Project Enables ANA to Showcase Collection at Boston Convention

The American Numismatic Association has contracted with its official paper money grader, Paper Money Guaranty, LLC to encapsulate, grade, appraise and provide a complete certification report for the ANA Bebee Collection of Paper Money.

The collection, donated to the ANA Edward C. Rochette Money Museum by Aubrey and Adeline Bebee in 1987, is one of most comprehensive collections of U.S. paper money ever assembled. It features 904 notes including national bank notes from virtually every state and territory and perhaps the finest collection of large-sized notes outside of the Smithsonian Institution.

“This agreement with PMG makes it possible for the ANA to share this fabulous collection with numismatists and paper money aficionados who, otherwise, might never have an opportunity to see the spectacular rarities collected by Aubrey and Adeline Bebee,” said ANA Executive Director Larry Shepherd. “The Bebees entrusted the ANA to protect and preserve their life’s work – but we also know that they hoped this special collection could be shared with the numismatic community. It’s a great feeling to know that we’ll now be able to expand our use of these notes for educational purposes, share them with the numismatic community, and preserve them for future generations.”

“This is such a special collection,” said Glen Jorde, manager of PMG, which along with NGC and NCS serve as the ANA’s official grading and conservation services. “So many of the Bebee specimens are either unique or the finest we’ve ever seen. The national bank note collection, with nearly every state and territory represented, blew me away. And the collection of large-sized U.S. notes is simply one of the finest anywhere outside of the Smithsonian.”

The Bebee collection, displayed on the ANA website , will be encapsulated in time for its inaugural display at the summer ANA World’s Fair of Money in Boston, August 10-14, at the Hynes Convention Center.

Beginning this month, PMG will accurately and safely grade and encapsulate each note into a holder designed for long-term protection. Three PMG graders will examine each of the notes to confirm authenticity, attribution and to render an opinion on its condition. Once graded, each note will be encapsulated along with a certification label. The information will then be recorded in PMG’s data management system and provided to the ANA. The project is scheduled for completion by June 11. (more…)

The Official Currency Auction of the 2010 Central States Numismatic Society Convention in Milwaukee will be conducted by Heritage Auctions April 28 to May 3. The auction will include three floor sessions and an online session. Lot viewing will be conducted at the Midwest Airlines Center, Rooms 201 A thru D, 400 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53203 and the floor sessions will be held in Rooms 203 A and B.

Session One starts Wednesday evening, April 28, at 6 p.m. CT, and includes Colonials, Fractional Currency, Obsoletes, Confederate Notes, and Canadian Currency. Featured lots include: Fr. 1330 50¢ Third Issue Spinner PMG Gem Uncirculated 66 EPQ; a rare Kirtland, OH- The Kirtland Safety Society Bank $50 Mar. 9, 1837 G16 Wolka 1424-16 Rust SV6; New Orleans, LA- Citizens’ Bank of Louisiana $10 Uncut Sheet of “Dixie” Notes PMG Choice Uncirculated 63; T2 $500 1861 PF-1 PMG Choice Very Fine 35; and a unique Windsor, NS- Commercial Bank of Windsor $20-$20-$20-$20 Ch. 195-10-02S Uncut Specimen Sheet PMG About Uncirculated 50.

National Bank Notes will be sold during Session Two, on Thursday, April 29 at 6 p.m. CT. The auction includes Part II of selections from the Lone Star Collection, an assemblage of National Bank Notes formed over three decades consisting of the very finest notes that could be obtained from Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. The consignor’s Arkansas collection is almost certainly the finest ever formed, with his Oklahoma holdings ranking as one of the two greatest collections ever formed on that state, and the Texas collection rivals any ever assembled save for that of William Philpott.

Among the notes from the collection being offered are a unique Serial Number One $50 Date Back from Oklahoma Madill, OK - $50 1882 Date Back Fr. 564 The First NB Ch. # (W)5404 PMG Very Fine 20 and Marietta, IT – $10 1882 Brown Back Fr. 490 The Marietta NB Ch. # (W)5958 PMG About Uncirculated 55.

Additional National Bank Note highlights from Session Two include: Oakland, CA – $10 1875 Fr. 419 The Union National Gold Bank Ch. # 2266 PCGS Very Fine 35PPQ; Serial Number One Lead, SD – $5 1882 Brown Back Fr. 472 The First NB Ch. # 4631 PMG Very Fine 30; and Serial Number One Lake Ronkonkoma, NY – $20 1929 Ty. 1 The NB of Lake Ronkonkoma Ch. # 13130 PMG About Uncirculated 55 EPQ.

The floor sessions of the auction will conclude with the Friday evening Session Three offering of Small Size Currency, Error Notes, and Large Size Type Notes. The session will begin at 6:00 p.m. CT. Small Size selections include: Fr. 2221-H $5000 1934 Federal Reserve Note PMG Choice Extremely Fine 45 Net; Fr. 2231-J $10000 1934 Federal Reserve Note PMG Extremely Fine 40 Net; and Fr. 2407 $500 1928 Gold Certificate PMG Choice Very Fine 35. (more…)

Board Also Approves Fall Show and Spring 2012 Location

The American Numismatic Association Board of Governors, on March 27, approved a recommendation from Executive Director Larry Shepherd to name Chicago as the site of the summer ANA World’s Fair of Money® in 2013, 2014 and 2015, and to launch a fall show in 2011.

A third annual ANA convention will be scheduled between late September and mid-October, and will rotate among major cities like Pittsburgh, Boston and Denver. The ANA will continue to hold annual spring and summer shows.

The Board named Denver as the site of the 2012 spring ANA National Money Show™, scheduled for May to avoid Colorado’s unpredictable early spring weather.

“Successful conventions and auction contracts are critical to our future,” ANA Executive Director Larry Shepherd said. “We can now move immediately to ‘brand’ Chicago as an ANA city.”

Shepherd stressed the importance of branding Chicago as the home of the summer ANA World’s Fair of Money, noting the success FUN has had branding Orlando as its home, and Whitman establishing Baltimore as a show destination.

“By selecting a single good location, the ANA will brand its summer convention as an annual ‘coin show destination’ that all collectors and dealers will strive to attend. The dates will be tightly fixed, the location well known and easily accessible at a reasonable cost. But most importantly, it will give us an opportunity to expand our show and set it apart from all others.”

Shepherd said the convention hall space available at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center (formerly the Rosemont Convention Center) in Chicago allows the ANA to increase bourse space, create more room for museum-quality exhibits, provide free space for clubs and professional organizations to meet, and provide more table options to attract new dealers and first-time buyer tables. (more…)