Heritage Auction Galleries, the world’s third largest auction, has announced that their count of registered bidder-members in their online community at HA.com has now reached and surpassed 400,000 collectors.”Heritage first began registering bidder-members in February of 1999,” calculated Heritage Co-Chairman Jim Halperin. “Some five years later, at the end of 2003, we were thrilled to have reached the level of 100,000 registered bidder-members. Two years later, at the end of 2005, we reached the 200,000 registered bidder-members mark. A little more than a year later, we passed 300,000 registered bidder-members, and now, after a similar short period, our HA.com collector community has more than 400,000 members. This is an incredibly exciting time for the auction business, and the wide array of material we bring to our bidders makes the entire market more vibrant.”

“We attribute our steady, impressive growth to both the services and items we offer on the HA.com website,” added Michael Weems, Heritage’s Vice President of eCommerce. “Our accelerated growth can be attributed to the high quality items we offer, a wide range of free valuation information with every lot (including over 2 million previous prices realized records in our Permanent Auction Archives), a commitment to technological innovation, and our reputation for dealing with integrity. Applying these principles to new areas of collectibles and art has fueled our growth over the past decade, as well as creating many new opportunities and collecting interests for our clients.”

Heritage Auction Galleries, the official auctioneer of the Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectible Expo, will conduct a 6,000+ lot Currency Signature® Auction on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, September 17-19, 2008 at the Long Beach Convention Center, 100 South Pine Ave., Long Beach, California. The Convention Center is also the site of the Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectible Show, as well as the location for lot viewing for all Heritage auctions. Nearly 2,000 of the lots will be included as part of the online session.”The auction is anchored by the impressive $5mm+ Jupiter Collection and the Dr. Edward and Joanne Dauer Collection of Demand Notes,” said Dustin Johnston, Consignment Director for Dallas-based Heritage. “Other notable collections include offerings from the Albert Rollins Collection, The Norman Collection, The Sandpoint Collection of Idaho Nationals, and another installment from the Collection of a Louisiana Gentleman.”

“Wednesday evening’s session will open with more than 300 Colonials anchored by the Collection of a Louisiana Gentleman,” Johnston said, “and will then continue on move to a selection of more than 400 Obsoletes, including a complete denomination set of PMG graded Kirtland Safety Society Mormon Notes, and many high grade Proofs. Confederate Notes, MPC’s, Canadian Currency, Encased Postage, and Fractional Currency will round out the evening. Perhaps the most important highlight of this session is one of Canada’s most coveted rarities, a newly discovered DC-19 1911 $500 ‘Queen Mary’ graded Very Fine 20 by PMG.”

Johnston continued, “Session Two, which kicks off early Thursday evening, will feature over 800 National Banks Notes, including some of the most exciting discovery notes of the year. The Fr. 399 1865 $5 Original Ch. 2130 First NB Red Oak, IA Serial Number One with Black Charter Numbers, a Fr. 618 1902 $10 Date Back Ch. (P) 9512 The Peoples NB National City, CA Serial Number One, and a Fr. 616 1902 $10 Date Back Ch. (S) 7740 Claiborne NB of Tazewell, TN, will all be offered to collectors for the first time. The Tazewell note is the first reported note from this locale, and the Black Charter Number, Serial Number One note is the only Black Charter serial number one example known to exist.” (more…)

A wonderful series of Long Beach auctions is about to take place, with offerings featuring U.S. Coins, U.S. Currency, Tokens & Medals, and Ancient & World Coins. Literally, there is something of interest for every collector. Our US coin auction will take place September 17-22, with the Tokens & Medals auction on September 17-18, the world coin auction on September 18-21, and the related currency auction on September 17-21.The US Coins Auction  include a large number of Registry set collections consigned including the following collections:

• The Nora Bailey Collection of Half Cents contains many wonderful early half cents, led by the census level 1805 C-2, B-2 Small 5, Stems rarity (certified XF40 by PCGS). This low R.6 is the rarest 1805 half cent as well as one of the rarest Draped Bust half cent varieties.
• The Bell Collection, including two PCGS Registry sets: 1) Basic Type Set with gold (as the Bell Collection), #2 Current, #3 All-Time (and winner of the 2008 Category award); and 2) Gold Type Set, 12 Pieces, Circulation Strikes 1839-1933 (as the Indiana Gold Collection), #5 Current Finest.
• The Davis Conway Collection, a PCGS-certified Lincoln collection. Mr. Conway explains, “Just as we were closing in on the top Registry spot on the Lincoln Date set, the family nature of the collection took precedence – the proceeds from this auction are supporting building our new home! But I am far from giving up, and there will be other Registry sets in the future.”
• The Morton J. Greene Collection, a wide-ranging collection put together over six decades.
• The Hamous Collection of California Gold, a significant collection of fractional gold coins, “small in size, but large in history.”
• The Laredo Collection, an eclectic holding of numismatic masterpieces, reflecting the interests of a collector who chose not to specialize, but rather to buy beauty and rarity when they most appealed to him.
• The Malibu Collection, proof Seated quarters and half dollars, large on quality and eye appeal, and many among the finest known.
• The Menlo Park Collection, a wonderful, nearly complete US type collection.
• The Mississippi Collection, selections of gold rarities, with an emphasis on Dahlonega and Charlotte pieces.
• The Nevada Collection of Seated Quarters, the result of a most unusual arrangement where two collectors, living in different western states, worked together to form a single great collection.
• The Sundance Collection, a quality collection of Seated halves.