Books and documents related to early U.S. large cents was especially coveted by bidders at the Dec. 5 mail-bid auction of numismatic literature and ephemera from Charles Davis.

The 128-lot sale saw total bids of $77,460 with a 15 percent buyer’s fee bringing the total price realized to $89,079.

Davis said after the successful traditional mail-bid sale, “I appreciate the interest shown in our sale, and especially the few complaints about it being an old fashioned mail bid sale rather than being hosted on the Internet,” adding the comments of one long-time collector who said, “It was like old times.”

The top lot was Howard R. Newcomb’s personal copy of The United States Cents of the Years 1801–1802–1803, published in Detroit in 1925, annotated throughout in the author’s hand with five tissue-interleaved full page photographic plates, four supplemental photographic plates and numerous notes and rubbings laid-in. The lots included letters between Newcomb and his contemporary George Clapp, leading Davis to comment, “The notes enclosed here and the Clapp letters offered separately show the incredible bond, the study of early cents, that held these two men together.”

For example, a short Jan. 26, 1928, note from Clapp described how small and large letter A punches were retired at the Philadelphia Mint and later revived through the end of the series in 1807. Clapp told Newcomb, “If you don’t say anything about it, I won’t.” The lot realized $11,500.

Another lot that provided information on the close relationship between Clapp and Newcomb was Newcomb’s copy of Clapp’s 1931 64-page book The United States Cents of the Years 1798–1799, annotated by Newcomb. It was number 5 of an edition of 126 bound in cloth, and laid in the book was a telegram from Clapp that stated, “YOUR GENEROUS PRAISE OF THE BOOK GREATLY APPRECIATED AM GLAD TO LEARN IT REACHED YOU THIS YEAR AS DELAY WAS VERY ANNOYING WHAT WILL WE TAKE UP NEXT WITH BEST WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR TO YOU AND YOURS AND MAY YOU FIND ALL THE MISSING ANDREWS GEORGE H CLAPP.”

Davis explained that Clapp’s publication was driven by an interest in the subject rather than financial gain, writing, “One of the founders of Alcoa, Clapp could afford to spare no expense in production. The publisher’s paid bill alone indicates a unit cost near $10.00 (during the depression!), and the book, distributed by James Macallister, was sold postpaid for only $7.00.” The lot sold for $2,587.50, well above the estimate of $1,000.

A single matte photograph depicting 35 1793 large cents of the Flowing Hair Chain and Wreath reverses and Liberty Cap varieties measuring 11 by 8½ inches depicts the 1793 cents in Clapp’s collection in 1943. Each coin is shown in its original box with the attribution, and is captioned at the bottom of the plate by Clapp’s hand in blue ink. The image provides a photographic record of the stunning coins given to the American Numismatic Society in 1937, before many of the coins were switched with lesser examples by large cent specialist (and author of Penny Whimsy) William Herbert Sheldon. It sold for $920, providing further evidence of continued demand for documents pertaining to research related to early American copper coinage.

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