2909 = SNG von Aulock 8046)

LEO BENZ = LANZ NUMISMATIK. Sammlung Leo Benz, Römische Republik, Auktion 88 (Munich, 23 Nov 1998), Romische Kaiserzeit, Teil I, Auktion 94 (Munich, 22 Nov 1999) & Teil II, Auktion 100 (Munich, 20 Nov 2000).

Two sets:
(1) Hardbound set: Lanz 88, 94, 100:
Ex-Lanz Numismatik Library (Hermann, Ernst & Hubert Lanz), Part IV (Hirsch EA 10 [17 Jul 2022], 3093): Hubert Lanz‘s special hardbound copies.
(See below re: a second partial set.)
(At least one partial hardcover set existed, but Lanz 100 softcover, acq. by LAC from the same auction [Lot 3435] & listed by them for retail sale, but remarkably without stating the provenance!)
(2) Softcover set: Lanz 88, 94, 100:
Latter two (RIC) ex-Warren W. Esty (WWE) Library; acq. by CJJ 2021. (He had already sold his copy of 88 [RRC], so I added one from a Portland, OR collector who acq. it from his numismatic mentor, unnamed collector.) WWE has an important educational website annotating his collection of ancient coin auction catalogs: “Contents of Sale Catalogs (by firm)(by collecting theme)”; see also: BCD page, WWE & ASW indexes of LHS 96.

978, 694 & 682 Lots (all f. ill.), 43, 40 & 35 Pl., respectively.
Lanz 94 (Benz II: RIC I), Lot 269 is a cast forgery Clodius Macer Denarius (of the G. Parry specimen), despite extensive pedigree, publication & reappearing again in major collection sales.
[Annotated in Esty’s Auction Catalog Collection; Brousseau (2010) “Annexe” p. 575 (Lanz 94); cited in Numiswiki Auction Catalogs for Important Coin Collections]
See addl. bio & coll. background on “Provenance Glossary” page.

I bought this custom-hardbound set of the Leo Benz sale catalogs from G. Hirsch’s sale of the Numismatik Lanz Library, Part IV.
The same sale also included a partial set (Lot 3435: Lanz 88 & 94 hardbound, Lanz 100 softcover), acquired by London Ancient Coins (LAC) & listed by them for retail sale — but remarkably without stating the provenance!
Lanz 94 (Sammlung Benz, Part II: RIC I) is the firm’s earliest sale on ACSearch (646 Lots), as is Lanz 100 (Benz, Part III: RIC II; 682 Lots). But Lanz 88 (Benz, Part I: RRC) is not available online in any form.
I have one coin from the Leo Benz Collection, an L. Julius Caesar Denarius (Lanz 88, Lot 407). The ANS-RRDP / Richard Schaefer Binders include clippings from the plates (and those from a previous Kricheldorf sale, both shown below).

SLG. HAUSWALDT = RUDOLF KUBE [Auction 11]. Collection Hauswaldt (Bedeutende Sammlung Magdeburger Münzen und Medaillen) (Berlin, 18-23 November 1912).

Ex-American Numismatic Society (ANS) Library Duplicates;
Rare plated copy & important (but not for ancients), beautiful copy, probably belongs with someone with a specialized Geman numis. library. Trade (for coins or literature)?

138 pp., 2434 Lots (29 Anc.: 7 RRC/Imptl, 21 RIC, 1 Byz), 23 Plates (only 8 ancient coins).
[Clain-Stefanelli 9423 (p. 827, for German coins)]
Maroon cloth, gilt spine: “COLLECTION HAUSWALDT. 1912.”
Digitized copy at Uni Heidelberg.
Plated copies hard to find; another at the Poinsignon Library, Part III (Kunker 357, 7 Dec 2021) 4109.

N.B. HUNT III = SOTHEBY’S [Sale 6054]. The Nelson Bunker Hunt Collection of Highly Important Greek and Roman Coins, Part III. (New York, 4 December 1990.)
[The other five Hunt brothers catalogs are listed in my full Catalog Library page — this one appears here for its interesting provenance & annotations.]

Ex-Bank Leu Library, blue ink stamp inside title page, various paper ephemera & 7-pp. photocopied packet w/ penciled hand annotations for each of three lots (65-67, v. high value RRC Imperatorial Aurei: Pompey [Cr. 511/1], M. Ant. LEG III [Cr. 544/12 for AR], Octavian/J.C. [Cr. 490/2]).
Author of notes uncertain (Hurter? Mildenberg?), some comments quoting Alan S. Walker (“ASW”), re: provenances & past prices realized (“PR $4200.–” [Lot 67 = Bunbury 275 = Met-Durkee 14]), refs. to die studies (“R7, 15 dies, 36, 24 in Bahr.” [Lot 65 = Quelen 506 = Met-Durkee 5]), appearance in hand (“Decent F+, wavy flan…” [Lot 66, VF]), & which to buy “for stock” at which prices. Comments both before (e.g., “ASW will buy for stock if ~$12,000” [Lot 66 = Leu 13, 365, Weintraub]) AND after sale (e.g., “did not attend.”).
[ASW’s acquisition strategy apparently worked. Not only were many Hunt Bros. coins acquired from Leu, but many appeared again in Leu sales after Sotheby’s liquidation sale. From this sale alone (NBH III, the smallest with only 117 lots), a quick ACSearch reveals the following Hunt III lots sold later at ASW’s Leu (among others, no doubt): Lot 6, Lot 10, Lot 26, Lot 70, Lot 83, Lot 96, Lot 99, Lot 109.]

117 lots, unpaginated (c. 250 pp). Introduction by Elvira Clain-Stefanelli (1914-2001). Hardcover w/ dustjacket.
[Daehn 2108 (for complete series of sales); Annotated in Esty’s Auction Catalog Collection, “One of the finest catalogs.”]

KUNSTFREUND [Charles Gillet] = BANK LEU & MÜNZEN UND MEDAILLEN. Griechische Münzen aus der Sammlung eines Kunstfreundes [Charles Gillet, 1879-1972]. (Zurich, 28 May 1974.)

Ex-Library of Lanz Numismatik (Hermann and Herbert Lanz).
A (mostly) HAND-NAMED & PRICED copy! The names and hammers written next to each lot on the estimates sheet. (Plus original printed PRL.)

