Mehl, B. Max. Catalog of the Celebrated Numismatic Collection formed by William Forrester Dunham, Chicago Illinois. June 3, 1941. Fort Worth. Very Fine.Octavo. Handsomely hardbound in deep maroon full leather, lettered in gilt on the front cover and spine, including the name of the recipient of this copy, Charles M. Williams, at the lower right. Sporadically illustrated throughout, with silvered and gilt highlight illustration pages of the two key rarities, the Dexter-Dunham 1804 silver dollar, and the 1822 half eagle. In addition, there are six fine enlarged photographic plates featuring the obverses and reverses of the three highlight coins bound in, these include the 1804 dollar, the 1822 half eagle, and the Proof 1855 Kellogg & Co. $50 gold. The original prices realized list is laid in, as is Mehl’s presale promotional brochure, <em>A Prospectus of the Celebrated William Forrester Dunham Numismatic Collection</em>, giving a thorough overview of the offerings, and a solicitation for catalog orders.<p>This is an exceptional copy of this celebrated sale, presenting the one collection that Mehl most hoped to be able to catalog and sell from the time he first met Mr. Dunham in 1910, and one he considered a highlight of his career. It is inscribed in his hand on the lower front flyleaf, “To my esteemed friend / Mr. Charles M. Williams / With every good wish / B. Max Mehl,” and dated April 29, 1941.<p>As alluded to in the subhead above, this catalog is a piece of 1804 dollar history, as it was Charles M. Williams, a collector of Cincinnati, Ohio, who arranged to purchase the Dexter-Dunham specimen of the 1804 silver dollar from the Dunham collection for $4,250, prior to the actual mail bid sale, which the entirety of the Dunham sale was otherwise.<p>Interior solid and clean with just a trace of light wear at the foot of the spine. Armand Champa’s bookplate inside the front cover as it was in Kolbe’s 1981 sale, this being a volume Champa sold long before our own celebrated four-part sale of his important library in 1994 and 1995.From the D. Brent Pogue Library. Earlier ex Charles M. Williams; Armand Champa; George Frederick Kolbe, June 1981, lot 903.
