. . .
. . .
by Wayne Homren, 21 Nov 1994
Well, I'm back from my trip to the Champa sale. It was a lot of fun.
On Wednesday I heard Eric Newman give a talk on Colonial coins and paper money at Dumbarton House in Georgetown, once the home of Joseph Nourse, the Register of the Treasury under the first five Presidents. Afterwards my travelling companion John Burns and I were treated to a whirlwind tour of the mansion. One item on display was Nourse's copy of the first printing of the Articles of Confederation. We went out with Eric and our host for ice cream afterwards.
Prices for many items at the Champa sale seemed very strong, although several of the big-ticket items went below estimate. I don't have my catalog at hand, but I know the biggest item was the Thian confederate note album, which sold for $23,000 ($15,000 estimate) to currency dealer Hugh Shull. The presentation copy of Ormsby's Bank Note Engraving went to dealer Len Glaser for $3,300. Lee Hewitt's personal set of Numismatic Scrapbook went to copper dealer Chris Victor-McCawley. Don Kagin purchased the complete set of hardbound Kagin's catalogs.
Collector Dan Hamelberg was relentless in bidding for the items he'd set his sights on. Often in tight competition with John Adams of Boston, he bought many rare early 19th-century catalogs and addenda. The small-size Chapman catalogs sold well, bringing a little over estimate in total, although individual prices were all over the map.
For my own library I purchased a copy of the recent Anton-Kesse Forgotten Coins of America book with photographic plates ($145--estimate $200), and a rare book by Potter on Rhode Island Currency ($245--estimate $400)). I was glad to hear John Ford tell me afterwards I'd gotten a great bargain; he'd sold a copy of the book for $350 back in 1967. It was an impulse purchase. I saw it on the shelf while viewing lots, and it had a beautiful original binding.
I dined well, joining many old book-collecting friends from around the country. Charlie Davis introduced me to Neal Musante, who showed us his manuscript for a book on the medallic work of J.A. Bolen. It looks like a wonderful book--keep an eye out for it next year.
I picked up some nice numismatic ephemera at the show, including a rare circular announcing the publication of the American Journal of Numismatics in 1866. I also found some J.C. Ayer & Co. receipts for my Encased Postage Collection. The show was very good--lots of dealers as well as collectors. Things were busy even on Friday. I'm looking forward to going back in March for Champa II.
Wayne Homren
. . .