Jul 18, 2018 | News
NGC has certified the New York Bank Hoard, a group of 16,000 Morgan Dollars that had been stored in sealed US Treasury bags for more than 50 years. The remarkably well-preserved hoard boasts a number of high-grade pieces, including 118 that were graded NGC MS 67.
Each canvas US Treasury bag in the New York Bank Hoard contained 1,000 Uncirculated Morgan Dollars of the same date and mintmark combination. Eleven different issues were represented, the earliest being the 1878-S and the latest being the 1889.
The hoard had been stored in a bank vault in New York since 1964, when the coins were purchased directly from the US Treasury. The bags went completely untouched for decades until they were submitted to NGC for certification with a special label and pedigree.
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Jul 18, 2018 | News, Shows & Conventions
Public can see them for the first time at the ANA 2018 Philadelphia World’s Fair of Money®.
(July 16, 2018) — The latest recovery of sunken treasure from the legendary “Ship of Gold,” the SS Central America, includes six coins that now comprise the finest known “San Francisco Mint denomination set” for $1, $2.50, $3, $5, $10 and $20 gold pieces, according to the California Gold Marketing Group (CGMG).
The Double Eagle in the recently assembled set is graded PCGS MS67+, the highest grade ever given to any 1857-S $20 by Professional Coin Grading Service.
“It’s the King of Siam set of the SS Central America,” declared CGMG Managing Partner Dwight Manley, referring to the coveted special set of United States coins presented in 1836 to the King of Siam (now Thailand) as a diplomatic gift on behalf of President Andrew Jackson.
“Just like they assembled the crème de la crème of coinage from a youthful America for that presentation gift, this stunning San Francisco Mint type set from the California Gold Rush we’ve assembled from the sunken treasure is the greatest set of all the finest known coins. And they all were discovered during the most recent recovery expedition. Some were found securely wrapped inside a ship’s safe,” said Manley.
The six coins will be publicly displayed for the first time at booth #225 during the American Numismatic Association 2018 Philadelphia World’s Fair of Money®, August 14-18.
A total of 3,134 gold federal, private mint and world coins from the SS Central America were carefully retrieved from various debris fields and miners’ pokes on the Atlantic Ocean seabed during the last recovery expedition in 2014.
“We now know that dozens of those coins are either the finest known of their kind or tied for finest,” said Manley. “Among the best-of-the-best are five exceptionally special 1857-S coins and a stunning 1856-S that are the crème de la crème of all San Francisco Mint coinage, surpassing even the coins in the famous Clapp and Eliasberg collections.”
These are the six superlative San Francisco Mint coins recently examined and cataloged by CGMG and will be in the upcoming World’s Fair of Money display:
- 1856-S Type II Liberty Head $1, graded PCGS MS65+, the finest known.
The finest known 1856-S Type II Liberty Head $1, PCGS MS65+, will be part of the San Francisco Mint “gold denomination set” of recovered SS Central America coins on display at the 2018 ANA Philadelphia convention.
Photo credit: Professional Coin Grading Service www.PCGS.com.
- 1857-S Liberty Head $2.50, PCGS MS64+, tied for finest known.
Tied for finest known, this 1857-S Liberty Head $2.50, PCGS MS64+, will be one of the crème de la crème of recovered San Francisco Mint SS Central America coins exhibited in Philadelphia at the 2018 ANA convention.
Photo credit: Professional Coin Grading Service www.PCGS.com.
- 1857-S Indian Princess $3, PCGS MS67, the finest known of all San Francisco Mint $3 gold coins.
The finest known of all San Francisco Mint $3 gold coins, this 1857-S Indian Princess, PCGS MS67, can be seen with other recovered SS Central America sunken treasure at the 2018 ANA Philadelphia convention.
Photo credit: Professional Coin Grading Service www.PCGS.com.
- 1857-S Liberty Head $5, PCGS MS66, finest known.
Recovered from the legendary SS Central America, this 1857-S Liberty Head $5, PCGS MS66, is the finest known and will be exhibited with other crème de la crème San Francisco Mint coins at the ANA 2018 Philadelphia World’s Fair of Money®.
Photo credit: Professional Coin Grading Service www.PCGS.com.
- 1857-S Liberty Head $10, PCGS MS64+, finest known of all San Francisco Mint No Motto variety Eagles.
Retrieved from the fabled “Ship of Gold” sunken treasure and now ready to be exhibited by the California Gold Marketing Group at the 2018 ANA Philadelphia convention, this 1857-S Liberty Head $10, PCGS MS64+ is the finest known of all S Mint No Motto Eagles.
Photo credit: Professional Coin Grading Service www.PCGS.com.
