Longtime collector and error dealer Fred Weinberg has decided to retire after 50 years of being perhaps the most famous face in Mint errors and earning his own pedigree for his Error Coins certified by PCGS.
His retirement means fellow error coin enthusiasts have a chance to acquire many hundreds of coveted error coins during the next year.
Special highlights of his rare U.S. coin and currency errors will be on display in Heritage Auctions’ booth during the American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money, Aug. 18-22 in Chicago.
"I’ve always considered myself incredibly lucky to be able to turn my hobby into a profession," Weinberg said from his Encino, California, offices. "I’ve been a collector since I was eight years old and even dropped out of college to deal in coins."
Throughout his diverse career, Weinberg has taken pride in being one of the original 31 PCGS dealers David Hall appointed to assist PCGS making markets in coins and descriptions in 1986.
"Being a numismatist has been an incredibly fulfilling job," he said. "There’s never been a moment of boredom. I’ve loved it. I’ve just loved it."
Two special coins from Weinberg’s personal collection which will be on display during ANA are sure to turn people’s heads: one of the finest 1880-S Off Center Morgan dollar and a Sacagawea Quarter/Quarter Mule featuring a coveted state series quarter obverse, one of the roughly 20 known to exist.
Weinberg’s Sacagawea Quarter Mule, graded a stunning MS65+ by PCGS, is the last example from his collection he has.
"It’s the last new piece to come to market," he said.
Weinberg provides an extensive census and history of the "Mule" Sacagawea dollar reverse with a States quarter obverse available on his website.
"The 1880-S is the second-finest off-center dollar, with the finest 1884 Carson City dollar not expected to come on the market for possibly 20 to 25 years," Weinberg said.
The coins are expected to bring in excess of $100,000 each.
"We were honored to have been awarded this wonderful consignment by Fred Weinberg, one of the most respected and beloved professional numismatists of our time, said Heritage president, Greg Rohan."
On display will also be a rare "Reverse Transitional" error coin — a 1964 Lincoln Cent, struck on a CLAD (instead of silver) Dime Planchet, PCGS MS-65 in a larger size PCGS holder, valued at $10,000 or more.
Following the display at ANA, the coins will head to Heritage’s Florida United Numismatic auctions next year while hundreds of additional coins from his collection are set for auctions throughout 2022. Weinberg’s collection of incomplete punched planchets and elliptical clipped planchets, the largest ever assembled, are expected to come to auction for the first time in years in Heritage’s monthly showcase auctions. The sales will feature approximately 700 to 800 CUD die break errors in 2022.
The coins will mostly be authenticated and graded by PCGS, and feature a pedigree, the label from the Fred Weinberg Collection.
"Error coins have a visual aspect that always grabs people," he said. "I’ve always found it fascinating that to the many of the public, an off-center penny is more visually appealing than a nice 1880-S dollar."
In addition to the coins, Weinberg and Heritage will display currency errors at ANA, including A 1977 $5 with an obstructed printing error retaining the obstruction, graded Choice UNC 64 PPQ by PCGS, and a 1974 $20 front, and a $10 reverse, graded PCGS Choice UNC 64 PPQ. Double denomination notes are considered the "Rolls Royce" of currency errors.
The U.S. currency errors also feature a pedigree from the Fred Weinberg Collection.
In addition to coins and currency, Weinberg also has decided his important collection of more than 200 psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll concert posters are ready to be auctioned. The posters, including early Bob Dylan & Beatles rarities, will appear in Entertainment & Music Memorabilia auctions in the near future and beyond.
Highlights from the Fred Weinberg collection of U.S. error coins and currency will be on display in Heritage Auctions’ booth during the ANA’s World’s Fair of Money, Aug. 18-22 in Chicago.
About Heritage Auctions
Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.
Heritage also enjoys the highest online traffic and dollar volume of any auction house on earth (source: SimilarWeb and Hiscox Report). The Internet’s most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has more than 1,400,000 registered bidder-members and searchable free archives of five million past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos.
