Did you know A. J.
Vanderbilt starting buying coins from Stack’s Rare Coins in New York City in
1936, at the age of 15? We are proud to
present the A.J. Vanderbilt Collection of U.S. Coins and Currency at our
upcoming official auction of the Whitman Coin and Collectibles Spring
Expo. Click here to learn more about
A.J. Vanderbilt:
About
the A.J. Vanderbilt Collection
In 1926, an emergency
appendectomy put a curious, intelligent 5-year-old boy in bed for an extended
period of time. His concerned mother wanted to find a way to keep him still so
that he could heal from surgery. She had come up with a few ideas, but the one
that he seemed to enjoy the most was sorting through a large bag of pennies she
had brought home from the bank. He would sit for hours, looking at them with a
magnifying glass and categorizing them by date, mint and condition. The seed
was planted, and a coin collector was born.
In 1936, at the age of
15, he started buying and selling through Stack’s Rare Coins in New York City.
He was their youngest client and worked with them until his death at age 96.
He traveled the United
States and visited many banks to find the newest and best coins he could. After
joining the Navy and serving in the Pacific during World War II, he started a
collection of foreign coins, but only from places he had visited.
After World War II ended
and he received his PhD, the collector went to work for the government in
Washington, DC. His job required a fair amount of travel, giving him the
opportunity to add to his foreign collection. He was also in much closer
proximity to New York and Stack’s. With the help of the Stack’s brothers, his
collection grew into what is one of the finest in the country.
For his family, it was
fun to see his face when a box from Stack’s arrived at the house. He would
first examine the box to check the seal. Then his pocketknife came out and he
precisely sliced the tape. The lid was raised with reverence; he would almost
be holding his breath. And, there in that little brown box was a small envelope
with a plastic bag inside holding a beautiful coin. His eyes would light up as
he removed the coin, holding it only by the rim. Out came the magnifying glass
to check for any scratches or marks. He was truly like a kid in a candy shop.
After he looked it over, my mother and I would be called into the room to see
the new addition to his collection. After much oohing and aahing, he would
place the coin back into the little plastic bag and set it on his desk so he
could look at it again later.
There is something almost
magical about these coins, not only their physical beauty but also wondering
where they had been, who had held them in the past and where they might have
traveled. The man who collected them truly cared for his coins, not just their
value, but their history as well.
The family this collector
left behind hopes those who purchase his coins and paper money will find them
just as beautiful and interesting as he did, and that they will make new
history with them.
