Evening star., 1937-08-24
COIN COLLECTORS
BUY At AUCTION
Early American Issues Sell
Readily Up to 81 and
$8.25.

They were selling money ut the
Washington Hotel last night and get
ting IS and 81 for each dollar, but 1t
was no come-on game.
It was an auction sale put on for
the visiting numismatists (coin col
lectors to you, perhaps.
And you couldn't fool these dele
gates to the American Numismatic
Association. They knew what they
were buying.
Charles Kohen, the auctioneer,
offered some small bronze Roman
coins. The group in the roof garden
auditorium didn't think much of these.
They went for Is cents each.
And the grandeur that was Rome"
Neither was there much enthusiasm
when Kohen held up British New
Guinea 1-penny piece bearing the
likeness Of King Edward VIII. Re-
member, the one that abdicated?
This coin brought as cents.
Other Edwards" Fare Better.
Another uncirculated Edward VII
penny and halt penny. issued for
British West Africa, brought IS cents
each. That was something. A silver
medal struck of for the present Duke
Of Windsor did fetch g. But An
oficial coronation medal for his sue
cessor, George VI, brought S225.
The collection of Colonial and
early American silver dollars stirred
uvelier bidding.
An issue Of l795, with flowing hair
and three leaves below the wing"
labeled very fine" sold for $3.50
For large eagle" dollar, coined in
l79s, the bidding started at 81 and
reached $8.75. BY the time the
auctioneer got to coins Of 1912, the bids
had languished and = sale of $2.l0
was recorded.
The first half dollar, however, Vim
tAge Of l795, went for IS.
Odd Bids to Inexperts.
And 80 on It was al mystery to
the uninitiated-the value Of the
various offers. You might have
thought, for instance, that some
yellowed metal minted for the En-
peror Constantine was worth more
than some commemorative 3-mark
pieces put out by modern Germany,
but you'd have been In error.
In the downstairs exhibit room
another crowd haunted the more val
liable and rarer cases of coins and
currency and other curios which were
not for sale. These included a SAM
pie OF every coin ever issued by the
United States, greenbacks and yel-
bwbacks put out by banks gone and
forgotten and a few odds and ends,
such as Brigham Young's gold snuff
box.
With policeman in close attend
ance there was caseful Of con-
temporary currency, by courtesy of
tho Treasury. And these notes
ranged In denomination from 81 TO-
yes, $l00,00o! There were $4,000
bills and $4,000 bills.
Dead Weight" Money.
Well, II you did grab one Of these
big ones" the cop remarked, 'it
wouldn't be very safe to try to pass it."
Delegates to the Numismatic Asso-
citation were scheduled today to visit
the Smithsonian Institution and the
Bureau of Printing and Engraving.
The Smithsonian trip was to be
made IN the afternoon, with Theodore
T. Belote, curator Of the institution,
showing the delegates through. To-
night, at the Bureau Of Engraving
and Printing, Alvin w. Hall, director,
will be the guide.
Business sessions will continue to-
morrow and in the evening the asso-
cations annual banquet will be
staged. Guests Of honor will be Mrs.
Nellie Tayloe Ross, director of the
mint; Hall and 9elote Thomas H.
Chapman will be toastmaster.
The convention Is due to close
Thursday, when, after a final busi-
ness meeting, the 200 delegates, here
from all sections Of the country, will
depart for their homes.