ANA Museum Accepts Harry W. Bass Collection

THE NUMISMATIST, December 2000

"Curator's Corner" by Robert W. Hoge

ANA Museum Accepts Harry W. Bass Collection

The American Numismatic Association recently concluded arrangements with the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Foundation of Dallas, Texas, to accept the late numismatist's "core collection." Bass was an extraordinary man, and his magnificent collections clearly are the finest of their kind. I feel privileged and honored to present these holdings, which the Museum will maintain for the benefit of the ANA membership and the public on indefinite loan from the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Foundation.

Central to the collection is a renowned set of essentially all known die varieties of the early (to 1834) United States gold coin denominations in the finest possible condition. The Bass holdings also include the following astounding assemblages: a complete date- and mint-set collection of $3 gold pieces, including the only known 1870-S; a type collection of U.S. gold, with examples in outstanding condition; a spectacular grouping of rare and beautiful U.S. pattern coins; and, quite simply, the foremost collection of 1896 Educational Series silver certificates (along with their vignettes, trial and progress proofs, and uncut first-issued sheets).

Readers may have heard of the sale of portions of Harry Bass' collection through the auctions of Bowers and Merena Galleries. Large numbers of his coins have been acquired by happy collectors and dealers.

The Foundation also sold some examples from the multiple specimens of die varieties retained in the core collection. Bass acquired these "extras" for his die progression studies. The Foundation will use proceeds from the coin sales to further its charitable giving.

The ANA will assist the Harry W. Bass Jr. Foundation in fulfilling other aspects of its mandated mission as a nonprofit organization with charitable and educational goals. The Museum will provide controlled access to the holdings through ongoing exhibition. This will enable considerable numbers of serious numismatists, as well as the general public, to derive benefit and enjoyment from this esteemed collector's remarkable legacy.

I am thankful to have had the opportunity to get to know Harry before he died. His warm hospitality was memorable, and I keenly recall viewing the greater part of his collections. He loved sharing information on the minutiae of minting technology and promoting the study of numismatics.

I look forward to communicating to the public his enthusiasm and love of the hobby through a series of exhibits. These are sure to be exciting attractions for visitors to the ANA Museum galleries. In future columns, I will focus on some of the many highlights of the fabulous Harry Bass Core Collection -- now a very important part of the resources of the Museum of the American Numismatic Association.