Kolbe & Fanning
Auction 161 18 Sep 2021
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The 1954 Farouk Sale
Sotheby & Co. THE PALACE COLLECTIONS OF EGYPT. CATALOGUE OF THE HIGHLY IMPORTANT AND EXTREMELY VALUABLE COLLECTION OF COINS AND MEDALS, THE PROPERTY OF THE REPUBLIC OF EGYPT. Cairo, February 24–March 6, 1954. Crown 4to, later maroon pebbled cloth, gilt; original printed card covers bound in. 306, (6) pages; 2798 lots; 37 plates, all but the last double-plates. Occasional annotations; printed prices realized list laid in. Fine. The famous sale catalogue of the legendary coin collection formed by King Farouk. The details surrounding the sale are fascinating and often bizarre, and were recounted in part by Abe Kosoff in a series of Coin World articles. Dominated by Kosoff, Hans Schulman and a handful of other East Coast coin dealers, only a few collectors attended the sale, John J. Pittman notably among them. Catalogued by the London firm of Baldwin's, great rarities from the Woodin, Earle, Colonel Green and other great American collections were often placed in group lots, e.g., a 1913 Liberty Head nickel and pattern United States gold coins. The onerous financial requirements imposed by the Egyptian Government combined with reported dealer collusion appears to have stifled widespread competition and many bargains were to be had by those brave enough to venture to Cairo. Clain-Stefanelli 8013*. Grierson 275 and 277.
Sotheby & Co. THE PALACE COLLECTIONS OF EGYPT. CATALOGUE OF THE HIGHLY IMPORTANT AND EXTREMELY VALUABLE COLLECTION OF COINS AND MEDALS, THE PROPERTY OF THE REPUBLIC OF EGYPT. Cairo, February 24–March 6, 1954. Crown 4to, later maroon pebbled cloth, gilt; original printed card covers bound in. 306, (6) pages; 2798 lots; 37 plates, all but the last double-plates. Occasional annotations; printed prices realized list laid in. Fine. The famous sale catalogue of the legendary coin collection formed by King Farouk. The details surrounding the sale are fascinating and often bizarre, and were recounted in part by Abe Kosoff in a series of Coin World articles. Dominated by Kosoff, Hans Schulman and a handful of other East Coast coin dealers, only a few collectors attended the sale, John J. Pittman notably among them. Catalogued by the London firm of Baldwin's, great rarities from the Woodin, Earle, Colonel Green and other great American collections were often placed in group lots, e.g., a 1913 Liberty Head nickel and pattern United States gold coins. The onerous financial requirements imposed by the Egyptian Government combined with reported dealer collusion appears to have stifled widespread competition and many bargains were to be had by those brave enough to venture to Cairo. Clain-Stefanelli 8013*. Grierson 275 and 277.