253 lots fully illustrated and thoroughly cataloged with extensive commentary on 372 pp.
[Clain-Stefanelli 1993; Daehn 2026; Spring 418; BCD Library (Auctiones 39) 214; annotated on Esty’s Catalogs page; see especially pp. 608-610, 615 in Alan S. Walker (2008) “Catalogues and Their Collectors,” AJN 20 (150).]

Only the second named copy I’d heard of, after the BCD Library’s fully named (and much superior) copy was auctioned in 2015 (w/ a 700 CHF, ~$900 USD after fees). (No doubt BCD retains a copy, or perhaps the original, at the library.) See my “Library of Sale Catalogs” page, Note 1.
I don’t know how many of these names are public (though those I’ve found elsewhere match my own record), so I’ve only photographed it “with redaction”:

* UPDATE * A comparable copy (but leatherbound rather than original softcover) was recently sold: Kolbe & Fanning Auction Sale 165 (3 Dec 2022), Lot 10: “Annotated by hand throughout…frequently [recording] the buyer of each lot…. This copy records many (perhaps half) of the purchasers…” * To the buyer of K&F 165, 10 * Please contact me to exchange copies of our buyer lists! If we each have half or more individually, we may get close to fully-named when combined. Another Update: Yet another named copy was reportedly sold at Gut-Lynt Auction 9 (29 Jan 2023), Lot 892!

LOCKETT [Complete Ancient: Greek I-IV & Roman, Byzantine] = GLENDINING & Co. The Celebrated Collection formed by the late Richard Cyril Lockett, Esq. [R.C. Lockett, 1873-1950]. Part II / Greek I (London, 25 Oct 1955); Part VI / Greek II (12 Feb 1958); Part VIII / Roman-Byzantine (26 May 1959); Part IX / Greek III (27 May 1959); Part XII / Greek IV (21 Feb 1961).

Part XII/Greek IV, Ex Library of Pierre Bastien (1912-2010), with his bookplate.
The others post-sale priced copies in original card covers.

Part II (Greek I): 38 Pl., 987 Lots, most ill.
Part VI (Greek II): 23 Pl., 565 Lots (988-1552), most ill.
Part VIII (Roman-Byzantine): 16 Pl., 299 Lots, many ill. (RIC & Byz).
Part IX (Greek III): 15 Pl., 565 Lots (1553-2118), most ill.
Part XII (Greek IV): 35 Pl., 1007 Lots (2119-3125), most ill.
[Greek: Spring 233, 234, 235; Kroh p. 34; Clain-Stefanelli 1971*; Roman: Spring 239; Clain-Stefanelli 3675]

Of four ex-Lockett coins in my collection, one is in Greek II (unillustrated) and the other three in Greek IV (two illustrated).
Two of them, including the Nero below, were acquired at the sale by Cornelius Vermeule (1925-2008), later the Boston MFA curator of antiquities. The Hidrieus Tetradrachm, acq. by Hans von Aulock, had also been illustrated in the Bement sale (above) and L. Forrer’s catalog of the H. Weber Collection:

MABBOTT [I & II] = SCHULMAN, HANS M.F. The Thomas Ollive Mabbott Collection. Part One. Coins of the Greek World (New York, 6 June 1969); Part Two. Coins of the Roman World (New York, 27 Oct 1969).

Mabbott I: Ex John Aiello Library; text vol.: Aiello’s name & address hand-written on cover and crossed out; plates vol.: Phil Peck’s name & phone number written in a different hand (Aiello’s?) on cover; acq. from Bryce Brown, 2022.
Mabbott II: Ex Bibliothek Alois Wenninger, w/ his distinctive monogram, penciled note indicating 1982 acquisition, apparently little used since; ex Künker 399 (18 Nov 2023).

Mabbott I: Two Vols., card cover absent (“Catalogue by Hans Holzer”) & paper as issued (“Illustrations”). 148 pages, 3860 coin lots, 26 of antiquities & 2 misc., 83 plates.
[Clain-Stefanelli 1973; Daehn 2060; Spring 712; Gengerke (2009) p. 546; Adams 64 (pp. 180, 337, “A-” for Ancient, “B+” Overall); Online: Archive & NNP]
Mabbott II: One vol., blue card cover. 33 Pl.
[Clain-Stefanelli 3679; Spring 713; Gengerke (2009) p. 546; Adams 66 (pp. 180, 337, “A” for Ancient, “A-” Overall); Online: Archive & NNP]
Note: H. Schulman stretched out the Mabbott sales to five numbered auction offerings, plus a sixth (10 Oct 1972; see Catalog Library), but these two are the only single-consignor sales & the only two considered especially notable (w/ the possible exception of further specialized offerings of Roman AE Contorniates).
Cataloged by Hans Holzer (1920-2009), who, in addition to being a numismatist & the Expert for H. Schulman Gallery, was also one of the world’s most famous parapsychologists. [H. Holzer’s Wikipedia Entry.]

NOTES FOR MABBOTT I: GREEK:
• Lot 2045 (illustrated), Apollonia-Mordiaeum (temp. Caracalla-Septimius Severus) = von Aulock Pisidiens II, 29 = ex “Morris”/Phil Peck Collection = now CJJ Collection;
• Lot 1749 (illustrated), Gallienus AE31 of Tabae = C.G. Morris Coll. of Greek AE, Aiello FPL 5 (November 1972), 298: “Numbers 221 and 292 from this list have been stolen” (see Catalog Library/Aiello) = disposition since 1972 unknown.
• At least 52 Mabbott Greek Lots were individually cataloged in Aiello FPL 5, C.G. Morris Coll. See Catalog Library/Aiello for detailed annotations of that splendid but little-known sale (my copy ex BCD Library Duplicates), incl. the individual Mabbott numbers.
A common catalog, cleaner copies readily available for $10-20. I bought this copy for the provenance. For reference, I use the digitized copy from ANS-NNP on Archive. I do not know why the plates vol. was issued without a cover, nor why my text vol.’s card cover was discarded. Both parts were clearly “working copies”!
Two sets of contemporary annotations, in two hands (J. Aiello & partner?), but using the same code (judging from PRL, possibly “max bid/3”?): (1) pencil & (2) blue ink (incl. several names & contact info, numerous bid notes in the text catalog).
I’ve partially redacted the address & phone number. My “provenance library/collection” includes a number of other items relating to both Aiello (coin & catalog, as a dealer, ex BCD) and Peck (coins, one w/ extensive pedigree [described on Alexandria Catalogs page], & book from the Money Museum during his time as a curator). Also inscribed in the catalog: phone number for Dorinda J. Oliver, a Chase Bank Vice-President, distinguished philanthropist of archaeology, and General Trustee of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA).
I don’t know the relationship between Peck & Aiello. Did they first meet at the Mabbott auction in New York? Or perhaps Aiello was acting as agent for Peck and/or making new acquisitions for the Chase Money Museum?