- 1857-S Liberty Head $20 Spiked Shield variety, PCGS MS67+, with an original, gorgeous red glow luster, and the finest known of any Liberty Head Double Eagle.
Exhibiting original, gorgeous red glow luster, the finest known of any Liberty Head Double Eagles, this 1857-S $20 Spiked Shield variety, PCGS MS67+, will be one of the highlights of the SS Central America sunken treasure to be displayed at the 2018 ANA Philadelphia convention.
Photo credit: Professional Coin Grading Service www.PCGS.com.
“If we’d seen just one gem 1857-S $20 in the 1970s, it would have been the talk of the coin show! The SS Central America treasure is probably the greatest numismatic discovery of all time,” asserted PCGS Co-Founder and Collectors Universe, Inc. President David Hall. “All of these finest knowns and the rarities galore are one of the greatest things to happen in the coin market.”
In addition to the San Francisco Mint gold denomination set, CGMG will exhibit other SS Central America treasure, including historic assayers’ ingots as well as California Gold Rush era Fractional and Territorial coins recovered during the 2014 expedition.
Bob Evans, the chief scientist on the 1980’s mission that first located and recovered a portion of the fabulous sunken treasure and who assisted with the 2014 recovery, will be at the exhibit each day during the show to meet with visitors. At 11 am on Friday, August 17, he will present a lecture, “The Many (and New) Treasures of the SS Central America: Revelations & Stories from the 2014 Recoveries,” in room 121B of the convention center.
“This certainly will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many people to see an important portion of America’s greatest sunken treasure,” said Manley.
The SS Central America was a 280-foot long, three-masted side-wheel steamship carrying tons of California gold that had been shipped from San Francisco to Panama when she sank in a September 1857 hurricane during a voyage from Aspinwall (now Colón), Panama to New York City. The loss of the gold cargo was a major factor in the economically devastating financial panic of 1857 in the United States.
PCGS Co-Founder David Hall and California Gold Marketing Group Managing Partner Dwight Manley hold the finest known Liberty Head Double Eagle, an 1857-S recovered from the SS Central America and now graded PCGS MS67+. It will be publicly displayed for the first time at the 2018 ANA Philadelphia World’s Fair of Money®.
Photo credit: Donn Pearlman
The California Gold Marketing Group LLC of Brea, California acquired the 2014 treasure from Ira Owen Kane, Receiver for Recovery Limited Partnership and Columbus Exploration, LLC in a court-approved transaction in November 2017. In 1999, the group acquired all of the available treasure that was recovered in the 1980s.
Jul 13, 2018 | News
A package being sent to a client by Goldberg’s was taken during a FedEx delivery van robbery in Portugal last week. The package contained 27 ancient coins all from Goldberg’s Auction #104.
Click here for the list of stolen coins [PDF]
Anyone with information contact:
Doug Davis
817-723-7231
Doug@numismaticcrimes.org
Jul 13, 2018 | ANA, News
The American Numismatic Association (ANA) has awarded 2018 college scholarships to Roxanne Pittman from Pledger, TX, and Shelby Plooster from Evans, GA.
Each winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship to use toward tuition at an institution of their choice.
“The annual scholarship is an opportunity for the American Numismatic Association to expand on its core mission of education through higher learning,” said Rod Gillis, ANA education director. “There were many qualified candidates but Roxanne and Shelby’s commitment to numismatics is unparalleled. We are most proud of their accomplishments and are happy to help with their educational endeavors.”
Roxanne Pittman
History has always been a favorite subject for Pittman and that love carried over to learning about the history behind different coins. Her focus is on collecting U.S. type coins and recently, her interest has grown for paper currency. In the fall, she plans on attending A&M University where she is pursuing a degree in business.
“I am so blessed to be chosen for this scholarship by the ANA and I will continue to work hard towards my goals at Texas A&M University,” Pittman said. “Numismatics has been part of my life from a young age and I plan to keep the hobby a major part of my life.”
In 5th grade, Plooster discovered old coins in an antique shop, and has been pursuing numismatics ever since. “I am drawn to numismatics because of the history behind the coins,” she said. “And I love seeing the artwork behind each coin design.”
Plooster enjoys collecting pieces that she finds interesting. In the fall, she is attending the University of Georgia where she wants to get a degree in either environmental health with a pre-dentistry intent or marketing.
Shelby Plooster
Applications for the 2019 ANA College Scholarship will be available in January. Recipients are selected based on academic scholarship, numismatic accomplishments and financial need. Applicants must be a senior in high school and a member of the ANA.
For additional information, contact Rod Gillis via email at gillis@money.org or call him at 719-482-9845.
