The First Silver Dollar Struck Headline’s the Bruce Morelan Collection of Early Dollars

The world’s most valuable US coin, a 1794 Dollar that last sold for $10,000,000, is set to appear in an auction again later this year. Legend Rare Coin Auctions, Inc. has announced the sale of the Bruce Morelan Collection, a collection of coins from the early period of US history, valued in total at over $20,000,000. The collection will be sold as the anchor collection of an auction taking place in conjunction with the PCGS Members’ Only Show in Las Vegas, this October.

The collection includes the finest set of Early Mint State Dollars ever assembled, including two incredibly rare seven figure coins, the 1794 $1 SP66, and 1804 $1 PR65. These coins are among the most famous coins in the world, as well as two of the rarest, making it incredible that they can both be included in the same collection.

The collection being offered includes an example of every date and type of dollar struck at the Philadelphia mint from 1794 through 1804. The 1794 $1 included in the collection is the first dollar ever struck in the United States and has been featured in museums around the world due to its historical importance. The final coin in the collection, the 1804 $1, is an exceptionally rare coin, of which only eight were ever minted. The example being sold is the third finest known to survive, and is known as the Dexter Specimen because of a small “D” a previous owner carved on the reverse. It has an estimated value of $4,000,000.

The Bruce Morelan Collection was assembled by Bruce Morelan, a businessman and one of the preeminent coin collectors of this generation, over the course of many years. He was aided in his search by Laura Sperber of Legend Numismatics, and together they assembled this collection by focusing only on only the highest quality coins for each date. When asked about the process of building this collection, Laura Sperber had this to say. “This is the finest collection of Mint State Dollars ever assembled. Bruce never settled for second best, even if a coin was only a fraction better that is what he wanted. This could not have been clearer than when we bought the 1794 Dollar. Unquestionably the coin is one of a kind, both due to its incredible qualities, and the fact that it is the very first dollar ever struck by the US Mint. Having tried to buy it earlier, Bruce was determined not to miss this opportunity a second time. When it came up to auction, he made a ‘blow out’ bid to scare off other bidders and ensure the coin was his. Because of this, it is the first and only coin to sell for ten million dollars.”

Now that he is selling his collection, and the 1794 Dollar with it, Bruce had this to say, “The 1794 Dollar has been a lifelong dream coin and I’m truly blessed to have owned it. I can only hope the new owner has as much joy, pride and satisfaction as I did having it in my collection. Now that the set is complete and nothing else can be added, I’ve decided it’s time for other collectors to enjoy these magnificent coins.”

It is not just these two dollars that make this an exceptional set, however; all of the coins in the Bruce Morelan collection are of the highest quality and eye appeal. Each has been part of some of the greatest coin collections ever assembled, and after this sale the name Bruce Morelan will be added to that list.

Laura Sperber added, “There likely will never be another set in our lifetime like this!”

The Bruce Morelan Collection of Early U.S. Silver Dollars is made up of the following coins:

• 1794 PCGS SP 66
• 1795 Flowing Hair PCGS MS64+
• 1795 Draped Bust PCGS MS66
• 1796 PCGS MS65
• 1797 PCGS MS64
• 1798 Small Eagle PCGS MS63
• 1798 Large Eagle PCGS MS65
• 1799/8 PCGS MS64
• 1799 PCGS MS66
• 1800 PCGS MS65+
• 1801 PCGS MS65
• 1802/1 PCGS MS64
• 1802 PCGS MS65
• 1803 PCGS MS65
• 1804 PCGS PR65

To find out more information about the collection, please contact Legend Rare Coins auctions at info@legendauctions.com, or at 732-935-1168.

The live and online auction is packed with numismatics, mining, railroadiana, Native Americana and more and stars the John Reynolds, Bart Landinger, Ben Fauver and Ken Prag collections

RENO, Nev. – A Summer 2020 Extravaganza Auction so massive it is being spread over two separate weekends, two weeks apart, is planned for June 25-28 and July 10-12 by Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC, live and online, with start times each day of 8am Pacific time. The sale features a number of important collections of Americana – over 4,800 lots in all.

The auction is packed with numismatics, mining, railroadiana, Native Americana and more. Online bidding will be facilitated by iCollector.com, LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, AuctionMobility.com and Auctionzip.com. Telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted. For those planning to attend live, Holabird’s gallery is located at 3555 Airway Drive in Reno.

The auction features several important collections, offered in part now and in upcoming sales. An example is the John Reynolds collection, parts of which were offered in two prior sales. On Days 1 and 4, items from Reynolds’s 50+-year Californiana collection will come up for bid, as will a variety of vintage historical baseball and boxing cards, all graded, circa 1920 thru 1950.

Also on Day 4, the Bart Landinger collection of Arizona material, mostly trade tokens but to also include California and western tokens and scrip, will be sold. Mr. Landinger garnered many great rarities in his many travels, looking at collections over the years. He was a friendly face at Western token shows. Tragically, he recently passed away. His collection is a celebration of life.
Benjamin Fauver literally wrote the book on tokens, and he especially favored gaming counters (which resembled American gold coins and have morphed into the gaming chips we know today). He also collected foreign counters (Jetsons and the like) that were made for years, mainly in Western Europe. Parts of the Fauver American Counter Collection will be offered on Days 1 and 4 and will feature more than 10,000 pinback buttons.

