DALLAS, TX.- Treasures from an impressive array of featured collections will land in new hands after they cross the block in Heritage’s GACC U.S. Coins Signature® Auction Oct. 2-5.
The event, teeming with rare early gold, conditionally rare Saint-Gaudens double eagles and high-end rare early type coins, is being held in conjunction with the Great American Coin and Collectibles Show that will be held Sept. 23-27 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, outside of Chicago. Heritage, the world’s leading auctioneer of U.S. and world coins and currency, will be the event’s official auctioneer.
“Heritage is a fixture at all of the premier expos as they are a good place to promote items in our upcoming auctions, and we think the new GACC show could quickly become one of those wonderful venues for the numismatic community,” says Todd Imhof, Executive Vice President of Heritage Auctions. “The coins Heritage is offering are of exceptional quality and rarity, and many come to Heritage from prominent collections, making our auction a fitting partner for the GACC event.”
Among the top selections in the auction is one of only two Satin Finish proof examples traced of a 1907 Rolled Edge Indian Eagle, JD-1, R.8, PR67 PCGS from The Colorado Collection, Part II. The 1907 Rolled Edge Indian eagle is a sought-after rarity, and this magnificent example that once held a place in the personal collection of Mint Director Frank A. Leach is one of just two proof specimens and was struck using the same irregular stars edge collar as the patterns in the Smithsonian. It was acquired in 1907 by Leach, a California newspaper publisher who became Supervisor of the San Francisco Mint in 1897. It has not been offered to the collecting community since 2011.
Also among the top selections from The Colorado Collection, Part II are a 1908 Quarter Eagle JD-1, R.4, PR66 PCGS, an 1897 Quarter Eagle JD-1, High R.4, PR68★ Ultra Cameo NGC, a 1913 Indian Quarter Eagle, PR67 NGC and a 1900 Quarter Eagle, PR68 Deep Cameo PCGS.
Part I of the Colorado Collection accounted for a significant portion of Heritage’s recent U.S. Coins ANA Signature® Auction, in which Heritage was an ANA Event Auctioneer Partner.
The Crescent Collection
An 1854-O Liberty Double Eagle, AU55 NGC. Variety 1 is one of the top examples of an important coin with a tiny mintage of just 3,250 pieces — the second-lowest production total of the series. Before 1854, large amounts of gold dust and ore were deposited each year at the Southern mint, but the San Francisco Mint that opened that year offered much better proximity to the great California gold fields, slowing deposits to the Louisiana facility to a trickle and making the 1854-O one of the rarest coins of any denomination ever struck at the New Orleans Mint.
The Hawkeye Collection
A 1796 B-2 Quarter, MS64 NGC CAC from The Hawkeye Collection is an exceptional example of a denomination that was one of the last authorized by the Mint Act of 1792 to be introduced, with the first delivery in April 1796. After the final 1796 quarter fell from the press in early 1797, no additional quarters were made until 1804, with another significant gap from 1808 through 1814; the reason for these gaps was the continuous inflow of Spanish Colonial 2 reales coins from Latin America, which had an equivalent face value. Once Spain started losing its colonial holdings in the New World after 1810, the supply started to dry up, and only then did the quarter denomination take off.
From the same collection comes a 1796 BD-1 Eagle, MS63 NGC, a beauty that is rare in any Mint State grade. The 1796 is a challenging date in the early eagle series, with only one die variety documented. John Dannreuther estimated in Early U.S. Gold Coins Varieties that between 3,500 and 4,146 pieces were struck. The mintage range includes a remarriage of the dies, with the late-state pieces being struck after some 1797 coins. However, only 125-175 are believed to have survived in all grades, and most are in circulated condition. Of confirmed survivors, just three — including the coin offered in this auction — are certified in the top numeric grade of MS63.
The Alymaya Collection, Part II
One sought-after rarity in the auction is a 1932 Saint-Gaudens Twenty, MS66. The 1932 is one of the most coveted of all Saint-Gaudens double eagles and represents the final collectible date in the series. The rarity is due in large part to the fact that the federal government melted virtually the entire minutage of just over 1.1 million pieces. Mint records acquired in 1947 indicated that just 110 Philadelphia double eagles were issued in 1932, although later research suggests the existence of a few more. PCGS and NGC combined have seen 149 examples of the 1932 double eagle, some of which likely are resubmitted coins. Virtually all certified examples are in Uncirculated grades, primarily through near-Gem. The PCGS CoinFacts Condition Census lists just 11 examples with a grade of 66 (three in 66+) and none finer.
Also among the 17 lots in the Alymaya Collection is one of the finest known examples of the 1931 Double Eagle, MS66 PCGS. The 1931 is widely regarded as the third-rarest of the five late-date Saint-Gaudens twenties that are among the rarest and most celebrated among all 20th-century coins, trailing only the 1930-S and 1932. The example offered in this auction is the Eliasberg specimen and was selected by Dr. Steven Duckor for his collection. The PCGS CoinFacts Condition Census lists just 11 with a 66 grade (one in 66+) and only one finer.
Other auction highlights include, but are not limited to:
• A 1796 S-119 Cent, MS64 Brown PCGS. CAC
• A 1795 $10 13 Leaves, BD-5, R.5, AU58 PCGS
• A 1796 1/2 C No Pole, C-1, B-1, R.6, Fine 12 PCGS
• A 1652 Salmon 3-E Willow Tree Shilling NGC
The auction includes 19 lots from this collection, which features numerous early gold and silver coins and an emphasis on early eagles, including several Condition Census examples from 1795-99. Among the top attractions from the collection is a 1794 B-1, BB-1 Flowing Hair Dollar XF40 PCGS that is an upper-end specimen of 137 known examples. The offered coin is one of just six Heritage has handled in the last decade that boasts XF40 or better condition.
Also from the Hawkeye Collection comes a 1795 Small Eagle Five Dollar, MS64 PCGS that is a rare Condition Census offering of the variety, but also a near-Condition Census offering of the date and type. Heritage has handled a 1795 Small Eagle five dollar just 15 times in the last three decades, fewer than half of which graded higher than the one offered in this auction. Census information from Ron Guth of the Numismatic Detective Agency tallies four additional Gem examples of the date and type.
