PRESS RELEASE: 1873 Carson City Gold Spotlights Legendary Collections in Heritage Auctions’ Long Beach Offering

DALLAS, Texas—One of the finest coins from the rarest issues of the Carson City Mint –  a 1873 key date Ten Dollar, Choice AU –  highlights an offering of 11 high-grade collections Heritage Auctions will present Feb. 22-26 during California’s annual Long Beach Coin Expo.

As the expo’s official auctioneer, the multi-million dollar event exceeds 5,700 lots from more than 200 individual consignors. The large number of high-value coins expands the Feb. 22 Premier floor session by two hours to accommodate 800 lots.

Three particularly noteworthy collections include:

·         The Admiral Collection. The collection includes one of the finest early eagle and Liberty Head ten collections ever assembled and ranking among the all-time great eagle collections including Eliasberg, Warren Miller, Harry W. Bass, and Dallas Bank. It ranks among the finest specialized sets ever put together for these two series.

Many coins from this important consignment derive from populations of 75 coins or fewer. Some pieces represent the finest examples extant or the highest-graded coins ever offered at public auction. Rarities include an entire run of Carson City gold from 1795 to 1907, including the 1873-CC Ten Dollar, which is considered one of the finest specimens ever offered at public auction. Another cornerstone of the collection is a prooflike 1796 BD-1 Draped Bust Eagle, AU58, an important condition rarity from the early mint.

·         The Property of a Lady. Formed in the 1960s, the collection primarily focuses on silver coinage. Early halves, early dollars, Bust, Seated, and Barber coinage, as well as Morgan dollars are at the forefront. Most of the coins are wonderfully toned and original, and all have been absent from the market for more than 50 years. Deep cameos are included in the later series, including some dazzling Seated halves and Seated dollars, such as an 1863 Seated Dollar, PR64.

Among the circulation strikes, we note a Choice Fine 1796 half (Ex: George Walton) and an elusive high-grade 1921-S Walking Liberty half certified MS65 PCGS. Some beautiful copper pieces are included (including several remarkable proof half cents). Gold is represented by key commemorative issues, including a five-piece Panama-Pacific set — with original box — that will be sold as separate lots during the Premier Session. The two $50 Pan-Pac gold pieces (round and octagonal) each grade MS64 PCGS.

·         The Merrill Collection. Noted Bust half enthusiast Chris Merrill and his son Jacob assembled the collection’s U.S. half dollars over the last 25 years. Their PCGS Registry Set of Everyman Early Half Dollars (1794 – 1839) received recognition by PCGS in 2015 as a Platinum Award Winning Set after five years as the finest known. The collection included all but five of the total 450 Bust Half die varieties by Overton number.

Merrill’s Complete Variety Set of Circulating Liberty Seated Half Dollars (1839 – 1891) is currently the most complete PCGS Registry set, lacking only the prohibitively rare 1853-O No Arrows variety. The Merrill U.S. half dollar set from 1794 to 2017 is also the most complete PCGS Registry Set in that challenging category. PCGS certified the Merrill’s half dollars in the 1990s, with hundreds of coins still housed in their original PCGS old green label holders. Coins from The Merrill Collection will appear in the present Long Beach auction as well as Heritage’s Central States event, June Long Beach, and upcoming Internet auctions.

Individual highlights include, but are not limited, to:

•         1794 Flowing Hair dollar, the Mougey Specimen, VF35 PCGS

•         Kellogg & Humbert Gold Ingot, 52.37 ounces, Ex: S.S. Central America

•         1861 Confederate States of America cent, gold Haseltine Restrike, NGC Details, XF

•         1916-D Mercury Dime, MS66 Full Bands PCGS

•         Circa 1831 C. Bechtler Five Dollar Gold, AU55 PCGS, K-15, 20 Carats Second Series

•         1892-S Morgan dollar, MS65 PCGS. From the XSurgeon Set of Morgans NGC Registry #1

•         1817/4 Half dollar O-102, High R.7, Good 6 PCGS. From The Merrill Collection

Online bidding begins approximately Feb. 2 at HA.com/Coins with a full preview scheduled Feb. 20-24 at the Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.