SEDWICK AUCTION 37 HIGHLIGHTS

While we always stress that numismatics is a hobby, there is no denying it can be financially profitable as well. Why? Obviously, soaring precious metal prices help, but there is more to the story. The answer is that rare old coins, paper money, ingots, and artifacts are limited commodities. They were made in a certain quantity and survived at a certain rate, but that's it: No more will be made. So then it becomes a matter of demand, and when demand is high, there is no limit as to what something rare can be worth.

Our auctions are packed with unique or near-unique items whose current value depends on you, the bidders. Our consignors depend on us to present these coins and artifacts in their best light, but only the bidders can decide the prices. At a time when the world is very concerned about financial matters, this is the time for collectors to put idle money into rare assets.

Shipwreck items are particularly good performers these days. In many cases, certain items are only available from shipwrecks, hence their already limited population is further restricted by whether they were legally commercially recovered, hardly a sure bet these days. That is why original certificates (or those from qualified professionals) are such a big deal.

The other big concern for coins and paper money is quality, which is where third-party certification companies like NGC and PCGS come in. It is not an exact science, to be sure, but just having an unbiased professional opinion about relative quality posted in a public census adds significant value. Anything presented in our auctions with notations like "top pop" or "finest known in the XYZ census" has even more potential value beyond its baseline rarity and demand.

The moral of the story is that we at Sedwick & Associates run a tight ship with academic and ethical integrity, and we bring you the best the market has to offer with the cleanest pedigree and certification possible. Bid with confidence.

Several important collections stand out in this auction, literally from A to Z. Probably the most significant is the Almenara Collection of Colonial Peruvian Gold Coins, including Lima cobs and Potosí bust gold (as the latter mint fell under Peru in colonial times). The run of Lima cob 1 escudos seen here is the most complete ever offered, and the bust series from both Lima and Potosí contain many "finest knowns" and important pedigrees. And at the end of the alphabet you will find the Zbar Collection of Maravillas coins.

You will also find several great offerings of colonial Peruvian silver coins (O'Brien Collection), as well as Colombian colonial and Republic gold and silver (JEAS and Becerra Collections), pillar dollars of most of the colonial mints (Brameld Collection), Mexican cobs (Hubbard Collection), Potosí cob 8 reales plated in the Calbetó reference, Potosí cob 4 reales (Ponte Collection), and even paper money (Busto Collection) from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Disney (yes, Walt Disney World is like its own country).

In addition, there are several important one-off coin trophies scattered throughout that should not be missed, even if you are not a buyer but want to witness numismatic history being made:

Lot 495, a Mexico 3 reales of Charles-Joanna in XF 40

Lot 1026, a Costa Rica gold 20 pesos dated 1873 in UNC details

Lot 1037, a Santo Domingo 4 reales of Charles-Joanna in AU 55

Lot 1399, a Spanish East Indies proclamation 2 reales dated 1747 in VF20

As always, we also have many important shipwreck gold cobs, including the following standouts:

Lot 22, a 1715-Fleet Mexico 8 escudos 1714 struck with a Royal obverse die in MS 63

Lot 60, a 1715-Fleet Cuzco 2 escudos dated 1698 in MS 63

Lot 124, an Atocha Seville 2 escudos dated 1619 in AU55

Ingots include two massive (each almost 1000 troy oz) Atocha silver bars Class -Factor 1.0 (lots 92 and 93) as well as a 21.5-troy oz gold "finger" bar from the "Golden Fleece Wreck" (lot 85).

But best of all, a showpiece for the ages, is lot 1665, an ornate pendant (reliquary or noble neck-badge) made of gold, diamonds, and emeralds from the Tolosa (1724), a fabulous jewel that appeared in multiple publications in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Many thanks to all our consignors, and best of luck to all our bidders. We hope you find your treasure!

   

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