Officers
DATE  PRES  VP  SEC  TREAS  CURATOR  CLERK 
6/14/1878  Morgan  Kirk  Rode  Maynard  -   
6/28/1878  Morgan  Kirk  Rode  Maynard  -   
          Clapp   
4/11/1879          Comingo   
6/20/1879  Morgan  Kirk  Rode  Maynard  Kelley   
8/13/1880          Gies   
6/17/1881  Morgan  Kelley  Rode  Book  Gies   
7/01/1881        Ramsden     
6/30/1882  Ramsden  Kelley  Rode  McKnight  Gies   
3/02/1883      McKnight       
6/29/1883  Ramsden  McKnight  McKnight  Sermin  Gies   
6/07/1884  Ramsden  Kelley  Rode  Sermin  Gies   
6/05/1885  Ramsden  Kelley  Rode  Sermin  Gies   
6/04/1886  Ramsden  Kelley  Shinkle  Sermin  McKnight  Rode 
6/03/1887  Ramsden  Kelley  Rode  Sermin  McKnight   
6/01/1888  Ramsden  Gies  Rode  Sermin  McKnight   
6/07/1889  Ramsden  Gies  Rode  Sermin  McKnight   

LIST OF MEMBERS (Chronological Order)

Member 
Number 		 Date Elected  Name  Notes 
1.  6/14/1878  Clapp, George H. founder 
2.  6/14/1878  Rode, George W.  founder 
3.  6/14/1878  Shipman, R.W.  founder 
4.  6/14/1878  Rivett, John  founder 
5.  6/14/1878  Kirk, Frank J.  founder 
6.  6/14/1878  Morgan, S.H.  founder 
7.  6/14/1878  Maynard, Elbert F.  founder 
8.  6/14/1878  McKnight, Henry  founder 
9.  12/27/1878  Comingo, E.G.   
10.  1/10/1879  Sermin, Ferdinand   
11.  1/17/1879  Haslett, W.R.   
12.  1/17/1989  Kelley, J.E.H.   
13.  1/31/1879  Murphy, Sidney F.   
14.  1/31/1879  Gies, A. Charles   
  3/3/1887  Adler, Jonas   
15.  4/18/1879  Glockner, A., Jr.   
16.  5/02/1879  Rogers, A.J.   
17.  5/16/1879  Book, Robert D.   
18.  6/13/1879  White, David J.   
19.  7/25/1879  Ramsden, Thomas   
20.  8/22/1879  Breed, Henry A.   
21.  8/29/1879  Hildebrand, Jesse   
22.  10/24/1879  Coursin, B.B.   
23.  10/24/1879  Murray, J. S.   
24.  10/24/1879  Kirk, Charles W.   
25.  11/07/1879  Cotton, J.C.   
26.  11/14/1879  Buettler, W.L.   
27.  1/16/1880  Schmauk, Benjamin T.   
28.  6/18/1880  Poillon, William  (c - New York) 
29.  7/16/1880  Woodward, W. E.  (c - Roxbury, MA) 
30.  11/19/1880  Cunningham,Thomas  (c - Mohawk, NY) 
31.  3/04/1881  Nichols, G.P.  (c - Springfield, MA) 
32.  8/07/1885  Shinkle, Charles H.   
33.  8/07/1885  Wilson, H.E.   
34.  8/07/1885  Low, Lyman H.  (c - New York, NY) 
  5/07/1886  Scott, G.W.   
  3/3/1887  Evans, W. B.   
  3/3/1887  Harper, Thomas   

LIST OF MEMBERS (Alphabetical Order)

  MEMBER  BORN  ELECTED    LEFT  DIED 
  Book    5/16/1879  n  1/06/1888   
  Breed    8/22/1879  r  6/07/1881   
  Buettler    1879  n  6/30/1882   
f  Clapp    6/14/1878  r  10/06/1882   
  Comingo    12/27/1878  r  1880   
  Cotton    11/07/1879  r  1880   
  Coursin    10/24/1879  e  1/05/1883   
c  Cunningham    11/19/1880       
  Gies    1/31/1879       
  Glockner    4/18/1879  n  6/07/1884   
  Haslett    1/17/1879  n  6/30/1882   
  Hildebrand    8/29/1879  r  4/07/1882   
  Kelley    1/17/1879       
  Kirk, C. W.    10/24/1879  n  6/30/1882   
f  Kirk, F. J.    6/14/1878  r  12/17/1880   
f  Maynard    6/14/1878  n  6/07/1884   
f  McKnight    6/14/1878       
f  Morgan    6/14/1878  e  4/07/1882   
  Murphy    1/31/1879  n  6/30/1882   
  Murray      r  1/25/1880   
c  Nichols    3/04/1881       
  Ramsden    7/25/1879       
f  Rivett    6/14/1878  e     
f  Rode    6/14/1878       
  Rogers    5/02/1879  r  3/19/1880   
  Sermin    1/10/1879       
  Schmauk    1880 p  n  6/30/1882   
  Scott    5/07/1886  v     
  Sermin           
  Shinkle    8/07/1885  n  1/06/1888   
f  Shipman    6/14/1878  n  6/07/1884   
  White    6/13/1879  r  1/19/1880   
  Wilson    8/07/1885       

