May 21, 2020 | Auctions, News
(Lincroft, NJ—5/18/2020)—An auction that was supposed to take place at Harrah’s in New Orleans, as part of the PCGS Members Only Show, was forced to become a webcast event held at Legend’s central New Jersey offices due to the ongoing Coronavirus global pandemic of 2020. Despite this change, results for quality coins, especially those with PCGS and CAC approval, remained strong, showing continued resilience in the coin market. From the start of the sale, which began with the Blue Hill Collection of New Orleans Silver Dollars and Double Eagles, activity was strong. Even before the sale opened for live bidding on the evening of Thursday, May 14, there was a record number of registrants for a sale of this size, (it was a smaller sale featuring just over 300 lots). Those that registered were intent on winning the coins they desired. The New Orleans silver dollars, had such strength that it seems the dollar market might be recovering from the downturn in prices over the last six months, only time will tell. From the first lot, bidding was quite active. Though the 54-O and 56-O did not make their reserves, the other coins saw active bidding, including the 79-O in particular, brought a very strong bid from a very happy collector (it realized $82,250).Walking Liberty half dollars have again proven to be one of the strongest series right now, with high grade examples and esoteric varieties seeing a large number of bidders vying to add coins to their sets. The top price realized for the sale, a wonderful 1909-O half eagle, PCGS MS63 CAC realized a very strong $114,563. Note: all prices reported include the 17.5% buyers premium.
“Interest in this sale started strong and remained that way throughout the close of the sale, as registrations and activity were high throughout the entire presale bidding and live bidding process,” said Matthew Bell, CEO of Legend Auctions. “We actually noticed a marked increase in people planning to follow the sale live, as we fielded seemingly non-stop phone calls throughout this past week from customers eagerly anticipating the live auction Thursday night.”
“The sale started off extremely strong,” echoed Laura Sperber, Founder of LRCA. “The Blue Hill silver dollars were already realizing strong prices after pre-bidding, and many saw those prices increase further during the live auction. We could not be happier with those results, and hope that they foreshadow renewed strength in the dollar market overall. Congratulations to the Blue Hill collector and all the new owners on an amazing night!”
Other highlights of the Blue Hill Collection include:
- Lot 2. $1 1850-O PCGS MS63 CAC, realized $30,550
- Lot 40. $20 1855-O PCGS XF45+ CAC, realized $42,300
- Lot 43. $20 1858-O PCGS AU55 Ex Eliasberg, realized $29,375
- Lot 47 $20 1879-O PCGS AU53 CAC, realized $82,250
The other anchor collection offered in Regency Auction 38 was the Ogden Avenue Ladies Collection of Proof Liberty Nickels, which ranked #3 on the PCGS Set Registry. The high grade and carefully selected pieces saw very active bidding. The third major collection of Proof Liberty nickels LRCA has sold in the last 12 months, the market warmly welcomed the coins, and they brought generally healthy prices across the board.
Highlights of the Ogden Avenue Ladies Collection, include:
- Lot 70. 5C 1883 With Cents. PCGS PR67+ CAM CAC, realized $9,988
- Lot 88. 5C 1901 PCGS PR67+ CAM CAC, realized $4,700
- Lot 93. 5C 1906 PCGS PR67 CAM CAC, realized $4,348
- Lot 99. 5C 1912 PCGS PR67 CAM CAC, realized $8,519
Other highlights include:
- Lot 51. 1C 1865 Fancy 5. PCGS MS66+ RD CAC, realized $17,038
- Lot 109. 5C 1918/7-D PCGS MS64+ CAC, realized $99,875
- Lot 113. 5C 1925-D PCGS MS66+ CAC, realized $34,075
- Lot 136. 20C 1875-CC PCGS MS65+ CAC, realized $21,738
- Lot 169. 50C 1859-S PCGS MS65 CAC, realized $8,813
- Lot 178. 50C 1918-S PCGS MS65 CAC, realized $30,550
- Lot 185. 50C 1929-D PCGS MS67 CAC, realized $64,625
- Lot 222. $1 1871-CC PCGS XF45, realized $17,038
- Lot 240. $1 1881-S PCGS MS65 CAC, realized $6,756
- Lot 251. $1 1887 PCGS MS65 DMPL CAC, realized $2,468
- Lot 286. $5 1909-O PCGS MS63 CAC, realized $114,563
Legend Rare Coin Auctions’ next auction is being held on Thursday, July 16, 2020, in a sale slated to be held in Las Vegas as the official auction of the PCGS Members Only Show. Featuring the BigMo Civil War Collection, the Incline Collection of Jefferson Nickels, and the Roadrunner Collection of Toned Dollars, part 1, Regency Auction 39 is open for consignments until June 1. For more information about consigning, call 732-935-1168 or email info@legendauctions.com.
