Bowers and Merena’s Official Auction of the Baltimore Coin and Currency Convention Includes Legendary 1876-CC Twenty-Cent Piece with Five-Generation History
IRVINE, Calif. – Bowers and Merena Auctions, America’s leading rare coin and currency auction house, will bring nearly 2,500 lots of fine coins and currency to Baltimore, Md., for the Official Auction of the Baltimore Coin and Currency Convention scheduled for June 10-13, 2009.
The auction will take place at the Baltimore Convention Center and begins with lot viewing Wednesday, June 10, through Friday, June 12, followed by the three-session auction on Thursday, June 11, at 6 p.m. EDT, and Friday, June 12, at 2 p.m. and again at 6 p.m. EDT.
The standout highlight of the auction is lot 757, an 1876-CC Twenty-Cent Piece in PCGS AU-58 with a fascinating history. 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.
The Pick/Jurgensen Specimen appears to have been acquired in circulation by John Seagraves Pick in 1876 and has been passed through five generations of his family, first to his son, John William Pick, who was born in Virginia City in 1872. He then passed it to his daughter, Virginia Pick Jurgensen, who was born in 1904 and survived the San Francisco earthquake when she was just two years old; she kept the coin for 47 years until her death in 1993, when it passed to her son Wilfred Pick Jurgensen. Upon Wilfred’s passing at age 74, the coin passed to his widow, Jean Lorraine Jurgensen, and son, Steven Frederick Jurgensen.
"This is a very special coin and it is an honor to offer it at auction to the numismatic world for the first time ever," said Steve Deeds, president of Bowers and Merena.
"Aside from the awesome rarity of the issue and the exceptional condition of this circulated example, its five-generation history tells a story that is rich with Americana and will be well appreciated by collectors and enthusiasts.
The opportunity to acquire an example of the 1876-CC Twenty-Cent piece is infrequent, and the added story behind this particular specimen makes it even more extraordinary and sought after."
Additional highlights in the Official Baltimore Auction in June include lot 1071, an impressive 1915-S Pan-Pac $50 in Round format in a nicely preserved PCGS MS-64. This is the rarest classic gold Commemorative coin in the finer Mint State grades, with a net mintage of just 483 pieces. As a problem-free 64, the coin offered here is a superior representative of the type.
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. The 1796 is much rarer than the 1795 in Mint State, and Choice AUs in 55 and 58 represent the finest that is usually available to advanced gold collectors. With minimal rub to overall sharp features, this piece is solidly graded at the Choice AU level, backed by a PCGS Population of 18 with 22 finer, just 11 of which are Mint State.
Baltimore coin auction highlights include:
Lot 325 1846 Braided Hair Cent. N-22. Rarity-6+. Proof-64 BN (PCGS).
Lot 462 1909 V.D.B. Lincoln Cent. Proof-65 BN (NGC). OGH.
Lot 684 1871-CC Seated Liberty Dime. Fortin-101, the only known dies. MS-61 (NGC).
Lot 757 1876-CC Twenty-Cent Piece. AU-58 (PCGS).
Lot 773 1859 Seated Liberty Quarter. Briggs 1-B. Type I/II. Proof-67 (NGC).
Lot 976 1836 Gobrecht Silver Dollar. Name on Base. Judd-60 Original, Pollock-65. Rarity-1. Proof-62 (NGC).
Lot 1064 1905 Lewis and Clark Gold Dollar. MS-66 (PCGS).
Lot 1071 1915-S Panama-Pacific Exposition $50. Round. MS-64 (PCGS).
Lot 1073 1915-S Panama-Pacific Exposition $50. Octagonal. MS-64 (NGC).
Lot 3536 1865 Pattern Seated Liberty Dollar. Judd-434, Pollock-507. Rarity-7-. Proof-64 (PCGS).
Lot 3546 1853 U.S. Assay Office of Gold. $20 Gold. K-18. Rarity-2. 900 THOUS. MS-64 (NGC).
Lot 3587 1831 Capped Head Left Quarter Eagle. BD-1, HBCC-3028. Rarity-4. MS-61 (NGC).
Lot 3631 1913 Indian Quarter Eagle. Proof-66 (PCGS).
Lot 3686 1795 Capped Bust Right Half Eagle. Small Eagle. BD-1, HBCC-3035, Miller-4. Rarity-5. AU-55 (PCGS).
Lot 3690 1804 Capped Bust Right Half Eagle. BD-2, HBCC-3087, Miller-64. Rarity-4+. Small 8. MS-64 (NGC).
Lot 3706 1847-D Liberty Half Eagle. Winter 17-I. Repunched Date. MS-63 (NGC).
Lot 3763 1796 Capped Bust Right Eagle. BD-1, HBCC-3174, Taraszka-6, the only known dies. Rarity-4. AU-55 (PCGS).
Lot 3764 1799 Capped Bust Right Eagle. BD-10, HBCC-3191, Taraszka-22. Rarity-3. Large Stars Obverse. MS-61 (NGC).
Lot 3827 1865-S Liberty Double Eagle. MS-66 (NGC).
Lot 4018 MCMVII (1907) Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. High Relief. Wire Rim. Proof-64 (NGC).
Lot 4069 1920-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. MS-63 (PCGS).
Lot 4084 1926-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. MS-62 (PCGS).
Baltimore currency highlights include:
Lot 2070 Fr. 245. 1891 $2 Silver Certificate. Serial E7. PMG Choice Very Fine 35. Serial #7 Windom Note
Lot 2099 Fr. 1188. 1882 $50 Gold Certificate. PCGS Apparent Very Fine 20. Minor Edge and Internal Restorations. One of Eight Known Fr. 1188 $50 Gold Certificates
Lot 2112 Fr. 1501*. 1928 $2 Legal Tender Star Note. PCGS Very Choice New 64PPQ.
Lot 2151 Fr. 40. 1923 $1 Legal Tender Note. ERROR. Partial Overprint Shift on Face. PCGS About New 50PPQ. Dramatic Partial Shift Error.
Lot 2172 Pittsburgh, PA. $50 1902 Red Seal. Fr. 664. The Farmers Deposit NB. Charter #(E)685. PMG NET Fine 12. Repairs.
All lots and images in the Bowers and Merena Official Auction of the Baltimore Coin and Currency Convention can be viewed online at www.bowersandmerena.com, and printed catalogs are available upon request by calling 800.458.4646.
Bidding is open late May and pre-auction bids are welcome at www.bowersandmerena.com; by e-mail at auction@bowersandmerena.com; by phone at 800.458.4646; by fax at 949.253.4091; and by postal mail addressed to Bowers and Merena, Baltimore June 2009, 18061 Fitch, Irvine, CA, 92614.
Interested bidders are also encouraged to view lots in Baltimore June 10-12, 2009, and bid in-person at the live auction June 11-12, 2009, or live online through the Bowers and Merena website. A complete auction and lot viewing schedule is available at www.bowersandmerena.com or by calling 800.458.4646.
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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