Selections from what is widely accepted as the finest collection of coins from the Netherlands ever assembled will find new homes when they are sold in Heritage’s World & Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature® Auction November 1-2.
"This is a remarkable auction, with elite offerings for collectors of both world coins and ancient coins," says Cris Bierrenbach, Executive Vice President of International Numismatics at Heritage Auctions. "The Coenen Collection is widely accepted as perhaps the premier assemblage of Netherlands and Dutch Colonial coins in existence, while the ancients section includes several top certified examples with the Byzantine period, from which this auction includes multiple coins from the top of their populations."
Among the 21 offerings from the Coenen Collection is a Provincial gold Proof Pattern Ducaton (Silver Rider) 1672 PR63 NGC that is the only certified example across NGC and PCGS and the first emission of this 11 Ducat weight that Heritage Auctions experts could locate at auction in recent memory. A magnificent selection from the coveted Dutch Rider series, it is one of the best off-metal and off-weight types ever handled at Heritage Auctions.
Originally conceived in the Seven Provinces in 1659, the Ducatoon (Ducaton) – also known as the Silver Rider – came to fruition during a century in which the Netherlands was at the peak of its power and influence around the globe. While the silver issues of the type are highly collectible and command a significant premium when encountered in Choice preservation, the off-metal gold presentation issues are of an entirely different class in terms of both rarity and desirability.
Also from the Coenen Collection is a near-Choice Willem I silver Proof Trial 25 Cents 1817 PR62 NGC – a stunning silver Trial of this 25 Cent type, deemed significantly rare by Schulman as supported by the absence of certified representatives apart from this very piece and the dearth of auction results for the emission. Several Trials in various metals were produced throughout 1817 and 1818 in anticipation of the issue that would enter circulation in 1819.
The offered example is just shy of a Choice designation due to some scattered handling marks on the open expanses, fully acceptable for this open-plan design. September 2023 was the first time this Trial was made available to the public in recent memory, when each of two offered examples in excess of $90,000.
Other offered highlights from the Coenen Collection include, but are not limited to:
- An exceedingly rare Zeeland. Provincial gold Off-Metal Ducat 1764 UNC Details (Reverse Repaired) NGC
Zeeland. Provincial gold Off-Metal Ducat 1764 UNC Details (Reverse Repaired) NGC - A Willem I gold Ducat 1824-B MS61 NGC
Willem I gold Ducat 1824-B MS61 - A West Friesland. Provincial gold 1/2 Gulden 1737 MS61 NGC
West Friesland. Provincial gold 1/2 Gulden 1737 MS61
Collectors of British coins will be thrilled with the options found in 209 lots offered in this auction, a list that includes a Victoria gold "Coronation" Medal 1838 MS63 NGC. Created by Benedetto Pistrucci, this magnificent coronation medal represents an always in-demand type when located in gold. Distinguished by a Choice assignment, the offered example is the second-finest handled at Heritage in recent decades, and ranks among the top three in both censuses.
A George III gold Proof Sovereign 1817 PR63 Cameo NGC represents a coin far more rare than the 1817 1/2 Sovereign, which is seen with some regularity at Heritage. There are just 10 on NGC’s census, and nine at PCGS, some of which might be crossovers, making this a trophy-level addition to any collection of British gold coinage.
Other top British coins in the auction include, but are not limited to:
- A Charles II gold 5 Guineas 1673 AU55 PCGS
Charles II gold 5 Guineas 1673 AU55 - An Elizabeth II gold Proof "Platinum Jubilee" 500 Pounds (5 oz.) 2022 PR70 Ultra Cameo NGC
Elizabeth II gold Proof Platinum Jubilee 500 Pounds - A Victoria Proof "Gothic" Crown 1847 PR62 NGC
Victoria Proof Gothic Crown 1847 PR62
The auction features an impressive selection of coins from France, a trove that includes key-date 100 and 50 Franc coins that have grown in popularity in recent years.
