Chapman, Henry. CATALOGUE OF THE MAGNIFICENT COLLECTION OF ANCIENT GREEK AND ROMAN, EUROPEAN, ORIENTAL, EARLY AMERICAN AND UNITED STATES COINS OF GEORGE H. EARLE, JR., ESQ., PHILADELPHIA. Philadelphia: Davis & Harvey, June 25-29, 1912. 4to, later black cloth. v, (3), 225, (3) pages; 3875 lots; 39 very fine photographic plates, one of which is a well-executed reproduction and labeled as such. Partly hand-priced in pencil; original prices realized list bound in. Light general wear. Near fine. Adams 19, with plates. Rated A+ overall: "One of the great collections: balanced strength in ancients, European and U.S. rarities and high condition." The Earle sale realized $55,821.63, a record at the time. While not as extensive as the Jenks collection, coin for coin it is probably superior. The ancient, European and American sections are particularly remarkable, for rarity and condition alike. In my Ancient Coins in Early American Auctions, I named this "probably the single most important pre-WWII American auction catalogue for ancient coins." In the preface, Chapman termed it "the finest collection ever offered in this country." Plates I-V depict classic ancient Greek coins of fine style; plates VI-IX illustrate choice Roman and Byzantine portrait coins; plates X-XVIII depict European rarities; plate XIX illustrates orders and decorations; plates XX-XXIV depict an astounding array of American colonial, state coins and Washingtonia; plate XXV illustrates a remarkable panoply of rare American patterns; plates XXVI-XXVIII depict superb United States gold coins; plates XXIX-XXXIII illustrate the superb series of American silver coins; plates XXXIV-XXXVII depict outstanding large cents; plate XXXVIII illustrates choice half cents; and, finally, plate XXXIX depicts slugs and other pioneer gold rarities. In this copy, Plate XXIII, depicting selections from lots 2025-2131, is a high-quality photographic reproduction of such faithfulness to the original that it would be potentially deceptive were it not marked as such in pen on both sides. Clain-Stefanelli 12177*. Davis 203. Fanning, Ancient Coins in Early American Auctions, 16. Grierson 275. Spring 99. Ex F. Gordon Frost library (Kolbe & Fanning's 2013 New York Book Auction, lot 182); ex Cardinal Collection Library.