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The Bill O’Connor Collection

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The Bill O’Connor Collection
The Bill O’Connor Collection
It seems as though about a decade or so passes between auctions of great lifetime collections in this series: in 1988, it was the Kenneth Lee Collection; in 2003, the Jay Roe Collection; in 2013, the Jack Totheroh Collection (which had fewer major varieties than O’Connor, also sold by us in our Holabird-Kagin Americana auction); and now, in 2021, the William C. O’Connor (1927-2009, ANA 90358) Collection.
Bill was most active in the pursuit from 1976 through the early 1990s, but was still adding to his collection in 2003. He joined the ANA in 1976, co-sponsored by California fractional specialist Kurt R. Krueger. At first he visited coin shows and coin stores throughout the Midwest, scouring every table for pieces, but soon began to bid in major auctions by telephone. And he was very successful in discovering rare and unlisted pieces! In time these efforts resulted in him assembling one of the most extensive collections of Period One issues, in fact—as verified by PCGS—the second most complete ever formed.

Walter Breen and Ronald J. Gillio published California Pioneer Fractional Gold in 1983, putting the series on a sound historical and numismatic basis. By the late 1990s, however, this catalog had been out of print for some years. Jay Roe spearheaded the effort for a new edition, and worked with Q. David Bowers and researcher Robert D. Leonard Jr. to make it happen. The word went out for unlisted varieties to be reported, and cooperation was received from all those with important collections. Bill responded; he owned two unique pieces missing in Breen-Gillio, and generously loaned them for photography; they are plate coins in the second edition, 2003. Bill also read the manuscript for Period One for this edition, and made important comments. And he obtained a third unique piece at the Jay Roe auction, giving him three Breen-Gillio plate coins, and there are many other great rarities besides these.
Kagin’s is honored to dedicate this catalog to the memory of a great and scholarly collector, Bill O’Connor. It will be a privilege to own a coin from this outstanding collection, and every one has been certified by PCGS in a special holder pedigreed to William C. O’Connor.