Auction Number 40 Closed (#11006)

482 - LOW 238C / HT-245C Unl AU Crumbie Soda Water Corner of Bowery & Fourth St. New York struck in German Silver with a blank reverse. This is an unlisted predecessor to W. D. Crumbie, likely father or older brother, located at a different address. James Crumbie, born circa 1810, is listed as a Druggist at 361 Bowery at the corner of Fourth in the 1835 City Directory then at 363 Bowery also at the corner of Fourth in the 1837, 1840 and 1841 directories. James was not found in the 1830 directory and no W. D. Crumbie listings were found in any of the four directories consulted. Rulau states W. D. Crumbie was at corner of Bowery and Houston in the 1844-6 time period. Very rare merchant with just two known, Ford's lone Crumbie being the other. Even the W. D. Crumbie token is missing from the most advanced collections. Rulau's listing for HT-245 / Low 238 seems to imply a not described reverse as the A sub variety is listed as Blank. A W. D. Crumbie with W. D. C. counterstamp on an otherwise blank reverse in EF was sold for $3,905 in our July 2012 sale. We called that HT-245B / Low 238C. In retrospect perhaps it was the true HT-245. It is the only example from either merchant seen without a completely blank reverse and while Adams seems to imply a Soda Water Check reverse for NY 169 and blank for NY 170, Miller corrects this to include W. D. C. incuse for NY 169. Regardless, this merchant is even rarer, much more squarely in the Hard Times period and is an important "new discovery". The Ford example mentioned above in a NGC AU55 holder but called HT-245A brought $2,820 despite being under described. We were not even aware it was unlisted until working with this piece. From the Steve Tanenbaum collection earlier from Bowers & Merena's September 1988 and June 1984 sales. (4000-6000)