The Stack’s Bowers Galleries Official Auction of the Whitman Coin and Collectibles Expo will take place from June 27 through June 29, 2012, in Room 308 of the Baltimore Convention Center, and will feature five live sessions of U.S. coins, medals, and tokens. Additionally, there will be a sixth, internet-only session that will close on Tuesday, July 3, at 3:00 p.m. PT.
The Official Baltimore Auction will showcase coins from several major collections, including the Land of Smiles Collection of Liberty Nickels, Selections from the Anne Kate Collection, the Winecrest Collection Part II, the Walking Liberty Tribute Collection, the Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge Collection, the Truckee Meadows Collection, and much more.
The Land of Smiles Collection of Liberty Nickels is an impressive collection of Proof and circulation strike nickels that boasts many top-of-the-pop condition rarities and the No. 1 set of circulation strikes on the PCGS Registry in the category "Liberty Nickels Basic Set, Circulation Strikes (1883-1912)." Some incredible highlights from this collection include an 1885 example graded MS-67 * (NGC), a 1901 in MS-67 (PCGS) CAC, and a 1902 graded an amazing MS-67+ by PCGS and verified by CAC that is the solo finest graded by PCGS.
We are also proud to offer Part II of the Winecrest Collection in our June sale, which will showcase five early Proof Sets that are complete for silver and minor coins. The collection was formed in the early 1960s with an eye toward superb quality and an emphasis on Liberty Seated, Barber, and related coinage from the pre-1916 era of classic Proofs. The result is a fabulous collection of beautiful coins, such as an 1869 Liberty Seated silver dollar graded Proof-65 by NGC that we are offering as part of an original 10-piece Proof Set.
Also included in our Baltimore event is the final installment of the Walking Liberty Tribute Collection, an unbelievable hoard of Walking Liberty half dollars that includes high grade business strikes from the "short set" dates, 1941 to 1947, as well as Proof issues from 1936 to 1942. Highlights in this portion of the offering include a handful of coins graded Proof-68. Selections from the Anne Kate Collection, a small yet significant offering of condition rarity Morgan silver dollars, boast an 1892-S graded MS-67 by PCGS and an 1893-O graded MS-65, also by PCGS.
U.S. gold coins will feature some truly blockbuster coins, like the MCMVII (1907) Ultra High Relief double eagle offered as lot 4438. The coin is the finest certified by PCGS in the absolutely stunning grade of Proof-69. The Saint-Gaudens design of the double eagle has often been hailed as the most beautiful coin design, and in this pristine condition, this example is a serious knockout.
Also among U.S. gold coins is a breathtaking 1879 Flowing Hair four-dollar gold Stella. This beauty is graded Proof-68 Ultra Cameo by NGC and displays essentially flawless surfaces and gorgeous Ultra Cameo contrast. The combined PCGS and NGC population is just this single coin in this grade, with none finer at either service. Here are two wonderful opportunities to acquire some of the most famous rarities in the U.S. collecting arena.
Featured among U.S. medals is the Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge Collection, so named for Ethel Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge, the daughter of Standard Oil magnate William Rockefeller Jr. and his wife Almira Geraldine Goodsell, and niece to John D. Rockefeller. She gained fame as a leading patron of the arts, and this marvelous selection of medals is reflective of her leadership in that arena.
A selection of items from her estate was featured in a public auction conducted by Sotheby Park Bernet on October 15, 1975, entitled "Magnificent Jewelry and Gold Coins, the Collection of the Late Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge," where this medal collection was included. These items have been off the numismatic market since then, and it is our great pleasure to re-introduce the American medals to the collecting fraternity here.
Highlights of the Stack’s Bowers Galleries June 2012 Baltimore Sale include:
- Lot 1154, Undated (Circa 1785) Bar Copper. AU-58 BN (NGC).
- Lot 1204, 1776 Continental Dollar. CURRENCY. Pewter. EF-45 (PCGS). CAC.
- Lot 2194, 1917 Lincoln Cent. Doubled Die Obverse. MS-67 RD (PCGS). Secure Holder.