Coin Notes: I also own a coin from the Ken Bressett Collection (CNG Keystone 6 [11 Mar 2022], 3023) erroneously provenanced to this sale. Usually I check before bidding, but not this time. So, I share the blame with CNG. (The Bressett pedigree alone is exciting — I have a couple dozen total — but networks & relationships are my interest, so I prefer 2+ known collectors.) Important lesson in how such mistakes arise & persist: Mabbott was an important Roman Provincial ref. in the decades before RPC, so I’m sure he used it to ID his coin & somewhere along the way the type reference was mistaken for a provenance. (Actually multiple errors: different bust type [radiate vs. laureate] & recorded as “Mabbott 2423” instead of 2923!!)

NIGGELER 1 & 2 = BANK LEU & MUNZEN UND MEDALLEN AG. Sammlung Walter Niggeler, Teil 1 [Greek] (Basel, 3 Dec 1965) & Teil 2 [RPC & RRC] (Basel, 21 Oct 1966).

Ex-American Numismatic Society (ANS) Library Duplicates;
Laid in: Original estimates & PRL (Teil 2).

554 & 524 Lots, 32 & 28 Pl., respectively.
Teil I: Photograph & 2-pp. bio. foreword by Herbert A. Cahn; Teil 2 (p. 63): 1-p. commentary re: RPC – RRC Coll., also by H.A.C.; both German w/ gen. disc. of prov. & Niggeler’s relationships w/ important collectors & scholars.
[Part 1: Clain-Stefanelli 1981* (Sale Catalogs, Ancient Greek); Daehn 2025; Spring 412; on Gallica. Part 2: Kroh p. 56 (3 Stars); Spring 413; on Gallica]

A splendidly cataloged collection, thoroughly researched, with unusually extensive provenances for the period. A pleasure to read even today (and even for a non-German speaker):

The first 15.5 Pl. of Teil II illustrate a remarkable collection of ~230 Roman Provincial Coins (mostly AE), including 86 Alexandrian on >6 Pl. The Nero-Agrippina AR Drachm from Caesarea, shown above (next to its photo from Triton XXIV, Merani Collection), appears on pl. 7.
(It is fascinating to compare Niggeler II and Mabbott I [above], roughly contemporary collections & catalogs which treated similar material remarkably differently.) Followed by 12 Pl. of Republican (emphasizing the Imperators, the last 3 Pl. Octavian-Augustus), incl. Lot 954, the Brutus EID MAR denarius illustrated on the cover of Lanz 88 [Benz, above].

NOBLEMAN [COUNT DE LAVAL] = GLENDINING & Co. Catalogue of the Important Collection of Greek Gold and Silver Coins, The property of a Nobleman (London, 18 April 1955).

Ex Library of George D Hatie (ANA President 1979-1981);
w/ various ephemera: stamped & handwritten invoice on Spink stationary (in two hands, one perhaps from GM?), dated 4 April 1955 & addressed to Hatie, w/ commission form & presentation form letter;
ex Jeffrey M. Peck (PA, USA); acq. by CSJ for Jackson-Jacobs library.

733 Lots, 29 Pl. Cataloged by George Muller w/ his 1.5 pp. introductory essay. [Illustrated, un-priced/pre-sale copy.]
[Spring 230 ; Clain-Stefanelli 1983 ; Manville 1955.5 ; Online via Archive]
Lot 408.1 now Curtis Jackson-Jacobs Collection.
GM’s foreword notes that “though quite a few pieces come from well-known Continental auction sales of the period between the two World Wars, no pedigree is given, as the owner did not keep a record of their provenance.” Where known, several prior collections were noted: de la Fuye, Bement, Vogel, Leningrad [Hermitage], Newell (published), Jakountchikov/y (?).
Other sales & collections have been recovered later: Ars Classica I (Pozzi), Helbing 53 & Ars Classica XII (Wertheim), Schulman 194 & Kreling, Glendining 29 Apr 1954 (Forrer Coll.), and others from Ratto, Hess, and J. Schulman.
Coins from this sale later appeared in the collections of BCD, Salton, Kollek, Knoepke, “Exceptional Collection” (Leu 76), Proschowsky, & in many numis. studies.
See addl. bio & coll. background on “Provenance Glossary” page.

SLG. OTTO = ADOLPH HESS 207. Sammlung Kommerzienrat H. Otto, Stuttgart [Heinrich Otto Jr., Stuttgart, 1856-1931] (Frankfurt, 1 Dec 1932).

Ex-Lanz Numismatik Library with red ink Bibliotheksstempel of Hermann Lanz (1910-1998) & his Inv. No. “1567” on cover.

1339 lots [1318 coins], 31 Pl.
[Clain-Stefanelli 1755; Spring 331; for bio, see also Poinsignon Library, III (Künker 357, 7-9 Dec 2021) 3944; online at Heidelberg]

Lot 493 (ill. on pl. 12) = Sawhill / JMU Collection (Stack’s, 15 March 1979), lot 157 (part of) [provenance not noted; see below] = BCD Pelo II 2327 [same] = now Jackson-Jacobs Collection. (For many of Otto’s other provenances & dispositions, see my Catalog Library Page; specific lot nos., etc., available on request from my offline notes.)

SAWHILL – JMU = STACK’S. Dr. John A. Sawhill Collection, sold by order of James Madison University Foundation, Inc. Ancient and Foreign Coins (New York, 15 Mar 1979).

Ex BCD Library Duplicates (Jacquier 50 [16 Sep 2022], Lot 1108).

