NNP

Brand, Virgil - ANS Archives

A Chicago beer magnate, Brand formed a massive collection in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Brand inventoried the collection in a set of 32 ledgers now in the library of the American Numismatic Society. The ANS catalog record (as of 3/2017) is at http://numismatics.org/archives/ark:/53695/nnan0034.

Note: the main ledger is listed under 1925. Place ledgers are listed under 1920, extra ledgers under 1925, and Chicago Coin Company ledgers under 1910. The secondary ledgers are listed under the latest year covered in each volume. The ring binder series and "other loose materials" described in the ANS catalog records are listed under 1940. The NiJ series is listed under 1906.

Researcher Saul Teichman created a series of finding aids for the Brand ledgers, which are listed under the year 2017 and 2019. These cover collection highlights in the area of Carson City coinage, colonials, early U.S. gold, medals, patterns, proof gold, and territorial coinage.  These indexes are not comprehensive but include several thousand of the most important pieces detailed in the ledgers. Note, the finding aids make reference to "journal numbers," these are the inventory numbers that can be used to cross-reference back into the ledgers.

The second column ("Inv. No") in the ledgers is used to denote the lot number in cases where the item was purchased at auction.

Select a year

1906

Numbers not in V.M.B.'s journals (NiJ) Ledgers: NiJ - Various U.S.A. [ANS Virgil Brand papers]

[22 cubic feet (5 boxes and approximately 150 loose items),Materials directly from Virgil M. Brand include his accession and inventory books (32 bound volumes), a printed version of a paper he wrote, “The Objects of Coin Collecting” (1905), two letters to his brother Armin W. Brand along with a reply (1909), a small notebook with coin notations dating from 1907 to 1926, and Chicago Coin Company records. There are also records pertaining to his estate, including correspondence, financial records, legal documents, and an inventory of his library (1926-1937). Materials from after Virgil’s death include Armin W. Brand’s correspondence (1906-1910, bulk 1926-1946), much of it with his brother, Horace L. Brand, on topics such as coin sales, the sale of Brand Company Brewery, and real estate transactions. Along with the correspondence are notes, memoranda, and legal and financial materials. A good deal of correspondence has to do with a court case involving Lake Shore Country Club (1906-1910, 1927-1936). Also present are correspondence and financial records relating to the estate of Armin W. Brand (1946-1950), as well as correspondence and inventories relating to coins and other matters (1948-1967) from Armin Brand’s daughter, Jane Brand Allen. Also includes records pertaining to the estate of Mrs. Leon Harlan Walkins (Bertha Grommes), Jane’s aunt. There are also coin inventories and appraisals (1930s-1950s), auction catalogs from the sale of Brand coins (1983-1990), slides and photographs of Brand coins (late 1900s), rubber stamps used by Virgil M. Brand, and photocopies of Virgil M. Brand’s accession books,Virgil M. Brand papers, 1889-1990. Archives, American Numismatic Society,Coin collector Virgil M. Brand (1862-1926) was born in Chicago, where he eventually worked as a bookkeeper in his father’s business, the Michael Brand Company Brewery. In 1899, after the death of his father, Brand formed the Brand Brewing Company with his two brothers, Horace L. Brand (1868-1962) and Armin W. Brand (d. 1946), and a cousin. He developed an interest in coin collecting in 1889, eventually amassing one of the greatest private collections of all time. In 1907 he formed the Chicago Coin Company, which was owned by Virgil and managed by Theophile Leon. The company closed in 1915, transferring its unsold inventory to Brand. Brand also served as president of the Chicago Numismatic Society. Brand did not leave a will, and upon his death his collection was inherited by his brothers, who began to sell off pieces during the 1930s. Tensions between the brothers eventually had to be resolved in probate court, and in 1937 the Brand estate was divided between them. The brothers continued to sell parts of the collection, but some coins were inherited by Armin’s daughter, Jane Brand Allen. Those coins were sold in a series of auctions conducted by Sotheby’s, Bowers & Merena, and Spink & Son during the 1980s,Container list available]

1906

Numbers not in V.M.B.'s journals (NiJ) Ledgers: NiJ - 353,077-360,106 [ANS Virgil Brand papers]

