Posted 07/19/2005 4:39 pm
His NYT obit:
July 17, 2005
John J. Ford Jr., 81, Dies; Coin Dealer and Collector
By DOUGLAS MARTIN
John J. Ford Jr., a coin dealer and collector known for catalogs that brought new clarity to numismatics and whose collections, including the earliest American coins and prized Confederate pennies, have dazzled recent auctiongoers, died on July 7 at a nursing home in Scottsdale, Ariz. He was 81.
Susan Dobbins, his daughter, confirmed the death.
The scale and completeness of Mr. Ford's collecting have emerged as 11 of as many as 20 auctions have been held to sell off his esoteric collections, which included the notes of Massachusetts issued in 1690, the oldest coins issued by the Continental Congress and African chiefs' medals.
Michael Hodder, a numismatic consultant, said bidders had already spent $35 million on the Ford collections, and the final total may rival the three auctions of the collection of Louis E. Eliasburg Sr., who assembled every known American coin. These exceeded $55 million.
Francis D. Campbell, the librarian of the American Numismatic Society, said the sales have expanded appreciation of Mr. Ford.
"It's going to settle in that he was more important than we thought he was," he said.
Mr. Ford's impact on the field has been better known in the small circle of its professionals, particularly his catalogs for the New Netherlands Coin Company, which he partly owned. His meticulous descriptions of grades, colors and other qualities were unprecedented, wrote Harvey R. Stack, owner of Stack's, which is auctioning Mr. Ford's collections.
Not only did the catalogs enable people to bid with more confidence, but they also represented some of the highest numismatic scholarship in the United States, Mr. Hodder said. He explained that American numismatists are largely restricted to commercial publications, unlike the approach in Europe, where numismatics museums and university courses are common. In an introduction to a catalog, Q. David Bowers, a well-known numismatist, called Mr. Ford one of the "most influential figures in American numismatics."
He was most prominent in the 1950's and 1960's, when coin-collecting, once known as "the hobby of kings" greatly broadened its appeal in a booming postwar economy. It trails only stamp-collecting in participants, but leads in money spent.
Mr. Ford's career had controversy. He reversed the industry's practice of overrating coins up for auction. He designated coins "very fine" that others might rate "extremely fine." It packed the room, he said.
Mr. Ford was involved in one of the longest-running, vitriolic disputes in the history of American numismatics. Some prominent experts charged that he was part of a scheme to sell fake gold and silver bars, falsely claiming they came from the American West.
Mr. Ford, backed by other authorities, categorically denied any fraud. But, when not on the subject of the accusations, he could not help philosophizing.
"Ever since the first coin was sold to anybody, somebody has lied about it," he said in an interview with the magazine of Heritage Galleries and Auctioneers.
John Jay Ford Jr. was born on March 5, 1924, in Hollywood, where his father liked to socialize with movie people. The elder Mr. Ford, a scientist and inventor, lost all his money in business failures and retreated to Queens. He borrowed haircut money from his teenage son.
The son, already a stamp collector, bought his first old currency from a shop on Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn. He paid 15 cents for a Confederate bill that years later fetched $200.
He quit his paper route, and got a job as a delivery boy for Stack's. By the time he was drafted into the Army, he had a thriving business making his own numismatic deals as he went about his errands.
He was regarded as a wonder, having virtually memorized "United States Pattern, Trial and Experimental Pieces" by Edgar H. Adams and William H. Woodin, then a standard numismatic resource. Mr. Hodder likened this to memorizing all of a day's baseball box scores, only more complicated.
After serving as an Army cryptographer, Mr. Ford did other kinds of work, before finding his way back to coin shops. He soon joined Charles Wormser at New Netherlands, becoming a partner in two years.
Mr. Ford discovered and cultivated Walter Breen, often heralded as the genius of numismatics. Mr. Breen, who went on to write what became an industry bible, teamed up with Mr. Ford to write New Netherlands' famous catalogs.
Wayte Raymond, one of America's legendary numismatists, hired Mr. Ford to help him with in-depth research at the National Archives. Mr. Ford also worked closely with F. C. C. Boyd, long a commanding personality in the coin field. He handled both men's estates, giving him a first chance at great treasures.
Mr. Ford is survived by his wife, Joan; his daughters Susan Dobbins of Scottsdale, Leslie Sanderson of Prescott, Ariz., and Kimberly Moon of Haddonfield, N.J., eight grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.
He is remembered for the no-nonsense bomb shelter full of valuable coins and currencies in the basement of the Long Island home where he long lived, not to mention his Cuban cigars. His stories, like the one about taking a $67,000 check written on toilet paper from a tipsy oilman are still savored: it was the only paper in the hotel room.
Mr. Ford's enthusiasm for collecting and trading spilled into such varied fields as the medals presidents gave Indian chiefs, the badges slaves wore when they were rented out for day work, Civil War revolvers and an ashtray owned by Hitler.
At dinner, his trading often continued, as he offered, say, two radishes for three olives.
