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Sale 53
Lot 1931
Valentinian I, AD 364-375. Silver Multiple of 24 Miliaresia (48 Siliquae) 104.3 g. 66 mm., minted at Antioch, AD 369. Diademed, cuirassed and draped bust right of Valentinian. Reverse: Legend in four lines within laurel wreath; below, "AN" (mintmark for Antioch). Unpublished, and apparently unique; cf. Kent, RIC X, p. 139 discussing the Priscus Attalus medallion of quarter-pound weight. Some light porosity and displaying stray marks. Minimal wear results in the net grade of Extremely Fine.
This, the largest silver coin known of the Roman Empire, is a silver multiple weighing one-third of a Roman pound of silver. Remarkably thick in comparison to contemporary silver coins, it was struck at a time when silver, as a metal, was scarce. The normal silver unit of account was the siliqua; 24 siliquae equaled a gold solidus. The siliqua, the silver miliarense and the gold solidus were introduced during the monetary reforms of Constantine the Great. During Constantine's reign, gold was valued at about 14 times the worth of an equal weight of silver. Modern numismatists use the terms "siliqua" and "miliarense"as denomination names; however, they have no basis in fact as having been used in ancient times to refer to a specific coin.
This gargantuan gift was no doubt presented to a high-ranking Roman officer or dignitary. One theory that has been advanced is the possibility that Count Theodosius himself, peacemaker of Britain at the time, was the recipient of the medallion. A likely occasion for this honor was Valentinian's quinquennial celebration, held on 25 February AD 369.
Estimated Value $300,000 - 400,000.
With supporting certificates of authenticity from David R. Sear and Frank L. Kovacs.
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Lot 2602
Great Britain. 5 Guineas, 1705. S-3560; Fr-317; KM-520.2. Queen Anne, 1702-1714. Draped bust of Queen left. Reverse: Pre-Union type crowned cruciform shields, ornamental sceptres in angles, rose at center, lettered edge +DECVS ET TVTAMEN ANNO QVARTO. Sharply struck with prooflike surfaces, attractively toned. An exceptional specimen and very rare.
Historical note: Mirror surfaces are unusual on five guineas, and on this delightful specimen they bring out the sharp engraving qualities to produce real eye appeal. The queen's portrait is certainly remarkable here, as well as rather lifelike. In fact, Anne was a portly lady, weighing in at some 350 pounds, much of it gained while producing her numerous children (seventeen, none of whom, sadly, outlived her despite her weight). But this coin should be of interest for a reason having little to do with the remarkable regal portrait it exhibits. It was minted in the year following the famous Battle of Blenheim, one of the truly landmark modern British battles and the first confrontation of the Marlborough Campaign. It cemented the permanence of the rule, and it created a bond between the queen and the Churchill family which was one of the more astonishing alliances between a royal family and a military family in human history. The Duke of Marlborough, who led the campaign, was married to Sarah Churchill, who was Queen Anne's closest confidant, and the queen's gratitude to the Churchills remains today in physical form - Blenheim, the estate of that family given to them in perpetuity by Anne in gratitude for their numerous services and loyalty to the Crown. That, however, is a mere numismatic date fixation. It's this coin's reverse which sets its place in the historical record, for it was the Union of the sovereign lands of the kingdom, in 1707, which finally ensured that Queen Anne's reign would become one of the richest in British history: the nation's monetary wealth increased greatly in these years, and with it came a cultural wealth which has come to define the land and its people to this day. This coin is in fact something of an irony, for it was struck using the old-style reverse insignia, that used prior to the Act of Union, and yet it was made of rich gold garnered out of such military triumphs as the Battle of Blenheim and other successful campaigns waged under Anne's aegis. Only at certain rare moments in history do events come together to produce such a lasting influence, enshrined in a stunning golden memento! NGC graded AU-58 Prooflike, Our grade is Choice Brilliant Proof.
One of the finest of all Queen Anne 5 Guineas, its lengthy pedigree which is unusual for British Milled coins reflects this.
Estimated Value $40,000 - 50,000.
Ex: R. Huth, Sotheby 4 April 1927 Lot 161; Baldwin called it Proof; and S.A.H.Whetmore, Glendining 24 March 1943 (3) catalogue describes coin as Proof: Ex: D'Amelia Spink 91 Sale, 1st May, 1992 Lot 71; The "Sylvia" Collection, through Mark Rasmussen by private treaty.
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Lot 1252
1879 $4 Gold. Flowing hair. PCGS graded Proof 64 Cameo PQ. Lovely warm reddish golden toning. 425+ struck. This is the historic Pattern issue struck in gold, a resplendent 1879 $4 Flowing Hair "Stella", Judd-1635, Pollock-1832-3, Rarity-6. The history of the four dollar gold piece, or "stella," is ingrained in the late 19th century desire to produce U.S. coinage that would be acceptable on the international market. The dual denomination $5-25 francs pattern coinage of 1868 (Judd-656 through 659) is one of the earliest attempts in this direction. It was followed by Dana Bickford's 1874 pattern eagle (Judd-1373 through 1378) and, finally in these handsome metric 1879-1880 Stellas. The Flowing Hair style features Charles E. Barber's rendition of Liberty. Barber was the assistant engraver at the mint, which struck the $4 denomination in two alloys in 1879. Twenty five coins (Pollock-1832) were produced in the metric alloy of 85.71% gold, 4.29% silver, and 10.0% copper. The Mint delivered these pieces to Congress as part of three-piece pattern sets. Increased demand for representations of the new denomination resulted in the production of a further 400 coins (Pollock-1833) in the standard alloy of 90.0% gold and 10.0% copper.