Legend Rare Coin Auctions is a boutique numismatic auction company specializing in the finest and rarest U.S. coins. Founded in 2012 by Laura Sperber, the owner and president of Legend Numismatics, the premier rare coin retail firm. LRCA was, from the outset designed to be a different kind of rare coin auction firm. LRCA’s staff of numismatic auction industry veterans includes Julie Abrams, president; Greg Cohen, senior numismatist; and Jessica Berkman, consignment coordinator. The firm’s Regency Auctions serve as the official auction for the PCGS Members’ Shows, held six times per year. Since its founding, LRCA has sold many important collections, resulting in world-record prices, including the Coronet Collection of Morgan Dollars (#1 all time PCGS set); the David Hall—Bob Simpson Collection of Liberty Head Eagles; the Sunnywood-Simpson Collection of Morgan Dollars; the Phil Flannagan Collection of Territorial Gold, Toned Dollars, and 1795 coins; duplicates from the Gerald Forsythe Collections of Buffalo Nickels and Mercury Dimes; the Bob Simpson Collection of Standard Silver Patterns; the Northern Lights Collection of Monster Toned Morgan Dollars; the Crow River Collections of Indian Head $10s and Peace Dollars; the P.F.M Collection (former #6 PCGS Set of Morgan Dollars with varieties); the Oak Crest Collection of Carson City $5 gold; the Konstantine Collection of Capped Bust Half Dollars, the #1 PCGS Set of Red Book varieties, 1807-1836. The firm’s impressive record also includes setting over 120 world record prices in 2019. The firm also had the second highest realizing auction lot of 2016 with the sale of Bob Simpson’s duplicate 1879 $20 “Quintuple Stella” which realized $1,880,000. To consign to an upcoming auction, visit www.legendauctions.com and contact a consignment specialist today.
May 13, 2020 | ANA, News
The American Numismatic Association (ANA) announced this week that Donna Frater has been named the new director of development and membership. Frater most recently served as the Association’s manager of development.
Cary Hardy
“Cary began his ANA tenure in our online merchandising store and moved through various positions to become membership director,” says ANA Executive Director Kim Kiick. “He was responsible for a number of programs besides membership, including acting as the IT liaison for the Association and managing our relationships with affinity partners. He will be missed.”
In her new expanded role, Frater will oversee ANA fund development, membership and the club/district representative program (assisted by Logan Curtis).
Donna Frater
“Donna has a passion for customer service and I know our members will love working with her,” says Kiick. “She is an idea person and I look forward to the contributions she will make in these vital ANA programs.”
The American Numismatic Association is a congressionally chartered, nonprofit educational organization dedicated to encouraging the study and collection of coins and related items. The ANA helps its 25,000 members and the public discover and explore the world of money through its vast array of instructional and outreach programs, as well as its museum, library, publications and conventions. For more information, call 719-632-2646 or visit money.org.
May 11, 2020 | News
1892-S Morgan Dollar, Uncirculated, $15—No Haggling!
by Dennis Tucker
An advertisement for the 1947 (1st edition) Red Book.
The following coins are for sale—prices firm, cash on the barrel head:
- 1880 Shield nickel, Unc — $8.00
- 1921-S Liberty Walking half dollar, Unc — $18.00
- 1926 Sesquicentennial commemorative half dollar, Unc — $2.50
- 1875-CC gold eagle, Unc — $55.00
Seems like a no-brainer! I might as well ask, “How would you like to rotate your tires and fill up your tank, and as a bonus you get a brand-new Lamborghini?”
Grab a copy of the 1947 Red Book, the first edition of the Guide Book of United States Coins. Then hop in your trusty time machine, and you can go back to find these prices in the rare-coin market of 74 years ago.