1,499 Lots (1,265 Ancient), 11 Pl., (~7.5 Pl. Ancient).
(See also Slg. Otto, above; Otto 493 [pictured] = Sawhill 157 [more below] = my coll., ex BCD)
[Clain-Stefanelli 1770; Spring 862; Gengerke, p. 199; PDF on Archive]

The coin collection of John A. Sawhill (1892-1976) — among his other collections — was bequeathed to the university and sold soon after. Unfortunately, as BCD noted, having only a few plates for 1,265 ancients meant that “any coin considered less than superb or very rare is not photographed and as a result the seven plates illustrate exceptional specimens.”
Lot 157: Among those not illustrated was the Messenia Triobol/Hemidrachm shown above as it appeared in the 1931 Sammlung Otto sale at Hess, and later BCD Peloponnesos II 2327, now in my collection. (The second coin from that lot was also later sold by CNG, “From the BCD Collection.”)

– Sawhill acquired more than a quarter of the entire 1971 Stack’s sale of the John Q. Adams/Massachusetts Historical Society Collection (265 of 971 Lots, 650 coins total, especially Roman Republican)!
– None are illustrated here (the JQA/MHS catalog was also sparsely ill.), but the present cataloger made the admirable decision to create a separate MHS section w/ its own introduction (pp. 109-129, Lots 1001-1265) and took advantage of the diligence of both Sawhill and JMU Foundation curators, keeping original group lots together & providing the numbers [e.g., Lot 1265, six Constantine AE, “(MHS 947)”]: “Each lot has been kept intact with its original Massachusetts Historical Society Sale envelope,” which one hopes later owners have managed to keep with the coins, since the envelopes are invaluable for tracing those MHS coins not illustrated.
– Many of those coins also appeared in later sales by Alex G. Malloy. (See paragraph below for the JQA/MHS-direct to-Malloy coins.) At least 13 (8 ill.) of the JQA/MHS-to-Sawhill/JMU coins appeared in Malloy FPL XLV (Oct 1979), noting the prior collection/sale provenances (see my annotated “Catalog Library” page). (Smaller numbers in other sales [four more across 3 FPLs. My collection is very incomplete; I presume there others.)
– For coins Malloy bought directly from the JQA/MHS sale, not via Sawhill, see his FPLs XXIII (Jul 1971), 34 Lots (19 ill.); XXIV (Sep-Oct 1971), 35 Lots (20 ill., no dupl. w/ prev.); and his Medieval (incl. Byz.) FPLs IV (1971), 13 Lots (6 ill.); VI (1972), 4 Lots (2 ill.); and others. (Combining those AGM bought directly from JQA/MHS with those he bought from Sawhill/JMU, my run of his FPLs includes at least 57 illustrated coins of 103 total, very few of which, if any, were illustrated in the original 1971 sale. I still need to post the corresponding JQA/MHS Lot nos.)
– It is especially important that Malloy illustrated the majority of them since Stack’s did not (in either sale). It also demonstrates the value of Sawhill and then James Madison University preserving the John Quincy Adams lot numbers, and of Stack’s publishing them again in the 1979 sale even with photos. Many of those coins now be verified by photo from the Malloy sales, and perhaps from other dealers who bought heavily from the sales.

CLASSICAL CASH (Matt Kreuzer, Boston) MBS 1 (13 May 1995)

Acq. from Forum Ancient Coins (Joe Sermarini), Nov. 2022 (#BC23624, part)

1,165 Lots Ancient (pp. 2-102), majority ill., plus >200 modern (103-117); large-format, soft cover, low-quality B&W scanned images.
[Gengerke –; Fitzwilliam Coll., Catalogs, A-D]

For additional detail (incl. MBS 2) see Catalog Library page.

COLOSSEUM COIN EXCHANGE (Hazlet, NJ) MBS 59 (22 Nov 1991).

Ex BCD Library Duplicates (Jacquier Auction 50, 16 Sep 2022, Lot 1041, part);
Ex Library of Joel L. Malter (1931-2006), postmarked and addressed to Malter Galleries, Encino, CA.
(I can’t be sure if it was ex Malter Numismatic Library sale [Malter 88], 4-5 June 2006. There were over 50 boxes on mixed sale catalogs in the sale, at least 7 of which included miscellaneous material that could’ve conceivably included CCE catalogs.)
Joel Malter’s numismatic library was one of his great lifelong achievements, and its sale (held at his private residence!) generated tremendous excitement and record prices. He died the following day. See e-Sylum (Numismatic Bibliomania Society) article: https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v13n25a03.html.

Lot number 2 (Aegina AR Drachm, 4th cent. BCE) was my first-ever auction bid. Unfortunately I lost my copy of the catalog somewhere along the way and wasn’t able to replace it for over 30 years. Happily, when I finally found a copy, it was one with a great “object biography” of its own. Worth the wait.

MALLOY XXXIII = ALEX G. MALLOY [Mail Bid Sale 33]. The Local Coinages of the Roman Empire (19 June 1992)

Ex-BCD Library Duplicates

715 (698 + ~17bis) Lots (all RPC), f. ill. on 22 Pl.; large-format, B&W photos (except cover coins).
[Cited in W.W. Esty (AugustusCoins) RPC refs (“Minor Catalogs”); CRE – Biblio; BCD Library Duplicates, Jacquier 50 (16 Sep 2022), Lot 1069 (“Note from BCD”; this copy).]

Lots 278 & 376 [RPC 3100.4] = (later) H.C. Lindgren Collection = (now) JJ Coll.
Also, at least 3 lots (not in JJ coll.) published in BCD Peloponnesos 359, 1209, 1654.

MÜNZHANDLUNG BASEL 6 = Monnaies alexandrines, collection spéciale de feu M. le Docteur H. St. à S.; monnaies romaines et byzantines d’or et d’argent, collection S. [Steger & Waldeck] (18 Mar 1936)

Ex-Lanz Numismatik Library with red ink stamp (Bibliotheksstempel) of Hermann Lanz (1910-1998) & Inv. No. “890” on cover. (Addl. pencil markings on cover to check, possibly Ernst Holzer’s?)

