Kolbe & Fanning
Auction 164 27 Aug 2022
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Near Complete Set of Ebenezer Mason Catalogues
Mason & Company. NEARLY COMPLETE SET OF THE FIRM'S AUCTION CATALOGUES. Philadelphia, New York & Boston, 1868-1890. Thirty-five catalogues, consisting of Adams 1-34 except for Sale 20, plus the firm's September 8, 1870 stamp sale (numbered 13A by some) and the November 5-6, 1878 Joseph J. Mickley sale now generally accepted as part of the Mason series and numbered 17A. Sales 13, 15, 17A and 34 are hand-priced. 8vo, original printed paper covers (Fewsmith is quarto). Generally very good or better, with an exception or two. Adams 1-34, complete except for Sale 20, plus 13A and 17A. A remarkable collection of catalogues issued by one of the more outspoken dealers of the era. Mason's sale catalogues are challenging to collect. Ebenezer Locke Mason was born in 1826 and became interested in the coin business as early as 1856. After the war, he resumed his numismatic pursuits, publishing the first issue of Mason's Coin and Stamp Collectors' Magazine in April 1867. Mason also began cataloguing auction sales, producing 17 in the period from 1868 to 1872. The financial disaster known as the "Panic of 1873" put him out of business for several years. He conducted two auction sales in 1880, but did not resume regularly scheduled sales until 1886 in Boston. In addition to auction catalogues, he published several periodicals throughout the course of his career, most of which are rare today. Mason's career was uneven, and his publications would occasionally disappear, only to reappear under a different name a few years later. This is real loss to the hobby, as his magazines are both informative and thoroughly entertaining, often rivaling Frossard's Numisma for biting sarcasm and quick wit. Attinelli 50-63. Ex Cardinal Collection Library.
(Estimate: $500)
Mason & Company. NEARLY COMPLETE SET OF THE FIRM'S AUCTION CATALOGUES. Philadelphia, New York & Boston, 1868-1890. Thirty-five catalogues, consisting of Adams 1-34 except for Sale 20, plus the firm's September 8, 1870 stamp sale (numbered 13A by some) and the November 5-6, 1878 Joseph J. Mickley sale now generally accepted as part of the Mason series and numbered 17A. Sales 13, 15, 17A and 34 are hand-priced. 8vo, original printed paper covers (Fewsmith is quarto). Generally very good or better, with an exception or two. Adams 1-34, complete except for Sale 20, plus 13A and 17A. A remarkable collection of catalogues issued by one of the more outspoken dealers of the era. Mason's sale catalogues are challenging to collect. Ebenezer Locke Mason was born in 1826 and became interested in the coin business as early as 1856. After the war, he resumed his numismatic pursuits, publishing the first issue of Mason's Coin and Stamp Collectors' Magazine in April 1867. Mason also began cataloguing auction sales, producing 17 in the period from 1868 to 1872. The financial disaster known as the "Panic of 1873" put him out of business for several years. He conducted two auction sales in 1880, but did not resume regularly scheduled sales until 1886 in Boston. In addition to auction catalogues, he published several periodicals throughout the course of his career, most of which are rare today. Mason's career was uneven, and his publications would occasionally disappear, only to reappear under a different name a few years later. This is real loss to the hobby, as his magazines are both informative and thoroughly entertaining, often rivaling Frossard's Numisma for biting sarcasm and quick wit. Attinelli 50-63. Ex Cardinal Collection Library.
(Estimate: $500)