Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) has been selected by Kagin’s to grade a massive collection of colonial currency that will be sold in a two-part auction series beginning May 20, 2023. The 375-lot collection of colonial notes is pedigreed to the esteemed John J. Ford, an accomplished collector of coins and banknotes whom noted numismatic figure Q. David Bowers once declared as among “the most influential figures in American numismatics.”
“Many of the banknotes from the John J. Ford Collection that we graded ahead of the Kagin’s auction are among the oldest paper currency known from the American colonies which later became the United States,” said PCGS President Stephanie Sabin. “We are excited to be encapsulating these historic notes in conjunction with an auction that will be of historic significance in its own right. We appreciate that Kagin’s recognizes the security and value in having these rarities graded by PCGS.”
Don Kagin, president of Kagin’s, remarked on the significance of the notes and the reason he and his firm chose PCGS to grade all of the notes in this upcoming sale.
“PCGS offered us an opportunity to reach thousands of potential collectors who had not been exposed to this important and fascinating period of our nation’s history. They were very thorough in their identification, grading, and providing significant pedigrees. Fully 59 notes in both Parts 1 and 2 [of the John J. Ford Collection auction series] are identified as plate notes from the reference book The Early Paper Money of America, by foremost scholar Eric P. Newman.”
Many of the notes are American treasures. Of particular note are a dozen Massachusetts November 17, 1776, Sword in Hand notes printed by Paul Revere, including a 16 shilling PCGS AU55. Other notes are printed by Ben Franklin and some are autographed by signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Other highlights include a very early and rare Connecticut July 12, 1709, 3 shillings note graded PCGS Very Fine-20 Details; an extremely rare PCGS Very Good-10 Details specimen of the Georgia “Fort and Battery” March 25, 1762, 1 pound note; and a New Jersey March 25, 1724, 6 shilling graded PCGS Fine-15 details.
Another fascinating note is the April 3, 1755, specimen from New Hampshire, which is denominated in both the English denomination of 10 shillings as well as the equivalent American two-thirds of a dollar graded PCGS About Uncirculated-55.
For more information about the Kagin’s live online auction of the John J. Ford Collection, please visit www.kagins.com/auctions.