Happy Days Are Here Again
Imagine the year is 1947. World War II has been over for some time, and America’s economy is booming. The military mobilization that helped the Allies win the war has since repatriated millions of Americans: in Operation Magic Carpet, running from June 1945 to September 1946, the War Shipping Administration brought 8 million service members home from Europe and the Pacific and Asian theaters. Now, back in the States, demand is much greater than supply for many consumer goods—but manufacturers are happy to meet the challenge! Young couples are temporarily moving in with their parents while homebuilders hustle to ramp up the amount of available housing. (The average cost of a new home? $6,600, or about two-and-a-half times the average yearly wage.) With the war over, federal expenditure is markedly down—comparing 1944 and 1947, government spending at all levels has dropped 75 percent—but U.S. citizens are spending more than twice as much on durable goods, overall consumption is up nearly 25 percent, and private investment has more than doubled.
Veterans in the hangar deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), in Pearl Harbor, September 1945—on their way home as part of Operation Magic Carpet.
Americans are buying household appliances, new cars, new homes. They’re also spending money on their hobbies—including collecting U.S. coins.
A Revolutionary New Book for a Fast-Growing Hobby
In the midst of all this economic growth and personal spending, Whitman Publishing finally debuted a new hobby reference that had been delayed by wartime paper rationing. It was in November 1946 that R.S. Yeoman’s Guide Book of United States Coins—a retail-pricing version of the popular wholesale-market Handbook of United States Coins—made its first appearance. Now collectors had an annual guide to how much professional dealers were charging, on average, for every coin produced since the start of the U.S. Mint in 1792.
The first print run of the Red Book’s first edition totaled 9,000 copies. These sold so quickly that another 9,000 were printed in February 1947.
By 1959 collectors were buying more than 100,000 Red Books annually. The 1965 (18th) edition reached a peak in sales of 1,200,000 copies. The hobby market was going gangbusters, and that year the Red Book was ranked fifth on the list of best-selling nonfiction titles—ahead of Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People (at no. 6) and John F. Kennedy’s Profiles in Courage (no. 9).
A Tribute to the Red Book
Perhaps even R.S. Yeoman couldn’t have imagined that today, with the Red Book in its 74th edition, collectors would have purchased well over 24 million copies. The guide book is a superstar of America publishing, one of the most popular nonfiction titles of all time. It’s even attained collectible status itself, with many hobbyists adding the latest hardcover to their collections each year. As with rare coins, supply and demand come into play: today an original copy of the 1st edition can command $1,200 to $1,500.
The sixtieth anniversary of the first Red Book was a fun year for Whitman Publishing; we debuted some great titles in 2006. The one that captured collectors’ imaginations the most might have been the 1947 Tribute Edition Red Book. This was a page-by-page exact recreation of the very first Guide Book of United States Coins. It also included a full-color section comparing the current hobby market with that of the 1940s.
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The cover of the 1947 Tribute Edition of the Red Book. Whitman also published a limited-edition (500 copies) leather-bound version.
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Sample pages from the color market-analysis section of the Tribute Edition.
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This is where our wishful thinking for a time machine comes in. Just take a look at those 74-year-old coin prices!
$11 for a Proof trade dollar. $50 for a Clark, Gruber & Co. “Pikes Peak” five-dollar gold piece, in Uncirculated condition.
Today, if you’re not picky, $5 will buy you a fast-food lunch. In 1947 it would get you an early-1800s Draped Bust quarter in Fine, or an Uncirculated Flying Eagle cent from the 1850s.
A collector who wanted to buy one of every coin and set valued in the first Red Book would have paid $167,970 for a circulated collection, or $219,609 in Mint State. In today’s market that would require more than $11 million and $45 million respectively.
One hobbyist who bought a copy of the 1947 Tribute Edition Red Book looked up a few favorite coins, and then, as he put it, “paged through to look and sigh over prices that are similar to or less than my son’s allowance.” Another wistful reader said, “It’s like time travel. $50 Pan-Pac Octagonal for $500… I’ll take a whole roll, please!”
No matter which U.S. coins you collect, there’s much to learn by comparing today’s hobby with the hobby of yesterday. Plus it can be a heck of a lot of fun. Just don’t let it frustrate you too much…. ($3.75 for an Uncirculated 1909-S V.D.B. cent?!)
