HEILBRONNER, MAX
Copyright 2000-2019 John N. Lupia, III
Max Heilbronner (1848-1906), was born in, Germany, son of Abraham and Sarah Heilbronner, Jewish workers in the garment industry that came to America in 1872.
He began dealing in coins about the same time as Lyman Haynes Low. The two dealers may have known one another for the remainder of Heilbronner's life since he consigned materials to him in 1905 to sell at the final H. G. Brown sale.
Heilbronner correspondence with the Chapman Brothers postmarked December 30, 1881. "Gentlemen At what price can you sell to me a 1846 1/2 dime. Yours, M. Heilbronner" Samuel Hudson Chapman seems to have received the mail that day and upon reading this card inscribed Hen visible in the space below Gentlemen referring of course to his brother Henry to take care of this U. S. half dime business since he managed foreign and ancient materials. Courtesy Lupia Numismatic Library, Special Collection, The Chapman Family Correspondence Archive.
Heilbronner correspondence with the Chapman Brothers postmarked March 8, 1882. Courtesy Lupia Numismatic Library, Special Collection, The Chapman Family Correspondence Archive.
He is listed as a coin dealer in the 1884 New York City Directory, 310 West 4th Street, New York.
On June 30, 1889, he married Lena Meyer.
In 1889, he appears to be working in the New York garment industry at 50 8th Avenue as a worker of trimmings.
In 1897, he is listed as a dealer of fancy goods 79 Avenue B, this was a common job title given to curiosity shop owners, as well as stamp and coin dealers. He remained at this address until 1902.
On April 19, 1905, Lyman Haynes Low sold the last part of the H. G. Brown collection and a few others including Heilbronner.
He died in November 1906 and was buried on the 4th in the Maimonides Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York.
NOTE
Max Heilbronner's biography is difficult to write since there were about a half dozen or so Max Heilbronners born about the same year who passed through New York about the same time. The assumption that he lived and died in New York is based on his consignment in the Low sale of 1905, and the fact he is found listed as a coin dealer in the 1884 New York City Directory. Consequently, there is no certainty the photo is our subject.
Bibliography :
The Numismatist, April (1905) : 123
John W. Adams, United State Numismatic Literature, Vol. 1 (1982) : 135
Martin Gengerke, American Numismatic Auctions