THE NORWEB COLLECTION

From NBSwiki

The One Hundred Greatest Items Of United States Numismatic Literature Rank: Number 19

---

A multi-generational effort assembled by astute numismatists with resources to match, the Norweb catalogs might have rated even higher in our survey had the family not donated the crème de la crème to institutional collections – the 1913 nickel to the Smithsonian, and the Brasher doubloon to the ANS. The remainders are still fit for a king, 1792 patterns, 1884 and 1885 trade dollars, one of the finest 1794 dollars, a 1870-S dollar, 1827 quarter, 1894-S dime, substantial early proofs and proof gold, and countless other delicacies in the colonial, federal, and territorial series. Not included is the hilarious tale of Mr. Breen, Mrs. Norweb, and the Milky Way chocolate bar. The reader is referred to the John J. Ford, Jr. interview in Heritage Legacy, Vol. 3, Nos. 1 & 2 (1990) for full details, alternatively a posthumous version is recreated by Pete Smith in The Asylum, Vol. 23, No. 3 (Summer, 2005). Further amusement is provided by Ken Lowe, writing in the premier issue of Out On A Limb (August, 1987), who famously described an evening at the Norweb manse in Cleveland. Bowers and Hodder’s companion volume, The Norweb Collection: An American Legacy (1987) strikes a necessarily more serious tone in detailing the lives of the Norwebs and the development of the collection throughout its long history.

Part 1

Auctions By Bowers and Merena Inc. THE NORWEB COLLECTION. EARLY AMERICAN AND U. S. COINS. PART I.
Wolfesboro, NH: Auctions By Bowers and Merena Inc., Oct 12-13, 1987
411pp, 1413 lots
Quarto: 27.5 x 21 cm
Softbound: Pictorial Card Covers

Part 2

Auctions By Bowers and Merena Inc. THE NORWEB COLLECTION. EARLY AMERICAN AND U. S. COINS. PART II.
Wolfesboro, NH: Auctions By Bowers and Merena Inc., Mar 24-25, 1988
291pp, 1270 lots
Quarto: 27.5 x 21 cm
Softbound: Pictorial Card Covers

Part 3

Auctions By Bowers and Merena Inc. THE NORWEB COLLECTION. EARLY AMERICAN AND U. S. COINS. PART III.
Wolfesboro, NH: Auctions By Bowers and Merena Inc., Nov 14-15, 1988
443pp, 1452 lots
Quarto: 27.5 x 21 cm

Hardbound Catalogs

Wolfesboro, NH: Auctions By Bowers and Merena Inc., 1987-1988
1145pp, 4135 lots
Quarto: 28 x 21.5 cm
Hardbound: Brown Leatherette

Presentation Catalog

Wolfesboro, NH: Auctions By Bowers and Merena Inc., 1987-1988
1145pp, 4135 lots
Quarto
Hardbound: Three volumes, bound as one. Full crimson leather grained cloth, gilt.
Limited to 20 copies.