Q. David Bowers
J.C. Morgenthau & Co.'s sale of the J.C. Light-house Collection, February 18-19, 1936. The sale offered a superb group of Mint State Liberty Seated dollars. The Morgenthau catalogues contain few lengthy descriptions. Thus, we don't know if Wayte Raymond and James G. Macallister, who wrote the descriptions, were simply saving time, or whether they knew little about which dates were rare. Both situations may have occurred. There were little data available on the rarity of Mint State dollars in print in a single source (because no one had taken the time to compile them). In general, it was believed that Proof dollars of the 1840s were rare and desirable, and that Mint State coins were of less importance, and the rarity didn't matter-as Proofs were "better." Otherwise, why would such rare coins be grouped in pairs? What a nice pair the 1844 and 1845 made! And, otherwise, why would have a stunning set of Proof Liberty Seated, Morgan, and trade dollars 1859-1904 been offered as a single lot?(!)
Wayte Raymond's contributions to numismatics are incalculable and include the publishing of the Standard Catalogue (1934), coin albums, reference monographs, and the sponsoring of Walter H. Breen's pioneering research in the National Ar-chives. However, auction cataloguing was not among his notable achievements.
1840 and 1841 Unc, $7.50 (the pair).
1842 and 1843 Unc. $6.50 (the pair).
1844 and 1845 Unc. $10.50 (the pair).
1846 and 1847 Unc. $7.00 (the pair).
1848 and 1849 Unc. $10.50 (the pair).
1850 EF $4.00.
1851 Perfect Br. Proof. Very rare. $105.00.
1852 Unc, Alight edge dent under date. Very rare. $90.00.
1853 Unc. $5.25.
1854 Unc. $9.50.
1855 Unc. $7.50.
1856 Unc. $6.25.
1857 Unc, $6.50.
1858 Br. Proof. Rare. $52.50.
1859 to 1904 inclusive. All the standard and trade dollars struck during these years in Br. Proof condition. Many are tarnished. (Total: 54 pieces). $185.00.
In The Numismatist, May 1937, William J. Schultz, Cincinnati dealer, prefaced an advertisement with the heading "U.S. Daddy Dollars," and offered the following Liberty Seated issues for sale. At the time the term "daddy dollars," earlier primarily used for dollars of the 1794-1803 era, was now and again used to refer to Liberty Seated issues, as in the present instance. Offerings of "daddy dollars" by Schultz continued in a number of later issues of the magazine.
1840 EF $3.00.
1842 Unc. $4.00.
1846-O VF $3.00.
1847 EF $3.00.
1849 Fine $5.00.
1850 Unc. $10.00.
1859-O Unc. $3.00.
1862 Unc. $4.00.
1869 Unc. $4.00.
1870 Unc. $4.00.
1871 Unc. $3.50.
1872 Unc. $3.50.
1872-CC Fine, $5.00.
1873 Unc. $4.00.
J.C. Morgenthau & Co.'s sale of December 21, 1937, catalogued by Wayte Raymond and James Macallister, contained many notable Uncirculated Liberty Seated dollars, Proofs of 1851 and 1852, and, once again (see February 1936 sale), a stunning single-lot set containing many Proof dollars.
1840 Unc.; Proof surface. $5.50.
1841 Unc. $4.00.
1842 EF, mint lustre. $2.25.
1843 EF, mint lustre. $3.50.
1845 Br. Proof. Very rare. $36.00.
1846 Unc, $3.25.
1847 Unc. $3.25.
1848 Unc. $6.50.
1849 Unc. $4.00.
1850 Unc. $6.00.
1851 Br. Proof. Very rare. $73.00.
1852 Br. Proof. Very rare. $76.00.
1853 AU. Scarce. $4.00.
1854 Unc., brilliant. Rare. $20.00.
1855 Unc., brilliant. $8.00.
1856 Unc., brilliant. $7.50.
1857 Br. Proof $15.00.
Set of Proof dollars. 1858 to 1904 and 1921. All bright clean Proofs, except 1921 which is Unc, In special album very rare and desirable. $210.00.