Highlights Include the "Riverside Collection" of 19th Century Proof Type Coins and an
Exceedingly Rare Proof 1874 Double Eagle
IRVINE, Calif. – Bowers and Merena Auctions, America’s leading rare coin and currency auction house, launches the 2009 auction year with the Bowers and Merena Orlando Rarities Sale on January 4 prior to the FUN Convention.
The auction will be held at the International Plaza Resort & Spa in Orlando and begins with lot viewing January 2-4, capped off by the auction on January 4 starting at 4 p.m. EST. Nearly 1,400 rarities will be presented during a single session.
A leading consignment in Bowers and Merena’s Orlando Rarities Sale, the Riverside Collection offers an impressive selection of rare, high-quality proof type coins from the mid-to-late 19th century.
"It has been quite some time since we have offered such a wide array of 19th century proof type coins in a single sale,” stated Bowers and Merena president Steve Deeds. "The Riverside Collection includes selections from series as diverse as Shield Nickels and Liberty Double Eagles, the unifying theme being the strong technical merits and fabulous eye appeal that each individual coin possesses."
Most pieces also include a Cameo or Deep/Ultra Cameo designation as part of the grade assigned by PCGS or NGC.
Standouts from the Riverside Collection include lot 250, an enigmatic proof 1867 Rays Shield Nickel rarity, one of the finest examples known of perhaps just 40 to 60 coins believed to exist in all grades, tied for Condition Census #1 and graded by NGC as Proof-66 Cameo. Also noteworthy is lot 978, an exceptionally smooth and attractive 1882 Trade Dollar in Proof-67 Ultra Cameo by NGC. Its NGC Census is just four with a lone Proof-68 UC finer; the finest Deep Cameo specimens known to PCGS grade Proof-66.
Additional auction highlights include lot 1340, an exceedingly rare 1874 Double Eagle in Proof-64 * Ultra Cameo by NGC, bearing the CAC designation. This is the finest example available for private ownership. Only 20 examples were struck, and the total number of survivors is probably fewer than 10 coins, with two of the specimens known to exist permanently impounded in museum collections with the Smithsonian and the American Numismatic Society. PCGS and NGC population data does confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt that this awe-inspiring Proof-64 * UC stands as the single finest-certified example of the issue.
Additional highlights include
Lot 12 1776 Continental Dollar. Breen-1092, Crosby Pl. VIII, 16, Newman 2-C. CURRENCY, Pewter. AU-58 (NGC).
Lot 92 1896 Indian Cent. MS-67 RD (PCGS).
Lot 250 1867 Shield Nickel. Rays. Proof-66 Cameo (NGC).
Lot 316 1914-S Buffalo Nickel. MS-67 * (NGC).
Lot 332 1917-S Buffalo Nickel. MS-67 (NGC).
Lot 335 1918/7-D Buffalo Nickel. FS-016.5. MS-64 (PCGS).
Lot 338 1918-S Buffalo Nickel. MS-66 * (NGC).
Lot 362 1926-S Buffalo Nickel. MS-65 (NGC).
Lot 402 1794 Flowing Hair Half Dime. LM-4, V-4. Rarity-4. MS-66 (NGC).
Lot 427 1834 Capped Bust Dime. JR-1. Rarity-1. Large 4. MS-68 (NGC).
Lot 434 1859-S Seated Liberty Dime. Fortin-101, the only known dies. MS-65 (PCGS).
Lot 459 1916-D Mercury Dime. MS-65 FB (PCGS).
Lot 502 1806/5 Draped Bust Quarter. B-1. Rarity-2. MS-64 (NGC).
Lot 507 1821 Capped Bust Quarter. B-4. Rarity-3. MS-67 (NGC).
Lot 623 1795 Flowing Hair Half Dollar. O-117a. Rarity-4. MS-61 (NGC).
Lot 791 1850 Seated Liberty Silver Dollar. Proof-64 (PCGS).
