Official ANA National Money Show™ Auction in Portland, Ore., is Highlighted by Exceptional 1854 and 1855 Gold Dollars
IRVINE, Calif. – Bowers and Merena Auctions, America’s leading rare coin and currency auction house, premieres its first of two official American Numismatic Association auctions for 2009 this March.
The auction will take place at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, and begins with lot viewing Wednesday, March 11, to Friday, March 13, followed by the two-session auction on Thursday, March 12, at 6 p.m. PST and Friday, March 13, at 6 p.m. PST.
The top lot in Bowers and Merena’s Official Auction of the ANA National Money Show™ is lot 1455, the Pittman Specimen of the Proof 1854 Type II Gold Dollar graded Proof-64 Deep Cameo by PCGS, an extraordinary rarity in the U.S. gold coin series with just four specimens known to exist.
Two of the proof 1854 Type II Gold Dollars known are impounded in museum collections, and as such, only two specimens are available for private ownership, including this example being offered in Portland.
"This is one of the most rare and important proof gold offerings of all time from Bowers and Merena Auctions," said Steve Deeds, president. "The collector who purchases this lot will be joining a highly select group of numismatists.
Only a handful of collectors have ever had the opportunity to own a proof 1854 Type II Gold Dollar, and some notably absent from the list of previous owners of these coins are numismatic luminaries such as Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr., Floyd T. Starr, Ed Trompeter and Harry W. Bass, Jr. This is a very special coin and quite a pleasure to present it at our first official ANA auction of the year."
An exciting complement to the 1854 is lot 1458, a jaw-dropping 1855 Type II Gold Dollar, a fresh PCGS MS-67.
The coin offered in this lot – an example of the Philadelphia Mint’s 1855-dated delivery – ranks high in the Condition Census for not just the issue, but the type as a whole. In fact, this coin is tied with just three other 1855s and a mere two 1854s for highest-graded honors among Type II Gold Dollars that have been submitted to PCGS.
"This is a first-rate condition rarity, and a breathtakingly beautiful coin," said Deeds. "This piece would serve as a highlight in the finest numismatic cabinet, and to have both of these incredible Gold Dollars in the same auction is really unprecedented."
Additional auction highlights include lot 15, a complete, high-grade 1883 Proof Set, Indian Cent through Liberty Quarter Eagle, PCGS and NGC-certified. The set includes a beautiful, fully original Proof 1883 Quarter Eagle in PCGS Proof-65 Cameo with a Population of only 3/0. Also impressive is lot 1813, an extraordinary gem 1892 Double Eagle graded
MS-66 by NGC and bearing the CAC designation, a technically sound and visually appealing Condition Census example of this key-date and low-mintage Double Eagle issue.
Auction highlights include:
Lot 14 1883 Liberty Quarter Eagle. Proof-65 Cameo (PCGS).
Lot 15 A Complete, High-Grade 1883 Proof Set: Indian Cent through Liberty Quarter Eagle. PCGS and NGC-Certified.
Lot 122 1793 Chain Cent. S-3. Rarity-3-. AMERICA. No Periods. F-12 (PCGS). OGH.
Lot 131 1856 Flying Eagle Cent. Snow-4. Rarity-7. Proof-64 (PCGS).
Lot 237 1919-S Lincoln Cent. MS-65 RD (PCGS).
Lot 441 1918-S Buffalo Nickel. MS-65 (PCGS).
Lot 715 1919-D Walking Liberty Half Dollar. MS-64 (PCGS).
Lot 1023 1880 Morgan Silver Dollar. Proof-68 Cameo (NGC). CAC.
Lot 1101 1887/6 Morgan Silver Dollar. VAM-2. Top 100 Variety. MS-65 DMPL (PCGS).
Lot 1129 1891-S Morgan Silver Dollar. MS-65 DMPL (PCGS).
Lot 1180 A Nearly Complete Set of Business-Strike 1878-1921 Morgan Silver Dollars.
Lot 1421 1853 U.S. Assay Office of Gold. $20 Gold. K-18. Rarity-2. 900 THOUS. MS-64 (PCGS).
Lot 1426 1860 Clark, Gruber & Co. $10 Gold. K-3. Rarity-5. AU-53 (PCGS).
Lot 1427 Lot of (3) California Gold Rush Mementos from or Related to the S.S. Central America.
Lot 1455 1854 Gold Dollar. Type II. Proof-64 Deep Cameo (PCGS).
Lot 1458 1855 Gold Dollar. Type II. MS-67 (PCGS).
Lot 1465 1861 Gold Dollar. Proof-66 Cameo (NGC).
Lot 1471 1842-D Liberty Quarter Eagle. Winter 3-F, the only known dies. AU-58 (PCGS). CAC.
Lot 1491 1859-D Liberty Quarter Eagle. Winter 21-M, the only known dies. MS-61 (NGC).
Lot 1503 1908 Indian Quarter Eagle. Proof-66 (NGC).
Lot 1599 1878 Three-Dollar Gold Piece. MS-66 (NGC).
Lot 1623 1798 Capped Bust Right Half Eagle. Large Eagle. BD-4, HBCC-3055, Miller-27. Rarity-4+. Large 8, 13-Stars Reverse. MS-61 (NGC).
Lot 1700 1801 Capped Bust Right Eagle. BD-2, HBCC-3194, Taraszka-25. Rarity-2. AU-58 (NGC). CAC.
Lot 1726 1858 Liberty Eagle. MS-60 (NGC).
Lot 1775 1865 Liberty Double Eagle. Misplaced Date. MS-63 * (NGC).
Lot 1813 1892 Liberty Double Eagle. MS-66 (NGC). CAC.
Lot 1838 MCMVII (1907) Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. High Relief. Wire Rim. MS-63 (PCGS).
Lot 1839 MCMVII (1907) Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. High Relief. Wire Rim. MS-63 (NGC).
Lot 1873 1926-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. MS-61 (NGC).
Lot 1879 1927-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. MS-63 (PCGS).
All lots and images in the Bowers and Merena Official Auction of the ANA National Money Show 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, Portland March 2009, 18061 Fitch, Irvine, CA, 92614.
Interested bidders are also encouraged to view lots in Portland March 11-13, 2009, and bid in-person at the live auction March 12-13, 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 Official Auction of the ANA National Money Show in March, 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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