Bowers and Merena will conduct the Official auction of the June 2010 Whitman Coin & Collectibles Baltimore Expo. Scheduled for June 16-20, 2010 at the Baltimore Convention Center, the sale will present nearly 3,500 lots of United States coins, exonumia and related items.

According to Bowers and Merena president Steve Deeds: “We have a wonderful sale planned for the June 2010 Baltimore Expo anchored by several important collections and Registry Sets.

In the category of Registry Sets we are featuring the Close to Perfect Collection, #1 All-Time Finest Lincoln Memorial Cents Basic Set on the PCGS Registry and the Weston Collection, PCGS Registry Set #8 in the category Capped Bust Half Dollars Major Variety Set without Reeded Edges.

The Close to Perfect Collection includes many low-pop condition rarities, including some stellar-quality MS-69s and MS-70s from the 21st century, while the Weston Collection features many original collector coins in VF, EF and AU.”

“Among U.S. gold coin offerings,” continued Deeds, “bidders will find the Windermere Collection and its fantastic array of rare-date Liberty Double Eagles and Territorial gold. Leading the way are 1855-O $20 NGC AU-55, 1859-O $20 NGC AU-55, 1860-O $20 NGC AU-58, 1861-O $20 NGC AU-55, 1861-S Paquet $20 NGC AU-50 and an 1852 Augustus Humbert $50 Gold, Reeded Edge, 880 THOUS, PCGS AU-55.

The Fab Five Collection of Early Half Eagles will also entice gold enthusiasts with a selection of five early Half Eagles, a fresh consignment recently certified by our company for the first time and making its first appearance in a major numismatic auction. A historic 1795 Small Eagle Five in NGC MS-61 leads off the Fab Five Collection, and it is an example of the scarcer BD-8 die marriage.”

Concluded Deeds: “Numerous other important rarities can also be found scattered throughout our June 2010 Baltimore Auction. We have a beautiful and rare 1930-S Double Eagle in PCGS Secure MS-65+, a top-of-the-pop 1917 Doubled Die Obverse Lincoln Cent, FS-101, PCGS Secure MS-67 RD from The Holdings of Ron Groszmann, a well-known 1794 Flowing Hair Silver Dollar rarity in a PCGS Genuine holder and countless other highlights from Colonial coinage through Territorials. Plus, a complete set of Proof Barber dimes, as well as nearly complete sets of Indian cents, Mercury dimes, Standing Liberty quarters, and a type set with key coinage, all collected in the 1950s and 1960s. No matter what your area of specialization, I am confident that the Bowers and Merena June 2010 Baltimore Auction holds many important bidding opportunities. Enjoy the sale, and good luck with your bids.”

Additional highlights in the Bowers and Merena June 2010 Baltimore Auction include:

• 1926-S Buffalo Nickel, NGC MS-65
• 1937-D Buffalo Nickel, 3-Legged, PCGS MS-65, CAC
• 1797 Draped Bust Half Dime, 16 Stars, NGC MS-64, CAC
• 1800 Draped Bust Half Dime, PCGS MS-64
• 1807 Draped Bust Dime, NGC MS-65, OH
• 1795 Flowing Hair Silver Dollar, Three Leaves, PCGS MS-62
• 1795 Capped Bust Right Eagle, 13 Leaves, NGC AU-55
• 1872 Liberty Eagle, PCGS Proof-64 DCAM, Ex: J.F. Bell Collection
• MCMVII (1907) High Relief Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, Wire Rim, NGC MS-66
• A Complete 1871 Standard Silver Pattern Proof Set, Half Dime through Dollar, Ex: Garrett
• 1872 Pattern Commercial Dollar, Judd-1217, PCGS Proof-64 RB
• 1849 Mormon $2.50 Gold, K-1, PCGS VF-35, CAC—Gold Label, OGH—First Generation
• 1849 Oregon Exchange Company $5 Gold, K-1, NGC AU Details—Tooled
• 1883 Hawaii Eighth Dollar, PCGS Secure Proof-63 Cameo (more…)

By Laura Sperber of Legend Numismatics

For the record, we expect Baltimore to be a VERY strong show. Why?

There have not been any major shows since Long Beach-which has been a forever 45 days ago. Gold has been on a tear lately. And there have been no major additions to the ever shrinking supply of nice coins.

We fully expect to see the usual suspects running wild looking to buy gold coins before the show begins. Sadly, they will still be cracking out and messing with the coins, but at least they are much more reserved in what they buy. We used to see guys buy coins for “crackout” if they felt they had even a 20% chance. Plus, some upgrades are not worth doing thanks to the new market order (inferior coins selling for so much less).

Still, many dealers who do deal in gold have sold a lot of gold all of the sudden (amazing, only a month ago the big firms wouldn’t even look at generics) and rare gold coins are now selling as strong as ever. Without a major show, it has been impossible to replace them. We’re not so sure the supply of anything at Baltimore will be sizeable.

The price of gold generally does NOT effect the rare coin market. However since there is just so little of anything out there, cash rich dealers will seize the opportunity and buy cool coins to put away because they seem cheap. The rise in gold is definately giving rare coins a bounce up right now.

A SUGGESTION OF WHAT TO BUY

Every day we get asked what should I be buying? As much as we hate making public recommendations, we are going to do so only because we can’t believe how some areas are simply lacking real demand and are selling way too cheap.
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Stack’s eagerly invites you to take part in our 74th Anniversary Sale, held this year in Baltimore, MD November 9-11, 2009. Stack’s is proud to celebrate our 74th year in the auction business by holding a star-studded auction event, replete with dazzling rarities at every turn. This auction will include U.S. coins, tokens, medals, and paper money, and includes selections from the Alan Bleviss Collection, the Jerry Byrne, Sr. Collection, the David Hickson Collection, the Chester L. Krause Collection, the Maryland Historical Society, the Mayflower Collection, the Minot Collection, the Robert A. Vlack Collection and much more!

Session One begins at 2:00pm on Monday, November 9th and leads off with U.S. tokens and medals, including over 500 lots from the Alan Bleviss Collection of Civil War Tokens.
U.S. medals offer a selection that is modest in size only. U.S. coins comprise roughly the second half of this session, and provide a truly wonderful array of Colonial and Early American issues, many of which hail from the Maryland Historical Society.
Federal issues hold their own among these exceptional colonial pieces, and small cents through nickels finish out the session, with lovely runs of Proof cents and nice quality Buffalo nickels capping it off.

Session Two begins at 2:00pm on Tuesday, November 10th and covers half dimes through double eagles, patterns, and gold commemoratives and offers exceptional pieces in every category, as well as fine runs of early examples in most denominations.

Session Three will commence on Wednesday, November 11 at 11:00am and will begin with silver commemorative coins. From here, we move through modern commemoratives, bullion issues, Proof and mint sets, and miscellaneous U.S. coins to the section of United States Currency.
Finishing out our 74th Anniversary Sale is the Robert A. Vlack Collection of Advertising Notes, comprising over 150 lots.

If you cannot attend in person, be sure to send us your bids by U.S. mail or fax, or place your bids on our website, either before the sale or by bidding online during the sessions. If you have yet to do so, take a moment to familiarize yourself with our new Stack’s at Home™ program, an improved online bidding experience which allows bidders to watch and participate in the auction in real time through live audio and video feed. You can find us at 123 W 57th Street, New York, NY 10019 or at Box 1804, Wolfeboro, NH 03894. To contact us by phone, please use 800-566-2580 (NY) or 866-811-1804 (NH), or email us.
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