Heritage Auctions

In This Issue:
• Rare Chinese Patterns lead $5.1 Million Hong Kong event
• Seldom Seen Selections: 1885 Snowden Dollar in Aluminum
• Website Tips: Getting the most from Guided Navigation - Highlights
• Around Heritage Auctions
• This Week's Top Ten
• Is It Time To Sell?
• Current Auctions

December 11, 2018

Rare Chinese Patterns lead $5.1 Million Hong Kong event

Kuang-hsü gold Pattern Kuping Tael (Liang) CD 1906 MS63 NGC

Rare gold and silver patterns provided many of the highlights as Heritage's auctions realized over $5.1 million December 5-7 in Hong Kong. After auction sales are continuing and may add even more to the total. All prices include a 20% Buyer's Premium.

Rare coins sold for over $3.3 million in total, with the vast majority of the highlights representing Chinese coinage. The top spot was claimed by a Kuang-Hsü pattern Kuping Tael minted in Tientsin in 1906. This large gold pattern, graded MS63 by NGC, is one of fewer than twenty certified examples. It sold for $204,000. A similar coin minted the following year and graded MS62 by the same service claimed a hammer price of $132,000, and a second 1907 example graded MS61 sold for $96,000.

A curious and ultra-rare Proof 1995 Dragon Boat 500 Yuan coin raised $186,000 when it crossed the auction block. This enormous five-ounce gold coin grades Proof-69 Ultra Cameo according to NGC, but while the issue as a whole is extremely rare, this is the only example to have been minted without a number on the edge. Possibly a pattern, perhaps an error, this coin may very well be unique and was clearly deserving its premium bid. Underlying this piece's extreme desirability, an example in the same grade, but with the edge number 85, realized $120,000.

Additional highlights of the coin offerings in this event included coins such as:

Hong Kong National Bank of China Limited 5 Dollars 2.5.1894 KNB1a Pick 247a

The currency event brought in over $1.8 million, led by a note from Hong Kong, the National Bank of China Limited 5 Dollars 2.5.1894 KNB1a Pick 247a, graded Very Fine 30 by PMG. This bank's authority to issue banknotes was revoked in 1895, making this 1894 issue the sole available from the bank. With most examples redeemed, a mere two other examples have been certified by the major grading companies, neither as fine as this note. The hammer price of $138,000 only testifies to this note's rarity.

Just a few of the additional currency highlights included:

Bidding on our next auction of world coins is already open at coins.HA.com, with world currency scheduled to open for bidding soon at currency.HA.com.

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Seldom Seen Selections: 1885 Snowden Dollar in Aluminum

1885 $1 Snowden Dollar, Judd-1749, Pollock-1961, Low R.7, PR65 PCGS

Our December 13-14 Beverly Hills Signature Auction features an example of the fascinating Snowden dollar pattern graded Proof-65 by PCGS. Roughly half a dozen examples are known. The obverse and reverse dies are the from the regular-issue 1885 Morgan dollar, but an experimental edge has been used with the legend: * * * * * * E * / PLURIBUS * / UNUM * * * * *. Rather than the usual silver, this coin is struck in aluminum with a tripartite collar for the edge lettering.

The so-called Snowden dollars were struck as an anti-counterfeiting measure. The edge was struck from a novel three-part collar that produced raised edge lettering on the coin. Considerable experimentation went into the production of these pieces, and on June 12, 1885 Mint Superintendent A. L. Snowden and his staff succeeded in getting the mechanism to work at normal production speeds of 80 to 100 coins per minute. Snowden retired at the end of the year, and left placement of the raised lettering to his successor. Mint Director H. C. Burchard left office around the same time, and no one remained in the Mint who had Snowden's insight, ability, or willingness to experiment to carry his project forward to completion. The tripartite collar was not used again until 1907 when Augustus Saint-Gaudens' double eagles went into production.

As with most aluminum patterns, the fields are exceptionally bright and mirrored. Slight haziness is present on each side with ever-so-slight darkening of the metal over the eagle on the reverse.

This coin is available for bid now at coins.HA.com.

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Website Tips: Getting the most from Guided Navigation - Highlights

The guided navigation filters in the Heritage Search results, on the left hand side of the page, allow you to narrow your search in many different ways. Some are obvious, such as by auction or grade, but some might take you to items you might not have considered before.