This handsome Proof 64 offering may be to be one of the latter 400 coins in standard 90-10 alloy struck in 1880, as seen from the light die striations in the central portion of the obverse. The fields are divinely reflective and glossy with attractive mint frostiness on the devices providing contrast. The frosted relief gives the coin its noticeable, and quite beautiful cameo contrast. The usual tiny luster grazes that accompany many Proofs of this type are clearly absent here, nor are there any errant specks of grease or orange copper "spots" -- thereby creating an impression of first-class preservation and eye-appeal! The coin is housed in a PCGS holder and is sure to be a hit with advanced bidders to the sale, hence our use of the title: Premium Quality. Pop 67; 54 finer; 25 in 65; 29 in 66. (PCGS # 8057) .
Footnote: This historic Four-Dollar gold piece, or "Stella" as it came to be known, was proposed to solve a couple of vexing problems faced by the United States system of coinage in the 1870s. The first was to make a coin whose "intrinsic measure and value" as part of the design was sufficient to make it useful as an international trade coin. The other, as a bone tossed to the silver "Interests" as they were termed, was to strike these in an alloy that used either 4% silver or 10% silver, thereby increasing sales of this semi-precious metal by the silver mining states. For all its intended merits, the Stella project was soon abandoned. But only after 425 1879 Flowing Hair coins were minted, split into two groups as described above, 25 of which are considered "originals" and made in 1879, followed by 400 strikes from the same dies made in 1880 after Congressmen got involved in the proposal and wanted representative samples, for purely altruistic purposes.
Estimated Value $130,000 - 140,000.
The Mark Gordon Collection.
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Lot 1459
1915-S Panama-Pacific Gold $50 Octagonal. PCGS graded MS-65 PQ. Only 645 pieces minted. A choice example with lovely golden toning. A crisply original coin beaming with a wonderful glow from the fields and devices. Our observation of the luster ends, but pertaining to the devices, this coin was struck with methodical precision throughout. Minerva, a Roman god on the obverse, wears a Corinthian style plumed helmet for this depiction. She is paired with an owl-themed reverse perched on a pine branch surrounded by pine cones. In the eight corners of the octagon the designer, Robert Aitken, set dolphins as counterpoints to the intricately fashioned ring and dot-dot-dash inner borders surrounding the legend PANAMA-PACIFIC EXPOSITION SAN FRANCISCO. In our Ohringer Part II September 2008 Auction Lot #1327 a PCGS MS65 example realized $161,000 after spirited bidding. Pop 17; 1 finer in 66 (PCGS # 7452) .
Estimated Value $110,000 - 125,000.
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Lot 1937
Jovinus, AD 411-413. Gold Solidus (4.5 g) minted at Treveri. Diademed, cuirassed and draped bust right of Jovinus. Reverse: Jovinus standing right, left foot on captive, holding standard and Victory; in field, "T-R". RIC X, p. 352, 1704 [as Rarity 3]; C. 1. An importrant rarity that is seldom offered. Extremely Fine.
Estimated Value $50,000 - 60,000.
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Lot 1320
1795 $10 Capped Bust. NGC graded MS-61. Mostly well struck in natural greenish-yellow gold. Free from adjustment marks and just a few die chips noted in the planchet. A lustrous example of our first gold coin. The date on the BD-1 variety is the most closely spaced of the year and the top of the 1 is very close to the curl while the top of the 5 overlaps the bust. Star 11 very near Y with two lumps as top left of Y (these are key identifiers of the variety).
Only a few examples remain in Mint State grades, barely enough to supply the growing cohort of numismatists of means who will have to settle for a bidding tussle to finally obtain one. A fair number of the Mint quality survivors have traces of prooflike fields, much as this coin does. We cannot fail to see this coin becoming anything other than the highlight of a major early gold Type collection. Because 1795 is the initial release of the denomination, the importance of this handsome Mint State 61 example will be established for decades to come. 5,583 struck. Pop 19. In a new NGC 4 pronged holder.
