Dallas, TX – The Official Currency Auction of the FUN 2009 Convention in Orlando, presented by Heritage Auction Galleries, has posted prices realized exceeding $6.1 million. This was part of a weeklong series of Heritage auctions that also realized $52 million in U.S. rare coins sold at FUN, and $7 million in ancient and world coins sold at NYINC. Nearly three thousand bidders participated in the 5,575 lot currency auction, and just below half of them were successful.

Altogether, Heritage offered more than 19,000 lots at the FUN & NYINC venues. Overall, 87% of the FUN lots found new owners. All lots are currently posted at HA.com for post-auction research. The totals are expected to further increase as Post Auction Buys continue. FUN 2009 was Heritage’s – and the numismatic industry’s – third most valuable auction

“We were pleased with our FUN 2009 results,” noted Allen Mincho. “With all of the dislocations in the national economy, we were pleased that demand for rare currency was only off a little from the 2008 highs – and at that, many notes sold at FUN for record prices. We think this is a very positive start for 2009, as the currency collector community responded with real strength for notes that they desired. FUN was also Heritage’s first auction to extensively feature our new Video Lot Descriptions; the reception of bidders and consignors has been most gratifying. We invite you to visit HA.com and see for yourself. We also saw many clients participating – and winning – through our HERITAGE Live! online bidding system.”

Heritage is currently accepting consignments for their Central States Numismatic Society Convention auction; for more information, call Heritage’s currency consignor hotline at 800-872-6467 ext. 1001.

Click here for Greg Rohan’s videotaped comments on the FUN auctions and show.

Featured FUN rarities include:

Lot 15430: Fr. 817b $10 1915 Federal Reserve Bank Note PMG Choice About Unc 58 EPQ. Realized $126,500.

In November 2008, Chad Hawk, a grader at PMG, discovered a previously unknown Federal Reserve Bank Note variety – hand-signed by the Kansas City officials, instead of engraved signatures and rubber-stamped signatures. (more…)

Dallas, TX. The Official Auctions of the FUN 2009 Convention in Orlando have been posted by Heritage Auction Galleries on their HA.com website. Spread over seven separate FUN catalogs of U.S. coins and currency were 15,000-plus lots belonging to 600-plus consignors that Heritage offered at the January convention of Florida United Numismatists. The FUN auctions realized $52 million in rare coins and $6 million in currency.

A further $7 million in ancient and world coins (4,200 lots) sold at the New York International Numismatic Convention Signature® Auction. To date, more than 3,300 FUN bidders have been successful, more than one-third of the 9,000 FUN bidders participating. At FUN, 89% of the coin lots sold, and overall 87% of the lots found new owners. All lots are currently posted at HA.com for post-auction research. The totals are expected to further increase as Post Auction Buys and non-floor sessions continue.

“FUN 2009 was simply amazing,” enthused Heritage President Greg Rohan, “and we are pleased that 2009 is off to such a strong start. We continued to see strong demand for rare coins and currency despite the economic afflictions seen in the rest of the economy. We offered rarities across all series, and the collector community responded with strength – and we are even seeing some new clients who are turning to rare coins for diversification.”

“Our specialty collections were especially exciting. In fact, we offered so many rarities that our Platinum Night auction, featuring our rarest and best coins, had to be spread over two catalogs and two nights. The Lemus Collection – Queller Family Collection Part Two, containing 465 different Patterns, topped $8.3 million. The Scott Rudolph Collection contributed $5.3 million to total prices realized. The Jim O’Neal Collection of Saint-Gaudens $10 Indians, the #1 All-Time Finest at PCGS in both the Date Set and Full Circulation Strike categories, realized $3.2 million. The Sanderson Family Collection of Morgan Dollars realized $2.8 million, as did the Arno Collection of Morgans. ” (more…)

Heritage Auction Galleries has just posted prices realized approaching $7 million on its Signature Auction of Ancient and World Coins, held as an official auction of the New York International Numismatic Convention in New York City.At the conclusion of sales of Post Auction Buys and non-floor session material (ending Jan. 13), total prices Realized are expected to well exceed $7 million. This was the lead event in a week of Heritage auctions that will see more than 18,000 lots of rare coins and currency valued above $50 million sold in New York City and Orlando, Florida. Prices realized information on all auctions can be found at www.HA.com.

“This auction, Heritage’s seventh Official NYINC event at the Waldorf-Astoria, featured nearly 3000 lots of ancient and world coins from 225+ consignors,” said Warren Tucker, Heritage’s Director of World Coin Auctions. “This could well be our most valuable auction ever of ancient and world coins. Our prior record of $7,157,933 was set only last year at our June Long Beach Signature Auction, so this will be very close. It speaks well of the strength of the world coin market and our global marketing outreach wherever the final numbers fall.”

“Rarities were included from around the world,” continued Tucker, “but the auction was strengthened by several impressive specialty collections. Among the outstanding consignments were the Grundy Collection (one of the top collections of silver world crowns ever assembled, with 600 crowns renowned for both diversity and quality collected over 35 years), selections from the Deb-Ann Collection (from a serious collector for more than a quarter century), and the Don Kagin Collection of Multiple Thalers (formed over half a century with guidance from his father, Art Kagin, and focusing on specimens of historic importance, rarity, and quality). We were especially gratified to see continued growth in our HERITAGE Live! online bidding system, which was kept constantly busy winning lots for clients around the globe.”

The top lot in the auction at $109,250 was a unique ancient silver coin/medallion of Hadrian Augustus (minted A.D. 135-137). Considered a masterpiece of ancient portraiture (by the ‘Alphaeus Master’, most likely a member of Hadrian’s inner circle, and perhaps the sculptor Antonianus (Antoninianus) of Aphrodisias) at 33.5 mm in width, the obverse has been judged one of the finest among the entire Roman coinage. The reverse features a delightful mythological scene that speaks of Hadrian’s patronage of the Greeks, with Poseidon standing, his left foot on a rock, holding a trident upright; at right, Athena stands with her left hand on her hip, and her right hand on an olive branch with a snake coiling from the base of the tree. (more…)