2,168 lots & 29 Pl. (1,371 Alexandrian, part ill. on >9 Pl.)
[Clain-Stefanelli 4542 AND 4545 (!); Kroh p. 55 (3 stars); Spring 442; avail. online at Heidelberg & elsewhere]

One detail I particularly enjoy about my copy of this catalog is that the plates are thoroughly annotated. I do not know by whom (but in careful French script); perhaps someday I will find out:

Sadly, Lot 725 is not among those illustrated. It was acquired by August Voirol (1884-1967), from whose collection it passed to Frank Sternberg (FS’s collection & inventory overlapped), and then to the “A.K. Collection,” eventually sold at Triton IX (Lot 448, part). As usual for “A.K. Collection” coins, it was illustrated in Wendelin Kellner’s (2009) Die Münzstätte Alexandria in Ägypten: Teil 7, Abb. 26. (Incidentally, Kellner was a cataloger at Sternberg’s firm in Zurich…..)
As Kellner comments on p. 23, the coin was likely worn as a medallion (“Amulett”).
Interestingly, I would add, the placement of the piercings on Alexandrian Drachms indicates that they were worn with the reverse as the “face” of the amulet (i.e., even when the obv/rev orientation is not 12h, the holes are still typically at 9h & 3h on the reverse, and if either design is pierced, it’s almost always the portrait/obverse).

SALTON-SCHLESSINGER 27 = Mark M. Salton-Schlessinger (NY) Fixed Price List No. 27 (Fall 1958).

Ex BCD Library Duplicates (Jacquier 49 [2021], 940 [part] & 48 [2020], 1069 [unsold])

16 pp., incl. covers & 1 pl. 427 Lots, ~280 ancient singles (Greek, RIC, a few ea. Imperatorial, RPC, Byz), incl. a section of 50 Greek AE ex-Lockett Collection, incl. >4 ex-Grantley, + mult. AR ex-SNG Lockett. Many other notable provenances, quite exceptional for an FPL or Auction catalog of the time. (Unfortunately not as well ill. as one would like, and without weights.)
[Fitzwilliam Coll., Catalogs, S]

Note: The cover of this catalog shows us several interesting things about Mark Salton as a numismatist and as a person:
Although he changed his name from Max Schlessinger to Mark Salton upon immigration to the US after the war, he reportedly regretted having done so (see Kampmann 2020: p. 56). Here, he uses Salton-Schlessinger.
The context is important (see also Kampmann 2020: p. 64): By using Salton-Schlessinger, he not only associates himself personally with his family (German Jews killed at Auschwitz, see Schlessinger 15 below), but with their business and numismatic tradition. Now in New York, he describes the firm on the cover of his FPLs as “Formerly Berlin-Amsterdam” (the latter being the final location of Felix Schlessinger’s firm in exile) and as “Numismatists since 1898.”

Illustrated Above: FPL 27, No. 63 (Athens “New Style” AR Tetradrachm) = Ex Count de Laval Collection (Glendining’s [“Nobleman,” 18 April 1955], Lot 408.1) = Thompson 540d.3 (this coin cited on p. 204) = Jackson-Jacobs Coll., ex Salton Collection, Part I (Stack’s NYINC [14 Jan 2022], Lot 4268) [see also: Provenance Coins, Part I: W. Greek];
FPL 27, No. 133 (Elagabalus AE of Seleucis, Laodicea) = RPC VI 8177 (no. 23 & “digital plate coin”) = Jackson-Jacobs Coll., ex Salton Collection (Künker 378 [21 Oct 2022], Lot 6739). Although no weight or photo is given for this coin in the list, it is highly probable they are one and the same coin (but an identical reference to Hunterian, “MacD.III.207.40,” graded “Abt. E.F.” — hard to imagine another one, especially since Provincials were a small part of the collection/stock) [see also: Provenance Coins, Part III: RPC].
Notes: As happens with dealer-collectors (e.g., Lindgren, Hirsch), boundaries between Salton’s “stock” and “collection” were highly permeable — if they existed at all. There were surely more, but I’ve noticed >5 coins just from this FPL alone (presumably unsold) remaining in the Salton Collection, incl. the three noted by Stacks (NYINC, 2022): No. 67 = Lot 4318 (Mithradates VI Tet., later Triton XXVI, 184); No. 7 = Lot 4366 (AV Daric); No. 38 = Lot 4095 (Rhegion Drachm).

SCHLESSINGER 15 = FELIX SCHLESSINGER [Auction 15]. Collection Baron Albert de la Chapelle, Helsingfors: Russian Coins. Greek and Roman Gold Coins (Amsterdam, 31 Jan – 1 Feb 1939).

Ex-American Numismatic Society (ANS) Library Duplicates;

25 pp., 642 lots, 3 plates (all ancient, Greek & Roman AV).
[Spring 661; see also: Kampmann (2020, Origins), p. 71.]
Rare recent sale of a comparable copy: Poinsignon Library, Part III (Kunker 357, 7 Dec 2021) 4632.

[See also Salton-Schlessinger 27 above.]
The important final sale of Felix Schlessinger while in exile in Amsterdam. In 1940, the Nazis invaded The Netherlands and Felix and his wife Hedwig were deported to concentration camps. Both were finally killed at Auschwitz in 1944. Over the course of decades, their son, Mark Salton-Schlessinger, having narrowly survived, recovered many coins looted from the family business. The betrayal is perhaps even greater for Felix’s distinguished military service in the first World War.
One of the pieces of literature I revere most, being especially interested in the consequences of WWII and the Holocaust for the ancient coin market and its key figures.
A lovely little catalog with delicate tissue-guarded plates, it is among the more poignant numismatic documents of the era.

SOTHEBY’S [Sale 5395]. Two Hundred Highly Important Greek and Roman Coins. (5 July 1995.)

Ex-ANTIQUA, Inc. (Steve Rubinger, Woodland Hills, CA), customer presentation copy with ephemera, sent out to Rubinger’s auction representation clientele. Letter laid in (“Dear Fellow Numismatists”) discussing his planned attendance at the auction in London and terms for auction representation. [Cf. his advertisement in The Celator Nov 1993 (vol 11: 2) discussing services.]

200 lots (f. ill.).
[Annotated in Esty’s Auction Catalog Collection, “outstanding catalog.”]

