Numismatic Guaranty Corporation® (NGC®) has graded and encapsulated more than 2,800 world coins selected from the phenomenal collection of Eric P. Newman. This third installment of the historic collection boasts a number of exceedingly rare and high grade coins from around the world.
Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society (EPNNES) previously chose NGC to certify parts I and II of the collection, which included selections from his US two cent pieces through silver dollars, US commemoratives and US patterns coins. Part I shattered records when it was sold by Heritage Auctions on April 25, 2013, and the highly anticipated Newman Part II will be sold by Heritage Auctions on November 15 and 16, 2013, in New York.
The collection was carefully assembled and curated over a period of 90 years by noted numismatic writer and researcher Eric P. Newman, who at 102 years old continues to be active in his scholarly pursuits. Many numismatists consider the Eric P. Newman Collection to be the last of the vaunted old-time coin collections, ranking in importance alongside such highly regarded names as Eliasberg, Pittman and Garrett.
“Eric P. Newman’s collection has incredible depth and quality. These world coin selections, many of which have been off the market for more than half a century, are anchored by some of the most significant pieces ever to be sold publicly,” says Mark Salzberg, chairman of NGC. “We are very grateful that EPNNES has continued to entrust NGC to certify this milestone collection.”
The Newman world coin selections are remarkably diverse with pieces from 92 countries representing more than 1,200 years of history. Dozens of coins in Newman Part III could be considered highlights, but several pieces stand out as world-class specimens due to their grade and rarity.
Among them is the Poland 1677 Andrezj Trzebicki Medallic Gold 10 Ducats graded NGC AU 58 and believed to be unique. In fact, prior to NGC’s certification of this medal it was undocumented in any numismatic references or auction catalogs.
The selections include a number of German States coins, which are led by three fantastic rarities. The German States, Salzburg, 1612 Markus Sittikus Graf von Hohenems Gold 14 Ducats is virtually unknown to the collecting community and probably unique. Graded NGC AU 58, this specimen is undoubtedly one of the world’s greatest numismatic treasures.
The German States, Saxe-Altenburg, 1672 Gold 10 Ducats of Duke Friedrich Wilhelm III is unlisted in Krause Publications’ Standard Catalog of World Coins and has never been pictured in a numismatic reference. One of only two or three thought to exist, it is graded NGC AU 58.
A third German States coin, the 1674 Leopold I City of Emden 2 Taler, is notable for both its remarkably high grade and extreme rarity. NGC has assigned a grade of MS 66, which was previously unimaginable for this issue. Only a handful of examples are known to exist and nearly all are in circulated grades.
British coins are also extensively represented in the Newman selections. An English penny of Alfred the Great, struck between 871 and 899, is truly a miracle of survival with a grade of NGC MS 63—an astonishing grade for a medieval silver coin. The attractive NGC MS 62 England (1594-96) Gold Pound of Elizabeth I is significant as well.
An extremely rare Ecuador 1841 MV-A Gold 4 Escudos graded NGC MS 62 is certainly one of the greatest South American coins ever to be sold publicly. Once believed not to exist, it is now thought that only four examples survive.
Another spectacular gold piece from the Newman Collection is a Peru 1700L H Cob 4 Escudos of Carlos II. Graded MS 65 by NGC, this extraordinarily well preserved example is likely the finest of any extant Carlos II gold coins. Also graded NGC MS 65 is the Transylvania 1613NB Gabriel Bathori Gold Ducat. Seldom available in any grade, the Newman specimen is easily the finest of its type.
Additional highlights from Newman Part III are the Russia 1729 Peter II Gold Ducat in NGC AU 50, a rare variety of this issue; the NGC PF 64 Hong Kong 1866 Victoria Dollar, which is immensely popular with collectors; and the NGC MS 63 Sweden 1599 Karl IX Daler, a carefully preserved example of this rare, short-lived issue. The Italy Paolo III Gold 2 Fiorini di Camera, struck 1534-49, graded NGC MS 61 is notable as well.
Newman Part III will be sold by Heritage Auctions at its New York office January 14 to 16, 2014. The catalog, including images and descriptions, will be posted on the Heritage Auctions website (HA.com) later next month. Stuart Levine, a well-known dealer in Marblehead, Massachusetts, assisted EPNNES as a numismatic advisor.
EPNNES Foundation Statement
Items being sold are from the extensive collection of Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society (a Missouri not-for-profit corporation) and have been assembled over a period of 90 years. Proceeds of the sale of all items will be used exclusively for supplementing the Society’s museum operations and scholarly numismatic research efforts and for the benefit of other not-for-profit institutions selected by Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society for public purposes.
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