A Further Appreciation of the Bass Collection

John Dannreuther, long-time student of and dealer in United States gold coins, contributed an appreciation which we published in the Bass II sale. We asked him for further comments for inclusion in the present Bass III catalogue:

The nearly overwhelming quantity of rare and fantastic gold coins from the Harry Bass, Jr. Collection is a testament to the vision of this consummate collector and student of numismatics. Mr. Bass realized early in his numismatic career, nearly 35 years ago in the 1960s, that if a single rare coin of a particular date was a good deal, multiples would be a better one. He foresaw the future and recognized that quality, usually combined with rarity, would turn out to be an even better deal. He obtained many finest known examples only to have a new finest known show up—which he often also purchased even if it was not a different die variety!

However, the legacy of Harry Bass, Jr. should not be remembered by the number of specimens he acquired, but by his contribution to the advancement of knowledge about gold coins. No doubt, future numismatists ultimately will recognize how responsible he is for much of the "new" scholarship on United States gold coins. Not only did he willingly share his coin knowledge, observations, and discoveries with other collectors and dealers during his lifetime, the notes he took on his many different die examples will be expanded upon by Dave Bowers in the forthcoming Bass Collection sylloge. The number of hitherto unrecognized and unpublished die varieties is staggering, to say the least.

The many buyers who participated in the Bass I and II sales will find the third part just as exciting. There are nearly complete runs of Proof gold dollars and quarter eagles. Probably, no finer court has ever been paid to The Little Princess 1841 quarter eagle than in this catalogue. Other $1 and $2.50 specimens, common and rare, are often accompanied by die characteristics—most often taken from Mr. Bass’ notes—that will be of permanent value to specialists in gold coins.

Most probably, the catalogue could stop with gold dollars and quarter eagles—or even continue to include the dazzling threes (some rarities the likes of which are seldom seen)—and it would be an essential reference and resource for consultation for years to come. However, those series are just the beginning.

The large-denomination $5, $10, and $20 coins come to the fore in importance, with the No-Motto pieces, up to 1866, almost overusing the terms "Condition Census" and "finest known"! Never in any previous auction sale or collection have so many high quality circulation strike issues come to market in a single cabinet. The present catalogue, along with the past two and the forthcoming Bass IV listings, will be viewed forever as definitive. Many are the varieties from the 1790s onward that were represented in grades such as VF and EF in such legendary cabinets as those of Messrs. Dunham, Atwater, Wolfson, Miles, Eliasberg, Norweb, and others, which in the Bass Collection are lustrous AU or Mint State.

There is a danger in all of this! To a casual observer of this catalogue, these choice and rare coins may appear available, but this is fool’s gold. On an absolute basis, there are dozens of single highlights in the Bass III catalogue that, if offered in an ordinary catalogue, would be the prime showpiece attraction. It is correct to say that even if the fabulous National Coin Collection at the Smithsonian were to come to market—which will never happen—there are hundreds of Bass Collection specimens that are finer!

The Bass catalogues each represent a unique opportunity. Many coins that appear in this sale simply will not be available elsewhere for years to come, and for some coins, perhaps never in the lifetime of the present catalogue holders. Opportunity is the key word.

Many price records will be broken by coins that have been off the market for a generation. The entire scope of this sale will be noted by future numismatists and those who attend this sale in person will long remember highlight after highlight. The phrase likely to be heard around bourse floors for many years will be: "What did the Bass coin bring?" And, years from now, people will ask: "Were you there?"

The entire numismatic community must thank the Bass family and the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Research Foundation for this unprecedented opportunity. Numismatic gold research will have been moved forward more by these sales than any others in history.

Congratulations to the Bass family and foundation. Congratulations to the Bowers and Merena Galleries team. And, congratulations to you for being here when this sale happens.