HARLAN J BERK [HJB] (Joliet & Chicago, IL). About 98 of the 220 HJB BBS catalogs.

Some from HJB as a customer, incl. the most recent & a few c. 1990-2 (when I was 11-14 years old).
But most older ones purchased from FORVM / J. Sermarini.

I have a bit fewer than half of all BBS/MBS catalogs, all 99 of them between 50 and 220 (current): 50, 52-61, 77-88, 90-103, 105-106, 108-115, 119, 122-128, 130-135, 137-142, 144-149, 173-181, 185, 189-192, 209-220.
(Plus Gemini VII & XI and a few odds and ends.) Somewhere around BBS 45 is when they switched from newsprint to magazine style w/ heavier paper stock and better plates.
Missing: 1-49, 51, 62-76, 89, 104, 107, 116-118, 120-121, 129, 136, 143, 150-172, 175, 182-184, 186-188, 193-208; FPL 1-9 (a 38-year gap between No. 7 [1980] and No. 8 [2018]!); Berk-England (Byzantine); some of the Gemini catalogs (incl. XIII [Art Inst. Chi.]).
Duplicates: 83-85, 100, 106, 115, 173, 174, 176, 185, 189, 190. (A few others, I’m sure.)

“Collection” item more than research tool, since they’re all online in .pdf (from 1st Unrestricted Mail Bid Sale [2 Nov 1977] to current [BBS 220; 4 August, 2022]). Collecting them as influential documents in the U.S. coin market over the past 45 years & iconic publications familiar to generations of collectors. Useful for provenance, visually beautiful, and often very cheap!
Note: I have systematic notes and links to online/.pdf catalogs in my word processing file of annotated 20^th cent. catalogs; also pencil-and-paper annotations on most; these are to be added to website soon (beginning w/ the digital ones).
Coin below is ex BBS 27 (13 Sep 1983), Lot 8; I purchased it from CNG EA 455 (30 Oct 2019), 394 (Jack A Frazer Coll.).

KIRK DAVIS – Majority of FPLs between Spring 1995 [10] & Spring 2024 [Catalog 83], over 50 total.

36 of them Ex Warren W. Esty, acq. by CJJ 2021; a few gifted by Kirk Davis (w/ purchase of some auction catalogs);
Remainder mailed to CJJ or CSJ from Kirk Davis’ customer/mailing list.

In 2002 Kirk Davis wrote in his FPL 40: “In this era of websites and full color auction catalogues, the modest fixed-price list of the small dealers [… is] in danger of going the way of the dinosaur.”
He was right about other catalogs but, 20 years later, new issues of his catalog are still being mailed out regularly. Over those years, quality has only improved — material, cataloging, and production.
It is one of the last great exemplars of its genre, the booklet-size FPL. I’m always proud to have a coin that once appeared in a Kirk Davis FPL.
His catalogs of recent years have given more provenance info than almost any other FPLs I know, including noted collections first introduced in Davis catalogs, such as James Gilman (FPL 78-79, later CNG 120 & EA 516) and the WCM Collection (later CNG EA 450, 460, 487, 496, 518).
In addition to occasional distinguished old collection and “plate coins,” there is a notable preponderance of ex-BCD coins (esp. FPLs 46, 50, 51, 53, 54, 55, 56, 60, 61, 78), mostly duplicates but also many from the major BCD sale catalogs, and some making initial appearances (e.g.: “Ex: BCD collection: both lots offered here from Tegea were acquired by the collector too late for inclusion in the main BCD Peloponnesos sale (LHS 96). As a result, they were handed to me by BCD for inclusion in this Catalogue of Ancient Coins #51.”).

Sometimes one gets second chances in ancient coins:
In Fall 2021, I was very tempted by the pedigreed Thessaly Obol below [photo by CNG] in Kirk Davis 78 (Lot 25), but it didn’t fit my budget; when it appeared again at CNG 120 (11 May 2022), Lot 191, I didn’t hesitate. As an incurable “papyrophile,” the old tags, etc. (incl. BCD’s photos) were very welcome. Conversely, I just missed the closing time for the elephant denarius below at Triskeles 28 (21 Jun 2019), Lot 260 [= VAuctions Sale 338]. I was thrilled to see it again in Davis 74 (Fall 2019), Lot 65, with an eminently reasonable markup for a fixed-price listing. I emailed him within minutes of the USPS delivering the list.

C & L DeLAND (Fort Worth, TX). 23 Fixed Price Catalogs, 1969-1976.

Ex Alex G. Malloy Library; at least four stamped & addressed to AGM [see note below re: a fifth]; including brief correspondence to Alex from Leo DeLand laid in (several notecards inside the front covers);
There is a single “intruder” addressed to Randall S. Williams (Sharon, CT). Perhaps AGM filled in a replacement? It is likely (but not 100% certain) that all the catalogs in that lot came from Alex (per J. Sermarini, personal communication, 2021).
(Plus one duplicate ex-BCD Library Duplicates from a Konvolut lot.)

Substantial run for a scarce list, 23 of 30 known (only first 29 in Fitzwilliam’s digital catalog).
Catalog I [per Fitz.] Feb 1969; Catalog II [context] May 1969; Catalog IV [context] late 1969; Catalog V Feb-Mar 1970; Catalog VI Apr-Aug 1970; Catalog VII Fall 1970; Catalog VIII Winter 1970; Catalog IX Spring 1971; Catalog X Summer 1971; Catalog XI Fall 1971; Catalog XII Dec 1971 [Special Catalog, Byzantine (and contemporaries)]; Catalog XIII Winter 1971; Catalog XV Apr 1972 [AGM]; Catalog XVI June 1972 [RSW]; Catalog XVII August 1972 [AGM]; Catalog XVIII Winter 1972 [AGM]; Catalog XIX Early Spring 1973 [AGM]; Catalog XXIII Spring 1974; Catalog XXIV Summer 1974; Catalog XXV Spring 1975; Catalog XXVI Winter 75-76; Catalog XXVII Spring Summer 1976; Catalog XXX Winter 1976
Missing: No. 3 (?); Nos. 14, 20-22, 28-29.
Note to self: Some apparently absent from Fitzwilliam.

KEN DORNEY (Redding, CA). 9 of final 12 lists. [Gallery of quick group photos I took when they arrived.]

