"Olsen" 1913 liberty nickel sold for $3.7 million "Olsen" 1913 liberty nickel sold for $3.7 million at Heritage Auctions Florida United Numismatists (FUN) Auction, at the Orange County Convention Center Thursday.
the two eventually handled considerable portions of the Colonel Green coin collection, including all five 1913 Liberty Head nickels. Johnson also handled material from the Virgil Brand estate through his brother Armin Brand. He died on a St. Louis streetcar while commuting to work.
Stephen Kenneth Nagy, Jr. was born in Newark, New Jersey, on January 15, 1884, and died in Philadelphia on August 29, 1958. Nagy owned an antique business in Philadelphia, handling a variety of objects including rare coins. In 1942 he resided at 1536 N. Willington Street in Philadelphia, and operated his business at 8 South 18th Street. He was married to Gertrude Devers, the daughter of Minnie Devers who resided with them for many years. They were married between 1910 and 1920. It is often stated that Nagy was the son-in-law of famous 19th century coin dealer and Civil War hero Captain John W. Haseltine. No such connection has been located in any historical records.
Eric Pfeiffer Newman was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on May 25, 1911. He graduated from MIT in 1932, and from the Washington University (Missouri) School of Law in 1935. While a student at MIT, he met Col. Green, clearly unaware that he would eventually handle material from Green's estate. He began his law practice in 1935 and married Evelyn Edison in 1939. His grandfather gave him an 1859 Indian cent in 1920, starting his interest in numismatics. He soon became acquainted with B.G. Johnson, who encouraged him to learn about the coins he wanted to buy. He has written many books and articles about numismatics and remains an active numismatist today at age 98.
Wayte Raymond was born in South Norwalk, Connecticut, on November 9, 1886, and died in New York City on September 23, 1956. He joined the ANA in 1902 and issued fixed price lists from 1908 to 1911. Raymond then entered in partnership with Elmer Sears to form the United States Coin Company, conducting 43 auction sales from 1912 to 1918. He later operated the numismatic division of J.C. Morgenthau with James G. Macallister, conducting over 50 auctions. He also conducted 69 sales under his own name. Raymond was publisher of the Coin Collector's Journal from 1934 until 1954, the Standard Catalog of United States Coins, and others. Among his many clients was Colonel Green. Raymond's paternal ancestry dates to the 1630s in Massachusetts.
August Wagner advertised the five 1913 Liberty Head nickels for sale in late 1923 and early 1924 from his business in Philadelphia. His advertisement appeared in The Numismatist, suggesting that he was an ANA member, although former ANA historian Jack Ogilvie stated in a letter to Eric Newman that Wagner was not an ANA member.
Wagner was a real estate broker in Philadelphia, according to the 1910, 1920, and 1930 Federal Census records. His World War I draft registration card gives his residence as "NE cor. 65th and Camac" in the community of Oak Lane, and his business address as "NW cor 31st
