Website and Catalog Feature Exclusive Input on Select Coins by PCGS Founder and Director, David Hall
IRVINE, Calif. – Bowers and Merena Auctions, America’s leading rare coin auction house, kicks off festivities in Orlando on Tuesday, January 8, 2008, with the Bowers and Merena Orlando Rarities Sales, featuring 670 rare and desirable coin lots sure to satisfy the tastes of the most discerning collector. The auction will be held at the International Plaza Resort & Spa in the heart of Orlando’s bustling entertainment district, two days prior to the Orlando F.U.N. Show.
As a special feature of this and future auctions that will be enjoyed by bidders and consignors alike, Bowers and Merena launches a new arrangement with PCGS founder and director, David Hall. Mr. Hall will be offering his exclusive input on many of the coins in this Orlando auction as well as upcoming Bowers and Merena auctions. For a limited time only, he will talk on video about coins offered at auction by Bowers and Merena. The videos will be available online before the auction for potential bidders to view, and also partially transcribed into the printed catalog descriptions. In addition, Bowers and Merena will keep an online video archive of these comments by Mr. Hall.
“A Bowers and Merena Rarities Sale is always a special auction event for us and this will be a great way for us to begin the New Year, especially with the debut of David Hall offering his valued input on many of the lots,” said Steve Deeds, president. “He is highly respected in the industry and a brilliant numismatic mind, and it is really with tremendous pride that we have joined with him to provide his analysis on some of these amazing coins.”
One of the top highlights crossing the block in Orlando is Lot 516, a 1795 Capped Bust Half Eagle, Small Eagle, BD-2, HBCC-3034, Miller-3, Rarity-6, graded MS-64 by NGC.
“This is a spectacular specimen,” Deeds pointed out. “Only 20 to 30 examples of the 1795 BD-2 Half Eagle are believed to have survived, and the near-Gem that we are offering here is undoubtedly the finest example available for private ownership, if it is not the finest known.”
Additional notable highlights include:
| Lot 179 | 1927-S Standing Liberty Quarter. MS-65 FH (PCGS) | |
| Lot 357 | 1892-S Morgan Silver Dollar. MS-64 (PCGS) | |
| Lot 383 | 1901 Morgan Silver Dollar. MS-65 (NGC) | |
| Lot 439 | 1915-S Panama-Pacific Exposition $50. Round. MS-65 (NGC) | |
| Lot 535 | 1874 Liberty Half Eagle. Proof-66 Ultra Cameo (NGC) | |
| Lot 546 | 1796 Capped Bust Eagle. BD-1, HBCC-3174, Taraszka-6, the only known dies. Rarity-4. AU-58 (NGC) | |
| Lot 622 | 1901 Liberty Double Eagle. Proof-66 Cameo (NGC) | |
| Lot 628 | MCMVII (1907) Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. High Relief. Wire Rim. Proof-67 (NGC) | |
| Lot 670 | 1931 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. MS-65 (PCGS) |
All lots and images in the Bowers and Merena Orlando Rarities Sale can be viewed online at www.bowersandmerena.com, and printed catalogs are available upon request by calling 800.458.4646.
Bidding is open now. Pre-auction bids are welcome at www.bowersandmerena.com; by e-mail at auction@bowersandmerena.com; by phone at 800.458.4646; by fax at 949.253.4091; and by postal mail addressed to Bowers and Merena, Orlando Auction January 2008, 18061 Fitch, Irvine, CA, 92614. Interested bidders are also encouraged to bid in-person at the live auction on Tuesday, January 8, 2008. A complete auction and lot viewing schedule is available at www.bowersandmerena.com or by calling 800.458.4646.
Bowers and Merena Auctions was founded in 1983 and has grown to become the world’s preeminent numismatic auctioneer with more than half a billion dollars in rare coin and currency sales. 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.
For more information about Bowers and Merena and the Official Auction of the Baltimore Coin and Currency Convention in November, call 800.458.4646. For media inquiries, ask for President Steve Deeds. Complete prices realized for all past auctions are available at www.bowersandmerena.com.
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