A rare 1921 George V specimen 50 cents sold for US$141,000 in Heritage Auctions' $15 million world and ancient coin auctions held April 10-12 and 15-16 at the Chicago International Coin Fair (CICF) and online. The coin from the Prager Collection of Canadian Coins, considered one of the most covetable Canadian coins in existence, with very few pieces known to exist, the George V was dubbed "the King of Canadian Coins" by James Charlton, author of the primary Canadian numismatics reference book.
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| 1921 George V specimen 50 cents |
Also known as the "1921 Half Dollar", the coin originally struck in the respectable quantity of 206,398 pieces, all or the majority of this mintage was never released into circulation due to waning demand for the denomination. Resultantly, production of half dollars was suspended for much of the 1920s, only to begin again in 1929. To facilitate this re-introduction, some 480,392 half dollars in mint reserve, including an amount presumed to be near the entire mintage of 1921 pieces, were melted for purposes of re-coining the silver. Today, approximately 75 examples of the 1921 date are thought to survive with some debate existing as to how many, if not all of the survivors, are specimen strikes that were made available to Ottawa mint visitors.
"We continue to see strength across the board in the world and ancient coin markets. Premium quality coins often doubled or tripled estimates at the auction," said Cristiano Bierrenbach, Vice President of Heritage. "Heritage has a strong relationship with the CICF and we are happy to see an incredibly well attended auction both in Chicago and on HA.com."
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| 1896 Russian Nicholas II Presentation 25 Roubles |
An 1896 Russian Nicholas II Presentation 25 Roubles sold for $217,375 to take top lot honors in the auction. The price of the presentation piece, rarely seen at auction, set a world record for the type by nearly $30,000.
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| 1865 Victoria gold Pattern Specimen $2 dollar |
One of the rarest and most important patterns in all of Canada, a stunning 1865 Victoria gold Pattern Specimen $2 dollar — likely the only known example of this type in private hands — saw action by four bidders before closing at $102,812.
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| 1817-BS Ferdinand VII Real |
Additional rare coins include a rare 1817-BS Ferdinand VII Real, struck during the Venezuelan War for Independence at the Caracas mint. Likely the finest-known example of this type, this piece was pushed to $88,125 by eight bidders. In addition, an 1895-A Germany Colony gold 20 Mark from New Guinea, perhaps the finest-known example of this very attractive type with a mintage of only 1,500, sold for $76,375.
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| 1911 Chinese Empire Long Whisker silver Pattern Dollar Year 3 |
Chinese rarities included a 1911 Chinese Empire Long Whisker silver Pattern Dollar Year 3, a rare and popular type and the standout piece of the impressive Robert Raymond Ruff collection, which closed at $76,375 as well as an 1888 Szechuan Brass 50 Cent Pattern ND, which sold for $64,625 in the first time one has ever been offered at auction.
