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Alumnus Wills Coin Collection to Law School
by James D. McLees and Lee A. Clements
After graduating from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1940, Vaughan G. Papke began collecting coins. For fifty years he passionately collected high grade rare coins, and in 1960 he found a $4 Gold "Stella" minted in 1880 that he purchased from a well respected Beverly Hills, California coin dealer for $10,000. In August of this year, that coin brought the highest price of any single coin offered at the American Nuimismatic Association (ANA) Auction in Denver, Colorado, with a price of $101,200.
Vaughan Papke passed away on August 18, 1995, but he remembered the University of Minnesota in his will, specifying that his prized coin collection be donated to the Law School. Of all the assets listed in the Papke Estate, the significance of gifting his coin collection to the University may never be known. The gift, however, was significant with the aggregate price for the entire Papke Estate collection totaling $415,156, well over the $50,000 value originally estimated in the will. The sale proceeds will result in a cash gift of approximately $384,000 to the Law School.
Upon receiving the proceeds from the auction, Dean Sullivan announced that the Law School would establish the Vaughan G. Papke Enrichment Fund, which will support student recruitment and faculty development.
James D. Mclees and Lee A. Clements are partners in Mclees Investment Company, Inc. of El Segundo, California and represented both the Vaughan G. Papke Estate and the University of Minnesota Law School in converting the Estate assets to cash.
A Tribute to Vaughan Griffin Papke ('40)
Vaughan Griffin Papke ('40), of Ramona, California died at the age of 80 in the San Diego Hospice Acute Care Center on August 18, 1995.
Vaughan Papke was born July 25, 1915 in St. Paul, Minnesota, the son of Earl E. and Nellie B. (Madsen) Papke. He attended school in Lemmon, South Dakota where he graduated from Lemmon High School in 1934. He then attended the University of Minnesota where he was a member of the Gamma Eta Gamma Fraternity. He graduated in 1940 with a Bachelor of Law degree.
He enlisted in the United States Army in 1941 and served in the South Pacific Theatre of Operations. At the time of his discharge in 1945, he was a Technical Sergeant with the 819th Tank Destroyer Battalion. Vaughan entered the automobile business in 1946. He operated the Lemmon Auto Company in Lemmon, South Dakota until he sold the business, retiring in 1973. He was actively involved as a member of the Lemmon Lions Club and the American Legion.
On May 7, 1971, he married Eleonore Nickelson at the wayfarerís Chapel in Portuguese Bend, California. They resided in Southern California until his death last year.
He is survived by his wife, Eleonore Papke of Ramona, California; one stepdaughter, Sandra Hanson also of Ramona, California; one stepson, Richard Nickelson of Missoula, Montana; seven grandchildren; two nephews; and two nieces. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, George G. Papke.
