June 2012 | Vol. 1, No. 20

Rare Sacagawea Mini-Dollar/Washington Statehood Quarter Mule Error
To Be Offered In Our Official 2012 Philadelphia ANA Sale.

By Frank Van Valen, Numismatist & Cataloger, U.S. Coins

A rare Sacagawea golden mini-dollar "mule" that couples the reverse of a Sacagawea dollar coin with the George Washington obverse of a Statehood quarter will hit the auction block at our Official August 2012 ANA World's Fair of Money Auction in Philadelphia. This rarity is from 2000, the first year of the Sacagawea mini-dollar, though no date is present on either side. Bowers and Merena had the honor of auctioning the very first of about a dozen examples currently known of this rare muling back in August 2000 at the ANA Millennium Sale, also in Philadelphia, where it brought an astonishing $29,900 when the ensuing bidding war was done. Not bad for an error coin!

This remarkable muling was first brought to the attention of the collecting community in May 2000 when Frank Wallis of Mountain Home, Arkansas reported the first known example. At the time certain other rare mules such as a dime obverse-cent reverse and another with a cent obverse-dime reverse were reported, but the Sacagawea mini-dollar reverse coupled with the Washington State quarter obverse error was the one picked up by reporters, receiving coverage in the numismatic press as well as local and national newspapers and on television news.
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1911 Imperial China Long Whisker Pattern Dollar

By Todd McKenna, Numismatist

This week's highlight is from the upcoming Stack's Bowers & Ponterio auction being held August 19-22 in Hong Kong. During the closing years of the Qing Dynasty attempts had been made at reforming China's coinage to create a more standardized design to be used universally throughout the provinces, which up to this time had struck their own coins set to a standard scale. Several designs had been tried in the years preceding 1911, the familiar "Tai-Ching-Ti-Kuo" design and its variants having been the most widely struck. A final attempt to create a universal coinage was made by the Qing court and its financial department the Board of Revenue in 1911.

The design for this new coinage would share many design elements with preceding Imperial and provincial coinage but would have many simplified elements meant to impart the message of continued Imperial authority throughout China, an important message as the reigning Emperor Hsuan Tung was only six years old at the time. Read More

1878 $500 Legal Tender, Friedberg 185d To Be
Featured In The Official Auction Of The World's Fair Of Money

By Matt Quinn, Director of Currency

It is with great pleasure that Stack's Bowers Galleries will offer to eager collectors a design which only surfaces in public auction roughly once in five years at maximum. The note is the Friedberg 185d 1878 $500 Legal Tender note, which features a large portrait vignette of Major General Joseph King Mansfield at right. The serial number A4206 note we will offer is simply radiant, showing the design in impressive detail and color throughout. It is one of only six known examples for the catalog number with two pieces forever uncollectible as they are permanent residents of institutional collections. Read More

The Hoosier Flyer Collection of Pattern
and Regular Issue Small Cents, 1850 to 1859

Welcome to the Hoosier Flyer Collection of pattern cents of the 1850-1859 years, plus for good measure a pioneer 1837 Feuchtwanger composition cent (the first example of a small-diameter "pattern"), plus a splendid offering of regular issues. The highlights are so numerous that the listing of the collection itself can take the place of such commentary - as nearly all are highlights! Indeed, this is the only collection of its kind ever to cross the auction block. Even among regular issues the clashed die rarities and overdate coins of 1857 will long be remembered, not to overlook a Gem Proof 1856 Flying Eagle cent, a pattern of course, but a favorite adopted by many into the regular series. Read More

By Q. David Bowers, Chairman Emeritus

With my catalog in hand for our official auction in connection with the Whitman Coins & Collectibles Expo, June 28-29, I am about to take a walk through it, so to speak. You can follow me either in a printed catalog or on line. The event will be a great one – certainly to be remembered as one of the most important auctions of the year. Highlighting it is a magnificent Superb Gem Proof MCMVII (1907) Ultra High Relief double eagle, one of fewer than 20 believed to exist, with none finer than this. While this coin is the stuff of which dreams are made, the majority of the sale comprises affordable items, ranging from the tens of dollars, through the hundreds of dollars and upward. Scarce dates and mintmarks, popular types, expanded offerings in certain series, and more await your contemplation. Read More

By Harvey G. Stack,
Senior Numismatic Consultant

"Numismatics and America's Bicentennial Celebration - 1776 - 1976"

In this final segment, Harvey Stack remembers his part in creating a memorable exhibit at the United States Mint in Philadelphia as part of our nation's 1976 Bicentennial Celebration.

The Exhibit

In the following days dignitaries and special visitors viewed the new edifice and the prized collection of United States coins on display. I was asked to stay in Philadelphia for a few days in order to answer any special questions from these elite visitors. For me it was very exciting and a great event in my life!

The Collection remained on display for some two years, and millions of visitors, in Philadelphia to celebrate our Bicentennial, had the special opportunity to view the most complete collection of United States gold, silver, copper and nickel coins ever assembled. Read More

By Christine Karstedt, Executive Vice President

This time of year, everyone is taking special care in making decisions on where and when to travel. It's the traditional time of year for family vacations and visiting friends and relatives. Beaches, zoos, museums, and amusement parks beckon. That being said, Baltimore is still a hot spot in the month of June and remains the most popular coin city during the summer months. Bring the family to visit the museums and waterfront shops, have a memorable dinner of crabs and/or crab cakes, and enjoy the coin show and auction where action will be nonstop. We look forward to seeing all of you next week.

Stack's Bowers Galleries is once again pleased to be the official auctioneer for the Whitman Coin Expo. Our auction is landmark and is laden with spectacular rarities, important type coins and collector coins for the beginner to the connoisseur. You'll find me from early morning to late at night in the auction gallery and always happy to help you with bids, consignments, or in any other way. Read More