Frédéric-Robert Jameson, 1861-1942

Frédéric-Robert Jameson was born in Paris in 1861 to a scholarly family of bankers. His grandmother was Anna Hottinguer of the Hottinguer banking family of Switzerland and France. Jameson would eventually join the family banking firm. He also became a passionate collector of ancient coins from about the age of 15. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Numismatic Society in 1922 and was a life member of the Societé Française de Numismatique.

Jameson’s vast collection of over 3,000 Greek and Roman coins was published in two volumes and two supplementals by Feuardent Frères from 1913-1932. He said that his Greek coins which covered the archaic through the Hellenistic periods were purchased for their beauty and condition. His Roman coins were a gallery of beautiful portraits. The catalogs were fully illustrated with 164 exceptional plates taken from casts.

Beginning in 1946, Jameson’s two surviving children began selling their father’s collection. Calouste Gulbenkian was given first choice but sent his advisor Stanley Robinson with instructions to limit the purchase to a maximum of 150 of the best pieces. The remaining coins were acquired by the dealer Jacob Hirsch who would sell several more to Gulbenkian, coins which Robinson would later say he would have bought if not for the limit! A large portion of the remaining collection was then offered to other collectors and the coins continue to circulate throughout the market today. They are considered to represent some of the finest Greek coins well chosen for both their superb style and preservation.

Rambach, H. (2022, October 11). Jameson, Frédéric-Robert (1861-1942). Coins Weekly. Retrieved January 31, 2023, from https://coinsweekly.com/whoswho-sammler/jameson-frederic-robert-1861-1942/

Spring, J. (2009). Ancient Coin Auction Catalogues: 1880-1980. Spink, London 2009.

Walker, A. S. (2008). Catalogues and Their Collectors. American Journal of Numismatics 20, 597–615