May 5, 2020 | NCIC, News
The Abilene, Texas police department is investigating the theft of the following notes listed below:
Stolen Banknotes
- Schwertner National Bank
- (10,00 small notes)
- 10956A001513
- B000474A
- B000553A
- C000184A
- E000233A
- B000704A
- 10956 A 000023 TyII Veryscarce (20.00 small note)
- 1464 PlainBack (large note)
Anyone with information please contact:
Doug Davis
817-723-7231
Doug@numismaticcrimes.org
Numismatic Crime Information Center
May 5, 2020 | NCIC, News
The notes pictured below were shipped from sent via USPS
Anyone with information please contact:
Doug Davis
817-723-7231
Doug@numismaticcrimes.org
Apr 17, 2020 | News
by Dennis Tucker
The unveiling of the Sacagawea Dollar design at the White House with (L-R) irst Lady Hillary Clinton, Sacagawea Model Randy’L He-dow Teton, and Designer Glenna Goodacre.
Goodacre was an artist of monumental sculptures including the Vietnam Women’s Memorial (part of the national Vietnam Veterans Memorial), situated on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and dedicated in 1993. Her Irish Memorial (2003), installed at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia, is a massive monument of 35 life-size sculptures dedicated to America’s millions of Irish immigrants. Her delightful and energetic sculpture The Puddle Jumpers is in Montgomery, Alabama. The Smithsonian Art Inventory describes it: “Six running children, three boys and three girls, are preparing to jump into a puddle. The children are holding hands and are in various states of motion. Three of the figures are anchored to the ground, though all have the appearance of being suspended in air. The figures wear play clothes and are all smiling and laughing.”
Goodacre’s portraiture included a bronze statue of Ronald Reagan, After the Ride, displayed at his Presidential Library in California. She created a full-length figure of ragtime composer Scott Joplin, a striding depiction of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, and many other impressive sculptural portraits.
To numismatists, however, Glenna Goodacre will forever be remembered in the popular Sacagawea dollar, the first “golden dollar” of the United States Mint. Her design for the coin’s obverse features Shoshone Indian interpreter and guide Sacagawea, who helped explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their famed journey westward from the Great Northern Plains to the Pacific Ocean. She depicted Sacagawea carrying her infant son Jean Baptiste, known as “Pomp.” The figures were from Goodacre’s creative imagination, as no contemporary portraits of the subjects are known to exist.
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2000 Native American One Dollar Uncirculated Obverse
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1999-2006 Native American One Dollar Uncirculated Reverse
Goodacre’s design was central to the Sacagawea dollar coin issued from 2000 to 2008 (with an eagle-in-flight reverse design by Thomas D. Rogers Sr.). Since 2009 it has been the obverse of the Native American series of dollar coins, issued annually with a new theme on the reverse each year.
The artist received $5,000 for her work on the new dollar, in the form of 5,000 specially burnished and surface-treated coins—a format unexpected by her and unannounced in advance. Q. David Bowers, the “Dean of American Numismatics,” describes the unusual payment, which proved to be a bonanza: “At the time the Mint was having some problems with discoloration, and [this burnishing] was the way to prevent that from happening with coins that no doubt would be given away or otherwise distributed by Goodacre, rather than being spent. . . . These were delivered to her Santa Fe, New Mexico, studio by Mint Director Philip Diehl accompanied by two Mint police officers. A special ceremony was held there on April 5, 2000.” The coins were slabbed and graded with special labels, with Goodacre keeping 2,000 for herself and the rest being sold.
Bowers, a longtime fan of Goodacre’s, who wrote extensively on her work in the Guide Book of Modern United States Dollar Coins, remembers the artist with this tribute:
The numismatic community regrets the passing of sculptor Glenna Goodacre. Her creativity will live forever with her design of the Sacagawea “golden dollar,” the portrait of which is still being used for new issues. While over the years most coin designs have had their share of critics, not so with the Sacagawea dollar. Everyone loves it! As a side note, millions have circulated as money in Ecuador (which uses American dollars as currency). Many citizens there think the portrait is of an Ecuadorian child. Today, the Sacagawea dollar varieties are very affordable, and I suggest that there is room in every collection for a nice group of these.
Jeff Garrett, a professional numismatist and senior editor of the Guide Book of United States Coins, recalls meeting Goodacre. Garrett enjoyed the honor of helping her sell her coins:
We are all saddened by the news of Glenna Goodacre’s passing. She was known throughout the numismatic community for her iconic design of the Sacagawea dollar. We met in 2010, when I was asked to dispose of her remaining “special issue” 2000 coins. Glenna was one of the most successful female sculptors of all time. The country has lost an amazing artist and a wonderful person.