The Highlights section covers a number of interesting search results that may interest you as a bidder or buyer. The entries are as follows:

Buy Now from Owner. These are items that have sold in a previous Heritage auction, where the owner has listed a price he is willing to sell the item for. Purchases on these items are done anonymously, with the buyer and seller completely unaware of the identity of the other.
Featured. The top items in current auctions. Usually, but not always, the most valuable items in the auction.
Great Value. Auction items where the current bid is a small fraction of the estimate
JH Exceptional. Limited to coins, this is Heritage inventory that is exceptional quality for the assigned grade.
Make an Offer. These are items in either Heritage Inventory, Virtual Bourse/Comic Market, or Post Auction Buys, where the owner is entertaining offers for less than the immediate sale price.
Active (bid/track). Items in current and upcoming auctions with the most bidding and tracking activity
Popular (views). Items in current and upcoming auctions with the most user views
New Item. The items most recently added to Heritage Inventory
Video Description. These auction items have a full video lot description on their item page.
360 Degree View. These items have a moving image to complement the still images normally seen on the item pages. For coins, this is a video that shows you the luster or toning of the piece at different angles. For other items, the 360 degree view is fully controllable, allowing you to drag the image to look at the piece from any angle.
Owner Accepting Offers. For items currently being offered, this is the same as Buy Now from Owner. However, if you switch to the Auction Archives, this will show you all items where the owner is accepting offers, regardless of whether there is a Buy Now price.

We encourage you to try it out!

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Around Heritage Auctions

Meteorites, Gold Specimens Offered in Heritage Auctions' Nature & Science Auction

An extensive collection of meteorites, gemstones, gold specimens and fossils are among the top offerings in Heritage Auctions' Nature & Science auction Dec. 15 in Dallas.

"This auction represents a wonderful assortment of Natural History with a superb grouping of vertebrate skulls, broad assortments of gold specimens, meteorites, gemstones and fossils, and beautiful works of lapidary art," Heritage Auctions Nature & Science Director Craig Kissick said. "My personal favorites are the massive Ceratopsian Skull, the incredible Dire Wolf Skull, the incomparable Lunar Meteorite, the phenomenal Aquamarine Gemstone and the largest Gold Nugget."

"But the sale includes outstanding options for collectors of all levels and with a wide assortment of collecting tastes. There really is something for everyone."

Golds
This auction includes a vast number of Gold pieces covering both nuggets and crystalline specimens highlighted by a huge (4.31 by 2.97 by 1.54 inches and nearly 20 ounces) Gold Nugget (estimate: $40,000-60,000) from Victoria, Australia, a dazzling specimen in a class with few peers. The specimen's beautiful natural form and vibrant luster make it a perfect collector's piece, augmenting its rare combination of size, shape and the brilliant color often associated with Australian Gold. Its consistent appeal means any side could be the primary display.

Another large Gold Nugget (estimate: $25,000-30,000) comes from Eagle Creek in the Circle Mining District in Alaska's Yukon-Koyukuk Borough. With right golden coloration and atypically clean appearance, it weighs 12.5 troy ounces. Measuring 3.19 by 2.52 by 0.74 inches, the nugget has one concave and one convex side, each with an intriguingly complex texture.

NWA 8641 Lunar Meteorite: Large Piece of the Moon

Meteorites
The result of a collision between a meteorite and the moon that knocked loose a piece of the lunar surface, NWA 8641 Lunar Meteorite: Large Piece of the Moon (estimate: $300,000-500,000) is a massive (7-1/2 inches long and 6.4 pounds) matchless end piece of a lunar meteorite. Similar samples brought to earth by Apollo astronauts are deemed property of the United States government and controlled by NASA at the Johnson Center and at the Smithsonian Institution, but this sample's organic separation from the moon allow it to be offered to the public. One of the larger meteorites on record and the 8,641st meteorite recovered and classified in Northwest Africa, it is recorded in the Meteoritical Bulletin. This sample is extremely fresh, and not "weathered," and therefore has not been "terrestrialized" through exposure to the Earth's elements. Only about 750 pounds of lunar material – including that brought back by astronauts and that which fell in the form of meteorites – exists on earth, more than six pounds of which is found in this lot.

Also from Northwest Africa comes NWA 11273 Meteorite Lunar (feldspathic breccia), which features huge inclusions of light color among the dark black/grey exterior of the rock. With a pre-auction estimate of $30,000-50,000, this large (2.13 inches long and 98.9 grams) example will display beautifully in any orientation.

Fossils
A Ceratopsian Dinosaur Skull (estimate: $200,000-300,000) is the most complete known specimen of its kind from the Late Cretaceous of the Hell Creek Formation in North America. The half skull of an unidentified Ceratopsian species measures 88 inches from the tip of the beak to the back of the squamosal, and is different from other Ceratopsians – including Triceratops horridus and Triceratops prosus – in part because of its large and narrow nasal horn, the relatively short brow horns and a frill (shield) that is relatively small in relation to the rest of the skull. Experts believe the differences between this Ceratopsian and other Late Cretaceous Ceratopsians should help facilitate the naming of a new genus and a new species. It was collected in 2012 and prepared by Neal Larson, who dedicated an estimated 1,200 hours to the preparation and mounting.

