I
hope it's okay to discuss this sale here, now that it has completed, and the topic is
provenance research...
More comments at the end, but here's a list of about a dozen important “lost provenances” (old
collections, publications,
hoards) that were NOT mentioned in yesterday’s sale of Salton
Collection Greek coins (Stack’s, NYINC). (And one important correction.)
They include:
Pozzi Collection, C.S.
Bement, Photiades Pascha, Hermann
Weber, the
Lockett Collection, the Selinutre
Hoard 1888, and associated publications.
Note: I only researched this handful, mostly from among the cheapest lots, so if you bought any yesterday, it’s safe to say there are many, many more to find.
Stack's Bowers January 2023 NYINC Auction, Session I, Salton Collection (16 Jan 2023)26063. Selinus Didrachm. Described: “Weber-1527 (this coin illustrated)”.
Also:
Weber Collection, acquired “Castel Vetrano 1889.” No doubt this refers to
IGCH 2059, Selinutre
Hoard (1888)
[LINK];
26079. Philip II Tetrobol. Described: “
SNG Lockett-1418 (this coin).”
Also:
Lockett Collection, Glendining (1958)
Part VI, 1330 (
part, not ill.). Previously C.S.
Bement Collection, Naville Ars Classica VI (28 Jan 1924), Lot 703.
Notes: Given the hammer, I suspect I’m not the only one to notice the
Bement prov. After, the bid caller concluded: "You make my job fun!"
26083 &
26084. Alexander III Drachms. Described: “
SNG Lockett….(this coin)” but not “
Lockett Collection” (26086 did, though). (The Glendining sale is available on Archive.org
[LINK] -- though I used my copy purchased from
FORVM for this research!)
Notes: There were actually many more
Alexander type drachms ex-Lockett, most of which
Lockett had previously acq. from Baldwin’s according to
his purchase records
[LINK].
For the following eight Alexander III Drachms, no provenance or hint of publication was given at all:26085. Alexander III Drachm. Also:
SNG Lockett 1481,
Lockett Collection, sold in Glendining
Part VI, 1958.
26095. Alexander III Drachm. Also:
SNG Lockett 1495,
Lockett Collection, sold in Glendining
Part VI, 1958. Acquired by
Lockett from Baldwin’s.
26097. Alexander III Drachm. Also:
SNG Lockett 1501,
Lockett Collection, sold in
Glendining Lockett VI (Greek II, 12 February 1958), Lot 1378 (
part, not ill.). Acq. by
Lockett from Baldwin’s.
Notes: Soon to be CJJ
Collection.
26099. Alexander III Drachm. Also:
SNG Lockett 1483,
Lockett Collection, sold in Glendining
Part VI, 1958.
26101. Alexander III Drachm. Also:
SNG Lockett 1503,
Lockett Collection, sold in Glendining
Part VI, 1958.
26105. Alexander III Drachm. Also:
SNG Lockett 1487,
Lockett Collection, sold in Glendining
Part VI, 1958.
26106. Alexander III Drachm. Also:
SNG Lockett 1486,
Lockett Collection, sold in Glendining
Part VI, 1958.
26107. Alexander III Drachm. Also:
SNG Lockett 1504,
Lockett Collection, sold in Glendining
Part VI, 1958.
26128. Larissa Obol. Described: “
SNG Lockett-1555 (this coin illustrated). Ex: Ars Classica XIII (1928), Lot # 697.”
Also:
Lockett Collection (Glendining
Part VI [1958], Lot 1419 [illustrated]), ex Hermann
Weber Collection,
Weber 2827 (this coin), Ex Photiades Pacha (
Hoffmann, 19 May 1890), lot 85.
Notes: It’s probably possible to determine which of the Naville XIII
collections this was: Allatini - Bloch – Churchill.
Again the high hammer makes me optimistic that someone else noticed all the extra prov.
26157. Boeotia Stater. Hammer: $14,000
Described: “Weber-1568 (this coin)…. Ex:
Weber Collection.”
Notes: I don’t think that’s correct. I couldn’t find this coin in the
Weber Collection. I checked a couple other
collections to see if the 1568 reference was to another, but couldn’t
work it out.
26233: Megalopolis Bronze.Also: Ex
Pozzi Collection (not in the 1921 Ars Classica sale), illustrated in
Boutin, No. 4349.
Notes: I really wanted this one, but couldn’t stay in the bidding, even though it was a
good price for the
type. It’s hard to see it from the plaster
cast photographed (something I’ve noticed with my other ex-Pozzi’s), but I’m certain this is the same coin. It raises some issues for prov. research caused by slabbing: (1) many of the coins in this sale
had NO
WEIGHT given (!), (2) it's very difficult to compare the edges, which is where you find the defects that
help confirm/disconfirm a specimen's identity. (I'm also really hoping Stack's didn't throw away the Saltons' envelopes; I received several from Kuenker -- but they didn't slab the
Romans.)
26234: Tegea Hemidrachm.Also:
Williams 84c (this coin cited); Roderick
Williams (1965)
The Confederate Coinage of the Arcadians in the Fifth Century B.C.Notes: Notes: Soon to be CJJ
Collection.
COMMENTS/BACKGROUND:This was the second portion of
Greek coins from the highly important Salton
Collection (Mark Salton-Schlessinger [1914-2005] & Lottie Salton [1924-2020]). Last year’s NYINC was the first (best) portion of Greek. Additionally, Stack’s, Künker, and Kolbe & Fanning have held
Roman, World, and
library sales.
For
history on this importatnt
collection: Ursula
Kampmann’s volume, The Origins of the
German Coin Trade…
[LINK]; or excerpt in The E-Sylum
[LINK] or CoinsWeekly announcement + links
[LINK].
The coins from the Salton
Collection have such extensive
collection and publication histories that the catalogers can’t be expected to track them all down. I bet all the other hounds of
provenance research were also searching for an edge, so hopefully the collectors or dealers who acquired the coins individually will find them. I hate to see an important
provenance stay lost (or incorrect ones perpetuated).
Once again, I only looked at a fraction of lots, focusing on the cheaper bronzes and silver fractions. There’s much more to find.