Key:

c  corresponding member 
r  resigned 
n  expelled for nonpayment of dues 
e  expelled for other reasons 
v  membership voided 

Society Publications

1879 Catalogue of the Coin Exhibit at the Pittsburgh Exposition 
1880  Constitution and By-Laws 
1881  Amendments to the Constitution 
1886  Membership Recuitment Circular 

AUCTIONS CATALOGED

  DATE  CATALOGUER  LOTS  PAGES  "With Compliments of.."  Priced Catalogs 
  01/28/1879 R. W. Shipman 359  12     
    This is Shipman's only sale. An unpriced copy of this catalog was offered in the Kirk sale (Morgan, 6/27/1879, lot 17) where it brought 40 cents. 
  3/11/1879 S. H. Morgan 375  13     
    This is Morgan's first sale. 
  4/30/1879 J. Adler 225  8     
    This is Adler's only sale. Scarce catalog, according to Morgan. The ANS library has a copy. A copy pedigreed to the WPNS library is held by Mr. Armand Champa of Louisville, KY. 
*  6/27/1879 S. H. Morgan 221  8    Rode 
    The F. J. Kirk collection. Salmon covers. Scarce catalog, according to Morgan. Kirk was a founding member of WPNS, who would resign on 12/17/1880. 
*  10/16/1879 S. H. Morgan 303  11  Rogers  Rogers 
    Grey covers. 
*  12/04/1879 S. H. Morgan 393  14  Rode  Rode 
    Scarce catalog, according to Morgan. Light green covers. 
*  12/23/1879 S. H. Morgan 225  8    Rogers 
    Salmon covers. Scarce catalog, according to Morgan. 
*  1/28/1880 John Haseltine 600  18  (Sampson)   
    The S. H. Morgan collection. Offered priced copies of the following catalogs: 
3/11/1879 Morgan (lot 579 $.10)
4/30/1879 Adler (lot 583 $.13)
6/27/1879 Morgan (lot 591 $.25)
10/16/1879 Morgan (lot 597 $.45)
12/04/1879 Morgan (lot 600 $.16)
 
  1/29/1880 S. H. Morgan 227  7     
    Rare catalog, according to Morgan. Only 125 copies printed. 
*  5/27/1880  S. H. Morgan 359  13    Rode 
    Copies exist in both Blue and Grey covers. 
  7/29/1880  S. H. Morgan 277  8     
    The C. W. Kirk collection 
*  9/23/1880  S. H. Morgan 322  12  Rode  Rode 
    Grey covers. 
  12/07/1880  S. H. Morgan 280  8     
     
  1/17/1881  S. H. Morgan 529  17     
    The Robert. W. Mercer collection 
  3/30/1881  S. H. Morgan 699  21     
    The J. H. Keeler collection. 

NOTE: Steigerwalt's Ninth sale on November 7th, 1882 included items property of Rev. J. H. Keeler, of Litchfield, MI. 

  7/27/1881  S. H. Morgan 265  8     
    This is Morgan's 13th, and last sale. On 4/7/1882 Morgan was expelled from WPNS for selling a WPNS medal to a non-member via one of his sales. At the same meeting, Jesse Hildebrand resigned his membership. 
*  4/19/1882  W. E. Woodward 1900  76     
    The collection of S. H. Morgan, now living in Louisville, KY. 

Conjecture: Morgan retired to Louisville, putting his personal collection and library up for sale. 

Lot 1697 is a copy of Woodward's sale of the Mickley collection, Oct 28, Nov 2, 1867. "pierced for binding and somewhat soiled, but extremely rare". 

Lot 1747 is a group of 88 of S. H. Morgan's own sales. "Catalogues of the various Pittsburgh sales, some priced. Of these catalogues some very small editions were printed, and most of them are really rare. The entire stock remaining, 88 pieces." 

