Watch List notes:

Steigerwalt, Chas. AUCTION SALES 1–16. Lancaster, 1881–1883. Steigerwalt's first sixteen catalogues, complete, bound in one volume. 8vo, modern maroon linen, gilt; original printed paper covers bound in. Nine of the sales are hand-priced: Nos. 1–3, 9–12, 14 and 16. A contemporary newspaper clipping about coins is affixed to the rear of Sale 11. Untrimmed. Near fine. A handsome volume with a nice opening run of Steigerwalt catalogues, which make for interesting reading. Steigerwalt's location left him far removed from most of the numismatic activity of 19th-century America. As John W. Adams has written, "That an individual could begin, much less carry on for thirty-three years, a coin dealership in the hamlet of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is pertinent testimony as to the character of the man." Part of his ability to do this lies in his development of what he called the "distribution sale," and which we would now call a mail-bid sale. These made his location less a limiting factor and was probably a key to his success. Adams 1–16 (not including the Adams 2A single-sheet sale or the 2B stamp sale, neither of which Steigerwalt himself included in his numbering). Ex 2019 NBS Fundraising Auction, lot 47; ex Syd Martin Library.