The Numismatic Bibliomania Society

The Challenging Literature of A. M. Smith

SCOPE

There is no standard reference that lists all the varieties of publications of A. M. Smith. Numismatic literature sales give some indication of availability. Unfortunately, most of the descriptions are incomplete and many have included errors in the descriptions. Some notes on these catalog listings are included with the exhibit.

While many authors have left their name on numismatic publications, A.M. Smith left his name on dozens of product containers and advertising promotions. These are probably not familiar to most collectors of his literature. Examples are presented to expose collectors to this challenging area of related collectibles. 

THE CHALLENGES

• It is a challenge to understand confusing titles.
• Collecting an example of each title is a challenge as some are infrequently offered.
• It is a challenge to understand the different types, colors and qualities of binding.
• Collecting publishing varieties is a challenge since no reference exists.
• Acquiring this literature is a challenge since catalog descriptions are frequently inaccurate or incomplete.

AVAILABILITY

• 15 dealers¹
• 156 sales
• 154,426 lots

THE LIFE OF A. M. SMITH²

• February 4, 1841: Born Anders Madsen Smedt in Knudsbol, Denmark.
• 1857-1860 Sailor on merchant ships.
• 4/22/1861 to 10/2/1862: Served in the Union Army during the Civil War.
• 6/25/1863 to 7/8/1864: Served in the Union Navy.
• 12/1/1864 to 5/10/1866: Served in the Union Army in California.
• May 8, 1866: Became a citizen of the United States.
• 1868-1869 Worker constructing the transcontinental railroad.
• 1870 Farmer near Elko, Utah.
• 1871-1872 Railroad watchman in Ogden, Utah.
• April 17, 1872: Married to Botilla Elberg in Ogden, Utah.
• 1872-1875 Wine Dealer in Salt Lake City, Utah.
• 1875-1886 Wine Dealer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• 1881 Published Coins and Coinage, The United States Mint.
• 1885 Published Visitor's Guide and History of the United States Mint.
• 1886 Published Encyclopedia of Gold and Silver Coins of the World.
• 1886-1915 Wine Dealer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
• July 20, 1915: Died in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Neither title appeared in the literature sales studied.

A.M. Smith issued promotional calendars from 1889 to 1914. This photograph of the inside of A.M. Smith's "California Wine Depot" in Minneapolis appeared in his calendar for 1900.

Photograph of the interior of A.M. Smith's 'California Restaurant" appeared in his annual calendar from 1900. Note framed coins and medals on the walls.

One collecting challenge is to acquire all of Smith's titles. Shown are examples of Smith's numismatic publications.

 

3	Cover of paperbound edition: Illustrated History of the United States Mint  Inside title: Coins and Coinage, The United States Mint, Philadelphia, History, Biography, Statistics, Work, Machinery, Products, Officials.  Commonly known as: Coins and Coinage.  Published: 1881-1886 Philadelphia A 1991 article in The Asylum described five editions and 27 varieties.  Offered 69 times in recent sales, the most frequent of Smith's publications.
4	Cover: Visitors Guide to the U.S. Mint Philadelphia  Inside title: Visitor's Guide and History of the United States Mint, Philadelphia, PA.  Commonly known as : Visitor's Guide  Published: 1885-1886 Philadelphia  Offered in four bindings: Full Russian leather @ $1.50; quarter leather @ $1.50; cloth binding @ $1.00 and paperbound @ $.50.  Offered twenty-three times in recent sales.
5	Cover: Encyclopaedia of Gold & Silver Coins of the World  Inside title: Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Gold and Silver Coins of the World; Illustrating the Modern, Ancient, Current and Curious from A.D. 1885 Back to B.C. 700  Commonly known as Smith's Encyclopaedia  Published: 1886 Philadelphia  Offered thirty times in recent sales.
6	Cover: A. M. Smith's Numismatic Manual and Coin Catalogue  Inside title: A. M. Smith's Illustrated Catalogue of United States and Foreign, Ancient and Modern Coins, Colonial, Continental, Confederate, National and State Currency, Indian, Antiquarian and Pre-historic Relics.  Commonly known as: Numismatic Manual  Promoted as: Coin Manual and Catalogue  Published in 1883 Philadelphia  This is the best of three examples offered in recent sales.
7	Cover: Illustrated Coin Book  The heading on pages 4 through 18 is Visitor's Guide to the U.S. Mint  Published in 1900 and 1905 Minneapolis  Offered five times in recent sales.
8	Coin Collectors' of the United States Illustrated Guide  Nine issues of this periodical were produced between 1880 and 1886. The sale of the Champa library in 1995 included the only single offering of all nine issues.  There were eight offerings of single issues.

TITLES

Title on Cover: Coins and Coinage, The United States Mint Philadelphia
Title on Title Page: Illustrated History of the United States Mint
Title on Spine: U.S. Mint and Coins

Cataloguers of numismatic literature sales have also been confused. The survey of literature sales found 31 offerings of Coins and Coinage, two offerings of Illustrated History and one offering of U.S. Mint and Coins, although these are really the same book.

Shown are three copies of the same book with three different titles:

9	Coins and Coinage, The United States Mint, Philadelphia, History, Biography, Statistics, Work, Machinery, Products, Officials.
10	Illustrated History of the U.S. Mint.
11	U.S. Mint and Coins.

BINDINGS

"Binding varieties are not at all unusual in nineteenth century American numismatic books. Publishers often bound many of their works in small batches, presumably to preserve capital. Over a period of time styles and material varied, and, no doubt, on some occasions, publishers deliberately bound identical works in different styles."³

Shown are examples of Coins and Coinage in four different bindings.

12	Paper
13	Cloth
14	Half Leather
15	Full Leather

Within one type of binding, there may be varieties which may be described incompletely in literature sales.

Shown are three examples of Visitor's Guide to the United States Mint Philadelphia in cloth bindings.
 
 

16	Blue Cloth - This binding offered once in recent sales.
17	Brown Cloth - Flexible Cover - Binding offered once in recent sales
18	Brown Cloth - The binding most frequently offered.

QUALITY

Another collecting challenge is interpreting sales catalogs. If an auction catalogue described the binding as green cloth, which of these bindings would you expect? 

CONTENTS

The Fall 1991 issue of The Asylum identified five distinct editions of Coins and Coinage, each with a different order of contents⁵.

22

Shown are photocopies from four editions of Coins and Coinage showing how the biography of A. Louden Snowden appears on different pages.  1881 Edition: Snowden biography on page 43.  1882 Edition: Snowden biography on page 48.  1883 Edition: Snowden biography on page 51.  1884 Edition: Snowden biography on page 37.  1885 Edition: Snowden biography replaced with Greek coins, and a biography of Daniel Fox begins on page 1.

REUSE OF MATERIAL

EPHEMERA

ADVERTISING

NOTES

²A.M. Smith, Up and Down in the World or Paddle Your Own Canoe (Minneapolis: 1891)

³George Kolbe, Auction Sale 65 June First 1996. Page 56.

⁴ Pete Smith, "A. M. Smith's Coins and Coinage: A Trial List" The Asylum, Vol. IX, No. 4. (Fall, 1991)

⁵ Remy Bourne, Fixed Price List & Prices Paid For Lists of United States Coin Dealers 1822-1900. Ramm Communications, Inc. (Minneapolis: 1988)

⁶Ron Feldhaus, editor. The Bottles, Breweriana and Advertising Jugs of Minnesota 1850-1920 (Minneapolis: 1987)