The December Coin Galleries auction is an  immensely popular mail and internet bid sale held four times a year by the foreign department of Stack’s. Over 3,000 lots await your perusal, and span every category from ancient, medieval, and world coins, to medals, tokens, orders and decorations, and to U.S. coins and currency. Even some mineral specimens are included! The sale will close on Wednesday, December 17 at 3:00pm, so be sure to place your bids well beforehand.

Ancient coins lead the way with a healthy dose of both Greek and Roman issues. The Theban Stater depicting the infant Herakles is just one of the many rare and high quality coins offered in this section. Other highlights include the splendid Divus Augustus/Caligula dual portrait Denarius in near Extremely Fine condition, and the beautiful Nero as Caesar Aureus that appears several lots later.

Medieval issues follow ancient coins, and offer an impressive array of English issues. Chief among these is the breathtaking Henry VIII and Jane Seymour Gold Double Rose Crown graded MS-63 by NGC. This specimen combines majestic beauty with an exciting sense of history. The Tudor dynasty, so infamously represented by Henry VIII, has as of late become a great source of popular interest; the present coin is a tangible reminder of those turbulent times. Another beautiful example of medieval artistic design is the French Agnel d’or of Philippe V in Extremely Fine condition.

World coins comprise over 500 lots and present exciting opportunities to acquire significant issues. German States coinage offers several handsome Taler Klippes, as well as a very rare 1745 Ducat from Speyer. The English James I Pattern Sovereign in silver in Good Fine is an excellent chance to obtain an extremely rare coin. Other interesting opportunities include a large offering (just shy of 100 lots!) of mostly one ounce Chinese gold pandas. (more…)

On Oct. 23, the late Frederick Mayer’s collection of Costa Rican coins, tokens and paper money was auctioned by the firm of Spink-Smythe in New York City. The day before, Oct. 22, Spink-Shreves sold Mayer’s collection of Costa Rican stamps at the same location. The Shreves stamp auction firm and Smythe are now integrated and owned by Spink. This first part of my review concerns the setting and atmosphere of the auction, the general importance of the material that was sold, the consignor, and the participants.

In parts 2 and 3, I will discuss Costa Rican silver coins. This series of articles is designed to be clear to those who know nothing about Costa Rican coins. There will be a good deal of explanation. Hopefully, collectors of U.S. or world coins will find my discussions to be interesting and will be amazed by Mayer’s collection.

The highest priced coin in the auction was Mayer’s Costa Rican 1873 Twenty Pesos gold coin. The issue is a Great Rarity. The Mayer 1873 realized $43,225. Curiously, it weighs substantially more than two Costa Rican Ten Pesos coins, and almost as much as a U.S. Double Eagle ($20 gold coin). It will be discussed in part 4, along with other gold coins from the collection, a few of which are incredible.

Some of the rarer, most famous, and more interesting of Mayer’s coins were minted when Costa Rica was part of the Central American Republic, which was really a loose federation that was founded in 1823 and began to fall apart in 1838. These coins will be discussed in part 5.

Costa Rica is a stable democracy in Central America. It borders Panama and Nicaragua. El Salvador, the Honduras and Guatemala are also in Central America, which is a landmass that is connected to both North America and South America. World coin collectors in the U.S. and Europe often aim to build type sets of all Central American or of all Latin American societies. (more…)

Poppy coin bookmark to benefit the Royal Canadian Legion’s Dominion Command Poppy Trust Fund

On the eve of Remembrance Day commemorations and the 90 th anniversary of the Armistice, the Royal Canadian Mint, in association with the Royal Canadian Legion, is proud to issue its latest coloured circulation coin which features the iconic red poppy, Canada’s flower of remembrance.

The Mint will produce up to 11 million 25-cent coloured poppy coins, which will enter into circulation beginning today and will be distributed exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix locations from coast to coast. Canadians are also encouraged to look for this special coin in their change.

“Through this unique circulation coin, the Royal Canadian Mint is keeping alive the memory of all Canadian veterans who served their country with such distinction,” said Ian E. Bennett, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. “Mint employees are honoured to pay tribute to those who have bravely fought for our freedom, particularly on the eve of such a significant anniversary.”

“The Royal Canadian Legion is extremely pleased that the Royal Canadian Mint has honoured our veterans with the production of this very special poppy coin,” said Mr. Wilfred Edmond, Dominion President of the Royal Canadian Legion.

“Shoppers Drug Mart is honoured to be a part of the circulation of this commemorative coin that recognizes the valour and courage of those Canadians who served in the First World War,” said Tammy Smitham, Director, Communications & Corporate Affairs, Shoppers Drug Mart. “In partnership with the Royal Canadian Legion, our Pharmacist-owned stores will also be a distribution point for poppies during the Remembrance period to raise further awareness and funds for our Veterans.” (more…)