Q.David Bowers
On January 17, 1929, John Work Garrett replied:
I have no objection at all to my half dollar of 1853 without Rays and without Arrows being photographed, but I make it a practice not to send any of my pieces away. Perhaps I could have such photographs as you want made here, but I should like to tell you what a pleasure it would give me to have you see my collection, and I wonder if you could not come down here some day to look it over ...
By the way, the half dollar which you mentioned is from the New Orleans Mint, and I have heard that it is not unique, though I do not know where another specimen is to be found.
On January 18, 1929, Beistle replied that his business schedule did not permit a trip to Baltimore. Accordingly, on February 6, 1929, John Work Garrett responded:
Mr. Duffield, editor of The Numismatist, has been good enough to make photographs suitable for publication of the 1853-0 50c piece without rays, and also of the 1795 50c piece which may be Haseltine's No. 21, about which you inquired. I am sending these photographs to you for such use as you may wish to make of them ...
Correspondence with Raymond L. Caldwell
Raymond L. Caldwell, a wholesale and retail florist with a shop on Highland Avenue, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, researched certain issues of early American coins during the 1930s. John Work Garrett was ever willing to help with numismatic research and occasionally initiated contacts as this exchange of correspondence in April 1935 indicates:
Although I know one does not like to know of another rarity in someone else's collection, I thought nevertheless I would write to you after reading your interesting article in the April Numismatist about the 1798 half eagle with the small eagle reverse.
An exceedingly fine example of this coin was in the collection of my father, the late T. Harrison Garrett, who died in 1888, and I now have it in my collection. Unfortunately I do not know where my father got it.
On April 10th Caldwell replied: I was very glad to get your letter and to learn about your 1798 half eagle with small eagle reverse. I believe it clears up the fact that I was unable to verify. I was positive there was another specimen but I could not locate it.
You will note that in my article I mentioned that the Ely catalogue says "four known." One was the Ely specimen, one the Parmelee, and the third of one of these four I am sure was the one I own, the fourth one I could not locate. My article only lists the Earle specimen as No.3 because it was the third one to be offered at sale. But as the Earle catalogue states that was the first known of in New Jersey about 1900, I felt sure it was not one of these first four, and from the information I had from Mr. Mehl concerning the specimen he had discovered I was sure it was not the missing one.
However I believe from the date you mentioned in your letter, that yours is that other specimen. I have been searching through catalogues and trying to gather as much accurate information as I can get concerning the number of our rarer coins in the different series. In this case your letter has supplied just the information I needed to clear up all the known facts concerning this rarity.
One other thing I noticed in my article, I did not say anything as to the present ownership of any of the coins, excepting of course my own. For, as you suggest in your letter, most collectors do not care for the publicity concerning the rarities in their collection.
Might I ask you do you happen to have the 1822 and 1815 half eagles in your collection, as I am also gathering information concerning these two dates.
This elicited a reply, and on April 13, 1935, Garrett responded:
I am very glad that it has been possible for you to set straight the question of the location of the 1798 half eagles. I regret to say that I have not got an 1822 half eagle, of which, if I remember rightly, there are only three known examples, but I am fortunate in having the 1815, which belonged also to my father, and it is an exceedingly fine specimen. A card in my index describing it calls it "one of five known."
On April 25, 1935, Caldwell replied:
Thanks for your reply of the 13th. I have been so busy during Easter season that I had no time for my hobbies.
My data is not yet complete on the 1822 and 1815 half eagles, though I can only locate information concerning three 1822s, but I believe that there are some eight or nine 1815s known. I will have to do some more checking on it before I can be sure, for it may just be that due to change in ownership one or more of them may be the same specimen reported twice. I hope to prepare a little article concerning the known specimens of the above dates if I can get the necessary information.
Correspondence with S. Hudson and Henry Chapman
Following T. Harrison Garrett's death in 1888, correspondence with the family did not resume for a number of years.
On March 11, 1904 the Chapman brothers wrote to Robert Garrett inquiring about the status of the family collection:
. . . May we ask whether the collection now at Princeton University is your father's entire collection, of coins and was it presented to the university or was it only loaned to them? Do you desire to add to it, or are you interested in the collecting of coins?
We are about selling at public auction the superb collection of John G. Mills, of Albany, New York, one of the richest collections that has ever been sold of American coins. The edition deluxe is being published with 14 plates of the greatest rarities and finest specimens, at a charge of $5.
Should be glad to have your subscription for copy. On May 6, 1904, S. H. and Henry Chapman wrote to Robert Garrett acknowledging receipt of a check for $849.55 for purchases and noting that: We have in stock a few fine pieces which we think may interest you. Will be glad to send them to you on approval.
May we do so? On May 16, 1904, the same spirit of salesmanship was evident in another letter:
We shall be glad to have you call and see us and to show you any coins we have. If you could let us know about when we might expect you, we will be pleased to keep any appointment which you will make and have the coins arranged so that you could see them without delay.
On August 25, 1904, the Chapman brothers wrote to thank Robert Garrett in advance for a check in the amount of $1,400.20, which presumably included payment for an original 1861 Confederate States of America cent struck in copper-nickel. It was noted that:
The small medalette of Jefferson Davis and the cards [medallic tokens] of Lovett [designer of the Confederate cent] we sent you without any charge as interesting specimens connected with the Confederate cent ...About when will you desire us to begin the work of arranging and cataloguing the collection at Princeton, [this is the first reference to the enormous task they were considering] and what would be the hours at which we could work there?