World class collections are the name of the game at Heritage Auction Galleries March 25-28 Signature® ANA U.S. Coin Auction, part of the week-long happenings at the ANA National Money Show in Fort Worth, just down the highway a spell from Heritage headquarters in Dallas. Highlights include commemorative gold, cents large and small, and quarter eagles.

The most impressive grouping of the auction is the commemorative gold, which features no less than seven 1915-S Panama-Pacific fifty dollar gold coins, three round and four octagonal. In most auctions, one of these California commemorative coins would be a star highlight. With seven of them in this auction it’s more like an ensemble cast.

Two featured collections account for six of the seven coins. The Cliff Street Collection has two sets of the coins, with a pair of round $50s in lots 1842 and 1848 and their octagonal counterparts as lots 1843 and 1849.

The Larry V. Cunningham Collection features a round example graded MS65 NGC, CAC as lot 1854, and lot 1855 is its octagonal twin, graded MS63 NGC, CAC. Last but not least is lot 1856, a final octagonal example graded MS63 by PCGS.

Lot 1854 Detail: 1915-S $50 Panama-Pacific 50 Dollar Round MS65 NGC. CAC. Like modern commemoratives celebrating the Olympic Games, many issues in the classic commemorative series mark events happening close to the year of issue, rather than anniversaries. Several early series, including the World’s Columbian Exposition coins, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition gold dollars, and the Lewis and Clark Exposition gold dollars, blur the edges of the category, since their respective expositions themselves honored anniversaries of 100 or 400 years.

By contrast, the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915 celebrated strictly recent events. The rebuilding of San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake figured into the choice of San Francisco to host the World’s Fair, as did the construction of the Panama Canal, begun in 1904 and completed in 1914. Still, both developments were fresh in the minds of San Francisco’s residents by the time the Exposition opened its doors, particularly the rebuilding; that theme is echoed the name of the “Nine Years After” parade, held at the Exposition in mid-April, a reminder of both all that was lost and how far the city had come.

Though expositions before and after the Panama-Pacific had commemorative coins issued for them, none of the exposition coinage programs was so ambitious as the one struck in 1915. While the half dollar and gold dollar were cues taken from past expositions’ commemoratives, the quarter eagle and especially the round and octagonal fifty dollar coins took the classic commemorative series into uncharted territory.

While the fifty dollar commemorative coin is an idea that has gone unrepeated in U.S. numismatics, even in the modern era, survivors remain to offer testimony to a singular chapter in the history of American coinage. High-grade coins such as the present Gem, however, have a supply far too small to meet demand. This lovely coin is immensely lustrous with pale canary-yellow surfaces. While the centers show slight striking softness, most visibly at the owl’s legs, the overall eye appeal is remarkable. It will be a fortunate bidder who ultimately wins the contest for this coin.

Copper collectors will be keeping an assuredly keen eye on both large and small cents in this auction, and early copper specialists will doubtless be drawn to a 1793 Chain cent of variety S-3, graded MS64 Brown by PCGS.

The history of this Chain cent is incredible. It was used to illustrate its variety on the Levick plate of April 1869, a pioneering photographic record of large cent varieties. We have been able to trace its provenance even before that, back to an Edward Cogan auction in December 1866.

For small cent collectors, one of the most spectacular Lincoln cent varieties, the rare 1969-S Doubled Die Obverse, is represented in lot 301, with an example graded AU55 by PCGS. Just a few dozen survivors are known for this landmark variety, which has die doubling so broad that it can be seen without magnification.

Indian quarter eagle collectors will be paying close attention to Part Two of The Atherton Family Collection, which has a complete set of the 15 issues in the series. Every coin in this collection is a highlight in its own right, but two lots stand out,” said Rohan. “The 1911-D is the key to the series, and the Atherton coin, lot 2176, is graded an amazing MS66 by PCGS. Former owners include Ambassador and Mrs. R. Henry Norweb, and later one of the most famous gold coin collectors of all time, Harry W. Bass, Jr.

Not to be overlooked, also, is lot 2184, a 1914 quarter eagle awarded the almost unheard-of grade of MS67 by PCGS. Not only is it the single finest 1914 quarter eagle known, it is one of just four Indian quarter eagles of any date graded MS67 by PCGS.

Additional highlights include, but are not limited to:

• 1799 Large Cent, VF35 PCGS: An attractive Choice VF representative of this famous and challenging date.
• 1916-D Dime, MS65 Full Bands NGC: Sharply struck and in amazing condition, a great example of the Mercury dime key.
• 1859 Seated Dollar, PR67 PCGS, CAC: Exquisitely preserved beneath gorgeous toning, a stunning Superb Gem specimen of an elusive proof Seated dollar issue.
• 1906 Eagle, PR67 Cameo NGC: One of 77 specimens struck for this proof gold issue, and easily one of the most beautiful survivors.
• 1860-O Double Eagle, AU53 PCGS: Great quality and eye appeal for this New Orleans date struck on the eve of the Civil War.
• Harris Marchand & Co. Gold Ingot: A relatively small (18.41 ounce) ingot recovered from the S.S. Central America, one of just over three dozen known for this prized assayer of California gold.

This auction is open for bidding now at HA.com/Coins.

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