So every coin has a story - I recently purchased a Salzburg Taler with a nice original coin price stub provided with it.Paris (of Lodron) (1619-1653) Salzburg Taler
It was NGC Graded and certified XF40 (not encapsulated, only certificate, and therefore has greater tone today), and comes from Henry Chapman promotional sale before WWII with original ticket sale of $1 !
Henry Chapman, a prominent Numismatist from Philadelphia at the time, was born on October 18, 1859 and died on January 4, 1935. He and his wife Helen had a son and three daughters. He conducted 51 auction sales from 1907 through the end of his career. His business was continued by his wife, and his long time employee Ella B. Wright who operated the business until 1948. I found more mentions related to Mr. Chapman - a great depression era letter he sent to a buyer regarding a collection he has run across:
... a 1910 article -
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstra...9C946196D6CF as well as a specific mention regarding the 1921 proof
Morgan dollars which were struck at his request - Proof coins of this date are different from those of earlier dates. Two proof versions of the 1921
Morgan silver dollar were struck especially at his request given a relationship he had with Mr. Morgan. The first version was struck for noted numismatist, Farran Zerbe and this proof became known as the "Zerbe" proof. The exact mintage is not exactly known but the figures in the past have ranged from a low of 20 to a high of 200. PCGS has certified 78 "Zerbe" coins.
The second version is named after
Philadelphia coin dealer, Henry Chapman, and goes by the name of the "Chapman" proof. His name appears on an invoice which shows the sale of 10 silver dollars. For years many thought the mintage was limited to only those ten coins, but it was discovered that additional "Chapman" proofs were produced.
Posted 12/01/2008 10:32 pm
