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Kagin’s Auction Session 1 Highlights

By CoinWeek …..
If you don’t already know (and how would you not?), Chicago-based auction house Kagin’s, Inc. is returning as the official auctioneer of the American Numismatic Association’s (ANA) National Money Show in Orlando, Florida. The show is open Thursday through Saturday, March 9-11, and the Kagin’s Official ANA Auction will be conducted in three sessions that take place on March 9 (Session 1) and March 10 (Sessions 2 and 3).

This will be the first time since 1983 that Kagin’s has held an auction in conjunction with the ANA.

“Our team at Kagin’s is honored and thrilled to once again be selected as the Official Auctioneer for this important ANA event,” said Dr. Don Kagin, the company’s president. “We’re excited to introduce several new and innovative features that will push the auction envelope and drive the ANA’s mission of numismatic education.”

Those features include free catalogs to ANA members (featuring the winning cover design by U.S. Mint Artistic Infusion Program artist Chris Costello–and it’s never too late to join the ANA), no reserves, special partner deals for successful bidders and no seller’s fees on specific consignments.

Three notable collections will be offered at the National Money Show Auction: the Dr. Christopher Allan Collection of Bechtler Gold Coins, the Dr. William Christie Collection of Bust half dollars, and the Steve Brewer Flying Eagle Pattern Collection. Dr. Allan’s Bechtler gold pieces and the brewer Flying Eagle patterns will go on sale as part of Session 1, which is made up of 810 lots of rare U.S. coins. In addition to other colonial and U.S. coins, Session 2 features the Dr. Christie Collection. Session 3 consists of rare United States paper currency, from the colonial period through the first half of the 20th century. The first two sessions start at 6 pm on their respective dates; Session 3 starts at 7:30 pm, after the close of Session 2.

Lot viewing will take place in Room W240C of the Orlando Convention Center’s West Hall E on Wednesday and Thursday (March 8-9) from 9 am to 6 pm, and on Friday from 10 am to 6 pm.

So before you get there, here are a few highlights from Session 1 of the 2017 Kagin’s National Money Show Auction that we found especially appealing.

Lot 1002: 1652 Oak Tree Sixpence PCGS AU53 (CAC). Est: $15,000 – $22,500 USD

From the Catalog:

“Unusually smooth surfaces with sharp definition of all features marks this specimen as worthy of the most discriminating collector. The obverse is slightly off-center towards 12:00. The reverse shows some trifling weakness on the left at the letters EW. Considerably finer than the FCC Boyd/Ford Noe-20.”

PCGS reports a population of two in AU53. This example is actually different than the two AU53 examples sold in 2006 and 2011 by Heritage Auctions. We prefer the look of this piece over the example offered in 2006 —CoinWeek

Lot 1015: 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny P below bust. FINEST KNOWN PCGS MS64. Est: $10,000 – $15,000 USD

Catalog:

“The finest known Specimen. Attractive medium brown color with smooth surfaces and sharp strike. Well centered and above average quality for coins in this series. As usual, only a portion of the “P” is shown below the bust.

“There is no evidence that these tokens which are clearly identified as being made for Hibernia (Ireland) ever circulated in America. They have long been included in collections of Colonial American coins partly because of the legend Voce Populi (the voice of the people) that is seen on other coins of that period.”

Top pop example of the “P below bust” example. Has a strong strike for the type and last sold for $11,500 at a May 2008 Heritage Auction (Lot 2136). The coin has an unobtrusive corrosion mark nestled in the N on the reverse. —CW

Lots 1051–75: – A selection of rare Flying Eagle cent patterns

We couldn’t resist the temptation to twist the logic of auction highlights a little for this excellent collection of Flying Eagle cent patterns.

These coins are rated from Rarity 4 to Rarity 8, and several are in gem or near-gem states of preservation. This offering represents an important opportunity for fans of the short-lived series and an opportunity to study the various facets of the design process that the US Mint’s engravers undertook while creating the first of our “small cents”.

One of our favorites? Lot 1051: Large Flying Eagle cent. J-164. P-189. S-PT3. Rarity 5. PR64BN PCGS – with Eagle Eye Sticker

Again, from the Catalog:

“Labeled ORG (for Original) on the holder, but there is little evidence that there was any restriking of this issue. The fields are very clean of any marks and the mirrors are good. There are numerous die polishing lines on both sides indicative of the first use of these dies. These generally run from 11:00 to 5:00on both the obverse and reverse dies and are not a grading factor. A few horizontal hairlines by the date are the only grade-limiting issues.

