Rare Latin American Coinage to be Auctioned!

Dallas, Texas: Two exceptionally rare specimens of Latin American coinage will soon be offered to collectors worldwide.

"These two incredible coins, both from the Whittier Collection, are some of the most sought-after pieces of Latin American coinage in existence," said Warren Tucker, Director of World Coin Auctions for Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries. "This offering represents a potentially once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for collectors of this exquisite series."

"The Republic Silver Pattern 10 Reales 1855 from the Dominican Republic is fully lustrous with slightly prooflike surfaces and minimal contact marks," said Tucker. "This coin is extremely rare in silver, with only three examples known to exist. The obverse features the Dominican coat of arms within a wreath, and the reverse displays the denomination, fineness and patriotic legends. This is, without a doubt, one of the great rarities of the entire Latin American numismatic series."

"The Republic Specimen Cuarto - a quarter Real - 1842MV-S from Ecuador is a sparkling jewel with impossibly brilliant luster and reflective surfaces," Tucker said. "This is perhaps the most spectacular coin in the entire Whittier Collection, based on unobtainable quality and rarity. The reverse features a fortress on a hill with a bird in flight above and the letter S on the hillside. Collectors of Ecuador and Quartillas will understand the rare opportunity this offering provides."

"Spain's conquest of the New World heralded a new era in numismatics," said David Lisot, Consignment Director and World Numismatist for Heritage. "As the various countries gained their independence from their Spanish overlords, new themes, country emblems, insignias and animals graced the devices of their many coin issues. Some countries chose to keep with the tradition of honoring their leaders or liberators, while other countries broke from this norm and established new traditions, resulting in a wonderful sense of artistic freedom and new themes that had never before graced the surfaces of these pieces of medallic history. However, minting conditions in the New World were far more primitive than those enjoyed by their European counterparts resulting in many coins being issued of poor quality. The Whittier collection, from which both of these exceptional coins hail, comprises incredibly rare high-grade examples of this special time in the history of numismatics. It is a tribute to the passion and diligence of this collector that he was able to accumulate such an impressive collection of this rare coinage."

Heritage Auction Galleries will present these incredible coins in their upcoming Signature Auction, to be held June 1 & 2, 2006 as the official auctioneer of the Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectible Expo, at the Long Beach Convention Center, 100 South Pine Avenue, Long Beach, CA, 90802.

• (Dominican Republic) Republic Silver Pattern 10 Reales 1855, KM-Pn1, MS62 NGC
• (Ecuador) Republic Specimen Cuarto (1/4 Real) 1842MV-S, KM26, Specimen 66 NGC

Images, descriptions, and prices realized from all of Heritage's previous auctions are available in the Permanent Auction Archives at the Heritage website.

To reserve your copy of a catalog for any upcoming Heritage auction, please contact Nicole Jewell, c/o Heritage Auction Galleries, 3500 Maple Avenue, 17th Floor, Dallas, TX 75219, or call 1-800-872-6467, ext. 272.