Among the top lots are a pair of Republic gold 100 Francs coins – one a near-Gem 100 1896-A MS64 NGC from an original mintage of just 400, and the other a 1894-A MS61 NGC from an even smaller mintage of just 143.
Minted to commemorate the birth of Napoleon’s son, the "King of Rome," on March 20, 1811, a Napoleon gold "King of Rome" Medal 1811-Dated MS60 NGC is a historically significant and sought-after medal that is seldom seen in this broad format.
Other top French offerings include, but are not limited to:
- A Napoleon III gold 100 Francs 1864-A MS64 NGC
Napoleon III gold 100 Francs 1864-A MS64 - A Republic gold 50 Francs 1900-A MS62 NGC
Republic gold 50 Francs 1900-A MS62
Ancient Coins
The auction boasts two sessions of remarkable ancient coinage, an array that represents nearly every major area of antiquarian numismatics. Each session begins with a series of remarkable Greek issues.
Among the top highlights is more than rare: a unique Unpublished Stater of Menelaus, King of Cyprus, which is the first coin of Menelaus offered in a major auction in more than two decades.
Collectors looking for weighty additions to their collections need look no further than a Syracuse decadrachm in the Platinum session featuring a charioteer driving quadriga and a Madeonian Alexander III the Great (336-323 BC). AR decadrachm (33mm, 36.58 gm, 6h). NGC VF 4/5 – 1/5 that are among the highlights in the auction’s exceptional series of staters.
The auction will draw the attention of serious Judean collectors, for whom top choices will include an array of half shekels, including a Jewish War (AD 66-70). AR half-shekel (18mm, 6.61 gm, 12h). NGC Choice AU 5/5 – 3/5 and a Jewish War (AD 66-70). AR shekel (22mm, 13.74 gm, 11h). NGC Choice AU★ 5/5 – 4/5; according to Hendin, 220 Year 3 shekels are known to have survived, but that is more than double the 105 recorded half-shekels that are known to survive.
An extremely rare Constantine XI Palaeologus (AD 1448-1453). AR eighth-stavraton (12mm, 0.63 gm, 7h). NGC Choice XF 3/5 – 4/5 is the kind of coin – small, crude and not "pretty" by most standards – that some might overlook. But this less-than-a-gram coin speaks volumes. It was minted under Constantine XI while the city of Constantinople was under siege by the Ottoman army. The emperor ordered the silver holy vessels to be melted and made into coins to pay the laborers who were frantically bolstering the defenses in a futile attempt to stave off the 60,000 soldiers who would eventually overrun the city. This issue represents the last "ancient" coin, appealing both to collectors of ancients and siege coinage.
Imperial collectors will find similar allure in the auction, starting with a Otho (15 January-16 April AD 69). AV aureus (18mm, 7.21 gm, 6h). NGC Choice VF 4/5 – 3/5. Gold aurei like this example, which is one of 14 lots in the auction from the Lattermer Collection, are rare and coveted by collectors and often are referred to as the "key" coin in any set of the first 12 Caesars.
Images and information about all lots in the auction can be found at HA.com/3119.
About Heritage Auctions
Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Hong Kong and Tokyo.
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Queen Victoria is depicted as a babe! Nice.
ECG,
Yes, as a slim young woman, Victoria was very attractive. She gained a substantial amount of weight later in life, especially after Albert died. British coinage kept using the “young” portrait long after she herself was not. Props to Eliz II Regina Dei Gratia for allowing her official portrait to “age” over time. The two longest-reigning monarchs ever.
See a contemporary photograph of her. 😀
What a large amount of minute detail on a 12 mm, .63 gram coin; simply incredible!
From the Collection of Coenen the (Below Sea Level) Agrarian.
