Bowers and Merena Boston Rarities Auction Features 1794 Silver Dollar

Bowers and Merena Auctions, one of the world’s pre-eminent numismatic auctioneers, will host its 2010 Boston Rarities Auction on Saturday, Aug. 7 at The Castle at Park Plaza Hotel and Towers in Boston, Mass.

The sale, comprised of nearly 1,800 lots, will feature world-class rarities and highly desirable collectors’ coins.

"Three consignments stand out in my mind as defining elements of the importance of this sale: the Cardinal Collection Educational Foundation Mint State Set of 1794 United States Coinage, the Horseshoe Collection of New Orleans Mint gold and silver coins, and the Ostheimer Specimen of the 1870-S Seated Liberty Silver Dollar," said Greg Roberts, CEO of Bowersand Merena.

"With selections as diverse, important and desirable as these, we are confident that our Boston Rarities Sale will see spirited bidding from a wide variety of collectors."

The Cardinal Collection Educational Foundation (CCEF) Mint Set of 1794 United States Coinage is a fully Mint State complete set of 1794-dated coins struck from the Half Cent through the Silver Dollar with most coins choice to gem in quality.

The coins are among the finest known for their respective issues and die varieties, but the obvious highlight of the set is the Virgil Brand-F.C.C. Boyd-Cardinal specimen of the 1794 Flowing Hair Silver Dollar. Certified MS-64 by NGC, the coin is Condition Census #4 for the issue and one of only six Mint State examples known to exist.

The five coins in the 1794 Mint State Set will be auctioned individually at the beginning of the beginning of the Silver Dollar section.

"This important offering is made possible by the CCEF’s recent acquisition of the Carter-Contursi 1794 Silver Dollar, graded PCGS Specimen-66, which recently sold for $7,850,000 in a transaction that set a world record price for the most valuable coin," said Roberts.

At the heart of the Horseshoe Collection is one of the most comprehensive sets of New Orleans Mint gold and silver coins that Bowers and Merena has offered in quite some time. The stand-out highlight of the collection is an 1854-O Liberty Double Eagle, a pop 2/0 coin certified AU-55 by PCGS. With an estimated 25-35 surviving coin population from a mintage of 3,250 pieces, it is the second-rarest New Orleans Mint Double Eagle.

Other rarities featured in this collection include Morgan Dollar condition rarities, key-date 19th century gold coins from other Mints and a J.W. Scott Restrike of the fabled 1861 Confederate States of America Half Dollar.

"Last in the triad of world-class rarities anchoring our Boston Rarities Sale is the Ostheimer Specimen of the 1870-S Seated Liberty Silver Dollar," said Roberts. "This coin is the fourth-finest example of only nine 1870-S Silver Dollars in existence. As such, it is an extremely important example of the rarest regular issue Silver Dollar struck in the United States Mint. The Ostheimer Specimen is certified EF-40 by PCGS."

Additional collections that will be featured in the Boston Rarities Auction include the Fontaine Collection of 25 coins which all earned CAC designation, the Platinum Star PCGS Registry Set of Two-Cent Pieces and the Marmac’s Little Sisters Collection of Half Cents. Other coin highlights include:

• 1776 Continental Dollar, CURENCY, Pewter, MS-63 (PCGS), Secure Holder
• 1864 Two-Cent Piece, Small Motto, Proof-65 RD Cameo (PCGS), Secure Holder, CAC, From the Platinum Star PCGS Registry Set of Two-Cent Pieces
• 1794 Flowing Hair Half Dollar, O-106,  AU-58 (PCGS), CAC
• 1794 Liberty Cap Half Cent, C-9, High Relief Head, MS-65 BN (NGC), From the Cardinal Collection Educational Foundation
• 1794 Liberty Cap Cent, S-29, Head of 1794, MS-65 BN (NGC), From the Cardinal Collection Educational Foundation
• 1794 Flowing Hair Half Dime, LM-3, MS-67 (NGC), From the Cardinal Collection Educational Foundation
• 1794 Flowing Hair Half Dollar, O-105, MS-62 (NGC), From the Cardinal Collection Educational Foundation
• 1801 Draped Bust Silver Dollar, BB-212, B-2, MS-63 (PCGS), Secure Holder, Ex: Jack Lee III-Hesselgesser
• 1895 Morgan Silver Dollar, Proof-68 Cameo (NGC), From the Horseshoe Collection
• 1877 Pattern Half Union, Judd-1547 Gilt, Large Head, Proof-63 (NGC), CAC
• 1877 Pattern Half Union, Judd-1549 Gilt, Small Head, Proof-64+ Cameo (NGC), CAC
• 1860 Pattern Half Eagle, Judd-271, Proof-62 Cameo (PCGS)
• 1879 Four-Dollar Gold Stella, Flowing Hair, Judd-1635, Proof-66 Cameo (NGC)
• 1896 Liberty Double Eagle, Proof-66 Deep Cameo (PCGS), Secure Holder
• 1900 Liberty Double Eagle, Proof-65 Cameo (NGC)
• 1921 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, MS-62 (PCGS)

For a complete list of coins that will be featured at the August 2010 Boston Rarities Auction, visit the firm’s Web site at www.bowersandmerena.com or call toll-free at 800-458-4646.

About Bowers and Merena Auctions

Bowers and Merena Auctions was founded in 1983 and has grown to become one of the world’s preeminent numismatic auctioneer with more than half a billion dollars in rare coin and currency sales.

The company serves as Official Auctioneer of the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Baltimore Expos three times per year. Bowers and Merena has handled four of the five most valuable United States coin collections ever sold, including the Louis E. Eliasberg Sr. Collection, the Harry W. Bass Jr. Collection, the Garrett Collection for The Johns Hopkins University, and the Norweb Collection.

In 2008, Bowers and Merena Auctions acquired Ponterio & Associates, Inc., which now serves as Bowers and Merena’s auction division for world and ancient coins and currency. Bowers and Merena Rare Coin Galleries offers direct buying and selling of exceptional quality gold and silver rare coins.

For more information about Bowers and Merena and Ponterio & Associates, or to consign to an upcoming auction, call 800-458-4646. Complete prices realized for all past auctions are available at www.bowersandmerena.com.