IRVINE, Calif. – Bowers and Merena Auctions, America’s leading rare coin auction house, will hold their Chicago Rarities Sale on Tuesday, April 15, 2008, at the Sofitel Chicago O’Hare Hotel in Rosemont, Ill. Among the more than 1,000 lots to cross the block is the only 1932-D Washington Quarter graded MS-66 by PCGS, as well as one of the most impressive selections of Buffalo Nickels to be offered in recent years.

The 1932-D Washington Quarter (lot 322), Population 1/0 at PCGS, is part of the No. 1 ranked “Marquette-Yakima” NGC Registry Set of Washington Quarters 1932-1964, an extraordinary collection that contains a multitude of quality PCGS- and NGC-certified Washington Quarters, including some Population 1/0. The set boasts an impressive unsurpassable score of 65,302, and the complete collection will be auctioned in individual lots in Bowers and Merena’s Chicago Rarities Sale.

The Marquette-Yakima Collection features additional top-of-the-pop rarities that are sure to see significant competition among Registry Set collectors when they appear at auction on April 15. These highlights include:

Lot 335 1936-D PCGS MS-67, Pop: 9/0
Lot 358 1942-S PCGS MS-68, Combined PCGS and NGC Pop: 1/0
Lot 360 1943-S PCGS MS-68, Pop: 1/0
Lot 368 1946-S PCGS MS-68, Pop: 4/0
Lot 393 1954-S PCGS MS-68, Pop: 1/0
Lot 403 1961-D PCGS MS-67, Pop: 1/0

“The entire ‘Marquette-Yakima Collection’ is exceptional, but this 1932-D Washington Quarter is truly the best there is, the finest known and an absolutely superb example,” said Steve Deeds, president of Bowers and Merena. “It last sold in 2001, before Registry Sets popularized the collection of the finest examples. I can’t remember the last time I have seen a coin of such magnitude and Bowers and Merena is proud to showcase it as the centerpiece of our Chicago Rarities Sale in April.” (more…)

IRVINE, Calif. – Bowers and Merena Auctions, America’s leading rare coin auction house, delighted World coin enthusiasts in Baltimore and across the globe on March 1 with an action-packed special session of World/Ancient Coins as part of their first of three Official Auctions of the Baltimore Coin and Currency Convention for 2008. The World session was the grand finale of the four-session auction that realized a total of $9,764,934 and saw more than 3,200 lots cross the auction block. The World/Ancient session realized $2,155,414.

“I have to say we are ecstatic with the results of this Baltimore auction, and especially the World session,” said Steve Deeds, president of Bowers and Merena. “Our worldwide marketing and advertising efforts helped draw hundreds of new international registered bidders to Bowers and Merena and really created a buzz throughout the global numismatic community. I was thrilled to see many foreign dealers and collectors who actually made the trip to Baltimore for live bidding.” Dealers and collectors were welcomed from France, Italy, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Colombia, as well as the United States.

Additionally, Deeds attributes the overwhelming success of this World session to a variety of other factors, as well. “We took full advantage of available means of bidding in order to make it as convenient as possible for our international and even domestic customers who could not be in the room with us. We had very active phone bidding, plus live online bidding through the Bowers and Merena website, eBay Live Auctions and Proxibid, which were all very successful. The convention itself was outstanding as usual thanks to the undying efforts of Mary Counts, David Crenshaw and the Whitman team, which certainly kept the auction room full and very exciting.”

The featured draw of the World session was no doubt the “Carl F. Chirico Jr. Collection of World Pattern Coins,” 741 lots of worldwide Proofs, Patterns, Essais, Provas, Pieforts, and Trial Strikes from China, Belgium, Cambodia, France, Germany, Italy, Latin America, and Europe, which realized $2,028,278.

“This was the largest collection of Patterns, Essais and Trial Strikes sold in the United States in the past 30 or 40 years,” (more…)

1870-S Seated Liberty Silver Dollar from Farouk Collection Sets Record at More Than $700,000 and “Carl F. Chirico Jr. Collection of World Pattern Coins” Tops $2 Million

IRVINE, Calif. – Bowers and Merena Auctions, America’s leading rare coin auction house, set records once again in Baltimore as Official Auctioneer of the Baltimore Coin and Currency Convention. More than 3,200 lots crossed the block in four sessions February 28 – March 1, 2008, realizing $9,764,934.

