Heritage's FUN Signature Auction Offers The Chouinard Collection, Part One

December 17, 2004 Coins

Heritage's FUN Signature Auction Offers The Chouinard Collection, Part One

Dallas, Texas: "Among the many amazing anchor consignments to our FUN 2005 Signature Sales (January 12 to 15), none is more incredible than the multi-million dollar Chouinard Collection," enthused Heritage President Greg Rohan. "Richard J. Chouinard has been collecting rare coins for more than 65 years, an astonishing statistic in itself, and which helps explain the absolutely incredible assortment of wonderful coins - thousands of amazing coins - that are to be found in his collection." Heritage Numismatic Auctions is the Official Auctioneer of FUN's Fiftieth Anniversary convention, being held at a new venue in Fort Lauderdale.

Mr. Chouinard first began collecting coins at the age of six, after his father showed him old coins that he encountered while liquidating estates toward the end of the Depression. Mr. Chouinard's network of numismatic friends began very early, as he soon had the local milkman, coffee grinder, druggist, baker, and iceman all looking for old coins for him. His number of friends has only grown since then.

Over his decades pursuing coins, he has participated in hundreds of auctions, and the range of pedigrees to be found in his collection is truly astonishing. He has dealt with nearly every major dealer of the last fifty years and has been a significant buyer at many of the most important auctions. Pedigrees in this collection include many giants of the past such as Lester Merkin, Joel Coen, Hans Schulman, Abe Kosoff, and many more.

Mr. Chouinard's greatest numismatic love is the United States Liberty Head Double Eagle. At first, the intrinsic gold content of the Double Eagle made this coin particularly appealing to him, but as he grew in the hobby, so did his appreciation for the coin's historic and aesthetic qualities. This collection contains numerous high grade coins from throughout the series, including a fine selection of coins from the popular Carson City Mint. The connoisseur of this series will be delighted to find a 1885 Double Eagle, an unusual circulation strike coin from the mid-1880s graded MS62 by NGC, ex: Eagle Collection.

"Liberty Double Eagles were not the only area that Mr. Chouinard collected widely," concluded Rohan. "His collection of other United States copper, silver, and gold coins is outstanding throughout. Indeed, he is a lover of all United States coinage. Many collectors will have an opportunity to find something they desire from his extensive and magnificent collection as we offer it throughout 2005."

Some of the many FUN highlights from The Chouinard Collection include:

• 1794 Half Dime, NGC MS61
• 1795 Half Dime, PCGS MS63
• 1796 Dime, MS62 NGC
• 1796 Dime, MS64 NGC
• 1815/2 Half Dollar, MS64 NGC
• 1869-S Half Dollar, Partial Drapery, MS67 NGC
• 1795 Draped Bust Dollar, AU53 NGC
• 1798 Dollar, Large Eagle, MS61 ANACS
• 1802 Dollar, AU58 NGC
• 1858 Dollar, PR64 NGC
• 1832 Quarter Eagle, MS62 NGC
• 1823 Half Eagle, MS61 PCGS
• 1874-CC Half Eagle, AU55 PCGS
• 1875-CC Half Eagle, AU55 PCGS
• 1857 Eagle, MS62 PCGS
• 1883 Eagle, MS64 PCGS
• 1850 Double Eagle, MS62 PCGS
• 1854 Double Eagle, MS62 PCGS
• 1856-S Double Eagle, MS63 PCGS
• 1859-S Double Eagle, MS62 NGC
• 1870 Double Eagle, MS61 NGC
• 1871-S Double Eagle, MS62 PCGS
• 1874-CC Double Eagle, MS61 PCGS
• 1875-CC Double Eagle, MS63 NGC
• 1885 Double Eagle, MS62 NGC
• 1885-CC Double Eagle, MS61 NGC
• 1885-CC Double Eagle, MS61 PCGS
• 1891-CC Double Eagle, AU58 NGC
• 1892-CC Double Eagle, MS62 PCGS
• 1892-CC Double Eagle, MS62 PCGS

Featured consignments to the 2005 FUN Signature Sale include The Jerry Bagne Collection of Proof Morgan Dollars, The Paul Bolyard PCGS Registry Collection of Washington Quarters, The Cincinnati Collection, The William and Harrison Hiatt Collection, The Dr. Hoffnagle Collection of Morgan Dollars, The Gene Holland Collection of United States Coins, Part II, The John C. Hugon Collection of Barber Coinage, The Kenny's Bennies PCGS Registry Set of Franklin Halves, The Gold Rush Collection, The Krist Collection, The Lang Collection, The Wes Rasmussen Collection, The Larry Rausch Collection, The Paul Taylor Collection, The Tillamook Collection, and The Stan Zurawski Collection.

Catalogs for this auction will be available in mid-December. To purchase a catalog, please contact Nicole Jewell, 800-872-6467, 3500 Maple Avenue, 17th Floor, Dallas, TX, 75219.

Images, descriptions, and prices realized from past auctions are available in the Permanent Auction Archives at the Heritage website.