“Roughly 100 pieces were struck in both copper and bronze. It is difficult without an X-Ray diffraction test to tell which is which. The attribution on the holder assumes it is bronze and it likely is. Of the 100 minted only about 20 have been found to be copper. Most of the bronze examples show double striking from rusted dies. This indicates two striking periods in the same calendar year. Early die state examples such as this are very scarce, with an estimated total of 20 examples struck in both copper and bronze.

“This is a beautiful example with an attractive even coloration. Many of this issue is found with streaky alloy planchets and subdued mirrors. This is an exceptional piece in this regard. This is a very popular issue and should attract very intense bidding.”

The small cent served as the dividing line between two periods of American numismatics. The inner-workings of that transition have proved to be fascinating and often surprising. This offering of Flying Eagle patterns offer a bird’s-eye view of a shift, not only of American coin design aesthetics, but also to a new period of fiat coinage. —CW

 Lots 1601–73: Bechtler Gold & related objects

A good introduction to Bechtler gold can be found online courtesy of the University of North Carolina. The Bechtler’s coin production filled a need to coin locally sourced gold quickly and efficiently. By the time the U.S. Mint responded and opened a branch mint in Charlotte in 1838, the heyday of the “rush” had already passed.

Many Bechtler issues are scarce to rare in an absolute sense. A number of the pieces in this fine collection are pedigreed back to famous collections, including the Collections of Allan, Garrett, and Kagin.

Interestingly, the Kagin’s offering provides collectors the opportunity to bid on several contemporaneous counterfeits; that is, counterfeit coins that were struck at the same time as the authentic issues. These deceptive counterfeits were struck in order to circulate alongside the crudely designed private issues. These issues provide today’s specialist collectors and researchers a unique opportunity to study these ersatz specimens alongside the real ones.

Undated (1842-1846). A. Bechtler $5 Gold. Kagin-27. Rarity-5. With 134 G., 21 Carats. Reeded Edge. A

This coin deserves mention as well:

Undated Circa 1922 C. Bechtler $5 Gold Chapman Restrike.

This exquisite Gem Proof Chapman Restrike is readily deserving of the PCGS “+” designation. A bright lemon-yellow gold specimen, this beauty enjoys pale olive iridescence throughout. The richly reflective mirror surfaces are essentially mark-free save for some faint hairlines, and the frosted letters in the design all seemingly float against the bright, deep background. We note two tiny toning flecks on the obverse rim above the N in CAROLINA. The dies are in the same state as in K-30 offered above, faintly rusted and with the ever-present die crack from the rim upward at 6 o’clock. Struck by the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia to the order of Henry Chapman, who may have had just a dozen of each variety of A. and C. Bechtler $5 restrikes made.

The present specimen is well-deserved of the CAC “greenbean” sticker, and it draws high marks for physical quality and overall visual aesthetics from us as well. It is the finest known specimen. Don’t be shy when the bidding starts on this lot.

Obverse: CAROLINA GOLD at rim from 8 to 4 o’clock around, 141.G: at center, 20. below, small CARATS. curves below. Die break from 6:00 to A in CARRATS.
Reverse: C. BECHTLER. RUTHERFORD. and star around, 5 at center, DOLLARS. curves below.
Die Alignment: 180 degrees, coin turn.

PCGS Population: 1; none finer. Another Proof-65 has also been certified by PCGS, but without the “+” designation.

Ex: From the Allen Collection.

* * *

Kagin’s Auctions Loyalty Program

To further add to the interest in Kagin’s return to the auction arena, the company is implementing its Kagin’s Auctions Loyalty Program. Successful bidders at all Kagin’s auctions will receive a one percent credit good towards upcoming purchases in a Kagin’s auction. This credit will be calculated based on the total amount the bidder pays at a previous auction held by Kagin’s, Inc. – hammer prices plus buyer’s commission, taxes and other fees don’t count. All accrued credit can be applied over the course of one year or the next two auctions, whichever comes last.

“This is the first time that we are aware of that such a long-term loyalty program has ever been implemented in numismatic auctions,” said Don Kagin.

CoinWeek
CoinWeekhttps://coinweek.com
Coinweek is the top independent online media source for rare coin and currency news, with analysis and information contributed by leading experts across the numismatic spectrum.

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