Exhibits will feature Continental Dollars from 1776 and Szechuan Ferracute Patterns from 1897
Numismatic Guaranty Corporation® (NGC®) will display two phenomenal sets of vintage rarities at the American Numismatic Association (ANA) World’s Fair of Money, August 1-5, 2017, in Denver, Colorado. This is the first time that both sets—the Resolute Americana Collection of 1776 Continental Dollars and the 1897 Szechuan Province Ferracute Pattern Set—will be displayed publicly.
The Resolute Americana Collection of 1776 Continental Dollars
The Resolute Americana Collection of 1776 Continental Dollars boasts 15 NGC-certified examples of these important coins, representing all known varieties. It is considered to be the finest and most complete set of Continental Dollars ever assembled.
Continental Dollars have long fascinated numismatists. Struck during the critical year of 1776 by the Continental Congress, these pieces have a symbolic design of 13 interlocked rings, each with the name of a different colony. In the center is the text AMERICAN CONGRESS and WE ARE ONE.
The Resolute Americana Collection of 1776 Continental Dollars has been carefully curated by a serious student of these coins, who desired to have one example of every known variety. As a result, the set has a total of 15 of these coins: nine in pewter, four in brass and two in silver. Among these are the only two Continental Dollars known with a plain edge, one of which was only recently discovered.
This remarkable exhibit also features two other NGC-certified coins from the Resolute Americana Collection: a 1783 Treaty of Paris Medal graded NGC AU 55 and a 1787 Fugio Cent graded NGC MS 66 RB. Both of these coins feature designs that pay tribute to the 1776 Continental Dollars.
See the Resolute Americana Collection of 1776 Continental Dollars
The 1897 Szechuan Province Ferracute Pattern Set
The 1897 Szechuan Province Ferracute Pattern Set is comprised of 10 NGC-certified pattern coins struck in 1897 by the Ferracute Machine Company of New Jersey for a new mint in Szechuan Province, China. Considered to be among the greatest vintage Chinese rarities, the Szechuan Ferracute Patterns also have significant connections to American numismatics.
On March 24, 1897, Ferracute struck a small number of patterns in brass, and an even smaller number in silver, to demonstrate equipment that it had made for a new mint in Szechuan Province. Among those present for the demonstration was US Mint Chief Engraver Charles Barber, who had engraved the dies for these patterns.
Only three complete sets of 1897 Ferracute Szechuan Patterns are known to have survived. The set that will be displayed by NGC at the ANA World’s Fair of Money had been owned for a number of years by the American Trading Company, which had worked with Ferracute to deliver the minting equipment to China.
The 10 pattern coins had been displayed in a beautiful wooden case for more than 100 years. The coins had been glued to the back of the case, however, and required professional conservation. Numismatic Conservation Services (NCS), an independent affiliate of NGC, expertly removed the glue and attached fibers while preserving the coins’ attractive, original patina. After conservation, the coins were authenticated by the newly established NGC Advanced Chinese Authentication Bureau (ACAB), graded by NGC and encapsulated in NGC’s secure, protective holder.
Learn more about the NGC 1897 Szechuan Ferracute Pattern Set
See the NGC 1897 Szechuan Ferracute Pattern Set
Visit the NGC booth #102 at the ANA World’s Fair of Money to see the extraordinary Resolute Americana Collection of 1776 Continental Dollar and the 1897 Szechuan Ferracute Pattern Set.
