Welcome to our Showcasing American Numismatics sale—one of several we are conducting with the most important convention of the year—the ANA World’s Fair of Money. This is a collectors’ sale, encompassing colonial, federal, and related coinage from the early days down to the modern era.
From half cents to double eagles, you will find a wide and impressive selection, Apart from the regular series there are colonials, Indian Peace medals, territorial gold, patterns, and more. Many are scarce and rare, with more than just a few landmark rarities. At the other end of the spectrum are many popular and affordable coins. Whether you’ve been a client for years or even generations, or if this is your first time, welcome! Get out your “want list” and be prepared to compete for many choice, interesting, and desirable coins.
Star Consignments
We have been honored with many important consignments. You no doubt remember our January 2013 sale of silver dollars from the Cardinal Collection, topped by the $10+ million for the Superb Gem 1794 dollar, standing today as the world’s record for any coin. Now, from the same collection we present a selection of copper and silver rarities.
The Time Capsule Collection has many delights, including quite a few early PCGS (OGH or “Old Green Holder”) coins with CAC labels. These were given high grades by PCGS with most hand-picked by Scott Travers way back when, and it is likely (but not guaranteed) that some might be evaluated even higher today. In any event, the popular CAC sticker gives a “fourth party” opinion that each coin is among the finest of its kind. The Rubin Collection offers the rarest of the rare, including beautiful silver coins from the 1790s, Proof gold, and more.
The Kansas Collection features seldom-seen Mint State quarter eagles from the Charlotte and Dahlonega mints and other treasures. The Georgia Peach Collection comprises Dahlonega quarter eagles from the first year, 1839, to the last, 1859. The P.T. Quigley Collection offers many rare and interesting gold coins plus a silver 1849 Pacific Co. $2.50—an old friend as we sold it as part of the Garrett Collection 35 years ago.
The Collection of a Southern Gentleman comprises high-grade Carson City Mint double eagles, always sure to get attention. To these the Genoa Mill Collection includes Carson City silver rarities from the early 1870s. Commemoratives, always popular but on today’s market often quite inexpensive, are featured in the Kramer Collection, with some of the lower-value coins in our Internet session.
I mention that we have a lot of tradition with ANA sales. Our first one was held by Stack’s in New York City in 1939! Many who came to bid and buy also lingered for the World’s Fair of that year.
Appreciation
As you peruse the following pages you will see the efforts of the entire Stack’s Bowers Galleries organization. We’ve been working for many months on this and all our ANA catalogs. In fact, we started last year. What I like to call our Dream Team of experts has been as busy as ever.
In what may be a perfect scenario, our consignors enjoy their relationship with Stack’s Bowers Galleries as well. Although we are enthusiastic when we seek coins and collections, once a consignment is in-house that is where our work begins. This works well for sellers as well as for us. Often, when a consignor sends us coins, tokens, medals, or paper money and then views the results of the sale, additional items are sent our way.
All of us are fortunate that the coin market is dynamic, that there are many players, and that the field is so diverse no one can know everything. New opportunities always beckon. Once you have completed or have come close to completing a series, there are new vistas to provide the thrill of the chase. In this catalog there are many things to discover.
I and other members of the team look forward to the convention itself—the most important of the year.
Plan to Participate
If you are coming to the World’s Fair of Money, call on us to help you in any way possible—during lot viewing, getting ready for or during our remarkable series of auctions, or simply to answer any questions you may have. The red carpet is out for you and any family or guests with you.
In today’s Internet age auctions are a lot different than they were a generation ago. For this sale millions of coin collectors worldwide will have the opportunity to tap into our real-time sale as it happens, and many will do so. You can watch the auctioneer in action, see and hear the action, and, if motivated, push the green “Bid” button and join the competition. This is a very effective way to add to your collection and is very enjoyable as well.
Thinking of Selling?
As you read these words I and other team members are planning the balance of our 2015 auction season (filling fast) and the great events scheduled for 2015. Complementing our D. Brent Pogue Collection Part 2 sale with Sotheby’s on September 30 will be a separate event that will mainly feature scarcities and rarities—attracting attention of the entire world! The Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo in Baltimore is one of the most dynamic shows of the year. If you act quickly you can consign one or both of these autumn events.
Looking ahead to 2016, another rarities-spangled year of public auctions is in the offing but also including, I hasten to say, countless popular and affordable coins, tokens, medals, and paper money. Our Internet sales are an important venue as well and have been very popular. I have recently consigned an important collection of tokens, some of which are unique, to be sold this way.
Are you thinking of selling? Then think of Stack’s Bowers Galleries. If you carefully consider the matter, there is no other logical choice. Our record dates back to our first sale in 1935. Since then we have handled thousands of collections from modest in size to the greatest, we have set more price records than any other auction house in numismatic history, and have had an unequalled record of success. The dynamism continues: we currently hold the records for the most expensive coins ever sold at auction worldwide and the most valuable collections ever auctioned. More is to come!
Whether you have some choice and interesting duplicates, sets, or series to sell or whether you have a great collection laden with rarities, I and our Dream Team would like to hear from you.
My best wishes to you,
Q, David Bowers
Founder, Stack’s Bowers Galleries
