Tettenhorst
Born in St.Louis, Missouri. Married to Marilyn. Harvard University (B.S., 1949) Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration (MBA, 1951).
R. Tettenhorst is a St. Louis collector best known for his half cent collection (the “Missouri Cabinet Collection”) sold by Goldberg’s in 2014. Tett is related to Eric P. Newman by marriage and both of their collecting careers followed similar arcs, being mentored as children by Burdette G. Johnson, a St. Louis dealer. After establishing professional careers, both built world-class collections. Tet worked his entire career at Edison Brothers Stores, a retail firm founded in 1922 by his father Irving and uncles Sam, Mark, Harry, and Simon. He began at Edison Brothers in 1953 after completing military service and rose to the rank for President in 1968, where he served until retiring in 1987. Edison Brothers was the largest retailer of women’s shoes in the United States, reaching $1 billion in sales in 1983.
Tett originally began by collecting large cents and, feeling he could not compete with top collectors in that field, began pursuing half cents. The Missouri Cabinet, containing pieces from Tett and the Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society , was the only collection containing every variety of circulation and proof strikes in the United States half cent series. The 2014 sale realized over $18 million, including a 1794 Cohen-7 half cent graded PCGS MS67 RB, which sold at $1.15 million. Many of the pieces came from other important half cent collections, including those of Philip M. Showers and Roger S. Cohen.
(See Bernard Alan Edison)
He used the name of his secretary, Rose Tettenhorst, to conduct his numismatic business.
Select a year
9 entries found for [year:1980]
1980Garrett Collection
Description: Lot viewing notes from the Garrett part 2 auction sale (Bowers & Ruddy, March 1980).
1980George Earle Collection
R. Tettenhorst's evaluation of the half cents in the Earle collection, based on the photographic plate in the auction sale catalog (Henry Chapman, June 1912). Date approximate.
1980Poet II Sale
Records related to the sale of duplicates from the Tett collection, sold through Julian Leidman, 1980.
1980Historic Numismatic Auctions
R. Tettenhorst lot viewing notes from Stack's portion of Auction '80, featuring high grade half cents.
1980K-Series Sale 1980
Records related to the formation and proposed sale of the R. Tettenhorst collection of proof Barber quarters, acquired between 1970 and 1974.
1980Blank Forms
Three different forms that Tett used at various times to list and record his collection. Date is approximate.
1980Gene Braig Correspondence, 1980 to 2001
Correspondence with Gene Braig, 1980 to 2001.
1980Carvin Goodridge Correspondece, 1980 to 1988
Correspondence with Carvin Goodridge on the topic of half-cent double strikes.
1980Don Partrick Correspondence, 1980 to 1993
A brief correspondence with Don Partrick on a variety of topics, including a benefit for ANS in 1993.