The auction will feature maps not generally seen, from a massive Western map collection; gold and minerals, to include gold specimens from two Western collections; part of a Sam Clemens (Mark Twain) library that will highlight a massive Western history library spread across the sale; an Idaho real photo postcard collection; and a group of early signed Norman Rockwell prints.

Day 1, on Thursday, June 25th, will contain California ephemera (a continuation of the John Reynolds collection), parts of the Idaho real photo postcard collection, Western maps (also in other places in the catalog), historical and vintage pinbacks from the Fauver collection, a vintage doll collection, an American Directory collection and the Sam Clemens (Mark Twain) collection.

Day 1 lots will feature a rare Frontier Gasoline (“Rarin’-to-Go”) enamel cowboy sign, six feet in diameter, circa 1958-59 (est. $6,000-$12,000); a first edition, second state of Sketches New and Old (1875), illustrated throughout by Samuel Clemens, or “Mark Twain” (est. $1,000-$2,000); and an 1885 edition copy of Twain’s classic, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (est. $700-$900).

Other Day 1 lots will include an 1876 photo of the Wild West town of Deadwood (S.D.), framed under glass (est. $800-$1,200); an SOAS Photo Cine Optics “Make Your Own Headline” print press (N.Y., 1970s, est. $600-$1,500); a collection of about 59 Brinn’s dolls, all in original boxes (est. $600-$1,500; and a circa 1911 National Cash Register, candy store model (est. $500-$800).

Day 2, on Friday, June 26, will feature a railroad badges and passes collection, a continuation of the Ken Prag railroad stocks and bonds collection, stagecoach passes (includes Sonora to Bodie), railroad and steamer passes, cap badges, and mining stocks and bonds from various collections.

Top lots from Day 2 will include a stock certificate for the Eureka Quartz Mining Company (Georgetown, Calif.), for five shares, issued to a William Jenkins of Baltimore and dated July 24, 1853, signed by officers in the company (est. $800-$2,000); and a 1917 Liberty Loan bond for $50, in very fine condition, showing Lady Liberty and Thomas Jefferson (est. $1,000-$1,500).

Day 3, on Saturday, June 27, will showcase minerals and native gold nuggets and rarities, mining artifacts from an old collection, mine maps, Native Americana (to include rugs, art, jewelry and references such as a Chinook Directory, cowboy collectibles, the previously mentioned Norman Rockwell early signed prints, and bottles and saloon items from various Western collections.

Gold specimens will undoubtedly dominate the list of Day 3 top lots. Offered will be a large native crystalline gold in quartz specimen with lead and silver sulfides, mined in the 1950s and in need of professional curation, weighing 12.32 troy oz. (est. $10,000-$14,000); and a native gold in quartz specimen also mined in the 1950s in the US, 3.48 troy oz. (est. $3,000-$5,000).

Other Day 3 star lots include a beautiful Northern Plains fringed beaded peace pipe (Chanupa) bag from the early 1900s, with the beading all intact and the hide well worn (est. $1,500-$3,000); and an exquisite Toadlena Two Grey Hills (New Mexico) weaving, 42 inches by 36 inches, in excellent condition, with the four corners hooked, as is the center diamond (est. $1,500-$3,000).

Day 4, on Sunday, June 28, will be bursting with coin hoards, cents to nickels with rare dates from the Indian Trading Post in Russellville, Arkansas; so-called dollars; gaming counters, the start of the massive Benjamin Fauver collection; Exposition collectibles; medals; currency and scrip; and sports items, to include the large baseball and boxing collection of John Reynolds.

Day 4 will also be bursting with tokens from the Bart Landinger Arizona collection and the California and Western token and scrip collection. One noteworthy token is from the Miner’s Saloon in the mining town of Bisbee, Arizona (1880s, est. $600-$1,000). The Miner’s Saloon was quite popular and Bisbee was once the largest city between New Orleans and San Francisco.

Days 5 thru 7 are still being cataloged, but it can be reported that Day 5 (July 10) will feature general Americana collectibles and a postcard collection from California and the West; Day 6 (July 11) will contain a wide variety of mining stocks; and Day 7 (July 12) will include political buttons from the Fauver collection; sports (baseball, boxing, Olympics), firearms collectibles (no guns will be sold); art in all categories here; historical maps; and a historical reference library.

Color catalogs are available by calling 1-844-492-2766, or 775-851-1859. Also, anyone owning a collection that might fit into an upcoming Holabird Western Americana Collections auction is encouraged to get in touch. The firm travels extensively throughout the U.S., to see and pick up collections. Last year it visited Boston, Florida, Seattle and New York, among other destinations.
Holabird Western Americana Collections is always in the hunt for quality Americana and coin consignments, bottles, advertising and other collections for future auctions. To consign a single piece or a collection, you may call Fred Holabird at 775-851-1859 or 844-492-2766; or, you can send an e-mail to fredholabird@gmail.com. To learn more about Holabird Western Americana Collections and the online-only Summer 2020 Extravaganza Auction, visit www.fhwac.com.