| Description |
Hart's Foundational Work on Colonial Paper Money With the Extremely Rare Illustrative Chart St. Louis: Union, Print, 35 Locust Street, 1851 [Entered According to Act of Congress, in the Year 1851, by A.M. Hart, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court, for the District of Missouri]. 8vo [23 by 14 cm], original orange printed paper covers. 20 pages; large [64.5 by 54.5 cm] folding Historical Chart of the Paper-money issued in the United States, from the earliest Settlement of the Country to the Commencement of the Revolutionary War, a handsome lithograph printed in black with the background of the notes hand-tinted in brown, tipped in facing the title as issued. Eric P. Newman has referred to Hart's work as "the first publication devoted specifically and exclusively to early American paper money." Its pioneering status was recognized by early paper money specialist Henry Phillips, who wrote in his 1865 Historical Sketches of the Paper Currency of the American Colonies that "in 1851, there was published an account of the early American currencies: it is anonymous, and is known among the collectors as The St. Louis Pamphlet... It is of very great rarity, and at the sale of the library of the late John Allan [1864] was sold for sixteen dollars." The Historical Chart referred to in the title is actually a large fold-out lithographic plate depicting 15 examples of Colonial paper money. While the text is rare in itself, copies with the plate are extremely so. It was engraved by E. Robyn and printed by E. & C. Robyn, Lithographers & Engravers, 44 N. 2nd. St., St. Louis. Its rarity is legendary. An example of Hart's work including the chart was not present in the Champa library sales The example at hand is only the third of which we are aware to be offered at auction in numismatic circles, the others being the copy sold in Frank and Laurese Katen's 1971 sale of the Fuld library (later sold by George F. Kolbe in the June 5, 1999, sale of Part II of the Harry W. Bass, Jr. library) and the copy sold by Kolbe in 2004 in Part I of the John J. Ford, Jr. library for $30,000 hammer. The Hart pamphlet accompanied by the Historical Chart is truly one of the grand highlights in the panoply of American numismatic literature. Not listed in Attinelli. Clain-Stefanelli 13300. McKerchar 2077. Sigler 1122. Minor wrinkling to front cover near spine from accommodating the large folding chart. Pages a little toned. Very good. The chart itself is magnificent, vibrantly and boldly printed and as fresh in appearance as one could hope for. A splendid example. Estimate $20,000 Ex: Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society.
Heritage Auctions 11/2018 (Newman XI), lot15236 (realized $19200).
Heritage link: http://www.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=1283&lotIdNo=11023 |
