Armen R. Vartian, the attorney for Steven L. Contursi and Donald H. Kagin, has filed a Motion to Dismiss a lawsuit filed against them by William Swoger who seeks damages in the amount of $465,000 over a Brasher Doubloon.
Swoger’s lawsuit claims he is owed money for information he provided Contursi and Kagin that would increase the value of the legendary American gold coin owned by the pair.
Struck in 1787 by Ephraim Brasher, a New York City silversmith and goldsmith, the Brasher Doubloons are "among the rarest and most desirable of all United States coins," according to CoinFacts.com. Seven are known to exist. One is most unique, featuring the "EB" countermark punched over the shield on the eagle’s breast instead of atop the eagle’s wings as in the other six coins.
It is this exceptionally rare coin and its pedigree that is a focal point for the lawsuit. The coin had a value of some $15 at the time of issue. Contursi and Kagin purchased it for $2.99 million during the Heritage Auction Galleries Gold Rush Collection auction on Jan. 12, 2005. In today’s market, its value is likely much, much more. [Click to read numismatic article…]
Heritage to present 2,800-lot survey of global coinage, ancient and antique, Sept. 10-13 in Long beach, CA
DALLAS, TX — An auction event featuring numismatic treasures spanning the four hemispheres of globe is set to take place at Heritage’s Sept. 10-13 Long Beach, CA Signature® World Coin Auction, at the Long Beach Convention Center, 100 S. Pine Avenue, Long Beach, CA.
"We’ve put together a very strong, marvelously focused auction," said Warren Tucker, Director of World Coins at Heritage Auction Galleries."
After spending a great amount of time gathering and cataloging these coins it’s very gratifying to see the great auction quality we’ve produced for this event. Even better, there are coins in here for collectors of all types and all levels."
Leading the way for world coin aficionados is a classic and extremely rare Chinese coin, a [Click to read numismatic article…]
IRVINE, Calif. – Bowers and Merena Auctions, America’s leading rare coin and currency auction house, conducted its second of two official American Numismatic Association auctions for 2009 over five live sessions last week at the Los Angeles Convention Center as the Official Auctioneer of the ANA World’s Fair of Money.
Teletrade Certified Coin & Currency Auctions, sister company to Bowers and Merena, served as the official online auctioneer for the show, conducting auctions on Sunday and Monday, August 9-10. Together they realized a total in excess of $15 million.
"It has been a tremendous opportunity to work with the ANA over this past year, first in Portland and especially now in our own backyard of Los Angeles. The ANA consistently presents a first rate show and it was a privilege to play such an important role in this event as the only official auctioneer," said Steve Deeds, president of Bowers and Merena.
"We are very pleased with the results of the auction. This was our second largest auction in the past five years by both value and number of lots, and under the present economy I think that speaks volumes."
[Click to read numismatic article…]
Bowers and Merena’s Official Auction of the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Baltimore Expo Will Feature Collection of the Late Dr. Alfred R. Globus
IRVINE, Calif. – Bowers and Merena Auctions, America’s leading rare coin and currency auction house, returns to Baltimore, Md., for the Official Auction of the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo scheduled for November 10-14, 2009.
The auction will feature the collection of U.S. and world coins assembled by one of America’s most renowned numismatic collectors, Dr. Alfred R. Globus.
Dr. Alfred R. Globus was born July 1, 1920, in Brooklyn, New York. He received his Doctor of Science degree from Hanover College in Indiana and for a short time served as professor of biochemistry at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
He licensed his first chemical process at age 20 for the electrolytic recovery of iron from iron ore, and just two years after that he formed the company that would later become United-Guardian, Inc.
In 1943, he built a commercial plant for the production of vitally needed tungsten concentrates, and served as a consultant to the War Production Board during World War II. Dr. Globus served as the chief executive officer of United-Guardian for more than 60 years.
Over those years he was granted at least 35 patents for the many products and processes that he developed. Dr. Globus passed away in April of 2009 at age 88. [Click to read numismatic article…]
Kern-Carter 1880 Coiled Hair Stella leads July 31-Aug.2 event with $546,250
DALLAS, TX — An 1880 $4 Coiled Hair Stella, Judd-1660, Pollock-1860, Low R.7, PR62 NGC — a gorgeous example of the timeless design of George Morgan — realized $546,250 at Heritage Auction Galleries’ July 31-Aug. 2 Los Angeles U.S. Coin Auction, leading the almost $25 million event. All prices include 15% Buyer’s Premium.
