IRVINE, Calif. (March 16, 2015) — Stack’s Bowers Galleries is proud to present the first of three official 2015 auctions for the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo. The sale is presented in three authoritative catalogs and will be held in Baltimore March 26-27 and March 30-31.
The first session of the sale offers the U.S. colonial era paper money of the Henry P. Kendall Foundation Collection. Following this, the second and third sessions feature impressive U.S. paper currency from The Holecek Family Foundation Collection and Part III of the Peter Mayer Collection. The former is a large collection of popular “high denomination” small sized banknotes, while the latter continues our presentation of proofs from this important collection of obsolete notes. Intermixed are colonial, obsolete, Confederate, and federal notes in all series. “This is our largest paper money sale by lot count,” noted Peter Treglia, Director of Currency at Stack’s Bowers. “With 2,904 lots between our Showcase and Internet-only sessions, there will be something for every collector of U.S. paper money. The quality, depth and scope of the specialized collections that came together for this sale will attract much attention from collectors in this important numismatic field.”
Session 4 presents the coins of the Henry P. Kendall Foundation Collection. Starting with the most complete collection of Massachusetts silver coins by die variety ever assembled, and continuing with rare and desirable colonial and Confederation era coins, patterns and tokens, and concluding with Confederate States issues, the Kendall Collection will long be remembered and revered. “Among the 129 lots of Massachusetts silver coins – including six New England shillings, a New England sixpence, Willow Tree coins – a total of 82 of a possible 84 different varieties are represented,” noted colonial specialist and lead cataloger, John Kraljevich. “Not only is the wide range of coins impressive, but the quality overall is superb,” added Lawrence R. Stack, Founder of Stack’s Bowers. “We are proud to continue our tradition of presenting the most important collections of colonial coins at public auction. Over the years, we have sold more of these name collections than any other firm, and the Henry P. Kendall Foundation Collection will enter the annals of numismatic history alongside the collections of such luminaries as Richard Picker, Laird U. Park, Norweb, Garrett, John J. Ford, Gilbert Steinberg, Reed Hawn, Taylor, Oschener, Donald Groves [Partrick], the Massachusetts Historical Society, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Hain Family, Jack Royse, and Ted Craige,” Mr. Stack continued. Other colonial era rarities, along with a choice 1792 silver center cent, 1792 Birch cent, and the finest certified of four known original Confederate States half dollars rounds out this highly important collection. “We are very pleased with the catalog which resulted from a true team effort,” said Brian Kendrella, President of Stack’s Bowers. “From the cataloging of these important rarities by John Kraljevich and others on our team, to layout and design choices, this special catalog will long stand as an important reference for collectors and numismatic scholars. We expect that once collectors see how special these coins are, the competition in the auction room will be intense.”
Sessions of U.S. coins, including our Rarities Night offering, are presented in a third catalog. Coins, medals, and tokens from The Collections of the Strong, the John W. Adams Collection, the Q. David Bowers Collection, the Desh Family Collection, the Dr. Donald Gutfreund Collection, the Roy West Collection, the Highland Collection and the Stack’s West 57th Street Collection are presented. Quality items from these named collections, as well as other consignors will attract strong bidding activity. Session 5 begins with Numismatic Americana. Medals and tokens from the Collections of the Strong include an impressive run of U.S. Assay Commission medals. Other medallic highlights include a Choice Mint State bronze Libertas Americana medal, a rare 1920 Wilson “dollar” struck in gold, and a gold 1904 Louisiana Purchase Expo commemorative medal. Following the medals and tokens, U.S. coins from colonials to half dollars will being offered.
The third installment of the Highland Collection offers type coins from many different series, beginning with some Choice and Gem Mint State 1818 and 1820 large cents. Flying Eagle and Indian Head cent varieties and patterns from the Reference Collection of Q. David Bowers will captivate specialists in the series. The Desh Family Collection, long off the market, was assembled by a Midwestern dry goods merchant, primarily in the 1940s to the 1960s. When he died, the collection was broken into several parts, and Stack’s Bowers had the pleasure of offering the first part two years ago as an unnamed consignment in the March 2013 Baltimore sale. In Session 4, Proof Liberty Seated quarters, an EF 1801 half dollar and high grade Capped Bust half dollars will capture collectors’ attention.