Bringing the “pricing range table” forward from the last thread. Here is the pricing grid numbers, premium over spot, with pricing based on the bottom end of a tier. So, if at $500 spot price vs $525 or $549.99. This is, as opposed to Ricks pricing which he used: “(using an averaging scheme based on the $25 mid-point product price) “ Use Ricks mid point range and subtract $25 for a glass half full view point or subtract $49.99 from the pricing I supplied for an appearance of the glass “overflowing”. LOL 1 American Buffalo 1 oz 24K Gold Proof… Read more »
Count me as one of the lucky few who started buying gold way back when it was only $400 an ounce and kept buying until $1800 (spot)! I bought until I had 15% of assets in Au. Now as I age I find that without adding to my holdings, my gold as a percent of assets keeps increasing. That’s just a really comforting feeling!
I now cannot afford to buy gold – especially given the outlandish premiums charged by the USM. But hallelujah, it doesn’t matter 🙂
Smart man!
Good for you not playing the game. I stopped buying gold proof from the mint and just buy gold bullion. The buy and sell spread is much more favorable with bullion.
East Coast Guru,
Except for extremely scarce or rare coins the real money is in their precious metal content rather than in their numismatic value so you are doing the right thing for sure.
Oh yeah! I started stacking in the 1990s. The last deal I did was about 3 years ago when a dealer was offering $13 an ounce over spot for silver, and I traded for gold at close to spot of $1787. My dealer says he’d like to sell some of his gold at this price, but what to do with the money? The stock market could plunge from its current level, and interest rates are going down.
Mark in FL
I always remember the most famous quote I’ve ever heard about money. Spoken by Charles DeGualle (sp?) –
Gold IS money!
I would add to the above –
Always has been and always will be!
People need to realize that their 1964 quarter will still buy them a gallon of gasoline. Their 1965 quarter, not so much 🙁
Gold &silver are REAL money.
I guess that makes Fiat a wannabe automobile….
DaveSWFL, It took me several looks to get the joke about the Fiat. I must be slowing down in my old age. By the way, that’s really funny! Regarding the main topic here, I now better understand why gold and silver prices are consistently kept so very depressed by the financial powers that be. If gold and silver were allowed to rise to their much higher authentic values then it would become all too obvious that fiat currency is worth even less (if it is indeed worth anything at all, which it isn’t) than is widely and commonly believed. By… Read more »
… and as J. P. Morgan put it in 1912, “Gold is money. Everything else is credit.”
Rich and DaveSWFL,
It just occurred to me that the only possible fly in the ointment would be if there isn’t enough gold and silver to go around to satisfy everyone’s need for commerce if these metals were to replace fiat currency. Bear in mind that roughly half of all the gold above ground has been turned into jewelry which by itself clearly puts a real serious dent in the world’s gold supply.
True Kaiser,
But luckily for the fly, jewelry is tradad 24/7-356, and literally by the ton…
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=gold+scrap+14k&_sacat=39482&_sop=12&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1
Edit lol–“traded”, “365”
Many probably figured it out, however just to clarify, in the above post on gold premiums, the commemorative and First Spouse gold coins are based on 1oz of gold or approximately. You’d be buying 2 1/2oz FS coins or 4, $5 Au commemoratives in order to make the one ounce of gold weight. Again the 4, $5 gold commemoratives would net you just under an ounce of gold, as their gold weight is .243oz/coin.
True that Cali!
FS weigh in at 1/2 oz each .999
Point well made sir!
E1,
The 1975 no S Proof rare dime auction ends tonight!
Ending at around 5:00 Pacific sitting at $405,000 and counting!?
https://www.greatcollections.com/Coin/1655587/1975-Roosevelt-Dime-No-S-PCGS-Proof-67-CAC-Green-Toned-with-Balance-of-Proof-Set-Documentation-The-Ruth-E-Discovery-Coin
Winning bid:
$450,000/$506,250 with 12.5% buyer fee. Or 10% fee for wire transfer…
Wow.
Rick,
It almost makes you want to check all your Mint sets for missing Mint marks! One of 2 known, I believe?
Sam-I-am,
Imagine if you had to go through all of your Mint sets every time someone found a new error of one kind or another, and most especially so in the cases where one of those that was worth a lot!