The World Currency
Department of Stack’s Bowers and Ponterio is pleased to offer the catalog for
our flagship 2017 January New York International Auction, held at the Waldorf
Astoria in New York City. The auction features scarce and desirable notes with
many being the finest, and in some cases, the only notes known for the type.
A great example of this
is our 50 and 100 Tomans notes that are highlights in the Iranian section of
our catalog. These Imperial Bank of Persia issued notes are the finest we have
seen, and the only examples we recall ever being offered in a public auction.
The 50 Tomans is payable at Teheran only and the 100 Tomans features a rarer
Kermanshah overprint. These notes were collected with a high degree of
difficulty as part of Dr. Magid Al-Kimawi’s collection. In addition to these
issued notes, Dr. Al-Kimawi has given us several high grade Iranian Specimens
to offer in conjunction with these pieces.
Zanzibar is one of those
few places, that when mentioned, always grabs the attention of collectors worldwide.
We are offering the finest graded, uncancelled example of their 5 Rupees
banknote from 1908. Only about 500 total pieces in any denomination were said
to have survived of the first issued denominations. Fast forward nearly a
century later, that number has surely dwindled significantly.
We have two high valued
specimen albums with assortments of scarce specimens as well. One of which is a
mixture of South American specimens that are individually holdered and placed
into three-prong sleeves. The other is a hardbound leather book with a range of
36 Iranian specimens that once belonged to a close advisor to the Shah. We
anticipate spirited bidding on each of these books, as they offer a broad
spectrum of collectability.
Other highlights worthy
of mention are fully original Uncirculated examples of the Rhino and Zebra
notes from Burundi. These are the finest ever offered in public auction and the
only Uncirculated examples in original paper quality that we have seen. An
issued Qatar and Dubai 25 Riyals note that is widely considered the most
difficult of the series, will also be available in this auction. In addition,
we are auctioning off some rare Specimen Proofs from the Bank of France, as
well as some replacements from the Philippines.
With all of the rarities
and never before seen pieces we are offering, we expect a collector driven
auction with a large attendance that will make this sale a huge success. As
always, we thank you for your interest in our auction, and hope you will not
hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions regarding the lots offered
here.
With Sincere
Appreciation,
Aris Maragoudakis
