The Stack’s Bowers Galleries January New York International Numismatic Convention Auction is now live for bidding and can be browsed here. Here we highlight a magnificent large gold issue from Europe that is proudly featured on the catalog’s front cover. It is a marvelous city-view of Nurnberg 8 Ducat issue, easily one of the most desirable coins in the auction.
A large mailed bust of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI dominates the obverse design, with his titles around. The reverse offers a splendid (if somewhat distant) view of the city featuring portions of the old imperial castle, St. Sebaldus and St. Lorenz churches. The image of this "Free City" is watched over by a great eagle, wearing the crown of Charlemagne and holding a scepter and orb (symbols of temporal and religious power). Above, the Latin legend translates to: "Safe and Secure under the August Lord God" and features a chronogram (the larger letters double as Roman numerals, and when added together equal 1721). Additionally, this marvelous piece has the fantastic provenance of once being owned by Herbert J. Erlanger, a well-known specialist in Nurnberg coinage.
While we are no longer taking consignments for our January 2019 New York International Auction, we are taking consignments of world and ancient coins and world paper money for the upcoming February 2019 Collector’s Choice Online Auction and the August 2019 ANA World’s Fair of Money Auction in Rosemont, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. We are also accepting consignments of Chinese and other Asian coins and currency for our March 2019 Hong Kong Showcase Auction. Time is running short, so if you are interested in consigning your coins and paper currency (whether a whole collection or a single rarity) contact one of our consignment directors.
