“There
is in almost every collection of coins, a particular class upon which the
possessor has bestowed more than ordinary pains—some department in which he
takes more than a general interest. It is only by patiently waiting for
opportunities to secure the best out of many such collections that a cabinet
like the one described in this catalogue can be formed: for the quality of its
various elements is undoubtedly up to the highest standard, and every
department appears to have enjoyed the maker’s partial favor.”
—William
H. Strobridge, 1876
We
begin our presentation of this portion of the Twin Leaf Collection with the
offering of four pieces that are seeming outliers in the context of the
collections that follow: two Nova Eborac coppers and two New Jersey coppers.
These coins represent the genesis of the extensive collections that follow,
because the collector began his pursuit of state coppers with a plan to simply
assemble a type set of these coins. Shortly thereafter, primed for a
challenging collecting pursuit by years of assembling one of the greatest
collections of large cents by die variety and die state, he zeroed in on the
Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont coppers. The collection of Vermont
coppers was sold intact some time ago. It was a world class holding, as are the
Massachusetts and Connecticut collections offered in the present sale.
The
offering of Massachusetts coppers that follows is impressive. Of the 11 known
half cent varieties, ten are included here. The only one missing is the extremely
rare 1787 4-D. There are 40 known die combinations of Massachusetts cents. The
Twin Leaf Collection includes 35 of them, including several very rare issues,
several of Condition Census quality and one very famous coin, the
Parmelee-Mills-Jackman specimen of the 1787 Transposed Arrows cent. This is the
highlight of the collection, to be sure. It is not only of superior quality to
most, but it has a perhaps unparalleled history among the known survivors. It
was selected as the plate coin for the landmark references published by
Sylvester S. Crosby in 1875, and Hillyer Ryder in 1920. It hasn’t been sold
publicly since the Allison W. Jackman sale in June 1918.
Like
the Massachusetts coppers, the Twin Leaf Collection of Connecticut coppers is a
landmark offering. In assembling these superb coins, the collector was driven
by one important factor: in his own words — “the joy of collecting
Connecticuts.” The series offers many challenges, the first being the large
number of varieties, requiring the collector to search for a great deal of
material. It is enough to feed a healthy collecting habit for many years.
Further, while the charming intricacies of the various dies might at first seem
overwhelming, as our collector has mentioned on several occasions, most Connecticuts
can be attributed without magnification if the coins are nice enough. And, for
the most part, the Twin Leaf coins are indeed nice enough. As offered in the
pages of this catalog, the Twin Leaf Collection is one of very few to have ever
surpassed the benchmark of including more than 300 different varieties. We have
not had the pleasure of selling a collection of Connecticut coppers with this
degree of completion since the famous George C. Perkins Collection in January
2000. However, we have sold more great collections of Connecticuts than anyone
else over a long period of years. The fabulous holdings of Frederick B. Taylor,
John J. Ford, Jr. and Collection SLT all deserve special mention, and there
have been many other smaller collections over the years as well. The Twin Leaf
Collection will now join these famous names as another extraordinary offering
of this challenging series. The present catalog should serve as a reference for
a new generation of collectors, just as the Taylor, Perkins and Ford catalogs
have.
The
auction crosses the block Friday, March 1 beginning at 4PM EST in Room 341 of
the Baltimore Convention Center.
Download a free copy of the catalog to your computer or mobile device here.
