An impressive gathering of Territorial gold pieces and scarce California gold ingots highlights the October Heritage U.S. Coins event, presented October 11-14 in Heritage’s Chicago office at 215 West Ohio Street (located in the vibrant River North area, near downtown Chicago and the Magic Mile). In all, more than 2,300 lots make up this event, which is loaded with early silver type coins and numerous key gold issues.
The Premier Session, held the evening of October 11, literally glitters with gold, headlined by The Marcello Collection. A spectacular Kellogg fifty is the collection centerpiece – the “king” of Territorial gold coins – graded PR63 NGC. It is the third-finest of just 14 Kellogg fifties traced in our roster of known examples.
An 1851 Lettered Edge Humbert octagonal fifty dollar gold pieceis nearly as impressive and noteworthy. This Select Uncirculated coin is the Kagin-4 variety, certified MS63 ★ NGC, with reflective – almost prooflike – surfaces. There really is no comparable specimen of the variety, since no other coin is certified finer than MS62 by either service.
A selection of large gold ingots rivals that of any Heritage auction in recent memory. It includes:
- A large Henry Hentsch gold ingot weighs in at 83.54 ounces, one of just 33 Hentsch ingots recovered from the S.S. Central America. Made from .849 fine gold.
- A Kellogg & Humbert large-size gold ingot, 61.89 ounces, .905 fine gold.
- A scarce Harris Marchand & Co. gold ingot, 56.65 ounces, .846 fine gold.
- A Kellogg & Humbert gold ingot 48.30 ounces, .840 fine gold.
- Another Kellogg & Humbert gold ingot 40.64 ounces, .925 fine gold.
Many rare silver and gold issues add variety and depth to Thursday evening’s Premier Session:
- One of the two finest-known 1864-S ten dollar gold pieces – graded AU55 NGC – appears as lot 3179. We last sold an 1864-S earlier this year as part of the Admiral Collection, which brought $114,000 in XF40 PCGS condition. How high will this Choice About Uncirculated piece go, a full 15 points finer, with none graded higher?
- A stunning near-Gem 1854 Liberty Head double eagle makes an appearance – the much scarcer Large Date type – graded MS64 NGC, where it is tied for finest-known.
- A challenging 1873-CC Arrows quarter certified AU55 NGC will cross the block, the only Carson City quarter of the With Arrows type, and a rare Condition Census example.
- A 1794 Flowing Hair silver dollar, VF Details, is always in demand as our nation’s first silver dollar.
- A rare 1849 PR64 PCGS Seated Liberty half dollar is one of only six pieces traced, Ex: Garrett.
Medal specialists will not want to miss a small offering of rare, high-grade medals in Floor Session 3 on Friday evening. Several of the medals have extremely low mintages, with numerous finest-known or near-finest examples. A Greenslet-119 Franklin Bicentennial Medal is the rare Plain Edge variety, designed by brothers Augustus and Louis Saint-Gaudens.
This auction is open for bidding now at coins.HA.com.
