Michael Hodder and Q. David Bowers
Clarence Bement's is a name familiar to numismatic historians. In addition to being recognized for his interest in minerals (Bert purchased Bement's 2,000-specimen collection in 1912), Bement was a well-known collector of coins. His collection, which included outstanding large cents, a 1793 Washington peace medal, and a 1786 date under plow beam New Jersey copper, was sold by Henry Chapman on May 29, 1916; foreign coins were auctioned by Henry Chapman in 1918, and Thomas Elder sold the balance of Bement's collection in 1923. Bement's particular numismatic specialty was early American cents, and in the literature of that field his name is still recalled with frequency.
Bement may have encouraged Bert Holden to begin collecting coins in a serious way. There were other crossovers between the mineralogical and coin collecting hobbies at this time. Andrew C. Zabriskie, for example, an American Numismatic Association president and owner of one of the finest collections ever assembled, a holding particularly rich in western numismatic Americana, was a graduate of Columbia University's School of Mines. The Chapman brothers, leading coin auctioneers, sold the A. Dohrmann Collection of minerals on December 13, 1886; the catalogue, with nine plates, is now scarce. R.E. Holmes, a Montrose, Nebraska mineral dealer, was a regular advertiser in B. Max Mehl's Numismatic Monthly in 1908-1909. Bert's obituary, later published in The Numismatist, listed his collecting interests as coins and minerals. The crossovers are natural to the two hobbies. Both involve the close scrutiny of small objects, both are subject to orderly classification, both house their specimens in cabinets, and so on. This is especially true of crystallography, Bert's specialty in the field of mineralogy.
Like any wise collector, whatever his hobby, Bert was very cautious when beginning a relationship with a professional dealer.He always requested references first, and his initial business with an untested dealer was always small in value. For example, he wrote Professor Wolff early in 1896:
Do you know a mineral dealer named N.L. Wilson? His place of business is 170 Tremont St., Boston.
The reason I am asking is that he wants to exchange with me. If he is reliable I am willing to try him with a lot. If he is not reliable I would rather let him severely alone. I have a lot of poor, very poor [illegible] and tarosite that I can perhaps get him to take in exchange. These specimens show few or no crystals, merely coatings. They are specimens that I would not have in my cabinet, but I suppose a dealer could sell them for $10 to $15 apiece.
Bert Holden began collecting minerals seriously in 1896, although he had started casually earlier, soon after joining his father in Utah. By early 1896, just a few months after his serious collecting began, his name was known as a new collector to most mineral dealers. In May of that year he wrote Wolff that "Englishe and Foote, [two independent dealers in valuable mineral specimens] as well as the other dealers, are very anxious to exchange with me." He asked Wolff's opinion of the value of the mineral specimens he had already sent to Harvard, going on to say that Englishe in particular was pressing him for specimens, implying that at this early date Bert was not experienced enough to determine the prices he should ask. He wrote, "As I take my pay in minerals I want to know where to meet him. He is very anxious for me to contract the specimen output of our mines. I am very willing to contract with him if I get what I want."
In May 1896 Bert asked Professor Wolff if a price of $500 was too high for some 400 good specimens of orpiment, and Wolff replied that it was fair. Bert offered the consignment to Foote at this price, but in June wrote Wolff, "Foote wants all my orpiments at $500. I rather expect he will try to beat me down in the price when they are in his hands. However, I am willing to send them to him. If he don't [sic] want them there are a dozen others that do."
Foote already owed Bert money on a different consignment, so he did not stand high in Bert's estimation. In July Bert wrote Wolff, "By the way, I have had a very disagreeable time with Foote. I sent him 495 specimens for $500 exchange. He tried to beat me down on the price and Englishe took the lot. Then Foote tried to steal some of the specimens. I fear he succeeded, as I sent 8 or 10 large specimens that could have been cut up and no one but myself have been the wiser." Bert's later correspondence strongly suggests he threatened to sue Foote; the outcome of the dispute was settled in Bert's favor.
The mineralogical equivalent to our later Guide Book of U.S. Coins was E.S. Dana's The System of Mineralogy; Bert used the 6th edition (1892). Dana listed 824 "types" of minerals. According to notes prepared by Carl Francis, curator of Harvard's mineralogical collection, in 1910 and 1911 Bert purchased 506 of the 824 types, or 60%! Bert's 1912 want list, which he had printed and distributed to dealers and museums around the world, listed only 115 "types" still unrepresented in his collection or in need of upgrading. In other words, by that time Bert collected fully 85% of all the then recognized mineral "types" listed in the standard handbook, an astonishing feat for any collector. This energetic enthusiasm was typical of the man, however, and carried over into his coin collecting hobby, as well. Half of the United States coins in the Norweb Collection were purchased by Bert Holden from 1907 to 1912, the majority being collected in the two years from September 1908 to October 1910.
Like many a past and present collector, Bert relied heavily on agents, men he trusted who knew his wants and enough of the business to buy for him at reasonable prices. Bert's agents for mineralogical specimens were located worldwide.
The collecting world then, as now, was a small one, and we keep finding interesting crossovers between hobbies. In October 1910 Bert met Mr. R.W Bull in the Magdalena district of New Mexico. Bull was an electrical engineer, a Harvard man also (Class of 1896) and younger than Bert. They later became friendly, as they shared an interest in football, especially Harvard football. Bert pursuaded Bull to send mineral specimens to Professor Wolff.
I regret that I did not get a chance to write you yesterday about your summer work. Whatever you want to do, or wherever you wish to go, will be perfectly agreeable to me.
I enclose ten one-hundred dollar checks on the First National Bank of Boston, made to your order. Use whatever of this amount is necessary for your collecting trips, and return me the balance, if any, at the opening of the college year.
As I told you the other day, if you find any good stuff that runs up into considerable money get an option on it if you can, and let me know. I hope you realize that it is results I am after, and I am not desirous of saving a little money by wasting a good deal of time.
I suggest that whenever you can you get such men as are necessary and do up any or all localities that you visit in the quickest time possible.