Presidio, Costa, Jacobson and Ellsworth Collections Anchor Heritage’s FUN Auction

The fabled Adams-Carter 1804 Class III Draped Bust dollar, widely recognized as “the King of Silver Dollars,” headlines The Presidio Collection, an exceptional private assemblage that will be offered in Heritage’s FUN US Coins Signature® Auction Jan. 14-17. The 38-lot Presidio is one of several Featured collections in the event that will capture the attention and interest of eager collectors.

The 1804 Class III Draped Bust Dollar is one of just 16 known examples of the 1804 silver dollar, and one of just seven Class III examples. There are eight Class I pieces and a single Class II.

The Adams-Carter specimen offered in this auction is arguably the most prominent fixture among the Class III coins, boasting one of the longest provenances of any specimen and ranking for a period of many decades as the finest Class III then-known still held in private hands. This was the 1804 dollar owned by many of the most prominent collectors throughout history, including but not limited to Phineas Adams, Amon G. Carter Sr., Waldo Charles Newcomer and Edward Howland Robinson Green.

“Presidio is an exceptional type coin collection that focuses on the popular 100 Greatest US Coins theme, and very impressive for both the rarity and quality of the lots,” says Todd Imhof, Executive Vice President at Heritage Auctions. “The 1804 Class III Draped Bust dollar is one of the most famous trophies in all of U.S. numismatics and a coin that immediately will become a centerpiece in a new collection. Only the most accomplished numismatists in history have owned an 1804 dollar, and the Adams-Carter Class III was the coin chosen by the most prominent of them throughout history.”

Also among the collection’s highlights is the third-finest 1854-S Liberty Quarter Eagle, XF45 CAC of just 13 known examples. The 1854-S Liberty quarter eagle is one of the landmark rarities of the United States gold series. The coin was created during the height of the California Gold Rush, in the infancy of the San Francisco Mint, and released into circulation far from any numismatic eyes that might have taken notice. Of the 246 pieces struck, most disappeared over the course of decades in the hard-money West.

A 1796 BD-3 With Stars Quarter Eagle, MS62 NGC. CAC, which is tied for the sixth-finest of roughly a dozen known Mint State specimens, features 16 stars arranged point to point, in an unusual arrangement that is similar to the orientation on 1794 silver dollars but on no other early U.S. coins. Fewer than half as many With Stars (432) were struck as No Stars (963), and because the With Stars has the same design type as the successive years through 1807, it is an overlooked issue among early quarter eagles.

An 1808 Quarter Eagle, BD-1, MS63 NGC also is among the 100 Greatest U.S. Coins and is tied for the second-finest known example. Heritage experts have traced just 12 1808 quarter eagles in MS62 or finer, and in MS63 or finer, the population dwindles to half that.

Costa Family Collection, Part II

Another Featured collection in the auction is The Costa Family Collection, Part II, a 76-lot trove of rare gold, high-end Colonials, type coins and a remarkable set of stellas.

Among the top attractions is an 1880 Coiled Hair Stella, PR67 Cameo NGC — the former Eliasberg coin — that is arguably the finest of only nine examples documented. In addition to its inarguable rarity, the coin’s intrigue also comes from a sense of mystery that surrounds it, because questions remain about why it was made, when it was struck and for whom, and how many examples were produced.

Another rarity from the collection is an 1879 Coiled Hair Stella PR66 Cameo PCGS that is among the top five of just 13 confirmed examples. Like the 1880 Coiled Hair stella, the original mintage for this coin is unknown, but clearly was small. It is another of the great rarities of the U.S. gold series.

Another beauty in the collection is an 1880 Flowing Hair Stella, PR65 Cameo PCGS, a legendary gold pattern that is one of only 18 examples traced. The 1880 Flowing Hair stella is also a landmark rarity in the U.S. gold series, avidly pursued by gold specialists and advanced pattern collectors alike.

Also in play is an 1879 Flowing Hair Stella, Judd-1635 PR67★ NGC that is among the finest known examples. The 1879 Flowing Hair is the most plentiful of the gold stella patterns, but examples as fine as the Costa specimen are as rare as any of the other lower-mintage variants.

An 1855 Wass, Molitor & Co. Fifty Dollar, K-9, MS61 NGC K-9, R.5, another gold highlight of Costa, Part II, was once a highlight of the famous Waldo Newcomer Collection and probably passed through the collection of “Col.” E.H.R. Green before being acquired by Eric P. Newman.

