An Appreciation of the Bass Collection

by John Dannreuther

John Dannreuther, a highly qualified student of numismatic history and technology and a long-time figure on the professional numismatic scene, contributed this appreciation and overview of the accomplishments of Harry W. Bass, Jr. Mr. Dannreuther has spent many hours examining the Bass Collection coins, studies which will be reflected in his forthcoming book on United States gold dollars 1849-1889.

Harry Bass was a man whose passion was collecting United States gold coins. Starting in 1966, he methodically assembled a gold coin collection that would eventually include over 6,000 examples!

Not only did he collect by date and mintmark, he collected by die variety and die state! Besides being the most complete die variety and die state collection of United States gold coins ever assembled, the Bass Collection is also the finest condition set of all time! For over 30 years, he singled out specimens for his collection, some by private treaty, others through public auction. When Mr. Bass decided he needed a certain coin, his resolve to buy it was immense, as those who bid against him in auctions will quickly attest! Few collectors, other than large cent variety specialists in the copper series 1793-1814, collected with such passion (and those collectors of copper cents can be grateful that these coins were not a Bass specialty as well!).

Mr. Bass was just as interested in a worn 1836 quarter eagle that was a rare variety as a Proof Classic Head quarter eagle. (I recall that he bought the run of Proof Classic Head quarter eagles in the 1982 Eliasberg United States Gold Coin Collection sale, all the dates from 1834 through 1837; there was no 1838 quarter eagle in Proof, which I am sure he also would have purchased had it been included in that landmark auction.)

Although Mr. Bass did not assemble a collection as massive as the super collector Virgil Brand, he was just as consumed by the "coin bug" as was that Chicago beer baron of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A few super rarities also are missing from the Bass holdings, but the collection more than makes up for the few absent examples with Mint State and Proof examples of many issues! (Not to mention the varieties and die states of so many different dates and mintmarks!)

Upon his passing in 1998, Mr. Bass donated his collection to the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Research Foundation. This auction is the second of three Bowers and Merena sales of part of this collection to raise money for the philanthropic work of this foundation. (The Foundation developed the American Numismatic Society web site on the Internet and maintains it.) With the proceeds from this sale and subsequent ones, the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Research Foundation will be able to continue its research and educational efforts.

Mr. Bass’ seminal work on gold die varieties will propel researchers into the next century. Although he never published his die variety work (a comprehensive sylloge by the Bowers and Merena staff is being prepared), his countless hours of study have blazed the way for future numismatists. His notes provide the basis for the identification of many die varieties, and numerous die states of federal-issue gold coins. As previously noted, there has never been such a complete collection of United States gold coins to afford researchers with this unique opportunity to compare varieties and their multiple states. The forthcoming sylloge, a profusely illustrated hardbound reference work, will share much of Mr. Bass’ knowledge, as, indeed, the present auction catalogue does.

By returning much of this fabulous collection to the current numismatic fraternity, including many coins that have been off the market for a quarter of a century or more, the Foundation will make many collectors smile. I have to think that Mr. Bass also is smiling as these incredible examples find new homes in the collections of today’s numismatists, many of whom were his friends. One can only hope that their new owners appreciate and care for them as Mr. Bass did.

It is highly unlikely that this many dates, mintmarks, varieties, and die states of United States gold coins will ever again be assembled by a single collector. The catalogues of these sales will be treasured among bibliophiles, collectors, researchers, and anyone interested in gold coins. The depth and breadth of this assemblage of glittering numismatic items will dazzle even the most advanced gold specialist. The superb, full-format Bowers and Merena cataloguing will further enhance these landmark sales, although, even with no descriptions at all, these sales would draw all the gold "luminaries" to New York City to be part of the present event.

All numismatists can thank Mr. Harry Bass and the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Research Foundation for the opportunity of a lifetime.