BIBLIOGRAPHY: MEMBER PUBLICATIONS

  1. Clapp, George H., The United States Cents of the Years 1798-1799, Sewickley, PA, 1931
  2. This is a very rare work, and much sought after by bibliophiles and collectors of Early American Copper.
  3. Low, Lyman H., Hard Times Tokens, Boston, 1886, 91pp
  4. Shinkle, Charles H., U.S. Coin Values and Lists, Pittsburgh, PA., 1905
  5. -same-, 1909, 20pp, tan cover (from Money Tree #12, lot 848)
  6. -same-, 1910, 23pp, green cover (from Kolbe #48, lot 643)

BIBLIOGRAPHY: MEMBERS' COLLECTIONS

Gies, A.C: Stack's, The A.C. Gies Collection of Half Dollars, October 19, 1940

A limited edition of 100 priced hardbound copies was prepared after the sale. The foreword states:

The Cataloguers humbly dedicate this book to one of the most ardent students of numismatics, Mr. A.C. Gies.

It will interest the collector to know that when this collection was described, Mr. Gies was the oldest living collector in the United States, having commenced his collecting activities in 1864. He collected practically all the U.S. series. However, the foremost of all his collections were the half dollars. These were offered at public auction sale, thus affording the new collectors an opportunity to obtain die varieties seldom offered.

When Mr. Gies became interested in half dollars, he naturally referred to the Hazeltine Type Table, but he discovered so many new varieties that he assigned to them his own numbers.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: OTHER PUBLICATIONS

  1. Adams, John W., United States Numismatic Literature (Volume I), George Frederick Kolbe Publications, Mission Viejo, CA 1982
  2. Adelson, Howard L., The American Numismatic Society 1858-1958, American Numismatic Society, New York, NY, 1958
  3. Alperts, Robert C., Pitt: The Story of the University of Pittsburgh 1787-1987, The University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA, 1986
  4. Attinelli, Emmanuel Joseph, Numisgraphics, New York, NY, 1876 [Reprinted as: A Bibliography of American Numismatic Auction Catalogues 1828-1875, Quarterman Publications, Inc, Lawrence, MA, 1976 (with annotations by John W. Adams)]
  5. Bowers, Q. David, The American Numismatic Association Centennial History, Bowers and Merena Galleries, Wolfeboro, NH 1991 (Volumes I and II)
  6. Carr, Charles C., ALCOA: An American Enterprise, Rinehart & Co., New York, NY 1951
  7. Clain-Stefanelli, E.E., Numismatic Bibliography, Battenberg-Verlag, Munich, 1985
  8. Coin World, Coin World Almanac, Amos Press Inc, Sidney, OH, 1984 (Fourth Edition)
  9. Durst, Lorraine S., United States Numismatic Auction Catalogs: A Bibliography, Sanford J. Durst Numismatic Publications, New York, NY 1981
  10. Hibler, Harold E., and Kappen, Charles V., So-Called Dollars, The Coin and Currency Institute, New York, NY 1963
  11. Kolbe, George Frederick, Selections from the John W. Adams Numismatic Library (Auction Sale 44), (June 1, 1990), Crestline, CA, 1990
  12. Kolbe, George Frederick, Mail Bid Sale Forty-Eight, (June 14, 1991), Crestline, CA 1991
  13. The Money Tree, Twelfth Mail Bid Sale, (August 26, 1991) Rocky River, OH, 1991
  14. Rothert, Matt, A Guide Book of United States Fractional Currency, Whitman Publishing Company, Racine, WI, 1963
  15. Rothert, Matt, Unusual Aspects of U.S. Fractional Curency, in The Numismatist, vol 77, no 9 (August 1964), p1027-1031
  16. Sigler, Col. Phares, O., Numismatic Bibliography, The Dearborn Press, Dearborn, MI, 1951

Table of Contents

Introduction

Overview

Founders

Meetings

First Constitution

1878

A Year of Firsts

First Acquisitions

The Pittsburgh Exposition

The Exposition Caretaker Affair

The 1878 Exposition Medal

First New Members

1879

Business As Usual

The Notorious Jonas Adler and the Black Ball Rule

The Ramsden Matter

More New Faces

The Rogers/Shipman Affair

Summer, 1879

The 1879 Exposition Ultimatum

The 1879 Exposition Exhibit

The 1879 Exposition Medal

Fall, 1879

1880

1880 Members

Corresponding Members

Tables

List of Members (Chronological Order)

List of Members (Alphabetical Order)

Ledgers

Note: Each of these is a very large download!

WPNS ledgers, 1880-1889
WPNS ledgers, 1878-1880
WPNS ledgers, 1878-1889