Robin Salmon, Brookgreen Gardens’s vice president of Art and Historical Collections and curator of Sculpture, and currently a member of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, which reviews American coin designs, describes Goodacre as “a remarkable woman and a good friend who never met a stranger. Her artwork continues on as powerful testimony to her love of family and the beauty of the human spirit.”
Greg Weinman, senior legal counsel at the United States Mint, who worked closely with Goodacre during the design and launch of the Sacagawea dollar, also remembers the artist as “a good friend and one of my favorite people in the world.”
The numismatic community joins Glenna Goodacre’s family, friends, and many fans in mourning her loss and celebrating her art.
Apr 3, 2020 | ANA, Announcements, News
National Coin Week, April 19-25, 2020, emphasizes that money is history you can hold in your hands
Common, everyday pocket change at home can be used to help educate children whether their schools are temporarily closed or not, according to the nonprofit American Numismatic Association (ANA). The 25,000-member organization will mark the 97th annual National Coin Week, April 19-25, 2020.
“Money is history you can hold in your hands. The designs, denominations and metallic content of coins tell us a great deal about civilizations, past and present, such as famous and not-so-famous political and historical figures, important events and landmarks,” stated National Coin Week coordinator Andy Dickes.
“Former presidents and other designs depicted on coin denominations – the Abraham Lincoln cent, Thomas Jefferson nickel, Franklin D. Roosevelt dime and George Washington quarter-dollar – can be useful educational tools to teach school-age children about history, art, geography and even math. Virtually any coins in pockets, purses and socks drawers can be handy teaching tools,” he explained.
The American Numismatic Association provides complimentary educational games and quizzes for children on the organization’s website at money.org/money-musements. The United States Mint also offers free, online educational games about money at www.usmint.gov/learn/kids/games.
National Coin Week focuses attention on the historical, cultural, artistic and economic importance of money as well as the enjoyment of coin and paper money collecting.
The theme of this year’s National Coin Week is “Remarkable Women: Catalysts for Change,” which is inspired by the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920 granting women the right to vote, as well as celebrating the many contributions of women in society and numismatics.
Several historical women have been depicted on United States money including President Washington’s wife, Martha, on $1 notes issued in the 1880s and 1890s; suffragette Susan B. Anthony on $1 denomination coins from 1979 to 1981; and native American Indian Sacagawea, who assisted the 1804-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition, on golden dollar coins since 2000.
For additional information about National Coin Week, visit www.NationalCoinWeek.org.
The American Numismatic Association is a congressionally chartered, nonprofit educational organization dedicated to encouraging the study and collection of coins and related items. The ANA helps its 25,000 members and the public discover and explore the world of money through its vast array of instructional and outreach programs, as well as its museum, library, publications and conventions. For more information, call 719-632-2646 or visit money.org.
Apr 3, 2020 | Auctions, News
(Lincroft, NJ—March 27, 2020). With the uncertainty and chaos that the current Covid-19 global pandemic is bringing to the markets and people’s everyday lives, numismatics seems to be providing a safe haven and comfort to collectors all over. Legend Rare Coin Auctions’ 37th Regency Auction was scheduled to take place at Le Meridien in Philadelphia. Two weeks prior to the sale, with various orders from different entities, federal, state, and local, Legend made the decision to hold the auction in the firm’s New Jersey offices, as a live, webcast only auction, with no floor bidders. Unsure how the situation would play out, email reminders were sent out daily to bidders. Every effort was made to ensure that people who could not come to the office to view to see the coins as close to in hand as possible. Thanks to modern technology, text messaging videos or utilizing Facetime, this is easier now than ever before. In the end, these efforts paid off, as a record number of online bidders registered to participate in the auction. This proved, yet again, that the demand for rare coins from collectors is deep, and despite the uncertain times, this demand can be insatiable when the coins are fresh and high quality.
Anchoring the auction was the extensive Seattle Collection. Assembled by a very dedicated collector over the course of the last two decades, the Seattle Collection featured complete sets of Mint State two-cent, three-cent silvers, three-cent nickels, Liberty and Shield nickels, and related patterns. From the outset, bidding for these coins was intense, actively bid on by hundreds of different bidders from across the country. Strong prices were realized across the board, with the 1884 three-cent nickel graded PCGS MS66 CAC (lot 58) realizing a world record price of $42,300 and the 1870 Shield nickel, also graded PCGS MS66 CAC (lot 69), realizing a world record price of $10,281. All told, the Seattle Collection realized over $504,000.