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 www.money.org.
Jul 10, 2018 | News, PNG
“The reality of a real trade war and its effect on the U.S. and world economies has finally hit the precious metal markets. We have seen the 2018 low for gold,” stated Barry Stuppler of Woodland Hills, California, President of the Accredited Precious Metals Dealers (https://apmddealers.org), a division of the Professional Numismatists Guild (https://pngdealers.org).
The premium between the intrinsic value and market value of many pre-1934 dated gold coins is at its lowest point in decades, he noted.
“In my 50-year history of monitoring precious metal prices, one thing has happened again and again. Before any major gold/silver rally, there was a clean out, and normally it’s quick. A quick, sharp drop in any precious metal price allows the professionals to watch the small speculators being stopped out of their leveraged commodity contracts. It’s called ‘driving out the weak hands’ because margin calls cause small investors to sell and take a loss, rather than investing more money,” Stuppler explained.
“This week, I expect to see central banks reporting their gold purchases for June. With the U.S. dollar at the current high exchange rate versus the Euro, Yen, and Yuan, it should be sizeable. Many of the world’s largest central banks are actively exchanging their U.S. dollars for gold,” Stuppler added.
“A benefit of the strong U.S. dollar-for-gold investors is the low premium on pre-1934 U.S. and foreign gold coins. It’s the lowest it’s been in 20 years,” he pointed out.
All 48 nationwide members of the Professional Numismatists Guild Accredited Precious Metals Dealer (PNG-APMD) program undergo a background check, must adhere to a strict code of ethics in the buying and selling of numismatic items and guarantee the authenticity of the numismatic merchandise they sell.
A directory of PNG-APMD members can be found at www.apmddealers.org/apmd-dealers.
Jul 10, 2018 | Bureau of Engraving and Printing, News
First Day of Sale: July 10, 2018 (8:00 a.m. ET) – The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) is pleased to introduce the $2 Lucky Panda, a new addition to the Lucky Money Collection.
The $2 Lucky Panda is exquisitely designed with decorative Chinese symbolism and is packaged in a symbolic, red folder with embossed, gold foil. This product features an uncirculated $2 Federal Reserve note with a serial number beginning with “888.” The $2 Lucky Panda symbolizes character traits as peace, harmony and friendship.
Please visit our website for additional product information at www.moneyfactorystore.gov.
Jul 9, 2018 | News
(July 9, 2018) — Some of the finest known Kellogg & Co. and Wass Molitor & Co. San Francisco gold coins are among the 105 historic California Gold Rush Territorial coins recovered during the last expedition to the fabled “Ship of Gold,” the SS Central America, that sank in 1857. The headline-making recovery also includes a rare variety U.S. Assay Office $20 coin and an unusual counterstamped Wass Molitor $5 gold piece.
These are some of the latest major discoveries revealed in the continuing chronicle of the United States’ greatest sunken treasure, according to the California Gold Marketing Group (CGMG).
“We have finished carefully examining and cataloging the $5, $10 and $20 gold Territorials we took possession of earlier this year that were retrieved from the SS Central America in 2014. It was exhilarating to see these gold coins created by major assayers from the height of the Gold Rush: Humbert; Kellogg; Moffat; Wass Molitor; and the U.S. Assay Office,” said CGMG Managing Partner Dwight Manley.
“There are an unprecedented fifty Kellogg & Co. $20 coins, including two monumentally rare, uncirculated coins! Ten of those 50 were found together in a pile with other coins on the Atlantic Ocean seabed off the coast of the Carolinas. Each of the 105 recovered Territorials is a remarkable part of American history and a tribute to the memory of the fabled ship, the passengers, crew and the era,” stated Manley.
Professional Coin Grading Service (www.PCGS.com) now has certified these retrieved treasure coins.
Among the highlights of the SS Central America Territorial coins are:
- The second finest known 1854 Kellogg $20, graded PCGS MS62+.
The latest SS Central America sunken treasure recovery yielded the second finest known 1854 Kellogg $20 Territorial gold coin, now graded PCGS MS62+.
Photo credit: Professional Coin Grading Service www.PCGS.com.
- The second finest known 1855 Kellogg $20, PCGS MS61.
- Two rare 1855 Wass Molitor Small Head variety $20 gold coins that are among the finest known with one graded PCGS AU58 and the other PCGS AU55.
One of the finest known 1855 Wass Molitor Small Head variety $20 gold coins, PCGS AU58, is part of the latest SS Central America recovered sunken treasure.
Photo credit: Professional Coin Grading Service www.PCGS.com.
- A rare 1853 U.S. Assay Office $20 “884 THOUS” variety, PCGS AU55+.