"We’re certainly pleased with the outcome of this auction," said Greg Rohan, President of Heritage.
"Our three day event was a blockbuster. It brought in more than the top grossing movie of the weekend, which earned a little more than $22 million total.
If you factor in that we did it with almost 4,000 bidders, and sold more than 90% of all lots, the figure is even more impressive."
In past auctions Heritage has only been able to account for eight different examples of the 1880 $4 Coiled Hair stella, but the firm has recently established that the Dallas Bank Collection example makes a ninth distinct survivor. [Click to read numismatic article…]
The largest public array ever assembled in the United States of huge, modern, certified Chinese gold coins, ranging in size from five ounces to one kilo (32.15 ounces) each, will be displayed at the American Numismatic Association’s World’s Fair of Money® convention in Los Angeles, August 5 – 9, 2009.
The presentation comes with an education lesson from the exhibitor, Nicholas Brown of Majestic Rarities in Chicago: "Protect your coins. Protect yourself!"
"There will be over 300 ounces of large, low-mintage gold.It will be the most amazing display of modern Chinese coins ever seen in the United States," said Brown.
Many of the rare coins in the planned display at the ANA convention (at combined booths 331 and 430) have a low mintage of only 200 each or less. [Click to read numismatic article…]
(Irvine, California) – A 1907 Rolled Edge Indian Eagle, a gorgeous and conditionally rare representative of this classic issue in the 20th century gold series, will be offered in Bowers and Merena’s Official Auction of the American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money® at the Los Angeles Convention Center and online, August 5-8, 2009, with lot viewing August 1- 8.
The auction will also spotlight one of the most important California Gold Rush-era coins produced in San Francisco, the unique Kellogg and Company specimen $20 territorial gold piece personally owned by former U.S. Assayer Augustus Humbert.
Listed in the auction catalog as 1907 Judd-1903 (Judd-1775), Pollock-1997, Rarity-5, Rolled Edge, it is described as "a bright, satiny piece" with a strike that is "characteristic of the issue, meaning that it is bold-to-sharp elsewhere yet noticeably soft in the center of the obverse." The example boasts a Condition Census MS-67 Grade from NGC with a combined PCGS and NGC Population of just 6, 0 finer. [Click to read numismatic article…]
(Lincroft, New Jersey) — The top-rated sets of Capped Bust and Liberty Seated half dimes in the PCGS Set RegistrySM have been sold in a multi-million dollar private sale by Legend Numismatics of Lincroft, New Jersey (www.LegendCoin.com).
The 93 coins include many of the finest known examples and the unique 1870-S half dime that was individually valued in this transaction at $1.4 million.
"The collections are known as ‘The Law Collections,’ named after the anonymous ‘Law Collector,’ a New Jersey hobbyist who sold the coins to us for $2.2 million," said Laura Sperber, President and Founder of Legend. "We then sold both sets intact to a Western states collector who told me he would like to exhibit the 1870-S and other coins from his extensive collection, perhaps at an ANA convention next year."
"The buyer is especially excited about the mint state Liberty Seated half dimes because they will compliment his collection of proof half dimes," Sperber explained.
The Law Collections of half dimes comprised a total of six different categories that are each ranked number one in the PCGS Set Registry: [Click to read numismatic article…]
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. [Click to read numismatic article…]
(Irvine, California) — A wide selection of rare ancient and world coins will be offered in Bowers and Merena’s Official Auction of the American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money® at the Los Angeles Convention Center and online, August 2-8, 2009. Ponterio & Associates, Inc., a division of Bowers and Merena, will present the world sessions on Saturday, August 8.
One of the many highlights among the over 1,300 lots of desirable and appealing world coins is a Japanese undated (1860-1862) Manen oban (10 Ryo, 112.26 gms) with security edge (Fr. 7; JNDA-09-11; C24a2) in Extremely Fine condition. [Click to read numismatic article…]
