The magnificent collection of Massachusetts silver coins assembled by David M. Sundman will cross the block in a sale conducted by Stack’s Bowers Galleries in cooperation with the Colonial Coin Collectors Club (C4) in Baltimore. This sale will be held in conjunction with the Whitman Coin and Collectibles Expo at the Convention Center, November 4–10, 2013. During the Expo, the annual C4 meeting will take place with special presentations, camaraderie, and more, making this a focal point for specialists.
Formed over a period of years by David M. Sundman, president of Littleton Coin Company, the offering consists of 18 different varieties of Massachusetts silver coins, commencing with the famous undated NE coinage of 1652, continuing through the incredibly rare Willow Tree coins, then the Oak Tree designs, concluding with the Pine Tree issues. These were produced at the provincial mint in Boston from 1652 through the early 1680s, although all bear the date 1652, the time of authorization, except for the 1662-dated silver twopence, the only coin of that denomination.
Each coin was hand-selected for quality, rarity, and its ability to definitively represent its type. The highlights include a famed NE shilling plated in Sydney Noe’s still-standard 1943 monograph The New England and Oak Tree Coinage of Massachusetts, variety Noe 1-A, with a long provenance to Virgil Brand, Henry Chapman’s 1912 Sterling P. Groves sale, Waldo Newcomer, Carl Wurtzbach, F.C.C. Boyd, and John J. Ford, Jr. The piece also serves as the plate coin in Christopher Salmon’s The Silver Coins of Massachusetts and Q. David Bowers’ Whitman Encyclopedia of Colonial and Early American Coins.
Also having a superb pedigree, one of the longest known of any American coin, is the Sundman 1652 Willow Tree shilling, which was plated in the American Numismatical Manual by Montroville W. Dickeson, 1859. It also graced the collections of Jeremiah Colburn, Charles I. Bushnell, Lorin Parmelee, John Mills, George Earle, George Parsons, Waldo Newcomer, and F.C.C. Boyd. With its 150-year-old pedigree chain and impressive quality, it is no surprise that the Sundman Willow Tree has been plated in nearly every reference ever published on Massachusetts silver.
Several varieties of Oak Tree and Pine Tree coinage are represented, including all fractional denominations, each in top-shelf quality.
The collection will be presented in Showcase Auction style, with detailed descriptions, historical information, superb photographs, and pedigrees of all items. The provenance of many can be traced back for generations, often deep into the 19th century. Included will be the crème de la crème rarities from the unique collection of John J. Ford, Jr.
“We expect that this catalog and presentation will be definitive for years to come for enthusiasts in the colonial and early American series,” noted Brian Kendrella, president of Stack’s Bowers Galleries.
About Stack’s Bowers Galleries
Stack’s Bowers Galleries, a division of Fortune 500 Company Spectrum Group International Inc., 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 the many of the most valuable collections to ever cross the auction block — the John J. Ford, Jr., Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr., Harry W. Bass, Jr., Ambassador and Mrs. R. Henry Norweb, and Cardinal collections — to name just a few. Capping these unequaled accomplishments 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, New Hampshire, Hong Kong and Paris. Stack’s Bowers Galleries is the official auctioneer for several important numismatic conventions, including American Numismatic Association events, and the Whitman Coin and Collectibles Baltimore Expo, three times yearly.