Gift of Ken Dorney, 2021.

List 35 (n.d., reprinted?) [do I recognize Lots 107 & 113 from a late JSD list?]; List 38 (BBS, 27 June [1997]); List 39 (BBS, 22 August 1997); List 40 (BBS, 3 November [1997]); List 41 (BBS, 12 February 1998); List 42 (3 April 1998); List 44 (10 August 1998); List 45 (BBS, 12 October 1998); List 46 (BBS, 19 February 1999) – the final published list!
Missing: 36, 37, 43.
Glossy magazine-sized catalogs, ~150-250 lots, most-to-all illustrated (B&W plates), mixed Greek, RRC, RIC, RPC, Byzantine (incl. AE), & antiquities. Sometimes a few groups. Final list includes some inline ill. plus plates. Some carryover list-to-list. Ken’s appreciation of large bronze is often apparent!

Rare & fascinating for the contemporary commentary (start, sometimes the end) during an important transitional period in the history of the numismatic market, during the rise of eBay and other online venues, some now long gone (e.g., numismatists.com). KWD was an early adopter (even while still printing mail catalogs) at a time when many held out against internet sales.
(Still doing a seemingly brisk business & taking advantage of new media 25 years later! His Youtube page is active with many nice clips of current inventory — if he added titles to make them searchable it could become a useful tool for looking up how coin types look in hand, since these days many people have only seen most types in photos.)

J S D COINS [J.S.D.] (Santa Ana, CA). Run [broken] of 21 FPLs (c. late 1970s to early 1980s) + 2 MBS (27 May 1978 & 10 August 1981). [Alt: JSD]

Ex BCD Library Duplicates;
Ex Alex G. Malloy Library (11 of 21 stamped & addressed on back cover [to AGM]);
probably ex Malter 89 (Malloy Library, 12 Jan 2008), Lot 1556 (part of).
Fitzwilliam museum notes “* annual dates from postmarks, or provided by B.C. Demetriadi.”
What did the “Note from BCD” mean about the firm having been run by “a pair of unusual – to say the least – individuals”?
Interesting that runs of different firms’ FPLs from Malloy’s library reached me via two different pathways (FORVM & BCD duplicates).

Lists (years imputed) [postmarked]: No. 42 (1977) [22 Apr 1977, AGM]; 43; 44 (1977) [2 Jul 1977, AGM]; 45; 46; 47; 48 (1978) [10 Apr 1978, AGM]; 49 (1978) [13 Jul 1978, AGM]; 51; 66 (1981) [19 Mar 1981, AGM]; 67; 71 (1981) [5 Nov 1981, AGM]; 72 (1982); 73 (1982); 74 (1982) [16 June 198-, AGM]; 74 OR 75 ”probably” (Summer 1982); 90 (1985) [24 Apr 1985, AGM]; 91 (1985); 92 (1985) [20 Sep 1985, AGM]; 93 (1986) [12 Apr 1986, AGM]; VOL II 3 (1982?);
MBS 6 (27 May 1978) [293 coin lots, 29 antiquities, NO PLATES];
MBS 10? (10 Aug 1981) [197 single coin lots, 5 groups, 4 antiquities] [23 Jul 1981, AGM];
Missing: 50; 52-65; 68-70; 76-89;

Note to self: email Fitzwilliam re: my postmark dates missing from their published list (surprising: their info came from my set’s prev. owner!)

PEGASI (Ann Arbor, MI). Run [broken] of 35 FPLs (c. 1984 to 1994), from No. 11 to 91 (part).

Ex-Alex G. Malloy Library (many of them stamped and addressed, all to AGM).

Lists Nos. 11, 14, 25, 29-33, 37, 42, 44, 46-49, 51-52, 54-55, 59, 62 66-68, 70, 73, 75, 77, 80-81, 83-84, 86, 89-91.
Notes: All from the period of Eldert Bontekoe’s (1954-2020) [CW bio] sole ownership. (N. Economopoulos came on as partner in 1994.) More: Catalog Library.
Note to self: A few lists and multiple postmarks not included in Fitzwilliam (stops at 90);

WADDELL, EDWARD J. (Bethesda, MD). 6 FPL catalogs c. 1991-1992.

Received as a customer (though, at age 13, I wasn’t buying many Waddell quality coins!). CSJ must’ve requested the catalogs. I recall marveling at the Arsinoe Dekadrachm on the cover of the first catalog I received.

List 52 (1991 [one plate with photo cut out]): 42 ancient coins, plus antiquities & literature; List 53 (1991): 250 coins (~240 ancient, Greek, RRC, RIC, RPC, Byz]), antiq. & lit., incl. nice RPC & Byz AE, lovely Greek AR fractions; List 54 (Winter, 1992): 105 ancient coins (Greek, RIC, RPC, Byz, couple RRC), literature; List 55 (Spring 1992 [part. wrinkled cover]): 193 coins (183 ancient, Greek, RIC, Byz, some RRC and RPC); List 56 (Summer 1992): 111 ancient coins (Greek, RIC, Byz, several RPC, few RRC); List 57 (1992): 199 coins (~190 ancient, about 94 Greek [incl. 15 AR fractions], 12 RRC [half Caesar], 35 RIC, 32 RPC, 15 Byz), with >3 Pl. of Greek & RPC AE, some repetition of previous sale lots; plus The World of Ancient Coins special publication (his intro to buying expensive ancients) and ephemera/letters. All lists fully illustrated.

The high value stock allowed EJW to catalog his coins more thoroughly than typical cramped lists. Including bibliography, commentary, weights to 0.01g, high quality photos and plates (and occasional provenances). Thirty years on, still a pleasure to review.
He still has an active website (he had the wisdom to register coin.com c. 1995 and keep it active; surely he’s declined substantial offers to buy that domain name.
Note to self: Fitzwilliam may be missing some of these dates?

ANCIENT COINS (Staten Island). FPL No. 10 & 11 (Aug & Oct 1975).

Ex-BCD Library Duplicates (both lists); List No. 10: Addressed to North East Coin Co. (John Hunter?), Hillsboro, NH; stamped, postmarked 8 Aug 1985; List No. 11: Addressed to Fountain Head of Fine Coins, Coram, NY; stamped, postmarked 20 Oct 1975.

