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
12 entries found for [year:1984]
1984Floyd Starr Auction
Draft of large cent and half cent portions of Stack’s sale of the Floyd Starr collection, with annotations by R. Tettenhorst (June 1984).
1984Proof Half Cents / Rick Coleman
Tett's research file on proof half cents, primarily containing correspondence with Rick Coleman.
1984Coinage of the Americas Conference
Copy of "Overstrikes and Other Anomalies on Early Half Cents" by R. Tettenhorst, published as a part of the Coinage of the America's Conference at the American Numismatic Society, New York. Date approximate.
1984Bareford Half Cent Collection
A grouping of letters and papers related to an offer for Tett to purchase 14 half cents that Bill Bareford was selling in 1984 (previously Harold Bareford's). The coins were offered through Jules Reiver. There are extensive notes from Tett detailing his evaluation, the pedigrees, pricing, and subsequent offer and transaction. Tett purchased four coins from this collection.
1984Breen Half Cent Encyclopedia
A varied grouping of material related to Walter Breen’s U. S. Half Cent Encyclopedia published in 1984. Tett contributed heavily to the book by offering his coins for inclusion and photographs of them, prepared pedigree information on the coins, and contributed his error coins that constituted an entire chapter of the book. There is a detailed 6 page list of all of his coins provided to Breen, as well as notes on a teleconference with Jack Collins about meeting to photograph Tett’s coins. The material includes Tett’s multiple page detailed hand-written errata and addenda to the draft of the book, Tett’s order of 4 copies of the book and the later refund of the payment for the deluxe edition as it was not produced in a timely fashion, two different full-page ads in Coin World for the book, John Wright’s review of the book in Penny-Wise, and a critical review of the book published in the “Repository” in 1984 by Bill Weber and Breen’s unhappy response from the next issue.
1984U.S.A.O.G.
Tett's research file on the 1853 $20 United States Assay Office of Gold controversy in the mid-1960s, most notably containing John J. Ford, Jr.'s report to the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG) arbitration panel.
1984Jack Beymer Correspondence, 1984
Correspondence between R. Tettenhorst and Jack Beymer on the topic of half cent coins and literature.
1984Jack Collins Correspondence, 1984
Correspondence between R. Tettenhorst and Jack Collins on the topic of half cents and other subjects.
1984Darwin Palmer Correspondence, 1984 to 2000
Correspondence with Darwin Palmer on the topic of half cents, large cents, and portrait painting.
1984John Wright Correspondence, 1984 to 1994
A correspondence with John Wright in which the two discuss their coin collections.
1984Gordon J. Wrubel Correspondence, 1984
A correspondence with Gordon J. Wrubel in which the two discuss their coin collections.
7/6/1984The 1854 Copper-Nickel Pattern Half Cent
R. Tettenhorst article file for research published in the Penny-Wise, March 15, 1990. Include testing results, edits from Eric Newman, and related correspondence. Also present are various memoranda and clips.