- Lot 2283, 1867 Shield Nickel. Rays. Proof-66 (PCGS). OGH.
- Lot 2309, 1885 Liberty Nickel. MS-67 * (NGC). From the Land of Smiles Collection. NGC Census: 1/0.
- Lot 2310, 1885 Liberty Nickel. MS-66 (PCGS). CAC. Secure Holder. From the Land of Smiles Collection.
- Lot 2337, 1897 Liberty Nickel. MS-67 (PCGS). CAC. Secure Holder. From the Land of Smiles Collection. PCGS Pop: 1/0.
- Lot 2343, 1899 Liberty Nickel. MS-67+ (PCGS). CAC. Secure Holder. From the Land of Smiles Collection. PCGS Pop: 1/0.
- Lot 2350, 1902 Liberty Nickel. MS-67+ (PCGS). CAC. Secure Holder. From the Land of Smiles Collection. PCGS Pop: 1/0.
- Lot 2443, 1926-S Buffalo Nickel. MS-66 (NGC).
- Lot 3032, 1839 Gobrecht Silver Dollar. Judd-104 Restrike. Proof-64 Cameo (PCGS).
- Lot 3200, 1892-S Morgan Silver Dollar. MS-67 (PCGS). From the Anne Kate Collection.
- Lot 3206, 1893-O Morgan Silver Dollar. MS-65 (PCGS). From the Anne Kate Collection.
- Lot 3218, 1895 Morgan Silver Dollar. Proof-64 Cameo (PCGS). CAC.
- Lot 4017, 1869 Liberty Seated Silver Dollar. Proof-65 (NGC). From the Winecrest Collection. Part of an Original 10-Piece 1869 Proof Set.
- Lot 4040, 1903 Louisiana Purchase Exposition Gold Dollar. McKinley Portrait. Proof-65 Cameo (PCGS). CAC.
- Lot 4076, 1870 Pattern Liberty Double Eagle. Judd-1039. Proof-66 Ultra Cameo (NGC). Ex: Simpson Collection.
- Lot 4127, 1827 Capped Head Left Quarter Eagle. MS-65 (NGC).
- Lot 4244, 1854 Three-Dollar Gold Piece. Proof-65 Cameo (NGC).
- Lot 4265, 1879 Four-Dollar Gold Stella. Flowing Hair. Judd-1635. Proof-68 Ultra Cameo (NGC).
- Lot 4266, 1795 Capped Bust Right Half Eagle. Small Eagle. BD-1. MS-62 (NGC).
- Lot 4304, 1899 Liberty Half Eagle. Proof-69 Ultra Cameo (NGC).
- Lot 4359, 1885 Liberty Eagle. Proof-66 Deep Cameo (PCGS). CAC.
- Lot 4438, MCMVII (1907) Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. Ultra High Relief. Lettered Edge. Proof-69 (PCGS).
- Lot 4455, 1911 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. Proof-65 (NGC).
All lot descriptions and images in the June 2012 Baltimore Auction can be viewed online now at the Stack’s Bowers Galleries website, www.stacksbowers.com. Printed catalogs are available upon request by calling 800.458.4646. Online bidding and pre-auction bids will be accepted at www.stacksbowers.com; by e-mail at auction@stacksbowers.com; by phone at 800.458.4646; by fax at 949.253.4091; and by postal mail addressed to Stack’s Bowers Galleries, Baltimore June 2012, 1063 McGaw, Irvine, CA, 92614.
Interested bidders are also encouraged to view lots onsite in Baltimore in June and bid in-person at the live auction, or live online through the Stack’s Bowers Galleries website. A complete auction and lot viewing schedule is available at www.stacksbowers.com or by calling 800.458.4646.
About Stack’s Bowers Galleries
Stack’s Bowers Galleries, a division of Fortune 500 Company Spectrum Group International Inc., was launched in January 2011, combining the extraordinary histories of Stack’s, the oldest rare coin auction and retail company in America, with Bowers and Merena Auctions, one of the world’s pre-eminent auctioneers of rare coins and paper money.
For more information about Stack’s Bowers Galleries, call 800.458.4646 or visit www.stacksbowers.com.