July 17, 2005
John J. Ford Jr., 81, Dies; Coin Dealer and Collector
By DOUGLAS MARTIN
John J. Ford Jr., a coin dealer and collector known for catalogs that brought new clarity to numismatics and whose collections, including the earliest American coins and prized Confederate pennies, have dazzled recent auctiongoers, died on July 7 at a nursing home in Scottsdale, Ariz. He was 81.
Susan Dobbins, his daughter, confirmed the death.
The scale and completeness of Mr. Ford's collecting have emerged as 11 of as many as 20 auctions have been held to sell off his esoteric collections, which included the notes of Massachusetts issued in 1690, the oldest coins issued by the Continental Congress and African chiefs' medals.
Michael Hodder, a numismatic consultant, said bidders had already spent $35 million on the Ford collections, and the final total may rival the three auctions of the collection of Louis E. Eliasburg Sr., who assembled every known American coin. These exceeded $55 million.
Francis D. Campbell, the librarian of the American Numismatic Society, said the sales have expanded appreciation of Mr. Ford.
"It's going to settle in that he was more important than we thought he was," he said.
Mr. Ford's impact on the field has been better known in the small circle of its professionals, particularly his catalogs for the New Netherlands Coin Company, which he partly owned. His meticulous descriptions of grades, colors and other qualities were unprecedented, wrote Harvey R. Stack, owner of Stack's, which is auctioning Mr. Ford's collections.
Not only did the catalogs enable people to bid with more confidence, but they also represented some of the highest numismatic scholarship in the United States, Mr. Hodder said. He explained that American numismatists are largely restricted to commercial publications, unlike the approach in Europe, where numismatics museums and university courses are common. In an introduction to a catalog, Q. David Bowers, a well-known numismatist, called Mr. Ford one of the "most influential figures in American numismatics."
He was most prominent in the 1950's and 1960's, when coin-collecting, once known as "the hobby of kings" greatly broadened its appeal in a booming postwar economy. It trails only stamp-collecting in participants, but leads in money spent.
Mr. Ford's career had controversy. He reversed the industry's practice of overrating coins up for auction. He designated coins "very fine" that others might rate "extremely fine." It packed the room, he said.
Mr. Ford was involved in one of the longest-running, vitriolic disputes in the history of American numismatics. Some prominent experts charged that he was part of a scheme to sell fake gold and silver bars, falsely claiming they came from the American West.
Mr. Ford, backed by other authorities, categorically denied any fraud. But, when not on the subject of the accusations, he could not help philosophizing.
"Ever since the first coin was sold to anybody, somebody has lied about it," he said in an interview with the magazine of Heritage Galleries and Auctioneers.
John Jay Ford Jr. was born on March 5, 1924, in Hollywood, where his father liked to socialize with movie people. The elder Mr. Ford, a scientist and inventor, lost all his money in business failures and retreated to Queens. He borrowed haircut money from his teenage son.
The son, already a stamp collector, bought his first old currency from a shop on Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn. He paid 15 cents for a Confederate bill that years later fetched $200.
He quit his paper route, and got a job as a delivery boy for Stack's. By the time he was drafted into the Army, he had a thriving business making his own numismatic deals as he went about his errands.
He was regarded as a wonder, having virtually memorized "United States Pattern, Trial and Experimental Pieces" by Edgar H. Adams and William H. Woodin, then a standard numismatic resource. Mr. Hodder likened this to memorizing all of a day's baseball box scores, only more complicated.
After serving as an Army cryptographer, Mr. Ford did other kinds of work, before finding his way back to coin shops. He soon joined Charles Wormser at New Netherlands, becoming a partner in two years.
Mr. Ford discovered and cultivated Walter Breen, often heralded as the genius of numismatics. Mr. Breen, who went on to write what became an industry bible, teamed up with Mr. Ford to write New Netherlands' famous catalogs.
Wayte Raymond, one of America's legendary numismatists, hired Mr. Ford to help him with in-depth research at the National Archives. Mr. Ford also worked closely with F. C. C. Boyd, long a commanding personality in the coin field. He handled both men's estates, giving him a first chance at great treasures.
Mr. Ford is survived by his wife, Joan; his daughters Susan Dobbins of Scottsdale, Leslie Sanderson of Prescott, Ariz., and Kimberly Moon of Haddonfield, N.J., eight grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.
He is remembered for the no-nonsense bomb shelter full of valuable coins and currencies in the basement of the Long Island home where he long lived, not to mention his Cuban cigars. His stories, like the one about taking a $67,000 check written on toilet paper from a tipsy oilman are still savored: it was the only paper in the hotel room.
Mr. Ford's enthusiasm for collecting and trading spilled into such varied fields as the medals presidents gave Indian chiefs, the badges slaves wore when they were rented out for day work, Civil War revolvers and an ashtray owned by Hitler.
At dinner, his trading often continued, as he offered, say, two radishes for three olives.
