Q.David Bowers
If you come across any of these from time to time at fair prices and in very fine condition, I should like to hear from you. Of course, there are some of the rarer California pieces that are not in my collection, but either they are unobtainable, or prices are too high to make it worth my while to get them. If you ever come across a Conway piece, however, I should like to consider it.
On June 28, 1923, B. Max Mehl quoted John Work Garrett $2,500 for a Dubosq & Co. $10 gold piece, but it was declined. Later on November 27th, Mehl sent a lengthy description of a rare British Columbia set of $10 and $20 gold pieces, one of several such sets which Garrett was offered by various suppliers during the 1920s:
As you know, these coins were designed and the dies struck by Kuner, the designer of the majority of all the pioneer gold coins ... I submitted [this set] to Mr. Newcomer; he already possesses a duplicate set. My set I obtained direct from the son of Mr. Kuner, and this set is the first struck from the original dies.
This offer was declined, despite additional encouragement from Mehl.
John Work Garrett studied coins in some detail. His correspondence indicates an in-depth knowledge of many issues. For example, in rejecting the British Columbia pieces he explained:
These British Columbia pieces, while extremely interesting, do not appeal to me to the extent of making me willing to pay a great sum for them. Mr. Newcomer has shown me your letter to him in regard to them, and I have also examined the pieces. How many of these pieces are in existence? I do not exactly know, but besides those mentioned by Mr. Kuner as being in the British Museum, there are four specimens, two gold and two silver in Mr. Newcomer's collection, and the $10 and $20 in gold in the collection of Mr. Brand. Moreover, it appears that the dies may be still extant, and I am rather chary of paying for pieces that might be restruck. The mere fact that they might be restruck lowers their value very greatly. Mr. Kuner evidently was not aware that pieces other than his own and those in the British Museum existed, with the possible exception of one other pair, and he certainly did not seem to know of the silver ones that Mr. Newcomer has.
In 1923 John Work Garrett purchased a portion of the Col. Ellsworth Collection from Knoedler & Co., New York art dealers. In the Ellsworth Collection were many duplicate coins. Garrett contacted several dealers concerning the disposal of these. Including B. Max Mehl, who on May 9, 1924, wrote to Garrett expressing his interest:
I want to take advantage of your kind offer to submit to me no wall of your duplicate coins, a list of which you gave me. I want to go over them carefully and advise you just what I can do with the entire lot. I shall be glad to go over them and advise youwhat I will pay for them in cash, analyzing each and every piece, giving my reason for the price on each coin, and then if you prefer, I shall be glad to handle them for you.
Garrett shipped the duplicates, on May 13, 1924: I am sending you under separate registered cover the duplicates from my collection about which we talked and about which you wrote me. The list I gave you shows from which collection (the Ellsworth or the Garrett) these pieces came.
Many of the pieces, especially the New Jersey cents and the small California pieces, are in boxes from the Ellsworth Collection, although in some cases pieces from my father's collection have been substituted for the Ellsworth pieces. This is shown clearly in the list I gave you, but I call your attention to it because as a result, the description of the condition of the coins and in some cases the price marked on the boxes do not describe the actual pieces I am sending you.
I feel, in regard to these coins, especially a few of them of high value, that I should prefer to wait and hold them in my collection, rather than sell them now at a sacrifice. I have sold all the other duplicates from the Ellsworth Collection practically at the prices I paid for them, which were somewhat less than the prices paid originally by Mr. Ellsworth, less 10% which went to the dealer to sell them for me as his commission, and only that I may come out even on the duplicates as a whole, which is what I am trying to do, I cannot afford to sacrifice any of the pieces I am sending you. I am returning the Clark patterns you sent me.
I have nine of these patterns, all Proofs, and I am not very anxious to get one piece that is missing except in Proof ...
Apparently John Work Garrett was a closer reader of certain reference books than B. Max Mehl was, for on May 20, 1924, Garrett inquired:
I think I should like to keep the silver impression of the California slug, but I wonder if you could not get it for me for a more reasonable price than $50. According to Adams, in describing this piece, the obverse die was rescued from the San Francisco fire and turned up in Los Angeles, and has been used to make impressions similar to the one you sent me as well as on souvenir spoons. It looks therefore as if there may be any number of these impressions and practically that there is no limit to the number that may be struck in the future. Will you see what you can do?
Mehl's answer covered both the subject of the silver slug and the duplicates: Your duplicate coins were delivered to me yesterday, and as I have quite a large sale on next Tuesday, the 27th, I am fairly snowed under with work. And tight after the sale I am leaving for a week's trip to Kansas City. I wonder whether I would be imposing upon your good nature too much if I delayed making a report on these coins until my return from Kansas City, as I want to consider these different items carefully, as I feel confident that I can handle them for you either direct or otherwise to your entire satisfaction. As you know, I handled, I believe, all of Mr. Newcomer's duplicates, which amounted up to $20,000 at one time.
Regarding your favor of the 20th, referring to the silver impression of the California slug, this came from the Gilhousen Collection, and is the only impression of this kind that I have ever seen or handled. I do not know of another. Of course, this does not mean that I claim the piece to be unique, but I do believe that it is quite scarce. I feel, however, that you know more about these pieces than I do, and therefore if you think the price is a little high for it, kindly tell me whether you think, say, $40 would be a fair price. If so, I can arrange to let you have it at that price.