GEORGE FREDERICK KOLBE
FINE NUMISMATIC
BOOKS
Press Release for Ford Library
JOHN J. FORD, JR. LIBRARY SALE NEWS
September 15, 2003
The firm has already started work on the public auction sale of
the John J. Ford, Jr. Library. To be held in association with
Stack’s, this landmark sale will take place on Tuesday, June
1, 2004 at the Mission Inn, Riverside, California, a National
Historical Landmark Hotel: www.missioninn.com. The Mission Inn
is about half way between Crestline (where lot viewing will be
held on the days preceding the sale), and Long Beach (where the
Long Beach Coin Convention will begin the day after the sale).
The Mission Inn is about an hour by car from Los Angeles International
Airport, and about ten minutes from the new Ontario International
Airport. Riverside is a large city (approx. 300,000 residents)
and offers a wide array of lodging and recreational activities.
Periodic reports about the many rare and interesting things that
will be in the sale will appear in the E-sylum, weekly electronic
newsletter of the mismatic Bibliomania Society. Those interested
in subscribing, free of charge, are invited to visit the society’s
web site: www.coinbooks.org. Regular updates will also be posted
on the firm’s web site: www.numislit.com.
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The remarkable American numismatic library formed by John J. Ford, Jr. will be offered for sale by Stacks' and George Frederick Kolbe, starting with a major public auction in Southern California in early June, 2004, and in one or more sales thereafter. The June 2004 sale will feature the most outstanding works in the Ford library, including famous American coin auction catalogues with photographic plates, classic books and periodicals, unique coin inventories, photographic records, etc.
In many respects, the Ford library promises to eclipse the landmark Harry W. Bass, Jr. and Armand Champa library sales. Though perhaps not as complete in some respects, the overall condition of the library is essentially unimprovable, and the importance of the many annotated works in the library and their famous provenances will combine to make the Ford library sales once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. More details will follow when available.
2003 June 1
More info. 2003 September 8 E-sylum...
JOHN J. FORD LIBRARY SALES
George Kolbe writes: "I thought that E-sylum subscribers
might
like an update concerning the first auction sale of the John J.
Ford, Jr. Library. To be held in association with Stack's, the
sale will take place on Tuesday, June 1, 2004 at the Mission
Inn, Riverside, California, a National Historical Landmark
Hotel (www.missioninn.com). The Mission Inn is about half
way between Crestline (where lot viewing will be held on the
days preceding the sale), and Long Beach (where the Long
Beach Coin Convention will begin the day after the sale). The
Mission Inn is about an hour by car from Los Angeles
International Airport, and about ten minutes from the new
Ontario International Airport. Riverside is a large city (approx.
300,000 residents) and offers a wide array of lodging and
recreational activities. I plan to start cataloguing the Ford
library in a few weeks and I will submit a report every week
or two about interesting things that will be in the sale. I
recently came across, for example, the original invoice from
Captain John Haseltine to William H. Woodin for the two
unique $50 gold patterns now held by the Smithsonian
Institution, along with papers relating to the circa 1910
litigation concerning patterns, including an original affidavit
from Haseltine."