As a part of the May Long Beach Signature Auction, Heritage is offering the finest known O-118 variety of the 1825 half dollar - a newly discovered example and one of only three R.8 varieties within the entire Capped Bust half series.

The 1825 Overton-118 is identified by a heavy vertical die break between the 25 in the date. Two Bust half experts, Glenn Peterson and Brad Karoleff, believe the break occurred during hardening of the die prior to use. This die break undoubtedly led to early disposal of the obverse die. The reverse die continued in use, paired with a different obverse to strike O-103. The workhorse reverse die earlier struck the 1824 O-116.

Just three examples of O-118 are known. Al Overton, who died in 1972, was unaware of the variety. According to an April 7, 2008 Coin World article, the discovery piece was found at an Oregon coin shop by Olin Carter, circa 1983. Per Capped Bust authority Sheridan Downey, “it is the Overton plate coin, graded Fine for sharpness but with dull, washed out surfaces.”

The second O-118 to surface was sold unattributed within a group lot to Charles Erb, circa 1990. Erb’s example found its way to Charlton “Swampy” Meyer Jr., who owned the most complete die variety collection of Capped Bust halves. According to Downey and Coin World, that example “grades VF with attractive album toning on the obverse. The reverse is lightly wiped.”

The April 7 Coin World article states, “based on the conditions of the other two examples of the variety, the new discovery [of O-118] would be the finest known… Sheridan Downey believes the new discovery … could bring from $75,000 to $100,000.”

The present piece, the third known O-118 1825 half, has been graded VF20 by ANACS and displays deep apple-green and gunmetal-gray toning. The fields are slightly glossy and exhibit a few hair-thin marks, made nearly imperceptible by the toning. A thin, slender mark near the ear is also unobtrusive. Wear is even and moderate, with ample plumage definition present on the eagle.

To the best of Heritage’s knowledge, this is the first major auction appearance for the variety, which was absent from the extensive and formidable die variety collections of Jules Reiver and Russell Logan. The next owner of this coin may hold it for many years, then sell it privately or even donate it to a museum and permanently take it off the market. The opportunity to acquire an O-118 1825 at public auction is here, but fleeting.

COLORADO SPRINGS – The American Numismatic Association has signed a definitive agreement for Bowers and Merena Auctions to act as the official auctioneer for the two 2009 ANA shows, the Los Angeles World’s Fair of Money® and the Portland National Money Show™, Executive Director Larry Shepherd announced today. Details of the agreement include sales incentives as well as a guarantee to sign up 2,000 new ANA members.

In consideration for the exclusive right to conduct the auctions and be designated as the official auctioneer, Bowers and Merena, which was selected by the ANA Board of Governors in March, has agreed to pay the ANA a base fee for both shows, plus two percent of the total sale price for all auction sales over $20 million (for Los Angeles) and $12 million (for Portland). In addition, Teletrade, an affiliate company of Bowers and Merena, will conduct a sanctioned Internet auction immediately preceding each convention.

Bowers and Merena has also guaranteed that it will sign up 2,000 new members to join the ANA from Sept. 1, 2008, through Dec. 31, 2009.

We are very pleased with this contract because it provides incentives for both parties to work together to ensure that the auctions are as successful as possible,” said Shepherd. “In addition, we are extraordinarily pleased with Bowers and Merena’s commitment to help the Association build its membership.”

“This is an exceptional opportunity for Bowers and Merena to further secure our leadership role in this industry, and most certainly is a win-win for both parties involved,” said Greg Roberts, Chief Executive Officer for Escala Group, Inc., parent company of Bowers and Merena Auctions. “We appreciate the confidence that the ANA has placed in Bowers and Merena to conduct successful auctions at their shows and to help build the quality membership of their organization.” (more…)

By David L. Ganz, Numismatic News

As the 110th Congress sprinted to a Memorial Day recess, a number of numismatic measures were passed by the House of Representatives May 15.

They now go to the Senate. Some deft parliamentary maneuvers and stealth actions are part of the package.

Foremost on the list is H.R. 5614, a bill whose initial appearance and very title gave the impression that the Mint was being asked to enter mainline production and reproduce a Saint-Gaudens ultra-high-relief gold double eagle. (The original bill’s name was worded this way: “This Act shall be known as the ‘Original Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle Ultra-High Relief Bullion Coin Act’).

The name suggests a gold coin that was fabled a generation ago as a production nightmare that took seven bold strikes on the Mint’s coining presses to bring up the design. The real purpose of the bill, however, was the working miners of Montana who produce palladium - the stealth nomenclature opts for that design with the new metal for the Mint to produce.

A gold 27mm pattern replica is the design choice. As the bill’s legislative history notes, “a 34-millimeter version was hand-struck on a standard double eagle planchet using a medal press and, because manufacturing and technical limitations prevented mass production of these pieces, this production resulted in low mintage, with fewer than two dozen specimens of the 34-millimeter version known to be in existence today.”

It goes on to note that “a second, 27-millimeter, version was struck using two stacked $10 eagle planchets,” which is the coin being reproduced in gold for collectors. But the real purpose of the bill is not gold but to produce palladium coinage.

Read the Full Numismaster Article Here

Early Anglo-Saxon coins from the De Wit collection to be displayed at the Fitzwilliam Museum

The period of the Conversion in the 7th-8th centuries was a vibrant time artistically, inspiring such treasurers as the Lindisfarne Gospels, the Franks Casket and the famous High Crosses. Yet these give mere glimpses of a much larger body of lost art. New finds of coinage and ornamental metalwork of this period have provided us with an alternative source of images which are artistically and intellectually outstanding.

This exhibition will show for the first time early Anglo-Saxon coins from the De Wit collection, recently purchased by the Fitzwilliam Museum with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Art Fund. These gold shillings and silver pennies display the most innovative range of pictorial and geometric designs drawn from Classical and Germanic sources.

Despite the small scale, their bold images of people, animals, plants and geometric motifs are both rich in detail and sophisticated in concept. The exhibition will juxtapose them with contemporary ornamental metalwork drawn from other museums in the region.

Fri 23 May 2008 to Sun 7 September 2008
Octagon Gallery (Gallery 10) (more…)