Trio of of legendary American numismatic rarities could bring millions dollars when go under the hammer at Heritage Auctions’ FUN (Florida United Numismatists) Offerings, scheduled for January 8-12, 2014. The first to sell will be a 1787 Brasher doubloon with hallmark EB on the eagle’s wing, MS63 NGC, CAC. This Brasher doubloon was the first one known to numismatists and has been off the market since Walter Perschke purchased it in 1979. After that, a 1913 Liberty nickel, PR64 NGC, CAC, the Olsen Specimen, will cross the auction block. One of only five 1913 Liberty nickels known, two of which are held by museums, it also is called “The Hawaii Five-O Specimen” after an appearance on a 1973 episode of the television show. It is offered as part of The Greensboro Collection, Part V.
And, the third is a 1927-D double eagle, MS66 NGC, the crown jewel of The Douglas Martin Collection, a virtually complete set of $20 gold pieces. After Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued an executive order that prohibited almost all ownership of gold coins, the Treasury Department stopped paying out gold and eventually destroyed the coins it had on hand, including almost all the 1927-D double eagles ever struck. Out of 13 examples traced, four are held by museums and unavailable to collectors. The Saint-Gaudens double eagles are among the most beautiful and popular U.S. coins, and owning a 1927-D is a mark of distinction.
Two other important silver coins which deserve special mention: an 1870-S Seated dollar, XF40 PCGS, is one of only nine confirmed examples and is a centerpiece of The Usibelli Collection, themed around the year 1870, one of the most challenging in U.S. numismatics, while an 1884 Trade dollar, PR65 PCGS, CAC, is one of only 10 struck under mysterious circumstances. It comes from The Smoke Rise Collection.