Harvey B. Jacobson, Jr. Collection of Early Half Eagles

An exceptional collection of the rarest and most important varieties in the entire early half eagle series, this collection will be offered in a special Jan. 8 session at the FUN show. The 68 lots in the collection reflect the years Jacobson spent chasing the rarest of the rare, an effort that ended with his acquisition of every early gold variety that eluded Harry W. Bass Jr., with the exception of two unique 1797 varieties that are housed in the Smithsonian Institution.

Among the highlights in the collection is a 1795 BD-13 Heraldic Eagle Five, MS62 PCGS HBJ-207. Doug Winter called it “one of the very few early gold varieties that is unique, and the fact that such early researchers and collectors as Edgar Adams, Waldo Newcomer, Walter Breen and Harry Bass never found one is a true testament to the numismatic significance of the Jacobson Collection.”

Also offered is a 1797 BD-4 Half Eagle, AU58+ PCGS. HBJ-209 that first surfaced in the George D. Woodside Collection and has appeared in several important pattern collections since. The winning bidder will become just the sixth owner of the coin since the 1860s.

An 1819 “BD-3” Half Eagle, AU Details HBJ-252 is a magnificent recent discovery last offered at Heritage in 2014, not recorded in the Bass-Dannreuther reference. Heritage Senior Numismatist Mark Borckardt is credited with the March 2014 identification of the variety, although Edgar Adams cited a third variety in his notes, suggesting he might have first discovered it. But Adams’ mid-1930s articles on the half eagles stopped with 1800 varieties and access to his notebooks is not readily available.

Also offered is an 1825/4/1 Half Eagle, BD-3, MS61 NGC. HBJ-259 that Winter called a “probably unique variety” that is a discovery coin for the variety and also is the only example known to the experts at Heritage, the world’s leading numismatics auctioneer. Researchers, including John Dannreuther, have noted previously how strange it was that the Mint apparently did not use this reverse die in coining the fairly large emission of half eagles in 1825, since the use of serviceable reverse dies from one year to the next was common practice in the early 19th century. The discovery of this coin confirms that the Mint actually did follow this accepted practice, for at least a limited production run that year.

An 1834 BD-4 Half Eagle, MS64+ PCGS. CAC HBJ-268, dubbed the “King of Fat Head Fives,” is a magnificent example and another unique variety in the Harvey B. Jacobson Jr. Collection. It also is tied with one other submission for the finest 1834 Capped Bust half eagle ever submitted to PCGS. Only six ever have been graded CAC; of those, two were MS63 coins and four were MS64. The coin offered in this auction is the only MS64+ example. Its provenance as the unique BD-4, which includes description and illustration in Rare Coin Review No. 30 as well as stints in the Irving and Joan Greenwald Collection and the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, doubles as the condition census.

COL Steven Ellsworth Collection of U.S. Large Cents 1793-1796

Also to be offered Jan. 8 in a special session, this collection is being presented in partnership with Chris Victor-McCawley’s Early Cents Auctions. The 99 lots in this collection include every Sheldon number of the Chain, Wreath and Liberty Cap types, along with three of the 21 Sheldon “NC” varieties. COL Ellsworth acquired the cents in this collection over the last four decades.

Among the highlights of the collection is one of the finest examples extant of a 1795 S-79 R7- Reeded Edge Cent, VG Detail, Environmental Damage, PCGS. With only 10 confirmed examples known, this piece represented a rediscovery for the Condition Census when it appeared in Heritage’s January 2016 FUN auction, as prior censuses had listed the coin as “untraced.” Its appearance immediately drew the attention of copper specialists, reaffirming the enduring intrigue of this enigmatic early variety. Now, it appears once more, and is every bit as impressive.

Also in play is a 1793 S-4 R3 Chain AMERICA Cent with Periods, XF45 PCGS that is tied for CC#13 in the Noyes census. Among Sheldon-4 Chain cents, this piece is decidedly high-end and exceedingly attractive — an opportunity rarely offered at auction for this variety.

A 1793 1C S-5 R4 Wreath Cent, Vine & Bars Edge, Large LIBERTY, MS62 Brown PCGS is plated in Dr. Sheldon’s Early American Cents and Penny Whimsy. It is a choice cent, the only variety of the 1793 Wreath cent with a large LIBERTY, and it comes with an unbroken provenance that has been traced back over a century.

Many other Featured collections and individual consignments will take the stage at FUN and are nothing short of extraordinary. Additional lots expected to draw major interest include, but are not limited to:

Images and information about all lots in the auction can be found at HA.com/1389 and HA.com/1390.

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