Gung's Coin Auction

[abcdavid01]

My grandfather died when I was in high school and my family auctioned off his coin collection. I found an old computer with this description for the collection:

THE CHIN FAMILY COLLECTION

The Chin Family Collection started with Mook Sang Chin. He was born in Guangzhou, China in 1933, to a poor farming family. In 1938 he immigrated to the US at the age of 5 to join his father and grandfather who had already come to the United States (“The GOLD MOUNTAINâ€￾) to make a better life for their families.

At an early age, he learned the value of hard work in the family’s restaurant business. Despite not finishing high school, he became quite successful in that business. In 1955, he went back to Hong Kong and married a girl from Fanling, N.T. Together they raised 4 children, Daniel, Lily, Monica and Michael. He acquired and ran 8 restaurants, traded stocks and even had a horse racing stable. His success gave him the means for his passion of collecting, stamps at first because they were less expensive, then US coins and finally, anything Chinese (coins, calligraphy, carvings, paintings, furniture).

Mook Sang Chin instilled the same work ethics into his children. They all worked at an early age in the family restaurants. He noticed his eldest son, Daniel collecting US silver coins and wheat pennies, which rekindled his interest in coins. Together they started going to the local coin dealers, then moving up to auctions.

The first time they went to Stacks in NYC, was to preview some lots for an upcoming auction. It was 1970, Norman and Larry Stacks98, Stacks owners, were quite nervous about letting a 13 year old handle auction lots. Mook assured them, that his “eyesâ€￾ were not as good as his sons’, that his son had been collecting for several years and he had taught him the proper technique for handling coins. After purchasing coins at the auction, Norman and Larry had no problem showing coins to Daniel again.

Together they amassed, a US and Chinese Collection. Coins from the collection are from the most prestigious coin dealers and auction houses (Stacks, Bowers and Ruddy, Harmon, Rook, etc.) He got the rest of the family involved by having them investigate auctions that would enhance the collection. He loved sharing the collection with his wife and kids.

Almost all of the coins purchased are still in the original holder, with the auction lot cards, which list the auction date and lot numbers.

The Chin Family believes it is time to let another lucky family share in the same experience and togetherness that this collection has given them.

XXX

Wish I knew the guy more when he was alive. I saw him lots, but I never had a real connection.