IRVINE, Calif. (November 21, 2014) — Stack’s Bowers Galleries is proud to announce the sale of The Rockway Collection Part II as part of its New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC) auction, held January 9-10 and 12, 2015.
The collection consists of nearly 300 coins, primarily crowns and talers from Germany. A wide range of principalities, cities, states, duchies and bishoprics are represented. Among the coins are examples that are the finest certified for their respective types by the Numismatic Guarantee Corp.
The collection was assembled over several decades, from the 1960 to the 1990s, and the collector’s fascination with history — particularly European, American and Chinese — led to the formation of several important collections. After the collector’s recent passing, Stack’s Bowers Galleries was contacted by his family, who worked with Vicken Yegparian, vice president of numismatics. “The collection came in with the coins in old paper envelopes,” said Yegparian. “After the consignment was written up, I realized that not only was the breadth of the collection impressive, but many of the coins were in superlative condition.” Richard Ponterio, executive vice president added, “Not since our offering of The John S. Davenport Collection has there been such an impressive array of German crowns and talers. We are honored to present this collection to the current generation of numismatists, and are certain the coins will attract spirited bidding.”
“German coins are a very widely collected series,” noted Kent Ponterio, senior numismatist and consignment director at Stack’s Bowes Galleries. “The wonderful thing about this collection is that even with such an impressive assortment, the majority of the coins presented are within the budget of a large number of collectors. Large-size Mint State coins from the 17th and 18th centuries can be had for under a thousand dollars, in some cases. In addition, The Rockaway Collection also contains many important rarities, which will appeal to serious specialists of German coins.”
Highlights include:
Very Rare Bavaria Taler, 1657. Dav-6097; KM-300. NGC MS-62. Finest certified.
Superbly Toned Brandenburg-Bayreuth Taler, 1671. Dav-6273; KM-80. NGC MS-65. Finest certified.
Very Rare Brandenburg-Bayreuth Taler, 1712-PPW SR. Dav-2031; KM-131. NGC MS-64. Beautiful and classic design.
Impressive Medallic Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel Taler, 1702. Dav-2931; KM-641; Welter-2073b. NGC MS-61. Very rare. Allegorical scenes depict political strife in Brunswick following death of Augustus the Younger.
Beautiful Eichstatt Taler, 1757-MF. Dav-2208; KM -75. Sede Vacante issue. NGC MS-67*. Absolute finest graded by NGC, by three points.
Very Rare Proof Frankfort 2 Gulden, 1849. Dav-645; KM-341.1. NGC Proof-64. One of only 200 struck.
Exceptional Quality Fulda Taler, 1672. Dav-5316; KM-17. NGC MS-66. Very rare. Museum quality.
Prooflike Nurnberg Taler, 1711-GFN. Dav-2475; KM-275. NGC MS-64PL. Finest certified.
Museum Quality Prussia Taler, 1701-CS. Dav-2554a; KM-16. NGC MS-64. Rare, finest certified.
Rare Gem Saxony Albertine Line 2 Taler, 1733. Dav-2663; KM-872; Schnee-1023; Kahnt-620a. NGC MS-65. Struck to commemorate the death of Friedrich August I.
Well Struck and Lustrous Saxony Albertine Line Taler, 1696-IK. Dav-7653; KM-675; Schnee-987. NGC MS-64. Very Rare, struck to commemorate the birth of the Prince-Elector. Complex city view design.
Very Rare Commemorative Saxe-Weimar Taler, 1654. Dav-7545; KM-34; Schnee-404. NGC MS-63. Struck to commemorate the assumption of the Rectorship of Jena University by Duke Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar.
Rare and Desirable Trier Taler, 1715. Dav-2824; KM-218. NGC MS-64. Struck on the death of the Archbishop.
Very Rare Commemorative Proof Wurttemburg 3 Mark, 1916-F. KM-638. NGC Proof-63. One of the rarest silver minor coins of the era.
Aside from The Rockway Collection, the Stack’s Bowers Galleries Official Auction of the NYINC includes many other important collections, including The Ray Czahor Collection of Philippine Countermarked Coinage, The Stanley Aberdeen Collection, The John Adams Collection of Spanish Colonial Proclamation Medals, The Ancient Coins From The Richard Aghababian Collection, and further selections from The Demarete Collection. Other important properties include a fine selection of Spanish and American Administration Philippines coins, gold coins of Brazil, a wide range of coins from Russia, and a specialized collection of Judean coins.
For more information on this sale, or to request a catalog, contact a Stack’s Bowers Galleries associate at 800.458.4646 (West Coast), 800.566.2580 (East Coast), or email info@stacksbowers.com.
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.
