On Tuesday, January 26, all eyes in the paper money world will be focused on the first day of Stack’s New York Americana Sale. Held at the firm’s auction gallery at 110 West 57th Street, the sale (which continues with coins, tokens, and medals, through Wednesday), will commence with over 500 lots of paper.

Obsolete notes come to the fore, highlighted by major rarities, extensive proof notes, Haxby SENC and unlisted issues, and more. In addition there will be many popular and highly affordable lots—something for everyone in the field of paper money.

Among these are some highly interesting and very rare Hawaiian issues including a set of the Lahainaluna Seminary Money, and notes of New York, Maryland, and Massachusetts that include many items off the market for a long time.

Early American paper money includes Continental Currency as well as issues of the various colonies and states. Of all of the colonial issues, none is more prized than that of Vermont, which actually was not a state until 1791. A newly discovered Vermont half a crown will cause the temperature to rise in the auction room as it crosses the block. Any Vermont paper money is extremely rare, and this particular note is especially so. Lot 2559 Vermont Half Crown

Interesting fiscal paper follows, combining history and rarity, and the same can be said for a nice offering of lottery tickets. A small but interesting selection of federal notes then follows, including multiple “Bison” notes, a “Lazy Deuce,” a rare Colorado National and more. (more…)

Holabird-Kagin Americana has released its newest catalog in their series on pioneer minor coinage. Mint State Pioneer Minor Coinage is a 168-page catalog of certified tokens, all graded MS 60-plus. Fred Holabird, author of the catalog and partner in Holabird-Kagin Americana, stated that this catalog is the first of its kind in what he calls the “Last Frontier of Numismatics” to be professionally certified.

The catalog contains images of the obverse and reverse of each token, as well as short interesting stories on many of the pieces, particularly those from California and Nevada. The catalog’s introduction discusses a number of fascinating issues surrounding mint state tokens, including populations, hoards, manufacturer collections and restrikes.

The field of collecting tokens in mint state is new, according to Holabird, and real rarities of uncirculated pieces are still not known. As an example, many pieces rated common, with perhaps 25–50 pieces known, have no known uncirculated pieces. “This can be confusing while the dust settles on this new frontier,” stated Holabird.

Collectors have the chance of obtaining MS 65 pieces for little money, compared to their Civil War counterparts. But they might find the opportunities lacking — NGC has graded fewer than 150 pieces MS 65 thus far.

Interested collectors can contact Holabird-Kagin Americana for a catalog, $15 or free with a purchase, at info@holabirdamericana.com or call 775-852-8822.

Stack’s Philadelphia Americana Sale was held last week in conjunction with the Whitman Coin and Collectibles Expo and was a resounding success. The auction realized nearly $9 million and set a new record for the most expensive silver U.S. medal ever sold at auction at a whopping $345,000! This sale featured not only the familiar U.S. coin and paper money issues, but also showcased landmark collections of medals, tokens, and other numismatic interests.

Part One of the Americana Sale featured American Paper Currency and was led off by the Chester L. Krause Collection of Wisconsin Obsolete Banknotes. Nearly 350 lots of Chet’s were offered and were extremely well-received. Highlights included a Oneida Bank Proof Sheet, a gorgeous color sheet that brought $23,000, and a fantastic Farmers Bank at Hudson color proof sheet that realized $17,250, more than doubling the pre-auction estimate. An excessively rare Waupun Bank “Santa Claus” Proof was also a significant highlight and sold for $16,100.

The second half of Part One was comprised of Canadian paper money, U.S. large and small size currency, fractional currency and fractional currency shields, Colonial and Continental currency, and a few pieces of Tromp l’Oeil numismatic artwork. Large size currency boasted an outstanding Gem 1896 $5 Educational note graded Superb Gem Uncirculated-67 PPQ (PCGS) that brought $23,000. National Bank Notes featured a prized D. O. Mills & Company, Sacramento, California 1872 $5 in Very Fine condition that fetched $43,125. There were three trompe l’oeil paintings offered in the Americana sale, the most notable of which was the 1949 “We’re All Gold Bugs” by Otis Kaye that sold for $43,125.

Following the numismatic art was a large section of Colonial and Continental Currency, which included a fabulous run of 1709 Colony of New York notes. First up was a rare May 31 Ten Shillings graded New-62 (PCGS) that garnered $13,225. Next was the amazing strip of three May 31 notes from the Ford-Boyd collection that went for $34,500, followed by an extremely rare November 1 Twenty Five Shillings in Extremely Fine-40 (PCGS) that sold for $12,650. Capping off this impressive run was the incredibly rare uncut pair of 25 Shillings-50 Shillings that sold for a respectable $27,600.
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