The E-Sylum:  Volume 9, Number 33, August 13, 2006, Article 20

DISPOSITION OF THE HARRY X BOOSEL COLLECTION OF 1873 COINAGE

Tom DeLorey writes: "Harry's coins were sold at auction long before
he died. I advised Tillie as to what of his exonumia to consign to
Joe Levine for auction, and purchased the rest outright. I still have
some of it in my exonumia box."

Bill Burd writes: "Harry's work on the 1873 coinage was published in
a series of articles in the Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine from March
1957 through December 1958.  In 1960 he published a revised limited
edition of 500 copies in a booklet form titled "1873-1873".  I have
number 500 with a special hardbound cover and autographed.

In 1972 Harry sold much of his collection in auction.  Roy Harte had
an interest in 1873 and purchased many of the coins.  In November 1977
Harte sold many of his 1873 dated foreign coins in a Bowers & Ruddy
Auction and Harry purchased many of them.  His paddle number at the
auction was "73". (I have it in my library along with his notated
catalog).

Harte had another auction in 1983 and Harry purchased the Morgan &
Orr Medal and donated it the ANA.  They were the manufacturer of the
San Francisco coin press that was on display at the ANA at the time.
I also have Harry's Florida license plate. It is "HXB-1873"."

Karl Moulton writes: "Harry X Boosel's entire collection was sold in
the April 28, 1972 Central States sale by Rarcoa.  The U.S. coins were
sold in lots 577-778; The foreign portion goes all the way to Lot 964.
There's even a short bio and picture on the inside cover."  Mark
Borckardt and Julian Leidman also knew of this sale.

Fred Reed writes: "My numismatic date database of nearly 15,000
significant numismatic events that I use to write my weekly Coin
World column "The Week That Was" has these references to Harry:

Aug. 17, 1912:  Mr. 1873 collector Harry X Boosel born
May 1   1937: Numismatic Scrapbook correspondent Harry X Boosel
           reports 69 commem coin bills pending
Sept. 18 1968: Lester Merkin sells Harry X Boosel's
              first "1873" collection
Apr. 28 1972: RARCOA sells Harry X Boosel's
              second "1873" collection

I, like Tom DeLorey, had run-ins with Harry's middle initial at
Coin World in the 1970s. I don't have his death date, but if an
E-Sylum reader knows it, I'd be obliged to enter that too. My
contact point is freed3@airmail.net."

Dave Perkins writes: "In the Lester Merkin Public Auction Sale -
September 18, 1968 catalog, Lots 96-117 were "SELECTIONS FROM THE
HARRY X BOOSEL SPECIALIZED 1873 COLLECTION."  The introductory page
to this sale noted "BOOSEL's 1873 COINS" under the general sale title
"EXTRAORDINARY UNITED STATES COINS."  This was quite an auction sale
overall, and is one of my favorite sale catalogs.  The cataloger wrote
the following which preceded Lot 96:  "The following are all dated 1873.
All remarks in quotation marks are supplied by Harry X Boosel and
should be accorded the attention and respect they merit as coming
from a bonafide expert.  Many of these coins are of great rarity."

Given it was termed "Selections from." I would venture to say these
were duplicates from his collection.  Only four or so of the lots
here were plate coins from his book.

I met "Mr. 1873" once briefly in 1983 or '84 (?) at the Central States
Convention show in Minneapolis.  John McCloskey (President of the
Liberty Seated Collector's Club) asked me if I wanted to meet "Mr.
1873" and of course I said sure!

[Based on these facts, it seems to me that Dave Perkins has probably
best summarized the disposition of Boosel's collection - duplicates
sold in 1968 with the main collection sold in 1972.  This could be
confirmed if most of the plate coins in Boosel's book could be traced
to the 1972 sale.

Cataloging style and certainly the entire coin market have changed
quite a bit in the 35 years or so since Boosel's collection was sold.
It would be interesting to see how the collections would be presented
for sale today, and what the total hammer price might be. -Editor]

Roger deWardt Lane of Hollywood, Florida writes: "Back in the eighties,
as a member of the Gold Coast Coin Club, I spent several meeting nights
talking to Harry X Boosel.  He lived in the Chicago area and was a member
of the Chicago Coin Club.  At that time Harry X and his wife spent the
winters in Ft.Lauderdale.  When in town he would visit our meetings. He
was known as Mr. 1873.

In 1983 the Diplomat Resort on Hollywood Beach hosted the AINA American
Israel Numismatic Association, national convention.  We had the convention
at the hotel more than one year, but this one stands out as I set up an
exhibit of my Modern Dime Size Silver Coins of The World.  I won the
"Best of Show" award which was a fancy clock with a AINA medal and name
plate on it.  I just checked it to see the date of the convention.

Harry came to me, after he said he spent a lot of time looking at the
hundreds of "world dimes" in my exhibit, and said "you do not have a
single '1873' coin in it".  He told me he would send me one when he
got back to Chicago.  This he did and I have a 1873 Russian 10 Kopec
as part of my date collection with the provenance of Harry X Boosel.

I talked again with Harry X at another local meeting, probably at a
later year.  If I remember correctly, he told me he had disposed of
his collection, but had a double headed U.S. dime, not 1873 but a more
current year silver dime, which he sold to me at this meeting as an
odd item.

I think members of the Chicano Coin Club could tell our readers more
about Harry.  He was a great guy and always had a story to tell."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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