Lot 799 1865 Seated Liberty Silver Dollar. Proof-66 Ultra Cameo (NGC).
Lot 916 1893-S Morgan Silver Dollar. MS-64 (NGC).
Lot 927 1895 Morgan Silver Dollar. Proof-67 Ultra Cameo (NGC).
Lot 932 1896 Morgan Silver Dollar. Proof-69 Ultra Cameo (NGC).
Lot 978 1882 Trade Dollar. Proof-67 Ultra Cameo (NGC).
Lot 1054 1915-S Panama-Pacific Exposition $50. Octagonal. MS-67 (NGC).
Lot 1095 1849 Norris, Gregg & Norris. $5 Gold. K-3. Rarity-6. Reeded Edge. No Period after ALLOY. MS-62 (PCGS).
Lot 1118 1807 Capped Bust Right Quarter Eagle. BD-1, HBCC-3016, the only known dies. Rarity-3. MS-63 (NGC).
Lot 1125 1839-O Classic Quarter Eagle. Winter Variety Two. MS-64 (NGC).
Lot 1146 1868 Liberty Quarter Eagle. Proof-65 Cameo (PCGS).
Lot 1149 1898 Liberty Quarter Eagle. Proof-68 Ultra Cameo (NGC).
Lot 1205 1862 Three-Dollar Gold Piece. Proof-66 Ultra Cameo (NGC).
Lot 1212 1876 Three-Dollar Gold Piece. Proof-64 Cameo (NGC).
Lot 1232 1818 Capped Head Left Half Eagle. BD-3, HBCC-3131, Miller-125. Rarity-5. 5D Over 50. MS-64 (NGC).
Lot 1278 1795 Capped Bust Right Eagle. BD-5, HBCC-3173, Taraszka-5. Rarity-5. 13 Leaves. AU-55 (NGC).
Lot 1280 1799 Capped Bust Right Eagle. BD-7, HBCC-3188, Taraszka-19. Rarity-3. Small Stars Obverse. MS-64 (PCGS). CAC.
Lot 1285 1804 Capped Bust Right Eagle. BD-1, HBCC-3201, Taraszka-31. Rarity-4+. Crosslet 4. MS-63 (NGC).
Lot 1327 1861 Liberty Double Eagle. MS-65 (PCGS).
Lot 1340 1874 Liberty Double Eagle. Proof-64 * Ultra Cameo (NGC). CAC.
Lot 1346 1878 Liberty Double Eagle. Proof-64 Cameo (NGC).
Lot 1352 1892 Liberty Double Eagle. Proof-66 Ultra Cameo (NGC).
Lot 1353 1896 Liberty Double Eagle. Proof-66 Deep Cameo (PCGS).
Lot 1354 1902 Liberty Double Eagle. Proof-66 Cameo (NGC).
Lot 1356 1906 Liberty Double Eagle. Proof-66 Cameo (NGC).
Lot 1359 MCMVII (1907) Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. High Relief. Flat Edge. MS-66 (PCGS). CAC.
Lot 1387 1921 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. MS-63 (PCGS).
Lot 1388 1921 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. AU-55 (PCGS).
Lot 1394 1925-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. MS-66 (NGC).
Lot 1397 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 and 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 Rarities 2009, 18061 Fitch, Irvine, CA, 92614. Interested bidders are also encouraged to view lots January 2-4, 2009, and bid in-person at the live auction January 4, or live online through the Bowers and Merena website. A complete auction and lot viewing schedule is available at www.bowersandmerena.com or by calling 800.458.4646.
About Bowers and Merena Auctions
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. They have been awarded the prestigious honor of Official Auctioneer for the 2009 American Numismatic Association Conventions in Portland and Los Angeles, in addition to their continued service as Official Auctioneer of the Baltimore Coin and Currency Conventions three times every 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.
For more information about Bowers and Merena’s Orlando Rarities Sale in January, 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.
# # #