[22 cubic feet (5 boxes and approximately 150 loose items),Materials directly from Virgil M. Brand include his accession and inventory books (32 bound volumes), a printed version of a paper he wrote, “The Objects of Coin Collecting” (1905), two letters to his brother Armin W. Brand along with a reply (1909), a small notebook with coin notations dating from 1907 to 1926, and Chicago Coin Company records. There are also records pertaining to his estate, including correspondence, financial records, legal documents, and an inventory of his library (1926-1937). Materials from after Virgil’s death include Armin W. Brand’s correspondence (1906-1910, bulk 1926-1946), much of it with his brother, Horace L. Brand, on topics such as coin sales, the sale of Brand Company Brewery, and real estate transactions. Along with the correspondence are notes, memoranda, and legal and financial materials. A good deal of correspondence has to do with a court case involving Lake Shore Country Club (1906-1910, 1927-1936). Also present are correspondence and financial records relating to the estate of Armin W. Brand (1946-1950), as well as correspondence and inventories relating to coins and other matters (1948-1967) from Armin Brand’s daughter, Jane Brand Allen. Also includes records pertaining to the estate of Mrs. Leon Harlan Walkins (Bertha Grommes), Jane’s aunt. There are also coin inventories and appraisals (1930s-1950s), auction catalogs from the sale of Brand coins (1983-1990), slides and photographs of Brand coins (late 1900s), rubber stamps used by Virgil M. Brand, and photocopies of Virgil M. Brand’s accession books,Virgil M. Brand papers, 1889-1990. Archives, American Numismatic Society,Coin collector Virgil M. Brand (1862-1926) was born in Chicago, where he eventually worked as a bookkeeper in his father’s business, the Michael Brand Company Brewery. In 1899, after the death of his father, Brand formed the Brand Brewing Company with his two brothers, Horace L. Brand (1868-1962) and Armin W. Brand (d. 1946), and a cousin. He developed an interest in coin collecting in 1889, eventually amassing one of the greatest private collections of all time. In 1907 he formed the Chicago Coin Company, which was owned by Virgil and managed by Theophile Leon. The company closed in 1915, transferring its unsold inventory to Brand. Brand also served as president of the Chicago Numismatic Society. Brand did not leave a will, and upon his death his collection was inherited by his brothers, who began to sell off pieces during the 1930s. Tensions between the brothers eventually had to be resolved in probate court, and in 1937 the Brand estate was divided between them. The brothers continued to sell parts of the collection, but some coins were inherited by Armin’s daughter, Jane Brand Allen. Those coins were sold in a series of auctions conducted by Sotheby’s, Bowers & Merena, and Spink & Son during the 1980s,Container list available]

1906

Numbers not in V.M.B.'s journals (NiJ) Ledgers: NiJ - 150,000-150,194; 350,000-353,075 [ANS Virgil Brand papers]

[22 cubic feet (5 boxes and approximately 150 loose items),Materials directly from Virgil M. Brand include his accession and inventory books (32 bound volumes), a printed version of a paper he wrote, “The Objects of Coin Collecting” (1905), two letters to his brother Armin W. Brand along with a reply (1909), a small notebook with coin notations dating from 1907 to 1926, and Chicago Coin Company records. There are also records pertaining to his estate, including correspondence, financial records, legal documents, and an inventory of his library (1926-1937). Materials from after Virgil’s death include Armin W. Brand’s correspondence (1906-1910, bulk 1926-1946), much of it with his brother, Horace L. Brand, on topics such as coin sales, the sale of Brand Company Brewery, and real estate transactions. Along with the correspondence are notes, memoranda, and legal and financial materials. A good deal of correspondence has to do with a court case involving Lake Shore Country Club (1906-1910, 1927-1936). Also present are correspondence and financial records relating to the estate of Armin W. Brand (1946-1950), as well as correspondence and inventories relating to coins and other matters (1948-1967) from Armin Brand’s daughter, Jane Brand Allen. Also includes records pertaining to the estate of Mrs. Leon Harlan Walkins (Bertha Grommes), Jane’s aunt. There are also coin inventories and appraisals (1930s-1950s), auction catalogs from the sale of Brand coins (1983-1990), slides and photographs of Brand coins (late 1900s), rubber stamps used by Virgil M. Brand, and photocopies of Virgil M. Brand’s accession books,Virgil M. Brand papers, 1889-1990. Archives, American Numismatic Society,Coin collector Virgil M. Brand (1862-1926) was born in Chicago, where he eventually worked as a bookkeeper in his father’s business, the Michael Brand Company Brewery. In 1899, after the death of his father, Brand formed the Brand Brewing Company with his two brothers, Horace L. Brand (1868-1962) and Armin W. Brand (d. 1946), and a cousin. He developed an interest in coin collecting in 1889, eventually amassing one of the greatest private collections of all time. In 1907 he formed the Chicago Coin Company, which was owned by Virgil and managed by Theophile Leon. The company closed in 1915, transferring its unsold inventory to Brand. Brand also served as president of the Chicago Numismatic Society. Brand did not leave a will, and upon his death his collection was inherited by his brothers, who began to sell off pieces during the 1930s. Tensions between the brothers eventually had to be resolved in probate court, and in 1937 the Brand estate was divided between them. The brothers continued to sell parts of the collection, but some coins were inherited by Armin’s daughter, Jane Brand Allen. Those coins were sold in a series of auctions conducted by Sotheby’s, Bowers & Merena, and Spink & Son during the 1980s,Container list available]