Rare Colonial Gold Coinage to Be Auctioned by Heritage!

Dallas, Texas: Two exceptional examples of colonial coinage, New York style gold Doubloons struck by Ephraim Brasher, will be offered by Heritage Numismatic Auctions, Inc. (HNAI) in their upcoming FUN auction, to be held January 12-15, 2005 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In addition, a previously announced Lima style Brasher Doubloon is also being offered. The trio represents one-third of the total known population of Brasher Doubloons anywhere in the world.

"The Brasher doubloons were the only colonial gold coinage issues produced with intent for circulation, and therefore, must be considered among the most important of all colonial coinage," said Mark Borckardt, Senior Cataloger for HNAI. "A case can certainly be made that these are the most important American coins, bar none."

"Ephraim Brasher was, quite literally, George Washington's neighbor," said Borckardt. "Brasher lived at 1 Cherry Street in New York City, while Washington occupied 'The First White House' at 3 Cherry Street. A very fashionable neighborhood at the time, The Cherry Hill section of New York was the perfect place for an ambitious silversmith like Brasher to ply his trade."

Various theories have attempted to explain the purpose of the various Brasher Doubloons. Some sources suggest that they were struck from the dies intended for copper coinage, but that the gold version were intended as bribes for the New York State legislators who would favor Brasher and Bailey with a contract for the copper coinage. Another theory suggested that these coins were produced as souvenirs to visitors of Washington, although their $16 price tag made them an expensive token of a late 18th century visit.

The most likely theory, however, is that the doubloons were intended to represent gold coinage, as evidenced by the weight (and, most certainly, the composition) of the existing specimens, which are virtually identical to that of the Spanish doubloons in circulation at the time. The doubloon was one of the most widely used of all circulating gold coins in America, and one with which virtually every merchant of note was familiar.

Borckardt continued, "Today, two of the seven specimens known to exist are in museums, including one in the Smithsonian Institution and the Waldo Newcomer specimen that was donated to the American Numismatic Society by the Norweb family. The rest are held in private collections. This, then, is virtually a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for collectors of colonial coinage to add these rare and important issues to their collection."

• Brasher New York Style Doubloon. EB Punch on Wing. AU55 NGC.
• Brasher New York Style Doubloon. EB Punch on Breast. XF45 NGC.
• Brasher Lima Style Doubloon. XF40 NGC.

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 Richard Chouinard Collection of United States Coins, 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 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.

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

To purchase a catalog for any Heritage Sale, please contact Customer Service, 800-872-6467, 3500 Maple Avenue, 17th Floor, Dallas, TX., 75219 or visit HeritageGalleries.com to order by credit card.