RICHARD L. LISSNER SALE RESULTS

Record prices were achieved by the sale of The Richard L. Lissner Collection–The Collection of an American Connoisseur on 1-2 August 2014, held at the Chicago Marriott O’Hare, just prior to the annual summer convention of the American Numismatic Association in Rosemont, Illinois. The total of prices realized was $6,993, 661 (including the 21% buyer’s fee) against the presale estimate/starting prices of $2,399,380, with 100% of the 2183 lots sold.

The auction of the Lissner collection, conducted jointly by St. James’s Auctions, LLC (Knightsbridge Coins), of London, England, and Classical Numismatic Group, Inc., of Lancaster, Pennsylvania and London, England, with cataloging by M. Louis Teller Numismatic Company of Encino, California, was deemed a “huge success” by the principals of all three firms. The prices for coins from several countries, including Bulgaria, Norway, and Romania from the first day’s auction of the “Old World,” and Costa Rica and Venezuela from the second day’s auction of the “New World” were nothing short of astounding.

“This was without a doubt the most exciting sale that we have ever had. With most coins fetching world record prices, this shows what happens when fresh coins hit the market, it shows the market is very strong,” commented Stephen Fenton, Director of St. James's Auctions. Mark Teller, principal cataloguer of the sale, and a life-long friend of Richard Lissner, stated: “The auction went beyond any of our expectations. Although one or two coins fell short of what we had anticipated, the vast majority left us awestruck by their results. Literally, many hundreds of coins brought world-record prices.”

Victor England, U.S. Director at Classical Numismatic Group added: “When an important collection is brought to market and it is presented with great photographs and conservative estimates, the results are usually outstanding. The sale of the Lissner collection helped illustrate this important point.”

The quality of the Lissner collection was evident throughout the sale of 2183 lots, which included the large lots of multiple coins. Some of the individual highlights are:

Lot 58 – BULGARIA, Principality. Ferdinand I. 1887-1908. 1894-KB Proof AR 5 Leva. Körmöcbánya (Kremnitz) mint. KM 18; Y 159. In NGC encapsulation graded PF 67 WINGS APPROVED. Gem mottled toned proof with beautiful iridescence. Realized $33,275 against an estimate of $5,000. http://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=261711

Lot 97 – CEYLON (SRI LANKA), Colonial. British. George III. 1760-1820. 1812 Proof Pattern AR Rixdollar. London mint. Dies by Thomas Wyon Jr. KM Pn3; Pr. 254. In NGC encapsulation graded Proof 66 WINGS APPROVED. Gem toned proof over iridescent violet and blue surfaces. Struck without a collar. Finest known specimen. This absolute wonder coin is by far the rarest pattern of Ceylon with only four or five known. Realized $33,275 against an estimate of $7,500. http://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=261750

Lot 367 – FRANCE, Premier Empire. Napoléon I. 1804-1814. 1815-A Proof AV 20 Francs Cent Jours (Hundred Days) issue. Paris mint. VG 1025a; KM 705.1; cf. Friedberg 522 (for business strike). In NGC encapsulation graded PF 65 Cameo WINGS APPROVED. Realized $66,550 against an estimate of $10,000. http://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=262020

Lot 828 – ROMANIA, Principality. Carol I. As Domnitor, 1866-1881. 1870-C AV 20 Lei. Bucharest mint. KM 7; Friedberg 2. In NGC encapsulation graded MS 67 WINGS APPROVED. Superb gem BU. Highest graded by five grades. Unimprovable. Incredibly rare so choice. Mintage of 5,000 pieces. Realized $51,425 against an estimate of $6,000. http://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=262481

Lot 1134 – VIETNAM (ANNAM), French Cochinchina. 1879-A Proof AR Essai de Piastre. Guilloteau 3938; VG, Coloniales 8; KM E12. In NGC encapsulation graded PF 66 WINGS APPROVED. Superb gem proof with magnificent deep iridescent rainbow toning. Realized $108,900 against an estimate of $15,000. http://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=262787

Lot 1218 – BOLIVIA, Republic. 1852-PTS FP AV 8 Escudos. Potosí mint. Fortunato Equivar, assayer. KM 115; Friedberg 33; Y A14. In NGC encapsulation graded MS 62 WINGS APPROVED. Superb fully lustrous, well struck coin over fully prooflike fields. Realized $72,600 against an estimate of $10,000. http://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=262871

Lot 1334 – CHILE, Republic. 1828-TH AR ‘Fine Type’ Peso. Coquimbo mint. Gregorio Cordovez, mintmaster. Theodor Hagen, assayer. KM 88. In NGC encapsulation graded MS 63 WINGS APPROVED. Deep mottled toning over incredibly lustrous fields. Razor sharp strike. This is the finest known Mint State example in existence, next closest graded specimen is AU 58. Realized $108,900 against an estimate of $100,000. http://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=262987

Lot 1423 – COLOMBIA, Colonial. Fernando VI. King of Spain, 1746-1759. 1759-No Ro JV AR 8 Reales. Nuevo Reino (Santa Fé de Bogotá) mint. Juan de Chávez and Victoriano del Valle y Mendoza, assayers. KM 33; Gilboy SF-8-1. In NGC encapsulation graded MS 62 WINGS APPROVED. Very lustrous toned uncirculated. One of the rarest coins of colonial Spain, and one of the most sought after coins of the Colombian royal series. It is the highest and only specimen graded Mint State. Realized $114,950 against an estimate of $60,000. http://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=263076

Lot 1540 – COSTA RICA, Central American Republic. 1828-CR F AV 8 Escudos. San José mint. KM 17; Cr 10; Friedberg 1. In NGC encapsulation graded AU 58. Very choice AU, with very lustrous surfaces and just a hint of orange peel toning. Good strike and nice surfaces grace this specimen. Although a few have been graded higher, Richard (Lissner) realized that this coin had great eye appeal. Quite rare in any grade. Realized $51,425 against an estimate of $10,000. http://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=263193

Lot 1710 – GUATEMALA, Central American Republic. 1824-NG M AV 8 Escudos. Nueva Guatemala mint. Manuel Eusebio Sanchez, assayer. Friedberg 26; KM 8. In NGC encapsulation graded MS 62 WINGS APPROVED. Lustrous BU with very prooflike devices. Incredibly nice strike with full ceiba tree. Extremely rare. Two year only type. Only one graded higher. Realized $78,650 against an estimate of $75,000. http://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=263363

Lot 2178 – VENEZUELA, Republic. 1879 AR 1/5 Bolivar. Brussels mint. Crude letters. KM (Y) 19.1. In NGC encapsulation graded MS 63. Choice lightly toned uncirculated. Very unusual for a coin struck at the Brussels mint to have such crude lettering. Only two of these have been graded and this is the higher. Very rare. Realized $60,500 against an estimate of $4,000. http://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=263831

Printed catalogs for the Lissner Collection are still available with prices realized for this historic sale. To order a catalog, please visit cngcoins.com and visit the Lissner Collection page under The Coin Shop category. Catalogs are $75 to North American addresses, and $100 to the rest of the world. Payment may be made by U.S. $ check or Visa/MasterCard.

For further details and any additional information, please contact CNG, Inc. at:

Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. P.O. Box 479 Lancaster, PA 17608-0479 Telephone: (717) 390-9194 Fax: (717) 390-9978 Email: cng@cngcoins.com

Wayne Homren, Editor

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web