Dunlop of that Ilk

F.C.C. BOYD 1874-1960
Numismatist

The mid-1940s were the twilight numismatic (coin-collecting) years for “Fred” C. C. Boyd, born in 1874*, who in his life combined the fortunate circumstances of being a highly successful business executive and a discriminating collector of rare coins.

Actually, in the early years he may have determined to become a rare coin dealer. After Boyd held a mail-bid sale on Sept 17, 1913, the editor of The Numismatist commented: “We wish Mr. Boyd great success in his undertaking in the numismatic field.” However, although Boyd continued dealing in coins, including conducting an auction in connection with the American Numismatic Association (ANA) convention in August 1922, and having a large retail stock, he gained personal wealth as an executive of the Union News Co., which had kiosks in railroad stations and other public places.

While dealing in coins, he also avidly collected, sometimes accepting a challenge of a new series, building a fine display, and then selling it – as he did with his fractional currency in the late 1920s. However, as numismatists often do, he missed these colorful bits of paper and soon started a new collection. In 1937 he was the appraiser for the coin part of the estate of Col. Edward H.R. Green, whose holdings, among other things, included all five known 1913 Liberty Head 5 cent coins, part of a collection and accumulation valued by Boyd at $1,240,299.

Among the coins owned by Boyd and his wife Helen, was a 1933 Saint-Gaudens double eagle, which was proudly displayed at two or more ANA conventions (in the days before the Secret Service “witch hunt” to seize such pieces). To a journalist, Fred Boyd noted that he had all of the United States coin rarities he considered important (important caveat, as many rarities, Mint marks, etc., did not attract his attention), except for an 1804 Draped Bust silver dollar. Beyond that, he had vast holdings in Colonials, pioneer gold, patterns and other specialties.

In the early 1940s King Farouk of Egypt was one of the main buyers of rare coins, backed by the resources of the Egyptian treasury. Up-and-coming New York City dealer Abe Kosoff befriended Boyd, and in 1945, he bought en bloc his immense collection of pattern pieces and sold it to King Farouk. Boyd consigned his regular federal silver and gold coins to Kosoff, who by that time had Abner Kriesberg as a partner in the Numismatic Gallery as “The World’s Greatest Collection” crossed the auction block and created a sensation. The coins were of extraordinary quality, there was lots of cash to be spent and the results made (numismatic) history. Q. David Bowers, Coin World Magazine, May 19, 2003.

Starting in 1878, it seems that one of the major coin dealers on the era, David Prosky, started buying up all the remaining specimens of the proof cents, 3 cent pieces, and 5 cent pieces leftover at the end of the year. This hoard of proofs was accumulated throughout the rest of Indian Cent series and numbered in the hundreds of coins per year. This group of Indian Cent proofs was still intact when the entire hoard was bought by Frederick C.C. Boyd, I believe around 1910. Later these were mostly all sold to Howard MacIntosh of Tatham Stamp & Coin Co. By this time the coins had mostly acquired beautiful iridescent purple toning and were advertised as such in their monthly ads in The Numismatist throughout the 1940's and 1950's. Today these purple toned beauties are very tough to find.

Frederick C.C. Boyd was born in New York City on April 10, 1886* and died on September 7, 1958. He is visible to the numismatic world today through the sales of the John J. Ford Collection, the latter having acquired many numismatic items from Boyd. His employment was as an advertising manager of the American Tobacco Company in New York, later managing the Union News Company. During the 1930s, Boyd served as a board member of the National Recovery Administration, and later as a board member of the Office of Price Administration during the second World War. His numismatic interests were far reaching, from colonials to odd and curious, as well as political ribbons. In 1945 and 1946, Abe Kosoff and his Numismatic Gallery sold portions of the Boyd Collection under the non de plume "World's Greatest Collection."

*Note: I don't know which date, 1874 or 1886 is the correct date of F.C.C. Boyds birthdate.   

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