1889-CC, rarest among Carson City Morgan dollars, and Henry VII ‘Fine Gold’ Sovereign top historic numismatic auctions
A magnificent 1889-CC Morgan Dollar, MS65+ from the Del Mar Collection sold for $660,000 USD through Heritage Auctions to lead their ANA US Coins Signature Auction to $25,890,142 August 15-20. At the August 17-19 World & Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature Auction, a Henry VII (1485-1509) “Fine Gold” Sovereign of 20 Shillings ND (1492) AU50 NGC took top honors when it sold for $795,000 to lead the event to $19,377,249.
Combined with the $20,739,900 realized in last week’s The Harry W. Bass Jr. Core Collection, Part IV US Coins Signature Auction, the combined total for Heritage’s ANA auctions surpassed the $66 million mark.
“Extraordinary coins, when presented with superb cataloguing and effective marketing bring extraordinary results, and that showed in our U.S. and World and Ancient Coins events again this year,” says Todd Imhof, Executive Vice President at Heritage Auctions. “The results reflected the breadth of exceptional lots entrusted to Heritage by many of the most prominent figures in numismatics – with 80 lots, including 51 in the U.S. Coins event alone, bringing six-figure results … and that doesn’t even include the 34 lots that topped $100,000 — including two multi-million-dollar lots — from The Bass Collection.”
U.S. Coins
The 1889-CC Morgan Dollar, the finest certified by CAC, is known as the “King of the Carson City Morgans”. The 1889-CC is a sought-after key in the Morgan dollar series, from which coins from the Carson City Mint are particularly elusive — and therefore in high demand. At the MS65 grade level, the 1889-CC is the rarest of all Morgan dollars.
Another dazzling highlight in the auction was a massive Blake & Co. Gold Ingot that weighs 157.40 ounces and found a new home after it reached $564,000 in its first time offered to the public. The top lot among from one of the most comprehensive selections of ingots ever to reach the auction block, this magnificent ingot is from SS Central America.
A 1907 Liberty Double Eagle, PR67 Cameo, from the HJS 1907 Collection, drew 37 bids on its way to $504,000, surpassing the previous record of $480,000. This beauty, the finest certified at NGC, is from the last year in which the Philadelphia Mint struck Liberty double eagles. A mintage of more than 1.4 million business-strike examples, accompanied by just 78 Proofs for collectors, of which John Dannreuther estimates just 45-60 remain.
The finer of two known examples of a “mourning medal” created after the death of former U.S. President George Washington, also from the Del Mar Collection, brought a winning bid of $372,000, eclipsing the previous record of $276,000. The (1800) Washington Funeral Medal, Skull and Crossbones, Gold, Baker-165, GW-71A, MS63 NGC has appeared in two of the great collections — Garrett and Norweb — of the 20th century, and while a third example has been rumored, it has not been seen. Numismatist Neil Musante identified the various obverse and reverse dies for Jacob Perkins’ funeral medals; for the Skull and Crossbones design, he recorded the 2-A.2 die pair as GW-71A, the only variety struck in gold.
The finest known Overton-131 1795 half dollar, MS64+ ended at $300,000. One of only a handful of 1795 half dollars of any die marriage that grades MS64 or finer, it comes from the second and final year of the introductory Flowing Hair half dollar and is one of just three Uncirculated 1795 O-131 half dollars known.
Complete results from the U.S. Coins auction can be found at HA.com/1364.
World & Ancient Coins
The Henry VII Fine Gold Sovereign, which was consigned directly to Heritage from the collection of the British Royal Mint, is the first of five distinct Sovereign types featuring decorative differences in the treatment of the throne and reverse shielded rose. It has been suggested that this issue was used occasionally for diplomatic purposes in connection with significant historical events, which may account for the small mintages and survivorship across Henry’s long reign. This coin is one of incredibly few Type 1 examples extant, notably absent from the Farouk, Pittman, and Terner collections.
“This auction was a bit of a surprise on how much intense the bidding was through HA Live during the event,” says Cris Bierrenbach, Executive Vice President of International Numismatics at Heritage Auctions. “It’s a pleasure to see the audience migrating from book bidding to live bidding as our platform improves. Looking back, this is arguably our best ANA auction event ever! We are all very happy for our consignors and the results they were able to achieve.”
Two examples of a Victoria gold Proof “Una and the Lion” 5 Pounds were understandably among the most popular lots in the auction — a PR64 Ultra Cameo NGC example sold for $420,000, while a PR63+ Ultra Cameo NGC example almost matched that mark, ending at $408,000. From one of the most collected types in all of numismatics, these beautiful coins feature a portrait of the young monarch that was created for her delayed coronation Proof set.
A West Friesland. Provincial gold Specimen Pattern Ducaton (Silver Rider) 1673 SP63 PCGS drew a winning bid of $288,000. Struck in Enkhuizen at the private mint of Dirk Bosch to a 13 Ducat weight, it is from the coveted Netherlands provincial series, and one of a just a handful of these off-metal and off-weight types handled at Heritage Auctions in recent years from the Coenen Collection.
A magnificent Victoria Proof “Gothic” Crown 1847 PR66 Deep Cameo PCGS soared beyond pre-auction expectations when it closed at $276,000. Struck in .999 pure silver, it is an absolute masterpiece. Of the more than 1,300 examples that currently populate the certification services of all variety, only 10 — of which just one is a non-standard variety — rank finer.
The finest specimen of a Charles I gold Triple Unite 1643 MS64 NGC, which is considered something of a Holy Grail for collectors of early British numismatics, ended at $240,000.
An extremely rare Japanese Meiji gold 20 Yen Year 9 (1876) MS64 Deep Prooflike NGC, from an original mintage of just 954, realized $198,000. Only four dates exist for these “old type” 20 Yen issues, and they are among the most sought-after coins anywhere, eagerly pursued in all grades and conditions. This example is one of only a handful currently certified.
Among the top ancients in the auction was a CIMMERIAN BOSPORUS. Panticapaeum. Ca. 340-320 BC. AV stater (20mm, 9.11 gm, 11h). NGC MS 5/5 – 4/5, Fine Style that sold for $144,000.
Complete results from the World & Ancient Coins auction can be found at HA.com/3109.
