ROSA AMERICANA COLONIAL COINS PRICE LIST #29

The right provenance could add hundreds or thousands of dollars in value to a coin, not (solely) because of the desire to own something from a famous past collection, but because we know that most collectors buy the best examples they can find and afford, which gives us some reassurance that the coin is likely to be nice for both the price and grade – and when a coin has been in multiple famous collections, it is likely to be one of the best known of the variety. Coins traced back to the most famous early collectors – think Crosby, Parmelee, Bushnell, the Garrett family and others – quite often found their way into the major collections of today when they were last sold, and many of them will, again, be locked up for decades more. More than most collectible areas (fine art being the obvious exception), numismatics has always privileged provenance. While few of the earliest auction catalogues bothered to name previous owners, even of notable coins, as the hobby grew so too did the desire to cite and preserve provenance. Today, auction houses like Stack's Bowers will list this detail on colonial coins – even those of minor value, because that history is important. Specialists and researchers have become adept at using plated or named auction catalogues, articles in journals or newspapers, archival letters, old coin envelopes and more to piece together provenance chains for rare varieties – which is vitally important, not just for a "Who's Who" listing of owners, but to get an accurate idea of how many examples of a variety actually exist. 30 auction records of 30 different coins is a very different thing from 30 auction records of just 5 different coins that have periodically reappeared for sale, and provenance tracking allows us to tell the difference.

I've enjoyed doing themed price lists recently – all NJ coppers, pretty coins only, rare varieties only, coins under $500 only – so for this list I decided to pull coins from my inventory and a few consignments which all have provenance to famous collections. With the recent sales of parts of the Anton collection, and all of Syd Martin and Richard August's collections that has certainly become easier, because those holdings are famous in their own right – and Syd collected so much and saved every detail of where and when he bought things, that large numbers of coins owned by past collectors were scooped up by him, and have now passed along to new owners.

 

6. 1722 Rosa Americana Penny. Martin 2.1-A.1, W-1256, the VTILE DVLCI reverse. Rarity-6. NGC graded VF30. This is the Phillip W. Keller specimen of this rare variety and distinct type coin, and appeared as Lot 3029 in the Heritage Auctions October, 2010 sale of his collection where it was plated and described as follows: "Several varieties of the 1722 Rosa Americana penny are known, with this specimen representing the rare W-1256 type. Note that NGC has mistakenly called this piece the UTILE DULCI variety on the holder, but the spelling on the coin is definitely VTILE DVLCI, with GEORGIUS in the obverse legend. Moderate, even wear shows on the devices of this coin, but the planchet was well produced, with no areas of granularity. Listed on page 40 of the 2011 Guide Book. MRB VF25. Ex: MANA Convention Sale (New Netherlands, 10/1953). From The W. Philip Keller Collection of U.S. Colonials."

This example brought $1,150 at that auction over 15 years ago, a telling comment on the rarity and desirability of this major type coin, which is Redbook listed, though underpriced there in relation to more recent auction records – a VF20 sold in the 2012 C4 sale for $3,220, while a F12 from the Syd Martin collection brought $1080 in September 2023; in that sale it was noted that Syd had only seen 8 examples and that a High R-6 rarity was probably a more accurate rating, a claim we also agree with. As noted in the Heritage description the NCG holder incorrectly identifies this as the UTILE DULCI type; this should likely be regraded, and we suspect it would actually grade 5-10 points higher today, as it is nicer than the 30s that we have seen in recent years. Accompanying the piece is Keller's original typed and handwritten envelope, with extensive notations on both sides (pics of the envelope sent on request). Keller bought this rarity from New Netherlands Coin Co in 1953, in the era that firm was handling much of the F.C.C. Boyd and Virgil Brand material, and this likely comes from one of those collections as well, a potential further provenance worth investigating. With a price realized at auction of $1,150 for this exact coin a decade ago, and nearly $1,100 for Syd's inferior specimen just a few years back, this has to be a great buy today at just slightly more money…………………………….….$1,300

In an NGC slab, accompanied by Keller's original typed and handwritten envelope.

 

7. 1722 Wood's Hibernia Farthing. Martin 1.1-A.1. High Rarity-6. PCGS Graded VG Details, edge damaged. This is a Syd Martin coin, appearing as Lot 96007 of the December 2023 sale of a portion of his collection, described there as "52.1 grains. A very scarce early issue by William Wood, the only farthing in his series intended for Ireland to show the seated figure with harp at left and use the abbreviated obverse legend GEORGIUS. D:G :REX.

The present example offers an outstanding numismatic provenance and will appeal to many specialists. Provenance: From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex "Colonel" E.H.R. Green; our (Bowers and Merena's) sale of the Frederick B. Taylor Collection, March 1987, lot 2011; Robert A. Vlack, March 18, 2000." Almost certainly a pattern issue, this is the only farthing for the date, the only farthing obverse die to feature the D:G: REX abbreviation (this same obverse also used with a 1723-dated reverse), and the only farthing to have the harp at the left of the seated figure. Clearly only a small number were struck, as only a dozen or so survive today, and the majority of those exist in the higher grades expected of a pattern issue – though a few, like this, certainly did escape into circulation.

Inexplicably given an R-5 rating in Syd Martin's reference book, which was likely a typo, as he was only able to trace 8 specimens of the variety (and given the unique date and designs, this variety would always be correctly identified at auction). The high-grade survivors include three graded MS65, one in MS64, two graded MS 63, one graded Unc details, and one in choice EF. An additional pair in VF and Fine, and this VG round out the ENTIRE roster of specimens in the Stack's Bowers and Heritage archive; with those extant in museum collections the High R-6 rating given here is accurate. The MS63-5 examples have brought low five-figures at auction, the two nicest each breaking the $20,000 barrier; the Norweb-Dick August MS65 brought $15,600 late last year. This kind of price point leaves the type out of the reach of most collectors, but this example, with exceptional provenance back to the Colonel E.H.R. Green and Frederick Taylor collections offers a more affordable option. The first example of the variety we have handled in over a decade…………………………......$1,250

In the special PCGS holder for the Syd Martin collection, accompanied by Syd's handwritten envelope, and the original lot ticket from the 1987 Taylor sale.

For more information, or to place an order, contact Jeff at:
rosaamltd@gmail.com

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