The latest Showcase auction of US coinsfrom Heritage Auctions focuses on the ever-popular Silver Dollar series, with an offering consisting of VAM die varieties as well as Prooflike and Deep Mirror Prooflike Morgans. This auction is open for bidding now, with the concluding live session scheduled for Thursday, September 16 at 6 PM CT.
This auction features numerous die varieties covered in the Comprehensive Catalog and Encyclopedia of Morgan and Peace Dollars, by Leroy Van Allen and A. George Mallis – abbreviated as VAM. However, some of the nicest coins in this auction are Prooflike and Deep Mirror Prooflike pieces, such as the 1883-CC dollar graded MS66 DMPL by PCGS – itself cataloged as the VAM-5B variety. The fields of this coin display chrome-like reflectivity and provide bold contrast with the frosted raised elements. Remnants of raised metal below 18 and a dash below the second 8 join the diagnostic wing scratch for the variety. Only a few faint abrasions exist on this attractive Premium Gem example.
PCGS reports just three numerically finer DMPL coins, plus 17 coins in 66+ DMPL.
Some of the additional outstanding offerings in this auction include:
- 1878 7 Tail Feathers $1 Reverse of 1878 MS64 Deep Mirror Prooflike PCGS. VAM-81
- 1880-CC $1 MS65 Prooflike PCGS
- 1885-CC $1 MS65 Prooflike PCGS. VAM-3
- 1888-O $1 Scarface, Harrison Stage 2, VAM-1B, MS63 ANACS
- 1921 $1 MS63 Deep Mirror Prooflike NGC
Bid on both of these Showcase auctions at coins.ha.com.
Asian Coin Showcase Auction
The Hong Kong Autumn Showcase Auction is also open for bidding, exclusively at Coins.HA.com. After a successful Showcase auction in April, Heritage is once again offering a new selection of mostly East Asian coins in order to properly serve the hot numismatic market. Bidders can bid on more than 150 lots of Chinese coins, with additional material available from Hong Kong and elsewhere.
One fascinating lot in this auction is a silver sycee of 50 Taels from the Qing Dynasty, certified XF45 by Gong Bo Grading, and dating from the period 1875-1908. This particular ingot measures 114x65mm and weighs 1842gm. It is stamped in three sections, the top row reading: “Dong Hai Guan” (“Shandong Maritime Customs”), the right column reading: “Guan Xu Nian Yue” (“Kuang-hsü Period”), and the left reading: “Jiang Lu Xie Zhong” (“smith Lu Xiezhong”). There is an additional round stamp in the center, which we have been unable to read.
This is a particularly challenging 50 Tael-type; just the third such example of the type we have offered, and the first of this sub-class. Though showing scattered contact across the face, the sides and edges appear highly original, free of any serious bumps, knocks, or bending, while the whole of the piece is deeply patinated to a deep battleship gray. We would note that this same smith is also known to have operated during the early Republic, perhaps suggesting that this ingot was produced towards the end of Kuang-hsü’s reign.