Historic note: Mintage of only three denominations -- the dime, the silver dollar, and the 10-dollar coin officially called the eagle -- sufficed to commit American coinage firmly to the decimal system in the early days of the U.S. mint. For years it seemed that coinage of these denominations had no other purpose, according to Breen, since they enjoyed little circulation. As it turned out, in the first few decades the Mint's principal output consisted of one denomination in each metal: gold half eagles, silver half dollars, and copper cents. The half eagle seems to have been favored because its bullion value was conveniently close to that of many foreign coins of the period (British guineas and sovereigns, French louis d'or and 24 Livres coins, Portuguese/Brazilian 4,000 Reis and 2 Escudos, etc.); the half dollar because of its size; cents primarily as an alternative to privately made copper tokens. The 10-dollar eagle, though specially named in the Coinage Act of 1792 as our nation's gold monetary unit, was for various reasons inconvenient for international trade.
Estimated Value $80,000 - 90,000.
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Lot 1321
1795 $10 Capped Bust. 13 leaves. . BD-1, Breen-6830. PCGS graded AU-58. A nice strike with slight hint of toning. Key identifiers of the BD-1 is a date that is the most closely spaced of the year while the top of the 1 is very close to the curl and the tip of 5 overlaps the bust. Star 11 very near Y with two lumps at top left of Y (keys); stars to the right appear cramped; reverse has leaf virtually touching U, in fact, upon first glance it appears to touch it (another key).
Magnificent mint-frosty surfaces put on a show with their rich yellowish gold and fresh appearance, the overall effect greatly reinforced by abundant luster. We'd also like to emphasize the strong relief, the freedom from marks. Devices are sharp in all areas, which isn't always the case on early Capped Bust eagles, and this coin is indeed sharp, as struck, as desired by collectors, which the grading service has noticed when taking it into consideration when assigning the grade, we surmise. Would make as fine a conversation piece as any early American gold coin on the market today. We might even go so far as to say the coin is a connoisseur's delight! (You can always tell a coin's character by whether specialists and numismatists of long standing take to it or not. They have such wonderful instinct born of years of experience in the field.) Pop 24; 44 finer. (PCGS # 8551) .
Estimated Value $75,000 - 85,000.
The Mark Gordon Collection.
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Lot 1974
Byzantine Empire. Justinian I, 527-565. Gold Solidus (4.47g), Constantinople or Thessalonica. 528. Emperor, nimbate and in consular robes, enthroned facing, holding mappa and cross, CONOB in ex. Rev. VICTORIA AVGGG, two Victories face to face, each holding scepter (the one on l. with cruciform tip) and supporting between them long cross surmounted by star, CONOB in ex. DOC 2 var. (with star above head. of each Victory); MIB 4 var.; Sear 136 var. Good extremely fine and of the greatest rarity, only the second known specimen of this type (the other in Athens) and the only one of this variety.
Estimated Value $40,000 - 50,000.
The Christov Family Collection.
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Lot 20
1776 Continental Dollar in Pewter Newman 2-C Rarity-3 CURRENCY Type. PCGS graded MS-63. Choice light silvery gray with smooth, prooflike fields on both sides. Sharply struck and well centered on a perfect planchet. The only defects are a few microscopic ticks of absolutely no consequence, traces of very fine carbon at the dentils at the top of the obverse, and a tiny splash of wax or some similar substance inside the MARYLAND ring at the bottom of the reverse. This example is quite possibly the finest of the CURRENCY without EG FECIT type, and it certainly was the finest of the type in the fabulous collection of John J. Ford, Jr. A truly beautiful example of our first silver dollar-sized coin, which was proposed as a replacement for our paper dollars. Evidence suggests these pieces were officially authorized by our Continental Congress and that the Newman 2-C die variety offered here was struck in New York before the British captured that city in September of 1776. This lot offers a rare opportunity to acquire a truly beautiful example of what is arguably our most historically significant colonial coin. And it comes with a great provenance. Pop 16; 22 finer.
Estimated Value $80,000 - 90,000.
The Mark Gordon Collection Ex George H. Earle, Henry Chapman 6/25/1912:2133-Hillyer Ryder-F. C. C. Boyd-John J. Ford, Jr., Stack's 10/14/2003:5.
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Lot 1322
1795 $10 Capped Bust. 13 leaves. . BD-4, Breen-6830. PCGS graded AU-55 PQ. Lovely goldent oning on both sides. Reflective surfaces. On the BD-4 variety, the key identifiers are these: date is widely spaced, though not the widest of the year, but the 5 is close to, but does not touch, the bust (only key needed, as this is the only use of this obverse die, and the other two dies have the 5 either over or under the bust); reverse has leaf tip furthest from U of UNITED. It is not all that uncommon to find a 1795 Capped Bust, Small Eagle $10 with some original luster and natural patina, but it probably won't look as nice as this rich orange-gold specimen with its smooth fields and sharp devices. That being the case, this date is also somewhat difficult to find fully struck on the legs of the eagle. The present coin shows full rounded legs with each talon visible. The present coin retains nice detail to Liberty's hair, as well, from a strictly above-average strike. There are two short diagonal marks we will use as "identifiers", one at Liberty's eyebrow and the second being just to the right of the lips.
According to Dannreuther, "this is the easiest variety of 1795 eagles to recognize… Perhaps 60 or more coins are still extant for this issue." Pop 30; 68 finer. (PCGS # 8551) .
Estimated Value $70,000 - 80,000.
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