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SELECTED STACK'S BOWERS RARITIES AUGUST 6, 2014
As long as I'm flipping thru a monster pile of catalogs, I thought I'd also provide a few selections from the Stack's Bowers "Rarities Night" sale scheduled for August 6, 2014.
-Editor
June 1722 Massachusetts Two Pence 
June 1722 Province of the Massachusetts Two Pence. Parchment. Crosby page 149. Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare 1722 Massachusetts Parchment Two Pence Cited by Crosby within the Rosa Americana Series Uniface, "Four-square" emergency bill of credit, face printed in black on vellum. 42 mm x 42 mm, virtually square. Mainly Gothic fonts within ornamental floral bordering. Top, divided circles, hand and 2d over "TWO PENCE." Above separator line, Gothic "Province of/the Massachu/setts." Followed by Roman "June 1722". Face printing style of Ford III: 512, though lighter printing. Characteristic vellum shrinkage similar to the observed Boyd piece cited. Newman plated example from the 4th edition differs in ornamental style and it is apparent that multiple plates or plate positions were used during the printing. Extremely Rare. The exact census of known examples is not fully certain. We cite the Boyd piece now in a private collection, the Newman plate note from the 4th edition (the 5th edition plate note is now the Boyd note), an example in American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Historical Society. As we note, most are well ensconced in collections with some likely never to be sold. This example is new to the collector fraternity and to our knowledge, the first time publicly auctioned.
To read the complete lot description, see:
June 1722 Province of the Massachusetts Two Pence
(www.stacksbowers.com/BrowseAuctions/LotDetail/tabid Stickney 1804 Dollar Presentation Case 
Custom Presentation Case that Once Housed the Stickney Specimen of the 1804 Class I Draped Bust Silver Dollar. 70 x 65 x 25 mm (greatest dimensions). Fine. Unique Presentation Box for the Stickney 1804 Silver Dollar Ex Elder-Mehl-Kosoff An intriguing item, this purple leather case once housed the Stickney specimen of the famous Class I 1804 dollar. On the top of the case is printed in gold lettering KING / DOLLAR / 1804, while inside the lid is printed in smaller lettering THOMAS L. ELDER, / COINS & MEDALS, / 32 EAST 23 ST., / NEW YORK. The dark blue plush interior upon which the coin once sat is in excellent condition, as is the white cloth interior to the lid. There are some chips and scrapes to the leather exterior, not so much on the top or sides of the case, but significantly so on the bottom, where residue from glue or some other kind of adhesive is also present. The clasp is still fully functional, however, and the case closes soundly with a nice snug fit. What a fine item for a museum or private collection! Pedigree: Ex: Thomas L. Elder; B. Max Mehl; Abe Kosoff.
To read the complete lot description, see:
Custom Presentation Case that Once Housed the Stickney Specimen of the 1804 Class I
(www.stacksbowers.com/BrowseAuctions/LotDetail/tabid 1881 Hawaii Five Cents 
1881 Hawaii Five Cents. Medcalf-Russell 2CN-1. MS-63 (NGC). Examples of this rarity are few and far between, and often a span of years will elapse between our offerings of them. The present coin is lightly toned in pale golden-tan on silver gray surfaces with full satin luster and a razor sharp strike. The obverse is smooth enough to support an even higher grade. These rare pattern issue 1881 Hawaiian five-cent pieces were struck to the tune of approximately 200 pieces at the insistence of a nickel mine owner in New Caledonia who met with King David Kalakaua on the king's round the world trip in 1881 and 1882. The mine owner suggested the coinage, and dies were made in Paris where the pattern coins were struck. Today's collectors seek the "regular" issues such as the 1847 cent and the 1883 silver dime, quarter, half dollar, and dollar, and, as available, certain of the far rarer patterns.
To read the complete lot description, see:
1881 Hawaii Five Cents. Medcalf-Russell 2CN-1.
(www.stacksbowers.com/BrowseAuctions/LotDetail/tabid The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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