NNP Blog

4 DECEMBER 2021

Stack’s Fixed Price Lists on Newman Portal

Fixed price lists (FPLs) are definition ephemeral, intending to quickly move inventory before moving on to the next edition. Few are saved unless containing useful articles or presenting specialized collections. This week Q. David Bowers asked about a Stack’s FPL from 1940, and, while not immediately located on Newman Portal, a copy in the American Numismatic Society library was identified for future scanning. The Newman Portal contains a collection of about 40 Stack’s FPLs ranging from 1947 to 1994. One interesting item is a 1994 FPL presenting the Garrett / Ford pattern set of the Nova Contestellatio pieces. These patterns were produced in 1783 under the direction of Gouverneur Morris, acting on behalf of the Confederation Congress, and are arguably the first coinage of the United States. The set was offered at $1.5 million, found no takers, and eventually landed in the collection of a “southern gentleman,” appearing on exhibit at the 2009 Whitman Philadelphia Expo. There are no doubt many other fixed price lists in the Stack’s series, and it is unlikely that a single library contains a complete set.Link to Stack’s FPLs on Newman Portal: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/publisherdetail/516535?Year=1994&displayAmt=50Link to Stack’s Nova Constellatio Pattern Set FPL: https://archive.org/details/firstunitedstate0000stac