This rare 884 THOUS variety 1853 U.S. Assay Office $20, graded PCGS AU55+, is one of the Territorial gold coins recovered from the SS Central America.
Photo credit: Professional Coin Grading Service www.PCGS.com.
“The very rare 884 THOUS variety, representing a gold content fineness of .884 purity, was struck for only eight days in February and March of 1853 before they switched to the more acceptable ‘900 THOUS’ standard,” explained Bob Evans, the chief scientist on the 1980’s missions that first located and recovered a portion of the fabulous SS Central America treasure and then assisted with the 2014 recovery. He is the curator of the treasure.
“We also found five 1853 Moffat & Co. $20s,” Evans revealed. “It was really exciting to locate these because we didn’t recovery any Moffat $20s during any of the earlier expeditions.”
One 1852 Wass Molitor $5 Small Head variety gold coin was counterstamped, “W.W.LIGHT/DENTIST,” by a Sacramento, California dentist.
A Small Head variety 1852 Wass Molitor $5 gold coin, with a counterstamp advertising Sacramento dentist W.W. Light, is among the 105 California Gold Rush Territorial coins recovered during the last expedition to the fabled Ship of Gold, the SS Central America.
Photo credit: Professional Coin Grading Service www.PCGS.com.
“It’s pretty cool!,” exclaimed Evans. “It’s graded PCGS VF30. It apparently had years of use in the goldfields and must have stories to tell!”
Here is a listing from CGMG of the 105 Territorials from the latest “Ship of Gold” recovery.
♦ $20 denomination (total of 77 coins):
- 1854 Kellogg & Co. (26 coins)
- 1855 Kellogg & Co. (24)
- 1853 Moffat & Co. (5)
- 1853 US Assay Office 884 THOUS (1)
- 1853 US Assay Office 900 THOUS (19)
- 1855 Wass Molitor & Co. Small Head (2)
♦ $10 denomination (13 coins):
- 1849 Moffat & Co. TEN DOL. (1)
- 1849 Moffat & Co. TEN D. (2)
- 1852/1 Humbert (1)
- 1852 Humbert (1)
- 1852 US Assay Office (3)
- 1853 US Assay Office 900 THOUS (1)
- 1852 Wass Molitor & Co. Small Head (1)
- 1852 Wass Molitor & Co. Large Head (2)
- 1855 Wass Molitor & Co. (1)
♦ $5 denomination (15 coins):
- 1849 Moffat & Co. (11)
- 1850 Moffat & Co. (2)
- 1852 Wass Molitor & Co. Small Head (2)
A complete inventory of U.S. and world coins and assayers’ ingots recovered in 2014 will be listed in an upcoming book, America’s Greatest Treasure Ship: The SS Central America, The Second Journey, by Q. David Bowers and Manley. It will be published by the California Gold Marketing Group later this year.
The SS Central America was a 280-foot long, three-masted side-wheel steamship carrying tons of California gold that had been shipped from San Francisco to Panama when she sank in a September 1857 hurricane during a voyage from Aspinwall (now Colón), Panama to New York City. The loss of the gold cargo was a major factor in the economically devastating financial panic of 1857 in the United States.
The California Gold Marketing Group LLC of Brea, California acquired the 2014 treasure from Ira Owen Kane, Receiver for Recovery Limited Partnership and Columbus Exploration, LLC in a court-approved transaction in November 2017. In 1999, the group acquired all of the available treasure that was recovered in the 1980s.
Jul 4, 2018 | News
(July 3, 2018) — This Eagle flew far from home. A rare 1853/2 overdate U.S. Liberty Head $10 gold coin was discovered when it was recently submitted to the Professional Coin Grading Service (www.PCGS.com) office in Paris, France. The submitter did not know it was a rare variety Eagle and unknowingly included it with a group of “common” U.S. gold pieces.
The overdate coin is now graded PCGS Gold Shield MS62, the highest 1853/2 Eagle ever graded by the company in its 32 years of rare coin authentication, according to PCGS President Don Willis.
Discovered in a submission to the PCGS Paris, France office, this rare 1853/2 overdate $10 is graded PCGS MS62. Photo credit: Professional Coin Grading Service www.PCGS.com.
“The overdate variety was part of a submission to PCGS Paris by a PCGS Authorized Dealer from Europe who submitted a large group of U.S. gold coins. When the grading room examination began, it was immediately detected as an overdate by PCGS Director of World Grading, Mike Sargent,” explained Willis.
“Every collector dreams of finding a rarity. Even though they have handled almost every known great rarity, our graders are no different. Everyone in the Grading Room in Paris was very excited to be part of this discovery,” recalled Willis. “This goes to show that there are still historic coins out there waiting to be discovered!”
