Letters in Appreciation

June 15, 1998

Leslie Elam, Executive Director
The American Numismatic Society
Broadway at 155th Street
New York, NY 10032

Dear Leslie,

Thank you for the opportunity to participate in the book celebrating Harry W. Bass, Jr.'s life.

When Georga called me late Saturday afternoon, April 4, the first thing that I said to her was that I think that I didn't want to be getting this call. She then confirmed that Harry had passed away that morning after suffering many years with a lung disease. I then called Stan Kesselman, Harvey Stack and Dave Bowers and told them. Since then I've thought about Harry, and our relationship.

I first met Harry in 1965 or 1966 at a PNG coin show in Detroit. His main interest was in U.S. gold coins and I was a young kid just starting out in rare coins and traveling to shows to buy and sell them. Harry was at the show with Mike Brownlee and John Rowe from Dallas and was getting, introduced to coin shows and their advantages.

During the more than thirty years that has passed since then, I got to know Harry very well and encouraged him in his pursuit of building a great collection of coins. Mike Brownlee went on to be Harry's main numismatic counsel, later even sharing, offices. My relationship with Harry was certainly secondary to his relationship with Mike, but he was very gracious to me and always personally extremely generous with me and others, never letting us pick up a dinner check when we were out after a show or auction. For those who know me and knew me in my heyday of appetite, that was quite a gesture! I visited Dallas many times and Harry extended his hospitality to me again and again, inviting me at least twice to sit with him in his box at the Cowboys' games when they were playing the Washington Redskins from my home area. I was rooting for the Skins in Dallas, in his box, in front of his friends there and throughout the stadium, and I'm sure causing him some measure of embarrassment!

Despite his personal generosity, he was no patsy when it came to purchasing coins. Harry was tough in negotiating purchases for his collection and I often had difficult times trying to figure out how on the one hand he would do anything for me and on the other hand would barely allow me to exist professionally. Often I would bid for him at auctions and he would give me very deliberate instructions beginning with want, must have, going up to quadruple absolutely must have. He could afford anything that he wanted to have but he had to be able to justify the price that he paid for it. I guess that at auction, his justification was that if someone else wanted it, he would pay a little more for it. In his early collecting days, he rarely missed anything that he wanted at auction even though he had some battles with GFS at Stack's auctions.

In addition to gold coins, he had many other numismatic interests including currency, patterns and books, all of which he enjoyed. About twenty years ago, he wanted a pattern silver quarter, the 1872 Amazonian, at auction. Normally he would call me and tell me to get it with his instructions. However, I had another collector who also wanted this coin. I called them both back and told them to each give me an absolute number. Harry gave me $13000 and my other client gave me $12500. When the lot came up at auction, I successfully purchased the coin for about $8000 and then proceeded to tell the auctioneer to raise the bid to $13000 because I believed that the consignor was entitled to both bids and
I had explained in advance to both my clients the way that I was going to bid. Needless to say, the auctioneer was quite pleased although the other participants in the auction were at a loss, thinking that I had probably lost my mind.

Harry was the first person outside of copper enthusiasts to embrace numerical grading, although to him it was a shorthand for the conditions of the coins.

Harry introduced backgammon to me and many of my colleagues and even encouraged us to come to Dallas and have a numismatic backgammon tournament, which we did and enjoyed tremendously.

I remember traveling with Harry and Mike, leaving the PNG show in Chicago and going to Toronto to Stanley and Sharon Kesselman's wedding. And I remember very well Harry and Doris coming to my wedding on Long Island almost twenty years ago.

Harry continued to collect although he needed a little encouragement. He had made an offer on the entire Eliasberg collection which was unsuccessful. When the gold coins were offered in 1982, he was almost not going to participate in the auction. But after he was encouraged, he did participate and purchased many coins including the 1870-s $3 and the Ultra High Relief Double Eagle. Likewise, after a little prodding, he purchased a couple of lots in the first John Jay Pittman sale and certainly would have participated in the second sale. Harry's last purchase was in March of this year, an advanced die state of an early half-eagle, probably the kind of coin that fascinated him the most.

My final thoughts are that I am certainly a better person for having known Harry. Numismatics in general, the ANA, and especially the ANS, who he was extremely devoted to, have all benefited immeasurably from his life.

Yours truly,

Julian M. Leidman