Among the most fascinating lots offered in the auction is a Dire Wolf Skull (estimate: $30,000-50,000). The "fearsome dog" has been called the canine version of the saber-tooth cat. Similar in size to the largest of modern gray wolves and a likely pack hunter with a "hypercarnivorous" lifestyle, the Dire Wolf disappeared at the end of the Ice Age like most of the giant mammals of the Pleistocene. Scientists believe that these powerful predators, who were represented by the dogs on HBO's Game of Thrones, supplemented their fleshy diet by crushing bones in order to extract nutrients from the marrow. Unlike many specimens, which have been found in California tar pits, this one-of-a-kind collector's specimen was found near the Nodaway River in Page County, Iowa. The skull consists of a maxilla and a mandible, which was fully reconstructed. The major part of the 11.31-inch, museum-quality skull is in exceptional condition, having been preserved with roughly 90 percent of the original bone material intact.

Gemstones
Cut from a Brazilian large gem-quality rough specimen, this 402.22-carat Aquamarine (estimate: $200,000-300,000) comes from the world-renowned Minas Gerais region of Brazil, which is famous for minerals. This massive rectangular, emerald step-cut investor-grade rarity features a rich greenish-blue hue and crystal clarity.

A 42.3-carat Imperial Topaz (estimate: $50,000-70,000) hails from the same Minas Gerais region of Brazil. From the rarest of the Topaz family, the size, alone, makes this sample an absolute rarity. In an elongated cushion shape with a modified brilliant cut, it displays the iconic deep golden yellow hue, which is found only in Brazil's Ouro Preto district. Cut and polished to create an abundance of scintillation, it is accompanied by a GIA (Gemological Institute of America) certificate.

December 15 Nature & Science Signature Auction - Dallas #5389 video

More information about Nature & Science Auctions

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This Week's Top Ten

Chekiang. Kuang-hsü Dragon Dollar ND (1898-99) MS66 NGC

The ten highest valued coins to sell in Heritage's Hong Kong auctions:

Chekiang. Kuang-hsü Dragon Dollar ND (1898-99) MS66 NGC, KM-Y55, L&M-282, Kann-119
Sold for: $440,000
China: People's Republic gold "Dragon and Phoenix" Proof Pattern 200 Yuan 1989 PR69 Ultra Cameo NGC, Unlisted in KM and Cheng
Sold for: $408,000
Kiangnan. Kuang-hsü 50 Cents CD 1899 MS62 Prooflike NGC, KM-Y144A, L&M-224, Kann-76
Sold for: $312,000
Kiangnan. Kuang-hsu "Plain Edge" Proof Dollar ND (1897) PR65 NGC, L&M-210, Kann-66
Sold for: $240,000
China: Kuang-hsü gold Pattern Kuping Tael (Liang) CD 1906 MS63 NGC, Tientsin mint, Kann-1540, L&M-1023, KM-Pn301
Sold for: $204,000
China: Republic Yuan Shih-kai silver Specimen Pattern "L. Giorgi" Dollar Year 3 (1914) SP64 PCGS, Central mint in Tientsin, KM-Pn31, L&M-67, Kann-645
Sold for: $192,000
Anhwei. Kuang-hsu Dollar ND (1897) MS66 NGC, Anking mint, KM-Y45, L&M-195, Kann-49
Sold for: $192,000
China: People's Republic gold Pattern(?) Proof "Dragon Boat" 500 Yuan (5 ounce) 1995 PR69 Ultra Cameo NGC, type of KM-A823
Sold for: $186,000
China: People's Republic gold Peacock Proof 1500 Yuan (20 oz) 1993 PR68 Ultra Cameo NGC, KM601
Sold for: $179,250
China: Kuang-hsu gold Pattern Kuping Tael (Liang) CD 1907 MS63 NGC, Tientsin mint, KM-Pn302, L&M-1024, Kann-1541
Sold for: $150,000

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Send it to us!

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Is It Time To Sell?

An exciting consignment opportunity presents itself, as Heritage proudly presents an auction of US coins January 30-February 4 in conjunction with the Long Beach Coin & Collectibles Expo. Heritage's Long Beach auctions have been fixtures, in conjunction with Long Beach coin shows, for literally decades. These auctions have a long-established record of attracting eager bidders and producing strong sale results for consignors, and we expect this pattern to continue.

You can personally benefit from Heritage's connections to buyers from around the world and sell your coins alongside the millions of dollars of rare, desirable and important offerings that have already been consigned.

The consignment deadline of December 17 will be here before you know it. Call our Consignment Hotline at 1-800-872-6467 x1000 today!

January 30-February 4 Long Beach Expo US Coins Signature Auction
Consignment Deadline: December 17, 2018