Kolbe & Fanning
Auction 164 27 Aug 2022
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Groundbreaking Bushnell Sale with Plates
Chapman, S.H. & H. CATALOGUE OF THE CELEBRATED AND VALUABLE COLLECTION OF AMERICAN COINS AND MEDALS OF THE LATE CHARLES I. BUSHNELL, ESQ. OF NEW YORK. New York: Bangs, June 20-24, 1882. 4to, later white calf-backed gilt-lettered boards, in style of original. 142, (2), 10, (2) pages; 3000 lots; 12 original phototype plates with acid-free guards; Supplement and original printed prices realized list bound in. Slightly, but unobtrusively, trimmed. Covers a bit rubbed, with virtually pristine contents. Near fine. Adams 9, with plates. One of the landmarks of American numismatic literature. The Bushnell collection was the stuff of fables, being well-known, yet little seen. After Bushnell's death in 1880, a number of prominent dealers attempted to obtain the collection, but it was the Chapman brothers who, to the surprise of many, made off with the prize. Of the five hundred copies of the Bushnell catalogue printed, one hundred were supposedly issued with plates. Judging from their frequency of appearance on the market, it is probable that fewer were actually distributed. Five of the plates depict colonials, along with early patterns; three illustrate medals; one depicts Washington pieces; one illustrates rare United States gold and silver coins; and two depict cents and half cents. The Bushnell sale was the first large format auction catalogue issued by the Chapmans with plates. It established the brothers as the dominant force in American numismatics, a position they were to occupy both collectively and independently for the following half century. Unmercifully criticized at the time for various typographical and factual errors, passions soon cooled and a landmark catalogue remained. The brothers had set a new standard: oversize format, thick paper, new type, gilt letters, photographically produced plates and detailed if sometimes controversial descriptions. All were welcome innovations and the furor raised at the time has secured the Bushnell sale catalogue a greater fame. Even today it remains a landmark in American numismatics, remarkable for its rare and unique colonial coins, Washingtonia, and historical American medals and tokens. In these areas, its value in terms of research and pedigree information is unsurpassed. Rated A+ overall by Adams (A in large cents, colonials, medals, tokens, patterns, Washingtonia and comments). Davis 180. Ex Charles Davis's sale of December 1, 2012, lot 167; ex Cardinal Collection Library.
(Estimate: $1500)
Chapman, S.H. & H. CATALOGUE OF THE CELEBRATED AND VALUABLE COLLECTION OF AMERICAN COINS AND MEDALS OF THE LATE CHARLES I. BUSHNELL, ESQ. OF NEW YORK. New York: Bangs, June 20-24, 1882. 4to, later white calf-backed gilt-lettered boards, in style of original. 142, (2), 10, (2) pages; 3000 lots; 12 original phototype plates with acid-free guards; Supplement and original printed prices realized list bound in. Slightly, but unobtrusively, trimmed. Covers a bit rubbed, with virtually pristine contents. Near fine. Adams 9, with plates. One of the landmarks of American numismatic literature. The Bushnell collection was the stuff of fables, being well-known, yet little seen. After Bushnell's death in 1880, a number of prominent dealers attempted to obtain the collection, but it was the Chapman brothers who, to the surprise of many, made off with the prize. Of the five hundred copies of the Bushnell catalogue printed, one hundred were supposedly issued with plates. Judging from their frequency of appearance on the market, it is probable that fewer were actually distributed. Five of the plates depict colonials, along with early patterns; three illustrate medals; one depicts Washington pieces; one illustrates rare United States gold and silver coins; and two depict cents and half cents. The Bushnell sale was the first large format auction catalogue issued by the Chapmans with plates. It established the brothers as the dominant force in American numismatics, a position they were to occupy both collectively and independently for the following half century. Unmercifully criticized at the time for various typographical and factual errors, passions soon cooled and a landmark catalogue remained. The brothers had set a new standard: oversize format, thick paper, new type, gilt letters, photographically produced plates and detailed if sometimes controversial descriptions. All were welcome innovations and the furor raised at the time has secured the Bushnell sale catalogue a greater fame. Even today it remains a landmark in American numismatics, remarkable for its rare and unique colonial coins, Washingtonia, and historical American medals and tokens. In these areas, its value in terms of research and pedigree information is unsurpassed. Rated A+ overall by Adams (A in large cents, colonials, medals, tokens, patterns, Washingtonia and comments). Davis 180. Ex Charles Davis's sale of December 1, 2012, lot 167; ex Cardinal Collection Library.
(Estimate: $1500)