Bruce Sherman Collection, Part II, and Massive Justh & Hunter Gold Ingot Among Top Draws in Heritage’s CSNS US Coins Auction

More than 100 lots from a collection billed as "one of the most remarkable achievements in numismatics" will be among the top attractions in Heritage's May 4 CSNS US Coins Signature^® Auction April 30-May 4.

The Bruce S. Sherman Collection, Part II includes 109 lots in the second installment of the collection of Bruce Sherman, Chairman and principal owner of Major League Baseball's Miami Marlins. Part I of his collection was offered in Heritage's FUN US Coins Signature^® Auction in January.

"The same attributes that have helped him succeed in business — passion, deep knowledge and understanding, and a discerning eye — have helped Bruce Sherman build this extraordinary collection," says Greg Rohan, President of Heritage Auctions. "He started collecting as a hobby, but as his passion for numismatics grew, so did his collection, until it became world-class."

Among the top items from Sherman's collection is an 1803 Proof Draped Bust Dollar or Novodel, PR66 PCGS that is tied for the finest among just four known survivors. Collectors today know proof silver dollars from 1801-03 as "novodels," which are among the rarest and most valuable issues in the U.S. federal coinage series. Coin dealer Robert L. Astrich purchased it over the counter from an undisclosed source in 1991. Astrich died in 2009 and, if he knew anything more about the source of this remarkable coin, he took the knowledge to his grave. This specimen has only been offered in two previous auctions, most recently at Heritage's January 2013 FUN Signature Auction.

Another highlight from the Sherman collection is a 1792 Copper Disme, Judd-11, MS64 Red and Brown PCGS. CAC that is the finest by a wide margin of just three known examples of an outstanding rarity in the U.S. pattern series. The Mint experimented with reeded and plain edges on the copper dismes of this year, and the plain edge pieces are considerably scarcer. This coin possesses an unbeatable combination of absolute rarity, highest available technical quality, outstanding eye appeal and intense historic interest.None of the nine examples traced is certified with a higher numeric grade than the 1838-O Reeded Edge Half Dollar, GR-1, PR64BM PCGS in this auction. The 1838-O Reeded Edge half dollar ranks among the most famous of all American coinage issues, comparable in value and rarity to issues like the 1894-S dime and the 1870-S silver dollar. PCGS CoinFacts estimates a surviving population of just 10, from a microscopic original mintage of no more than 20. PCGS and NGC have combined to certify just 12 between them, including an unknown number of crossovers and resubmissions; Heritage has located just nine examples still extant, one of which is housed in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution.

An 1835 HM-5, JD-1 Half Eagle, PR67+ Deep Cameo PCGS. CAC is the finest of just three known examples. Few proof Classic Head half eagles are known, and of those, the example from the Sherman collection that is offered in this auction is believed to be finest, regardless of date. Of the 20 on Heritage's roster, five are museum pieces, including one in the British Museum and four in the Smithsonian.

Another featured collection in the auction is the Pelican Bay Collection, Part I, which boasts the finest assortment of Seated Liberty quarters and half dollars to come through Heritage in the last decade.

Included among the collections highlights is an 1870-CC Seated Quarter AU50 PCGS Briggs 1-A that is the sixth-finest known example of this coveted first-year rarity from the Carson City Mint.

Other highlights from the collection include, but are not limited to:

The fifth-finest 1871-CC Seated Quarter AU53 PCGS. Briggs 1-A, Flynn-RPD-001

An 1855-S Arrows Quarter, MS64 PCGS. CAC

An 1839 No Drapery Half Dollar, MS64 PCGS. CAC

An 1864 Quarter Dollar, MS66 PCGS. CAC. Briggs 1-A

Many other impressive lots stand among the top draws in the auction. Among the most significant is a 649.15-ounce Justh & Hunter Gold Ingot from The Marcello and Luciano Collection, which is the second-largest ingot from the S.S. Central America ever brought to auction. At 218 mm (nearly 8.6 inches) long, this is the eighth-largest gold ingot by any assayer recovered from the S.S. Central America and one of only 13 in the Colossal Size weight class (500.01 ounces and heavier). It is the sixth-largest Justh & Hunter ingot known.An 1834 BD-1 Capped Bust Quarter Eagle, MS61 PCGS is the fourth-finest known example. Walter Breen once wrote that most, or perhaps all, known 1834 Capped Bust quarter eagles originated as proof strikes. The example in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution originated with Adam Eckfeldt and is likely a proof, while another example from the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Core Collection is certified as a proof.

From The Texas Republic Ranch Collection comes a rare high-end 1794 B-1, BB-1 Silver Dollar, XF40, PCGS. CAC that is the Gainsborough specimen of America's first silver dollar. It is believed that 140-150 surviving examples remain in all grades, and the present piece is finer than the majority.

An 1852/1 Humbert Twenty Dollar, MS63 PCGS. K-9, High R-5 is tied for the second-finest certified example. After the Assay Office began issuing fifty dollar ingots in 1851, the contract didn't allow for production of smaller denomination gold coins, which were in high demand in the regional economy. Moffat & Co. requested permission to issue coins in five, ten and twenty dollar denominations in 1851, and after repeated appeals, permission to strike ten and twenty dollar coins was received in February 1852. A small mintage of 7,500 coins was produced in a single day. The majority of the 1852/1 twenty dollar pieces were melted for recoinage. The offered example is a spectacular Select specimen, tied with one other at PCGS for the second-finest certified.

An 1879 Judd-1635 Flowing Hair Gold Stella, PR65+ PCGS is making just its second known auction appearance. The 1879 Flowing Hair stella is one of the most unusual coins in the U.S. gold series, and a rarity that has been coveted by generations of collectors. It is technically a pattern, produced and given to members of Congress as a proposed international trade coin, and its four dollar denomination is also unique in United States coinage. Prior to its last auction appearance, in 2015, this coin was held in private hands for at least six decades.Images and information about all lots in the auction can be found at HA.com/1383.