No. 10 (c. August 1975): 5 Pl. Ancient: Greek (45 ill.), RRC (3, 2 Imptl.), RIC (~51 ill., incl 3 early Augustus-Octavian);
No. 11 (c. October 1975): > 5 Pl. Ancient: Greek (~50), RPC (~6), RRC (5), RIC (44)

BOMAR Ancient Coins (Robert “Bob” W. Robbins [1929/30-2006] & Marian Robbins [1936-2020]; Tacoma, Washington). FPL c. 26 Jun 1979 & MBS #1 15 Sep 1979.

FPL (26 Jun 1979): Ex BCD Library Duplicates; Katen Auction 68, “Fine Numismatic Literature Consigned by Dr. Gregory B. Brunk, Part II” (14 Jul 1989), Lot 650 (part of); Gregory G. Brunk Library, addressed to Brunk (1949-2020) in Iowa City (Waterloo crossed out, corrected), dated 26 June 1979, w/ his distinctive annotations throughout (dots, underlining, red & black ink).
MBS #1 (15 Sep 1979): Ex Bryce Brown Inventory (Jun 2023); RBW Library, addr. to Witschonke (1945-2015) in San Francisco, CA, 27 Aug 1979.

FPL (26 Jun 1979): 210 Lots total; 184 ancient (about 58 of those illustrated on 3 Pl.): Greek (14 ill.), RPC (~3 ill., 2 Alexandrian Potin, 1 Syrian AR), NO RRC, RIC (~38 ill.), Byzantine (~3 ill.). Plus one plate medieval/modern.
No date given in the Fitzwilliam Museum catalog, but this copy post-marked “June 26, 1979.”
Identified in Fitzwilliam as “nd …postmark unintelligible…lot 1 Maurice Tiberius,” c. 1978-9.
Fitzwilliam dates the next catalog (also unnumbered) to 15 Sep 1979, “acc. to Demetriadi library.” Mine was also in the Demetriadi library, so it is odd that Fitzwilliam didn’t get the date of this postmark from the same source. Indeed, they were probably purchased together at Katen Auction 68, representing the two unnumbered catalogs in lot 650.
MBS #1 (15 Sep 1979): 239 Lots total; 223 ancient singles (NONE illustrated): Greek (1-49), RRC (50-70), RIC (71-198, scattered RPC), Byz (199-223), Medieval (224-237), Groups (238-239); no weights, condition, est. values (from $2-5 to $125-175 for ancients, median prob. c. $25 or 30-45, a Venice Grosso $195-265).
The only MBS or Auction cataloged by Fitzwilliam: “1979: *no [1], [number, if any, clipped away], lot 1 Arabia; 15 Sep [ms date](number acc. to Demetriadi library)” ; my note: title pg. header in 3 lines: “Mail Bid Sale #1 / Closing date : / September 15, 1979”.
Some catalogs, however, appear to be Buy-Bid Sales, numbered continuously w/ FPLs: Getty catalogs Nos. 17, 19, 20 as “Buy Bid” sales; Gengerke (2009: 60) catalogs 19 Mar 1983 [No. 16] as “Buy or Bid Sale”; PRL (prices-realized list) exists at least for “Bid Buy Sale #17” (14 Nov 1983), per Bryce Brown Inv. (acc: June 2023).

DOUGLAS WEAVER RARE COINS (Cleburne, TX) FPL Vol. 1 Num. 2 (November 1975).

Ex BCD Library Duplicates;
Ex Henry Christensen (1915-1979) Library, addressed & postmarked 24 Oct 1975;
Ex William “Bill” Christensen (d. 2009) Library;
The Christensens were known for their library which reportedly incl. 250 boxes of sale catalogs in 1979 (Christensen MBS 70 [to PDF]) — “a nice library of books, but what [Bill] had in great quantity were auction catalogs. Tons–literally,” which were eventually sold to “well-known literature dealer” (Fred Schwan, E-Sylum 12 [31]: 22 [2009]). On Christensen, see Pete Smith (2022), American Numismatic Biographies, page 74, Martin Gengerke (2009), American Numismatic Auctions, pp. 103-105, and my Provenance Glossary.

Cataloged by Tom Stanton (then the new VP of World Coins & Currency).
Discovered one of my Athens Tetradrachms was Lot 698, also ex-HJB FPL #2, 80, Fall of 1974, ill. on p. 40. It came with no provenance from Morton & Eden 104 (London, 14 Nov 2019), 69.

VARIOUS Additional single catalogs or small groups (ex BCD Library and many others ex RBW Library).

From auction listing in BCD Library Duplicates sale:
“Note from BCD: This writer considers himself fortunate to have met some of the people that issued these lists. Sadly, they are not with us anymore and it is about time the numismatic community does something significant in their memory so that they will always be remembered.”

Some more of the ex-BCDs: Argos, Barton, Cederlind (96, 98, 99), Classical Arts, De Land, Fountainhead of Fine Coins, Gans-NFA, Hamidi, Herring, House of Constantine, Kritt, Link, Myers, Salton-Schlessinger, Warden, World-Wide Coins of California. + Many more.
Just a few of the ex-RBW: Several substantial runs of catalogs: Christian Blom (X38), Frank S. Robinson (X60+), and the set of Antioch Associates (Lindgren) MBS & FPLs listed in the Catalog Library — plus RBW’s duplicate set! Many w/ his usual yellow post-it notes. Small runs of notable series like Frank Kovacs, as well as lesser-known sellers: Ansellem, Art of Money (Bettinger), B&D, Decus (Clarke), Linzalone, Luigi, Meridian, Truscott, Vigeur, Welsh, Werner. + Many more.
Some rare (and from BOTH libraries): Luigi Pighi (Casteldario [Mantova], Italy) X13 of first 28 (1953-1961), among a group of old Italian sales acq. by RBW from BCD (c. 1980s, I believe). Originally addressed to Prof. Enrico Rivoire (Brescia) or Circolo Numismatico Modenese (Modena). Could BCD have acquired these ones along w/ the “rare catalogues” he bought from “lawyer and serious numismatic literature collector, Pier Luigi Grossi” (1927-2008) — member of il Circolo, I would expect — when “visiting him in his impressive library in Modena”?