NNP Blog

4 DECEMBER 2021

Virgil Brand Ledgers at ANS Scanned by Newman Numismatic Portal

One of the most frequently consulted references at the ANS Library is the massive inventory record of the Virgil Brand collection. Brand, a Chicago beer magnate, was an active collector at the turn of the 20th century, and these ledgers detail over 100,000 items purchased between 1889 and 1925. Brand was clearly disciplined in maintaining these records – indeed, most collectors much prefer buying over bookkeeping. The 23 folio ledgers were Brand’s gift to future collectors, invaluable for pedigree research and containing information found nowhere else. Fifteen of these are now posted on the Newman Portal and the remainder will be added in the near future. The Newman Portal acknowledges ANS Librarian David Hill coordinating logistics with Internet Archive, and Internet Archive Associate John Graffeo for working through scanning issues related to oversized material.Link to Brand secondary ledgers on Newman Portal: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/archivedetail/513927Link to ANS ARCHER catalog entry for the Brand ledgers: http://numismatics.org/archives/ark:/53695/nnan0034UPDATE (3/2017): This series is now complete on the Newman Portal.