Bowers and Merena Realizes $4.2 Million in Baltimore

Legendary 1876-CC Twenty-Cent Piece with Five-Generation History Realizes $207,000

IRVINE, Calif. — Bowers and Merena Auctions, America’s leading rare coin and currency auction house, returned to Baltimore for the second time in 2009 to present the Official Auction of the Baltimore Coin and Currency Convention at the Baltimore Convention Center June 10-13.

The auction of the nearly 2,500 lots realized a total of $4,225,995 over three live sessions, plus the inaugural online session of the official Baltimore auction.

The standout highlight of the auction was lot 757, an 1876-CC Twenty-Cent Piece in PCGS AU-58 with a fascinating history, which realized $207,000. Believed to be one of perhaps just 12 to 20 examples known, this specimen was acquired in Virginia City, Nev., by Gold Rush "Forty-Niner" John Seagraves Pick and has been kept in the Pick/Jurgensen family for the last 133 years.

As a PCGS AU-58, this important piece is the only circulated 1876-CC Twenty-Cent piece known to PCGS and NGC. It was also previously certified AU-58 by ANACS from a submission that dates to the early 1990s.

"We are very pleased with the results of the auction. We offered some exceptional coin and currency rarities, and presenting the 1876-CC Pick/Jurgensen Twenty-Cent Piece to the numismatic community for the first time ever was a memorable and historic highlight that I am very proud of," said Steve Deeds, president of Bowers and Merena.

"Whitman Expos put on an outstanding convention that was well attended by serious coin collectors, and it was our pleasure to be the official Baltimore auctioneer once again. And as we continue as the official Baltimore auctioneer, I am very excited to announce that with our next Baltimore auction in November, we will present a full day of world coin and currency sessions that will be presented by our world division, Ponterio & Associates."

Additional highlights of the Official Baltimore Auction in June include two top-notch Panama-Pacific Exposition specimens. Lot 1071, an impressive 1915-S Pan-Pac $50 in Round format in a nicely preserved PCGS MS-64, realized $80,500.

In addition, lot 1073 stood out with a realization of $74,750, a 1915-S Pan-Pac $50 Octagonal graded MS-64 by NGC. Also noteworthy is lot 3763, an appealing 1796 Bust Right Ten, BD-1, HBCC-3174, Taraszka-6, the only known dies, Rarity-4, graded AU-55 by PCGS, which realized $60,375.

Highlights include:

Lot 462 1909 V.D.B. Lincoln Cent. Proof-65 BN (NGC). OGH. $24,150

Lot 757 1876-CC Twenty-Cent Piece. AU-58 (PCGS). $207,000

Lot 1071 1915-S Panama-Pacific Exposition $50. Round. MS-64 (PCGS). $80,500

Lot 1073 1915-S Panama-Pacific Exposition $50. Octagonal. MS-64 (NGC). $74,750

Lot 3546 1853 U.S. Assay Office of Gold. $20 Gold. K-18. Rarity-2. 900 THOUS. MS-64 (NGC). $19,550

Lot 3631 1913 Indian Quarter Eagle. Proof-66 (PCGS). $27,600

Lot 3690 1804 Capped Bust Right Half Eagle. BD-2, HBCC-3087, Miller-64. Rarity-4+. Small 8. MS-64 (NGC). $39,100

Lot 3763 1796 Capped Bust Right Eagle. BD-1, HBCC-3174, Taraszka-6, the only known dies. Rarity-4. AU-55 (PCGS). $60,375

Lot 3827 1865-S Liberty Double Eagle. MS-66 (NGC). $46,000

Lot 4018 MCMVII (1907) Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. High Relief. Wire Rim. Proof-64 (NGC). $33,350

Prices realized for all lots in the Bowers and Merena Official Auction of the Baltimore Coin and Currency Convention are available online at www.bowersandmerena.com.

Bowers and Merena’s next auction will be the Official Auction of the American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money® held August 1-8, 2009, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Complete lot viewing and auction schedules are available at www.bowersandmerena.com, and U.S. and World catalogs will be available in print and online by mid-July.

About 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 have been awarded the prestigious honor of Official Auctioneer for the 2009 American Numismatic Association Conventions in Portland and Los Angeles, in addition to their continued service 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. In 2008, Bowers and Merena Auctions acquired Ponterio & Associates, Inc., which now serves as Bowers and Merena’s auction division for world and ancient coins and currency. 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’s Official Auction of the Baltimore Coin and Currency Convention in June, call 800.458.4646. For media inquiries, ask for President Steve Deeds. Complete prices realized for all past auctions are available at www.bowersandmerena.com.

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