Session 6, our Rarities Night Session, will be held at 6 pm on Friday, March 27. Near the beginning of the session, lot 6006 presents one of the rarest medals from the John W. Adams Collection, one of only three or four known 1789 Florida Proclamation medals in silver. Cents are highlighted by a Choice VF 1799 (PCGS VF-30 CAC), a Proof-65 Snow-2 1856 Flying Eagle and Proof-65RB (PCGS) 1864 L on Ribbon rarities, the latter two from the Q. David Bowers Reference Collection. A glorious 1795 half dime in MS-65 (PCGS) CAC and an MS-63 1796 Draped Bust dime offer important opportunities for early type collectors. A beautiful MS-66 (PCGS) 1875-CC 20 cent piece will turn heads, as will a pair of vividly toned 1920 Standing Liberty quarters in MS-67+ (PCGS). A beautiful 1802 silver dollar graded MS-64 (NGC) CAC and housed in an old holder, is among the top examples graded by that firm. A very attractive AU-50 (NGC) example of the famous 1851 Humbert $50 “slug” is impressive coin and will appeal to advanced collectors. Numerous other highlights from important consignments round out the Rarities Night offering.
After the conclusion of Rarities night, Session 7, the final live session, will offer classic commemoratives, errors, silver dollars, and gold coins, including silver dollars from the Dr. Donald Gutfreund Collection, which was assembled in the 1970s. While others of Dr. Gutfreund’s coins are offered in other sessions, the core of his collection was his Morgan and Peace dollars. Gold coins are highlighted by the Desh Family 1839-C $2.50 in AU-53 (PCGS), a PL 1882 $3 in NGC MS-63 PL CAC, an 1810 $5 in AU-55 (PCGS), and some early $10 gold pieces with AU Details. The session closes with a nice group of early $20 gold pieces and a selection of U.S. Administration Philippines coins.
Two separate online only sessions will close live, using our iBid live bidding format. The currency session will begin at 9 am PT on Monday, March 30, and the coins will be offered at the same time on Tuesday, March 31. Using this new closing feature will allow you to get your last minute bids in the same way you would during the live showcase auction. There are 1,435 lots of currency and 2,059 lots of coins in these sessions, and they contain many highly collectible and desirable numismatic items that should not be overlooked.
“The March Baltimore Sale is a well rounded sale, with great collections of coins that complement each other nicely,” noted Vicken Yegparian, Vice President of Numismatics. “From key date coins, to classic rarities, there is something for every level of collecting,” said Christine Karstedt, Executive Vice President. “With a firm anchor in the Henry P. Kendall Foundation and Holecek Family Foundation collections, our paper money and coin offerings filled in nicely, especially with the addition of the Q. David Bowers Reference Collection.” Continuing his comments about the sale, Brian Kendrella added, “We anticipate a crowd at lot viewing and standing room only in the sales room when these treasures cross the block. Our entire staff put forth a great effort to produce three fantastic sales catalogs that stand as a testament to the coins and notes they contain.”
Lot viewing will take place in New York from March 18-21, 9 am to 6 pm each day, and then in Baltimore beginning on Tuesday, March 24 at 9 am, continuing each day through 7 pm. For a complete schedule of lot viewing and session times, please refer to www.stacksbowers.com. Consignments for upcoming sales are now being accepted, including for the July 2015 Official Auction of the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Baltimore Expo, our Official Auction of the August 2015 ANA World’s Fair of Money and our August 2015 Hong Kong sale.
About Stack’s Bowers Galleries
Stack’s Bowers Galleries conducts live, Internet and specialized auctions of rare U.S. and world coins and currency and ancient coins, as well as direct sales through retail and wholesale channels. The company’s 80-year legacy includes the cataloging and sale of many of the most valuable United States coin and currency collections to ever cross an auction block — The John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection, The Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, The Norweb Collection, The Cardinal Collection and The Battle Born Collection — to name just a few. World coin and currency collections include The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection of World Gold Coins, The Kroisos Collection, The Alicia and Sidney Belzberg Collection, The Wa She Wong Collection, The Guia Collection, The Thos. H. Law Collection, and The Robert O. Ebert Collection.
Topping off this amazing numismatic history is the inclusion of the world record for the highest price ever realized at auction for a rare coin, the 1794 Flowing Hair Silver Dollar graded Specimen-66 (PCGS) that realized over $10 million, part of their sale of the famed Cardinal Collection. The company is headquartered in Irvine, California, with offices in New York, Wolfeboro, Hong Kong, and Paris. Stack’s Bowers Galleries is an Official Auctioneer for several important numismatic conventions, including American Numismatic Association events, the New York International Numismatic Convention, the Professional Numismatists Guild New York Invitational, the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Spring, Summer and Winter Expos, and its April and August Hong Kong Auctions.
