| Description |
Early American Almanacs Featuring Coin Tables, Notes on Counterfeiting, Etc.A collection of 28 different 18th-century American almanacs, most of which include coin conversion tables or other numismatic information. Present are the following (listing year, compiler, and city): 1761 Ames, Boston; 1762 Ames, Boston; 1770 West, Providence; 1771 West, Providence; 1772 West, Providence; 1773 West, Providence; 1774 Aitken, Philadelphia; 1775 Anderson, Newport; 1777 Freebetter, New-London; 1785 Bickerstaff, Boston; 1786 Weatherwise, Boston; 1787 Bickerstaff, Boston; 1788 Bickerstaff, Providence; 1789 Folsom, Boston; 1789 Freebetter, New-London; 1790 Freebetter, New-London; 1793 Weatherwise, Boston; 1794 Bickerstaff, Providence; 1794 Pope, Boston; 1794 Strong, Litchfield; 1794 Thomas, Worchester; 1797 Greenleaf, New-York; 1797 Thornton & Wilkinson, Providence; 1798 Low, Boston; 1799 Hutchins, New-York; 1799 Thomas, Worchester; 1800 Beers, Hartford; and 1800 Thomas, Boston. Years indicate the stated year; year of publication would generally be the year before. Some of the above are incomplete, though most are intact. Early American almanacs are important for the light they shed on everyday life in the British colonies and early Republic. The early Americans generally possessed few if any books--but if a household had two books, it was a good bet that one of them was an almanac. There was considerable competition in the field, so almanacs had to be useful and provide correct information for their readers, making their content all the more important to us today. The coin charts and other numismatic information to be found within provide us with an accurate snapshot of economic conditions at a particular time and place. The Eric P. Newman collections of early American almanacs, offered in this and the following lot, are unusually large and wide-ranging. Included in this lot are various notes and photocopies made by Newman for his researches into these publications. Condition varies considerably, but on the whole the collection is impressive both for its size and its overall state of preservation. Estimate $2,500. Ex: Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society.
Heritage Auctions 11/2018 (Newman XI), lot15145 (realized $3600).
Heritage link: http://www.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=1283&lotIdNo=11027 |
