1878 (1879) Joseph J. Mickley Birth and Death Memorial Medal, accompanied by a treasure trove of literature pertaining to the renowned 19th century numismatist.This is an important offering of items by, for and pertaining to Joseph Jacob Mickley, his family, and his numismatic collection. Mickley was one of the United States most celebrated collectors of the second and third quarters of the 19th century. His numismatic interests were varied, including the acquisition of early coinage dies of the United States Mint. His home and workshop in Philadelphia were a meeting place for numismatists for many years. He undertook an ambitious three-year trip throughout Europe during the 1870s, during which he acquired many coins for the Mint Cabinet. Perhaps most famously, Mickley was an owner of one of the Class I 1804 Draped Bust silver dollars, the aptly named Mickley Specimen that he acquired prior to 1859 and was sold as lot 1696 in W. Elliot Woodwards October 1867 sale of the Mickley Collection. The Mickley Specimen, now certified Proof-62 by PCGS, most recently appeared at auction in Heritages August 2013 sale of the Greensboro Collection, Part IV, August 2013, lot 5699, where it realized $3,877,500.This lot includes:1878 (1879) Joseph J. Mickley Birth and Death Memorial Medal. Silver. 50.8 mm. 74.3 grams. By Lea Ahlborn. Mint State, Edge Bumps. Obv: Bust of the famous numismatist right with the inscriptions JOSEPH J. MICKLEY PRES. SOCIET. NUMISM. ANTIQU. PHILADELPHIE around the periphery and, in smaller letters, NAT. 1799 OB. 1878. at the lower border. Signed by the artist under the bust LEA AHLBORN FEC. Rev: Thick wreath surrounds the inscription STAT SINE MORTE / DECUS. A wonderfully original example, the obverse is splashed with deep steel, olive-gray and golden-russet patina, while the reverse exhibits more vivid toning in a blend of silver gray, pinkish-gold and blush-olive. Both sides are sharply defined with only the lightest trace of cabinet friction to isolated high points. Semi reflective in the fields with wispy handling marks to the surfaces, shallow edge bumps at 9 oclock on the obverse and 10 oclock on the reverse.This medal was designed by Lea Ahlborn of Stockholm and struck in the Swedish Mint in early 1879 under the supervision of Henry J. Mickley. Examples were sold to contemporary collectors through dealer S.K. Harzfeld. It was expected that just about every numismatist at the time would desire an example, but sales proved slow, and today the medals are elusive. Indeed, this is the first specimen that we can recall handling since our (Bowers and Merenas) May 1999 sale of the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, Part I, which included Mr. Bass specimen as lot 2122.Joseph J. Mickleys dairy written in 1870, during a trip to Sweden, included this for Tuesday, July 26:Visited the Mint. It was not in operation; the mintmaster Ackermann, who was very friendly, went through the establishment with me to show me all the different parts. I saw nothing different from anything I had seen in the machinery of other mints I visited, except a machine for planing the planchets, to give them the proper weight. But the most remarkable about it is that the person engraving the dies is a lady, Mrs. Lea Ahlborn, 44 years of age. He taught her modeling and engraving, when he found she had a talent for it. She presented me with two medals, one for the Mint Cabinet, and the other for myself. She is a very pleasant and amiable lady; speaks German fluently. She has a sister who is a very good wood engraver.Upon reading the preceding, William E. Dubois, Mint employee and apologist (a very fine numismatic fellow except that he told lies now and then, thereby casting doubt on anything he said) later commented in the American Journal of Numismatics:To this should be added, her education as a die engraver was completed at Paris. Some time after Mr. Mickleys return home, he was surprised and perplexed by a letter from Madame Ahlborn, urgently desiring to engrave a medal of himself, and asking for a profile photograph, and some directions as to the reverse and inscriptions. He brought this letter to me, and asked what he should do about it. I was of course an advocate for the undertaking. We deliberated on a legend, and finally agreed to represent him as an American Antiquary. He had, while in Sweden, gone to much pains and expense in hunting up obscure or unedited records of the Swedish colonies in this country, and with remarkable success. It was therefore eminently proper, that a medal of him, struck in Sweden, should refer to his antiquarian tastes and researches. It appeared to the writer also, that the compliment would be heightened by putting the legend in Swedish language.The reply to this latter suggestion was positively to the contrary. Outside of Sweden, Madame A. said, the Swedish is a dead language; and therefore it must be put in Latin, which if dead in one sense, is forever alive in another. The very strong expression, therefore, as it comes to us in that language, is solely from herself and her friends. The obverse legend sets him forth as a numismatist; and he was eminent in that line as well as in the other. In a secondary sense, it compliments the Philadelphia Association of Numismatists and Antiquarians, by making its presidency so honorable. The medal is already placed in public cabinets at Stockholm, Upsala, Gothenburg, and St. Petersburg; and the same action will shortly be taken in this country. In the large list of Mr. Mickleys friends, there will be some, without doubt, who will avail themselves of an opportunity to possess this memento. Along with the dies, and an explanatory letter, Madame Ahlborn has had the kindness to send her own photograph, of very agreeable appearance; also her engraved card, stating her position as coin and medal engraver in the Royal Mint at Stockholm; and her membership in the Imperial Art Academy of St. Petersburg. The Swedes were the first to colonize and civilize the shores of our Delaware Bay and River; and the writer is sitting in what was once called New Sweden. They are again coming among us, making good and industrious citizens. Philadelphia, March 4, 1879. W.E. DU BOIS.Joseph J. Mickley, Dates of United States Coins and Their Degrees of Rarity, Philadelphia, 1858, (4) pages hardbound in a modern glossy black cloth cover with extra leaves added for bulk. One-inch tear at the head of the first page, else a Fine and unmarked copy. This is Mickleys only published numismatic title. From our (Bowers and Merenas) sale of the Armand Champa Library, Part I November 1994, lot 413. Lot tag included.W. Elliott Woodward, Fine Paper copy, Catalogue of the Numismatic Collection formed by Joseph J. Mickley, Esq. of Philadelphia, Now the Property of W. Elliott Woodward of Roxbury, Mass., October 28, 1867 and the five following evenings, 196 pages, 3,349 lots, hand-priced in black ink, contemporary black half calf, marbled boards, portion of original front wrapper mount on front board, binding scuffed but tight, tear to the bottom of page 103, others with light discoloration and minor creases, but the whole a pleasing Very Good. Mickleys 1804 silver dollar is lot 1696 in this catalog, at the top of page 99. One of the rarest W.E. Woodward special edition catalogues with no more than three copies known. Ex numismatic book collection of the Wadsworth Athenaeum in Hartford, Connecticut; our (Bowers and Merenas) sale of the Armand Champa Library, Part III, September 1995, lot 2681.(compiled by) Minnie F. Mickley, The Genealogy of the Mickley Family of America, originally published by the Mickleys, Pennsylvania, 1893, this undated modern reproduction published by Tuttle Antiquarian Books, Rutland, Vermont, 183 pages, softbound in brown covers, binding and pages tight and clean, a neatly made and well preserved reproduction, As New.Also included in this lot are photocopies of select pages from the American Journal of Numismatics, No. 52, Vol. V. -- No. 4, April 1871 and No. 57, Vol. VII. -- No. 4, July 1872, that contain letters from William Ewing Dubois, one of the founders of the Mint Cabinet, about Mickley and his European travels.(Total: 1 medal; 2 books; 1 catalog; 2 photocopies)
