Ponterio & Associates Realizes $1.5 Million in Baltimore

Russia 1882 3 Rubles Realizes an Astonishing $41,300

IRVINE, Calif. — Ponterio & Associates, America’s premier auction house for foreign coins and paper money, realized more than $1.5 million as part of the Official Auction of the March 2010 Whitman Coin & Collectibles Baltimore Expo.

The three-session sale netted nearly $500,000 in foreign paper money sales with ancient and foreign gold, silver and minor coins accounting for more than $1 million in additional prices realized.

"Capitalizing on our firm’s long-standing relationship with the Whitman Baltimore Expo," stated Rick Ponterio, executive vice president of Bowers and Merena, "we were able to conduct a highly successful auction in conjunction with the March expo. Two coins in particular stand out as commanding strong prices from the winning bidders.

The first is lot 7684, a Russia 1882 CNB-HO 3 Rubles (Fr-166, Y-29) certified MS-62 by NGC that traded hands for $41,300, well over the $7,000 catalog estimate. Equally impressive is the sum of $32,450 paid for lot 7002, an extremely rare, low-mintage Greece 1876-A 50 Drachmai (Fr-14, KM-50, Geo-135) in NGC AU-58."

According to Bowers and Merena director of currency auctions Matthew Quinn, "Our foreign paper money offerings in Ponterio & Associates’ March Baltimore Auction resulted in strong bidder competition and several noteworthy prices realized. Chief among these was obtained by lot 6389, a seldom-seen Iranian 20 Tomans dated 26.3.1922 and attributed as P-15 that brought $12,980. We graded the note Fine-Very Fine in our catalog."

Additional highlights in the Ponterio & Associates March 2010 Baltimore Auction include:

• Lot 6152, China–Republic, 1 Yuan, 1939, P-81A, Choice Very Fine, realized $5,428
• Lot 6172, China–Foreign Banks, Chartered Bank of India, Australia & China, $10, 1.9.1922, P-S185A, Choice About Uncirculated, realized $5,015
• Lot 6179, China–Foreign Banks, Banque Industrielle De Chine, $500, ND (1914), P-S397C, Choice Uncirculated, realized $3,835
• Lot 6202, China, Remnants of a Rare Chinese Currency Wall Plaque, Very Good, realized $5,900
• Lot 6361, India, 50 Rupees, ND (1930), P-9c, Fine, realized $8,260
• Lot 6387, Iran, 5 Tomans, 1.6.1925, P-13,Very Fine, realized $5,015
• Lot 6388, Iran, 10 Tomans, 1.11.1929, P-14, Fine-Very Fine, realized $7,080
• Lot 6696, Portugal, 1,000 Escudos, 27.4.1922, P-131s, Choice About Uncirculated, realized $8,850
• Lot 7127, Mexico, 2 Escudos, (1)700-L, Fr-4, KM-52, Cal-type-27 (unlisted date), Extremely Fine, realized $12,980
• Lot 7293, Mexico, Carlos and Johanna, Early Series, 2 Reales, ND (1536), Assayer R, Gothic Assayer’s Letter, KM-10, Nesmith-4 (unlisted dies), Very Fine, realized $6,490
• Lot 7416, Mexico, War of Independence, Painted Enamel Framed in Gilt Bronze medal for Valor at the Battle of Peruara, January 1814, Extremely Fine, realized $6,785
• Lot 7535, Colombia, 2 Escudos, 1626-E, (II-NRE), Santa Fe Mint, Fr-2 (unlisted date), KM-4.1 (unlisted date), Cal-type-34 (unlisted date), Extremely Fine, realized $5,900
• Lot 7589, Great Britain, Angle, ND (1582/3), Fr-218, S-2531, EF-45 (NGC), realized $5,015
• Lot 7735, Switzerland, 100 Francs, 1925-B, Fr-502, KM-39, MS-64 (PCGS), realized $8,850
• Lot 8227, China, Pattern Dollar, 1907, Tientsin Mint, L&M-20, Kann-22, MS-62 (NGC), realized $7,375
• Lot 8299, Denmark, 2 Speciedaler, ND (1669)-GK, Sieg-98, H-81, Dav-3564, KM-311, AU-55 (NGC), realized $10,030
• Lot 8608, Italy, 2 Lire, 1903, KM-33, Almost Uncirculated, realized $12,980
• Lot 8676, Norway, Speciedaler, 1658-FG, Hede-26, KM-A42, Very Fine+, realized $12,980

For a complete list of prices realized for the March 2010 Baltimore Auction, visit the Bowers and Merena website at www.bowersandmerena.com or call the firm toll free of 800.458.8646.

About Ponterio & Associates, Inc.

Ponterio & Associates, Inc., was founded in 1982 by Richard Ponterio, renowned specialist in world and ancient numismatics. The company was acquired by Bowers and Merena Auctions in 2008, creating an auction powerhouse that covers the collecting interests of U.S. and international coin and paper money enthusiasts.

Ponterio & Associates auctions have included such notable coin collections as the John S. Davenport Collection, the Witte Museum Collection, the Amat Collection, the Joe Lasser Collection, and the James Hunnicut Collection. Distinguished paper money collections include the East Bay Collection of International Bank Notes, and the Eduard Kann Chinese Bank Note Collection. Ponterio & Associates has also presented treasure collections from the shipwrecks "Nicobar," "Rooswijk," and "Capitana."

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 continue to serve 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. 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. For media inquiries, ask for executive vice president Rick Ponterio (foreign coins) or director of currency auctions Matthew Quinn (foreign paper money). Complete prices realized for all past auctions are available at www.bowersandmerena.com.

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