“Numismatics is the world’s greatest hobby!” exclaimed Legend Rare Coin Auctions’ founder, Laura Sperber after the auction. “Even in times of global crisis, collectors find comfort in collecting. Paper assets, are just that,” she continued, “but tangible assets offer something more than just a store of value. From collector oriented series like the Seattle Collection to Pan-Pac $50 slugs, every area saw quite a bit of action!”
“Tonight was a great night for Legend Auctions, not just because we had another successful sale,” echoed Matthew Bell, CEO of LRCA, “but also because it showed what this community is capable of. We have always prided ourselves on having the best customer and consignor relationships in all of numismatics, and we proved that with this auction. We want to thank everyone who participated in Regency 37 for helping make tonight a success.”
While the entire sale displayed strength given the current situation, there are a number of lots that really do stand out and include the following highlights:
- Lot 1 – 2C 1864 LARGE MOTTO. PCGS MS65 RD CAC $2,291.25
- Lot 36 – 3CS 1872 PCGS MS66+ CAC $19,975
- Lot 57 – 3CN 1883 PCGS MS65 CAC $12,337.50
- Lot 58 – 3CN 1884 PCGS MS66 CAC $42,300
- Lot 69 – 5C 1870 PCGS MS66 CAC $10,281.25
- Lot 235 – 5C 1914 PCGS PR68 $17,625
- Lot 319 – 50C 1942 PCGS MS68 $18,800
- Lot 321 – 50C 1942-D PCGS MS68 $21,737.50
- Lot 372 – $1 1935-S PCGS MS66+ CAC $9,693.75
- Lot 386 – $50 1915-S PANAMA-PACIFIC ROUND. PCGS MS64 CAC $114,562.50
- Lot 391 – G$1 1889 PCGS MS68+ CAC $24,675
- Lot 398 – $5 1834 CLASSIC. PLAIN 4. PCGS MS64+ CAC $37,600
- Lot 422 – 50C 1921 PILGRIM. PCGS MS67+ CAC $7,050
Legend Rare Coin Auctions is set to announce the full lot list for their upcoming Regency Auction 38 within the next two weeks. That sale is already anchored by the Blue Hill New Orleans Silver Dollar and Twenty Collections, the BigMo Civil War Set, Part I, and the Ogden Avenue Ladies collection of Proof Liberty Nickels. They are currently accepting consignments for The Regency Auction 39, set for July 2020. Contact them at info@legendauctions.com, or call 732-935-1168 to learn how you can consign to the incredible Regency Auction.
Legend Rare Coin Auctions is a boutique numismatic auction company specializing in the finest and rarest U.S. coins. Founded in 2012 by Laura Sperber, the owner and president of Legend Numismatics, the premier rare coin retail firm. LRCA was, from the outset designed to be a different kind of rare coin auction firm. LRCA’s staff of numismatic auction industry veterans includes Julie Abrams, president; Greg Cohen, senior numismatist; and Jessica Berkman, consignment coordinator. The firm’s Regency Auctions serve as the official auction for the PCGS Members’ Shows, held six times per year. Since its founding, LRCA has sold many important collections, resulting in world-record prices, including the Coronet Collection of Morgan Dollars (#1 all time PCGS set); the David Hall—Bob Simpson Collection of Liberty Head Eagles; the Sunnywood-Simpson Collection of Morgan Dollars; the Phil Flannagan Collection of Territorial Gold, Toned Dollars, and 1795 coins; duplicates from the Gerald Forsythe Collections of Buffalo Nickels and Mercury Dimes; the Bob Simpson Collection of Standard Silver Patterns; the Northern Lights Collection of Monster Toned Morgan Dollars; the Crow River Collections of Indian Head $10s and Peace Dollars; the P.F.M Collection (former #6 PCGS Set of Morgan Dollars with varieties); the Oak Crest Collection of Carson City $5 gold; the Konstantine Collection of Capped Bust Half Dollars, the #1 PCGS Set of Red Book varieties, 1807-1836. The firm’s impressive record also includes setting over 120 world record prices in 2019. To consign to an upcoming auction, visit www.legendauctions.com and contact a consignment specialist today.
Mar 31, 2020 | News
To our ANA community,
While this Coronavirus has impacted all facets of our lives, our work these past few weeks has been focused on how we can keep our members safe and engaged.
