Stack’s-Bowers and Ponterio Realize Nearly $8 Million at 2011 N.Y.I.N.C

Posted on January 19th, 2011 by Editor in Auction News

Stack’s-Bowers and Ponterio Realize Nearly $8 Million at 2011 N.Y.I.N.C

Stack’s-Bowers Numismatics, the newly formed joint venture between Stack’s and Bowers and Merena Auctions, and its world coin division, Stack’s-Bowers and Ponterio, realized a total of $7,862,550 at their official auction of the January 2011 New York International Numismatic Convention. The auction was conducted through two sales on January 7-8 and January 10 and presented a total of more than 4,200 lots in three sessions.

“Our N.Y.I.N.C. auction is an excellent beginning to 2011,” stated Rick Ponterio, executive vice president of Stack’s-Bowers and Ponterio. “We presented several important consignments including the Leo Novotny Collection of Mexican Coinage, Michael Demling Collection of Ancient Coinage, and the David Ian Wright Collection of Italian Banknotes. The numerous rarities included in these and other consignments resulted in strong bidder participation in all three sessions of the auction. Prices realized were strong across the spectrum of foreign coin and paper currency offerings, and it speaks to the enthusiasm with which bidders greeted the inaugural auction of Stack’s-Bowers and Ponterio.”

Part I of the Leo Novotny Collection of Mexican Coinage was presented in the Stack’s-Bowers and Ponterio January 7 session. Highlights include lot 116, an extremely rare 1784/3-FF Charles III Proper Portrait 8 Escudos in Extremely Fine condition that crossed the auction block at $35,400. Additional Mexican coinage highlights are lot 104, a 1907 Pattern Caballito 50 Centavos in silver graded Proof-65 by NGC that realized $28,320, lot 131, an 1823 MoJM “Hookneck Eagle” 8 Escudos in NGC AU-55 — the first gold coin of the Mexican Republic and an elusive one-year type — that surpassed the pre-sale estimate when it sold for $35,400, and lot 138, a rarely offered Zacatecas 1860-ZsVL 4 Escudos also certified AU-55 by NGC that went for $30,680.

Important highlights from other countries also crossed the auction block as part of the January 7-8 auction. Chinese coinage was led by lot 827, a highly significant Year 23 (1897) Anhwei Province Pattern 7 Mace, 2 Candareens (Dollar) in a PCGS MS-62 holder that required $330,400 from the winning bidder. The sale of lot 1036, a Guatemala 1854 A.E. 8 Reales — the only 8 Reales produced by the Republic of Guatemala — certified AU-55 by NGC is also noteworthy at $70,800, as is the $38,350 realized price for lot 974, a magnificently toned 1889-A French Indo-China Piastre graded Proof-65 by NGC. The French Indo-China piece is pedigreed to the fabled John J. Pittman Collection.

Ponterio also noted strong bidder participation in the January 10 sale conducted by Stack’s-Bowers and Ponterio: “The January 10 sale at our gallery in New York City featured many significant consignments, including the Querendon Collection, the Rajj Collection, the Sanpex Collection of Roman Aurei, the Syracuse Collection of Ancient Coins, and selections from the Q. David Bowers Collection. With important offerings such as these, specialists in all areas of ancient and foreign coins and paper currency were eager to participate in this sale, and the results of bidding include many noteworthy prices realized.”

Individual highlights of the January 10 sale include lot 36, a Sicily, Syracuse, Dionysios I, AR Decadrachm, Circa 405/0-400/390 B.C., reverse die signed by the artist Euainetos in Good Very Fine condition from the Q. David Bowers Collection that sold for $109,250. Lot 201 presented a Danish West Indies 1905 Twenty Francs in Gold note from the National Bank of the Danish West Indies, Serial Number 1, grade VF, that climbed to $51,750. And lot 1009 presented a very rare large-size hexagonal 1663 Transylvanian gold 10 Ducats from the reign of Michael Apafi that NGC graded as VF Details and that traded hands for $43,125.

Highlights of the January 7-8 sale conducted by Stack’s-Bowers and Ponterio include:

Highlights of the January 10 sale conducted by Stack’s-Bowers and Ponterio include:

For a complete list of prices realized from the Stack’s-Bowers and Ponterio January 2011 N.Y.I.N.C. auction, visit the firm’s websites at www.bowersandmerena.com and www.stacks.com. The firm can be reach by phone at 800.458.4646 for the West Coast office, and 800.566.2580 for the East Coast office.

About Stack’s-Bowers and Ponterio

Stack’s-Bowers and Ponterio is the world and ancients auction division of Stack’s-Bowers Numismatics. It was originally founded in 1982 as Ponterio & Associates by Richard Ponterio, renowned specialist in world and ancient numismatics, who is now executive vice president of Stack’s-Bowers Numismatics. Past auctions have included such notable coin collections as the Wa She Wong Collection, the John S. Davenport Collection, the Witte Museum Collection, the Amat Collection, the Joe Lasser Collection, , and the James Hunnicut Collection. Distinguished paper money collections include the East Bay Collection of International Bank Notes, and the Eduard Kann Chinese Bank Note Collection, as well as treasure collections from the shipwrecks “Nicobar,” “Rooswijk,” and “Capitana.”

Stack’s-Bowers Numismatics, a division of Fortune 500 Company Spectrum Group International Inc., was launched in January 2011, combining the extraordinary histories of Stack’s, the oldest rare coin auction and retail company in America, with Bowers and Merena Auctions, one of the world’s pre-eminent auctioneers of rare coins and paper money. The two companies unite to share a combined legacy that spans more than 100 years, and includes the cataloging and sale of many of the most valuable collections to ever cross an auction block – the John. J. Ford, Jr. and Louis E. Eliasberg collections, the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, and the Norweb Collection, to name just a few. Topping off this amazing numismatic history is the inclusion of the world record for the highest price ever realized at auction for a rare coin, the legendary 1933 St. Gaudens Double Eagle, which realized an astounding $7.59 million. The company is headquartered in Irvine, California, with offices in New York and New Hampshire. Stack’s-Bowers Numismatics is the Official Auctioneer for several important numismatic conventions, including the ANA World’s Fair of Money pre-show and convention auctions, and the Whitman Coin and Collectibles Expos in Baltimore, three times yearly, and Philadelphia.

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