Highlights include the record-setting sale of Lot 2035, a very rare 1870-S Seated Liberty Silver Dollar known as “The Farouk-Schultz Specimen,” certified VF 25 by PCGS, which realized $705,698, beating its previous sale price of $552,000 just months earlier in October 2007. The “Carl F. Chirico Jr. Collection of World Pattern Coins,” 741 lots of worldwide Proofs, Patterns, Essais, Provas, Pieforts, and Trial Strikes, realized $2,028,278.

“I have to say we are ecstatic with the results of this Baltimore auction. Our last Baltimore auction in November 2007 was a record-setter for us and we exceeded its total prices realized by a significant amount,” said Steve Deeds, president of Bowers and Merena. Deeds attributes the overwhelming success of this auction to a variety of factors. “The convention itself was outstanding as usual thanks to the undying efforts of Mary Counts, David Crenshaw and the Whitman team. The auction room was full and busy for all sessions, we had active phone bidding, plus live online bidding through the Bowers and Merena website, eBay Live Auctions and Proxibid. We did everything we could to make it convenient for our bidders, especially our international customers who couldn’t make it to the auction, and it was without a doubt very successful.”

Deeds also credits the extraordinary list of historic rarities that crossed the block, such as the 1870-S Seated Liberty Silver Dollar, the sixth-finest of only nine known to exist and boasting a prestigious pedigree and auction history that includes the 1935 Norman Schultz Auction and Sotheby’s 1954 sale of the King Farouk collection, “The Palace Collections of Egypt” auction. “The winning bidder of this coin now owns a piece of history,” Deeds said. “It is an honor to be able to include Bowers and Merena in the life story of this piece.” (more…)

Highlights Include Exceptional 1870-S Seated Liberty Silver Dollar and Special Session of
World Coins Featuring the “Carl F. Chirico Jr. Collection of World Pattern Coins”

IRVINE, Calif. – Bowers and Merena Auctions, America’s leading rare coin auction house, continues as Official Auctioneer of the Baltimore Coin and Currency Convention in 2008, with the next auction scheduled for February 27 to March 2, 2008, at the Baltimore Convention Center. This is the first of three Baltimore auctions by Bowers and Merena in 2008, continuing their longstanding and ongoing association with the convention.

There is a long list of highlights offered in the 3,220-lot auction, most notably a very rare 1870-S Seated Liberty Silver Dollar, certified VF 25 by PCGS and considered to be one of the greatest American coin rarities. This particular coin, known as The Farouk-Schultz Specimen, enjoys a prestigious pedigree and auction history including the 1935 Norman Schultz Auction and Sotheby’s 1954 sale of the King Farouk collection, “The Palace Collections of Egypt” auction. (more…)

Total Prices Realized Exceed $4.27 Million
1927-S Standing Liberty Quarter Strike Rarity in PCGS MS-65 FH Led the Way at $161,000

IRVINE, Calif. – Bowers and Merena Auctions, America’s leading rare coin auction house, started the “fun” early in Florida last week with the January 2008 Orlando Rarities Sale. The sale was conducted in a single session on January 8 at the International Plaza Resort & Spa, two days prior to the Orlando F.U.N. Show. The auction offered 670 exceptional coin lots and realized $4,270,699 – a total that includes many record-setting sales among the individual lots.

“This was a small auction for us in terms of number of lots, but it was overwhelming in terms of the tremendous quality of coins that were offered,” said Steve Deeds, president of Bowers and Merena. “Any time we conduct a Rarities Sale we promise to offer only the finest specimens available, and this sale certainly didn’t disappoint interested bidders.”

Continued Deeds: “The highest single realized price in this sale was achieved by lot 179, a strike and condition rarity 1927-S Standing Liberty Quarter certified MS-65 Full Head by PCGS. The coin sold for $161,000, which is approximately 124 percent of the current Coin Dealer Newsletter ‘Greysheet’ ‘Ask’ price of $130,000.” (more…)