The Millennia Sale presented by Ira and larry Goldberg got underway yesterday in California and the preliminary results are starting to flow in.

This sale will result in an series of reports due to both its importance and breadth. In addition CoinLink will be posting a detailed auction analysis by Greg Reynolds latter this week.

However our first installment will be limited to a short summary of the “Ancients” and a trio of Roman Gold coins that lite up the room, far exceeding their pre-sale estimates.

We expect to see records being set for virtually all of the major rarities in the Millennia sale, continuing the strong pattern where fresh, high quality and truly rare coins continue to bring multiples of what many experts and conventional estimates might dictate. When high quality coins cross the auction block, you can throw out the price guides.

Lot 75 Imperatorial Rome. Marcus Junius Brutus, d. 42 BC. Gold Aureus (8.07 g) - Realized $575,000

One of the most historic of Roman issues, gold or silver! Excessively rare. Probably the finest of only 8 recorded specimens. NGC graded Choice About Uncirculated.

After Julius Caesar, the second most recognizable name of the imperatorial era is Marcus Junius Brutus. Was he the last guardian of the Republican age or only an infamous and most vile assassin of Caesar? Born about 85 BC, Brutus was thrust into the political realm and early became a follower of Cato, a staunch Republican. Later, Brutus built a fortune by lending money at usurious rates and eventually became a Roman senator.

There grew a great friendship between Caesar and Brutus, but during the Civil War it was clear that Caesar would never return to the former Republican government. Instead, Caesar was swayed by his many victories and public adulation, ultimately accepting the title “dictator for life.” Caesar’s portrait graced many coin issues, and his likeness was the first of a living person to be depicted upon the specie we now revere. It is ironic to also find the portrayal of Brutus on Coinage. (more…)

Peter Tompa summarizes the first round of releases of information under the FOIA lawsuit launched by ACCG, IAPN and PNG.

The State Department has made its initial disclosures in response to the Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by the ACCG, the International Association of Professional Numismatists and the Professional Numismatists Guild. By our count, in that initial disclosure, the State Department released 34 documents in full, 15 in redacted form and has withheld 21 documents. Six documents have also been held for further consultation with another agency before possible release.

The State Department produced several documents that are already publicly available, including the Cyprus MOU and information already up on the State Department Cultural Property Protection web site. Nonetheless, the State Department did also release some relevant documents. These included an “action memo” evidencing the decision to impose import restrictions on ancient coins of Cypriot type. While it is heavily redacted, it does suggest that the decision was approved by the proper decision making authority, Assistant Secretary Dina Powell.

That said, given the redactions, it remains unclear whether or not Ms. Powell was fully briefed about CPAC’s recommendations on extending import restrictions to ancient coins of Cypriot types. While the CPAC report was also produced, it was only produced in heavily redacted form. As a result, it is impossible to ascertain whether CPAC’s recommendations were made known to the decision maker or not. (more…)

By Ken Potter, Numismatic News

An Ohio trio, Richard Stachurski and his grandsons Zak and Joe El khamiri, has found what may be the first Missing Clad Layer error reported on a 2008-P John Quincy Adams Presidential dollar.

According to Stachurski, he and his grandsons routinely search Presidential dollars for errors with each of the boys assigned different tasks based on age. Four-year-old Joe is assigned the task of clearing away the wrappers from which the coins are quickly removed by 8-year-old Zak who passes them on to Stachurski, who does the actual searching.

Stachurski, said that the find was interesting in that the error was located in the third roll searched from a box containing 28 rolls obtained from a Charter One bank in Ohio. He said that the teller told him that somebody had already gone through the first 12 rolls in the box (which originally contained 40 rolls or 1,000 dollar coins) and advised him that there were no errors to be found.

Apparently the original searcher was looking for repetitive types such as plain edge or double edge lettered errors where several to many were generally found in boxes that contained them for the Washington and Adams dollars. The original searcher apparently gave up after searching a dozen rolls feeling there was nothing to be found

Read Full Numismaster Article

In a sale totalling £176,000, lot 190, a unique and unrecorded 1863 English Penny with a die number 5 below the date, was sold in Tennants Auctioneers specialist Coin Sale in Leyburn, North Yorkshire on Wednesday, 21st May 2008 for a record £17,500 plus buyers premium. It was sold to a private collector from Scotland.

In the early 1860’s the Mint introduced numbering dies on a number of coins, although the purpose of this remains unclear. Die numbers 2, 3 and 4 have already been recorded by Michael Freeman in ‘The Bronze Coinage of Britain’ and Michael Gouby in ‘The British Bronze Penny’, however a penny with a number 5 die number has so far not been recorded.

This coin had been inspected by Royal Mint authorities including the Chief Engraver, who shared the view that the figure beneath the date was indeed a 5, thus making this find numismatically important.

HIGH PRICES FOR GOLD COINS

A large collection of proof gold coins made over £100,000 in the sale with gold prices currently high. Lot 198, an 1887 J.H Proof Set of 11 coins (comprising a £5 coin, a £2 coin, a sovereign and half sovereign in gold, a crown, a double florin, a half crown, two shillings, a shilling, a sixpence and a threepence in silver, in their original red and gold leather case) sold for £4,200 (hammer).

In addition to coins, tokens and medallions, the sale also included bank notes with lot 459, an 1891 Lancaster Banking Company Note selling for £650 and lot 464, a Kendal One Pound Bank Note selling for £750.

Entries are being invited for Tennants next Coin Sale in Autumn 2008. For more information please contact Jeff Gardiner at Tennants on +44(0)1969 623780