Lot # | 377 |
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Estimate | 1,600,000.00 - 2,000,000.00 USD |
Group - Category | Coins & Paper Money - Coins - US |
Lead | $20 1879 J-1643 PCGS PR64 DCAM EX SIMPSON |
Description |
The Virgil Brand-Amon Carter-Ed Trompeter-Bob Simpson Quintuple Stella. The second Finest Certified of Five Known Specimens of this EXTREMELY RARE Gold Pattern. A landmark, world-class numismatic treasure!
Legend Rare Coin Auctions is honored to present one of the rarest and most historic gold pattern issues of the United States, the 1879 metric $20, or Quintuple Stella. This coin is nothing less than breathtaking! Ultra deep mirrors beam from all angles. Only a few minute stray lines keep this magnificent rarity from an even higher graded designation. All the details are fully rendered, the reliefs have a very bold and thick frost, which show stunning contrast against the mirrored fields.
Part of a series of special patterns that were designed to facilitate international trade, the $4 Stella was proposed by the U.S. Minister to Austria, John Kasson, who saw a need for a coin that could circulate on par with the Austrian 8 Florin gold coin and other coin in the Latin Monetary Union. There were no U.S. gold coins that could directly correlate, and thus caused unruly exchange transactions. Thus was born the $4 gold coin patterns of 1879 (and 1880). The concept was taken a step further by Dr. Wheeler Hubbell who patented the “goloid” metal, which was an alloy of gold, silver and copper that conformed to the metric system, which was adopted as the official standard for weights and measures in Europe. Out of these two developments, the Quintuple Stella, containing 30 grams of gold, 1.5 grams of silver, and 3.5 grams of copper, would be able to do its duty in international trade. While getting the endorsements of several high powered officials, neither the Stella, or its cousin, the Quintuple Stella, were struck for general circulation. Along with the 1868 $5/25Francs, 1874 Bickford Pattern $10, the 1879 and 1880 Flowing and Coiled Hair Stellas, and the1878, 1879 and 1880 Goloid Metric Dollars, the Quintuple Stella is part of a historical series of patterns that have long intrigued collectors and offer a glimpse into what might have been a huge boon to international commerce.
There are five specimens known, one of which (the Brand-Menjou-Farouk-Stack’s coin) is permanently impounded in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution. The finest (per David Akers) is the Olsen-Wilison-Akers-Holecek-Southern-Collection- Bob R. Simpson piece. Followed by this one, which is the Virgil Brand-Amon Carter- Ed Trompeter-Bob R. Simpson Duplicate. Other famous pieces are the Garrett- Trompeter coin and the Smith-Jenks-Clapp-Eliasberg coins.
This coin has not appeared at auction since February 1992, where, even back then, it realized $187,000. What makes this example all the more fascinating, is that of its previous owners, three of them owned more than one example of the Quintuple Stella: Virgil Brand owned 3, Ed Trompeter owned 2, and Bob R. Simpson owned 2, retaining the finer example cited above in his core collection.
PCGS 1, NGC 0. Only one piece is graded higher at PCGS, the Simpson Core Collection coin, graded PR64+ DCAM. The most recent sale of a Quintuple Stella was the PCGS PR62 CAM Garrett-Trompeter coin that realized $862,500 in January 2007. This is one of the all-time classic rarities in all of U.S. numismatics. We are honored to have been selected by Bob Simpson to offer this duplicate from his world class pattern cabinet. PCGS # 537318
Certification Number 31672702
PCGS # 537318
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Name | The Regency Auction XVII |
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Auctioneer | Legend Rare Coin Auctions, LLC |
Type | Live Webcast Auction |
Date(s) | 5/19/2016 |
Live Auction: May 19th, 2016 6:30 CST 4:30 PST 7:30 EST | |
Location | Harrah's Hotel
Room: Fulton St. Salon II
228 Poydras St New Orleans, LA 70130 |
Buyer Premium | 17.50% Buyers Premium |
Description |
Harrah's Hotel
Room: Fulton St. Salon II
228 Poydras St
New Orleans, LA 70130
Lot Viewing:
Tuesday, May 17th
3PM-6PM CST | Location: Vieux Carre Ballroom - By Appointment
Wednesday, May 18th
9AM-6PM CST | Location: Vieux Carre Ballroom
Thursday, May 19th
9AM-5PM CST | Location: Vieux Carre Ballroom
Lot Pickup & Settlement:
Friday, May 20th
9AM-11AM CST | Location: Vieux Carre Ballroom
New Orleans on location phone number: (732) 233-0719
Preliminary lot viewing available by appointment only from May 9th - May 13th.
Please call 732-935-1168 to schedule an appointment.
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Bid Amount | Bid Increment |
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0.00 - 199.00 | 10.00 USD |
199.01 - 999.00 | 25.00 USD |
999.01 - 1,999.00 | 50.00 USD |
1,999.01 - 4,999.00 | 100.00 USD |
4,999.01 - 9,999.00 | 250.00 USD |
9,999.01 - 19,999.00 | 500.00 USD |
19,999.01 - 39,999.00 | 1,000.00 USD |
39,999.01 - 99,999.00 | 2,500.00 USD |
99,999.01 - 199,999.00 | 5,000.00 USD |
199,999.01 - 399,999.00 | 10,000.00 USD |
399,999.01 - 999,999.00 | 25,000.00 USD |
999,999.01 - 1,999,999.00 | 50,000.00 USD |
1,999,999.01 - 9,999,999.99 | 100,000.00 USD |
Currency | USD |
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Buyer Premium | 17.50% Buyers Premium |
Payment Terms |
SALES TAX
All sales are subject to applicable state and local taxes. Any lots that are picked up and/or delivered in the state of Louisiana are subject to applicable state and local taxes.
PAYMENT
All merchandise must be paid for within TEN (10) days of the date of sale. We reserve the right to cancel any unpaid order after that time and to ban the bidder from future sales. Credit cards (Visa, MasterCard and Discover) are accepted for auction payments up to $2,500.00 per invoice. Invoices and/or balances over $2,500.00 must be paid via personal or certified check, money order, or wired funds. Personal checks, money orders and cashier’s checks may be held for up to 10 business days in order to allow time for them to clear appropriate banking channels. Please email info@legendmorphy.com for bank-wiring instructions and/or to provide numismatic references.
RETURN POLICY
All lots are sold “as is.” Lots graded by PCGS, NGC or other third-party grading services, or any lot viewed by the buyer or anyone on buyer’s behalf prior to the auction, may not be returned. This is not an approval sale. All sales of lots to the highest bidder are final. Bidders are strongly advised and encouraged to research any lots upon which they plan to bid, and to determine bids, based upon their own evaluation. Bidders assume all risks concerning and related to the grade, quality, appearance, condition, history and origin of any lot. Bidders acknowledge that coin grading is not an exact science, that it can be subjective and inconsistent and that it is possible that two parties might assess or grade the same coin differently. LRCA makes every effort to accurately describe all items offered in its sales. All items will be available for preview prior to the auction.
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