This showed up in a Facebook group, and I had to have it. It is a personal check issued and signed by the legendary dealer Max Mehl. It is from 1929, and shows his business building and a Fugio cent. The check is made out to a Postmaster for $300.
I read a story somewhere about one of the Classic Commems that didn't sell too well when it was issued, and it was decided that the unsold coins should be destroyed. Apparently, Mr. Mehl ended up buying all of the unsold coins to prevent that from happening. I believe that Mark Feld, a former (?) member of the NGC forums is related to Mr. Mehl. @ldhair @gmarguli - Do either of you remember anything about this?
He's still there, works for HA now. I believe Mark is Max Mehl's great-nephew; his mother was Max's niece.
Yes! I was still active on the NGC forums when Mark went to work for Heritage. Not too long before he went to HA, I bought this Oregon Trail from Mark.
He did it twice, actually. First was in 1917 when he bought the remaining 10,000 McKinley Gold Dollars at a discount. The National McKinley Birthplace Memorial Association had been selling them for $3 per coin, whereas Mehl sold them for $2.50 each. These were the ones that didn't sell well. Second time was 1935, when he bought all remaining 1935 Arkansas P/D/S (3,000/5,000/5,000 respectively). These were the second minting (of the P's), as the initial minting sold out quickly, and an additional minting ensued, resulting in an unwanted surplus. He bought all the D/S's that were minted for that year. The man had his hands in the Commemoratives for sure!
Thanks! I was hoping that someone would have the information so I wouldn't have to scan through the entire Commem book.
Pretty coin. Mark has a great eye for quality. I wish he was still a dealer. He can also be found posting over on CU.