A portion of the number 2 can be seen in the lower loop of the 3 on the 1853/2 Eagle. Photo credit: Professional Coin Grading Service www.PCGS.com.
Sargent said scarce date U.S. gold pieces are sometimes found in Europe, but “it is quite rare to find a Mint State example of such a rare coin with its natural surfaces still intact. Examples of pre-1860 Mint State $10 gold coins are scarce in any date or mintmark combination, and this particular rarity will surely be desired on the secondary market.”
PCGSCoinFacts.com, the internet’s most comprehensive resource for information about United States coins, points out that the 2 in the 1853 over 2 variety “is quite faint and easy to miss even on high-grade specimens.” A portion of the number 2 can be seen as two lines in the lower loop of the number 3 digit in the date.
“What the owner originally thought would be a half-ounce gold coin worth perhaps a little more than it’s weight in gold turns out to be a rare coin worth tens of thousands of dollars because PCGS experts recognized it as a desirable variety,” said Willis. “It shows once again that PCGS helps maximize the value of your coins while providing the greatest liquidity.”
Since its founding in 1986, PCGS experts have certified over 38 million coins with a total market value of over $33 billion. For information about PCGS products and services, including how to submit your coins for authentication and grading, visit www.PCGS.com or call PCGS Customer Service at (800) 447-8848. Information about the PCGS Paris office is available at www.PCGSEurope.com.
Jul 2, 2018 | News
NGC has certified an extremely rare pattern 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter. Graded NGC PF 61, it is only the third known example in existence.
The coin was originally graded by another third-party grading service, which had identified it as a regular 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter. The error went undetected until a sharp-eyed numismatist at Heritage Auctions noticed that the design differed from the regular issue. It was then submitted to NGC, which verified the discovery.
This pattern (J-1989) differs from the regular 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter in two major ways: It is missing the designer’s initial, “M,” to the right of the date, and it has a different-style olive branch near the “L” in “LIBERTY.”
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Jul 2, 2018 | News
The “Ship of Gold” is sailing quickly. A total of 2,935 U.S. Mint gold coins retrieved from the last recovery of sunken treasure from the fabled SS Central America and made available in the market already have been sold out by the California Gold Marketing Group (CGMG).
“In an incredibly short period of time, the federal issue coins from America’s greatest sunken treasure have been sold to our authorized dealers who are reporting strong sales to the public. With only a few very special exceptions, once the dealers sell their available inventory no other U.S. Mint gold coins will be available from the last expedition to this amazing treasure,” said CGMG Managing Partner Dwight Manley.
Authorized dealer Kenny Duncan of U.S. Coins in Houston, Texas remarked: “I have been very pleased with the broad-based demand for this historic gold treasure, and I expect most of my limited inventory to be gone soon.”
A total of 3,129 federal, private mint and world gold coins were brought up from the SS Central America in 2014.
“We received all of them, along with other recovered treasure, on January 9 of this year and immediately began examining, curating and cataloging the coins. Of that total, 112 were California fractional gold coins, 103 Territorials and 82 were world coins from a total of ten countries. Most of the remaining 2,832 U.S. federal issue coins all certified by PCGS, have now been sold to our authorized dealers, along with some of the other gold coins,” explained Manley.
“We are retaining for now all of the Territorials, California Gold Rush fractionals and the ‘Best-of-the-Best’ of the U.S. and world coins. For example, we are holding such items as an astounding 1857-S Indian Princess $3 graded PCGS MS67 and the single finest 1857-S Double Eagle ever graded, PCGS MS67+,” revealed Manley.
“We’ll announce more information soon about all of the ‘Best-of-the-Best” gold coins,” he said.
Each of these recently PCGS-certified coins sold by CGMG is encapsulated in specially-produced and labeled holders that contain a pinch of recovered SS Central America gold dust in a separate compartment.
The California Gold Marketing Group LLC of Brea, California acquired the 2014 treasure from Ira Owen Kane, Receiver for Recovery Limited Partnership and Columbus Exploration, LLC in a court-approved transaction in November 2017. In 1999, the group acquired all of the available treasure that was recovered in the 1980s.
Sample image of how the most recent
SS Central America coins are being encapsulated by PCGS with a pinch of recovered gold dust. Photo credit: Professional Coin Grading Service
www.PCGS.com.
NGC has certified the New York Bank Hoard, a group of 16,000 Morgan Dollars that had been stored in sealed US Treasury bags for more than 50 years. The remarkably well-preserved hoard boasts a number of high-grade pieces, including 118 that were graded NGC MS 67.