Sharing our collecting passion with others is part of what makes the hobby so enjoyable, and the ANA offers an abundance of online programs that can keep you connected to the ANA community. As a matter of fact, we recently launched a members-only Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/anamembers/ where members can share in a safe environment all things numismatic (no trading or advertising allowed). And we’ll be creating more online content in the weeks ahead to keep you entertained, educated and engaged.
I also want to remind you that your membership includes access to The Numismatist archives from 1888 to the present via Exact Editions at money.org/thenumismatist/digitalarchives. (Call us at 800-514-2646 if you need assistance logging in.) And Money Museum virtual exhibits are available at money.org/money-museum/virtual-exhibits. Young collectors in your household can find all kinds of ways to get involved with games, quizzes and coin projects at money.org/young-numismatists.
ANA President Steve Ellsworth, your Board of Governors and I also are working on contingency plans for Summer Seminar and the Pittsburgh World’s Fair of Money, should it be necessary to cancel these events to keep our members and community safe. Information will be posted on money.org as updates become available.
Because Colorado’s Governor has issued a “stay at home” directive, the ANA team is working remotely to serve you. Rest assured that our phone lines and email are open and staff is prepared to be responsive to your inquiries, (although it may take a tad longer than usual); your patience is appreciated.
The ANA is pivoting and innovating, and is devoted to helping our members adapt and endure through this pandemic. In short, our efforts are redoubled to ensure the long-term viability of the hobby and our Association. Please don’t hesitate to reach out in these times. We’re here for you.
Sincerely,
Kim Kiick
Executive Director
Mar 26, 2020 | Auctions, News
(March 25, 2020) – Known as “The King of American Coins,” an 1804 United States Draped Bust Dollar certified by Professional Coin Grading Service (www.PCGS.com) as PCGS PR55 was sold for $1,440,000 by Stack’s Bowers Galleries on March 20, 2020. The Class III 1804 silver dollar was from the estate of the prominent late collector D. Brent Pogue and previously had been in a dozen other great collections, including those of the Garrett family and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
The buyer is Blake Duncan of Houston-based U.S. Coins, who bought the coin for a client who wishes to remain anonymous.
This Class III 1804 Draped Bust silver dollar, certified PCGS PR55, was sold at auction by Stack’s Bowers Galleries for $1,440,000 on March 20, 2020. (Images courtesy of Professional Coin Grading Service
www.PCGS.com.)
“The 1804 Dollars are well-known for their rarity and historic significance among collectors as well as many non-collectors,” PCGS President Brett Charville remarked.
Because of the health concerns due to the virus pandemic, the auction was relocated from the planned site of the Spring Whitman Expo in Baltimore, Maryland, to the Stack’s Bowers Galleries headquarters in Santa Ana, California. “Even with virtually no bidders physically present on the auction floor and the sudden economic uncertainty – things nobody could have predicted just a few weeks earlier – the outstanding sale of this 1804 Draped Bust Dollar unequivocally demonstrates that collectible coins graded by PCGS have perennial value, security, and liquidity,” stated Charville.
Although dated 1804, the coin was struck sometime between 1859 and the late 1870s, according to researchers. There are only 15 known genuine 1804 U.S. dollars, and only six of them are Class III examples. One of those six is permanently housed in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
The 1804 Draped Bust Dollar first gained prominence after a handful of Class I examples were included in special coin sets given to heads of state as diplomatic gifts on behalf of President Andrew Jackson during the 1830s.
While the 1804 Draped Bust Dollar stole the spotlight at the Stack’s Bowers Galleries March 2020 D. Brent Pogue Collection Part VII auction, it wasn’t the only PCGS-graded coin to cross the seven-figure threshold. The 1854-S Liberty Head Half Eagle, a gold coin with a face value of five dollars and the first such coin struck at the San Francisco Mint, realized $1.92 million at that same sale. Graded AU58+ by PCGS, the gold coin was once in the famed Louis Eliasberg Collection and had not been offered for sale for nearly 40 years.
About Professional Coin Grading Service
Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) is the premier third-party coin and banknote grading company that was launched in 1986. Over nearly 35 years, PCGS has examined and certified some 43.3 million U.S. and world coins, medals, and tokens with a combined value of more than $37.2 billion. For more information about PCGS products and services, including how to submit your coins for authentication and grading, please visit www.PCGS.com or call PCGS Customer Service at (800) 447-8848.
