Stack’s Bowers Galleries’ November Baltimore official currency auction of the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Winter Expo has opened online for bidding and the auction catalogs have been mailed. Bidders will find a varied offering of 839 lots across multiple categories of U.S. currency.
Headlining the auction is a unique Fr.212b 1864 $500 Interest-Bearing Note. The PMG Very Fine 25 Net graded note is the Friedberg plate note and one of only two known examples of the design type. It is unique for the Friedberg number and has been off the market since 1971. The note, lot #30256, carries an estimate of $300,000 to $500,000.
Confederate collectors will be enthusiastic about a newly discovered Raphael Thian “The Currency of the Confederate States” Master Album. The album was discovered earlier this year after more than 50 years of storage. It contains over 400 pages with 287 pieces, including 275 Confederate Treasury Notes. This example is one of only around a half dozen known, with half of those impounded in government or institutional collections. The album, offered as lot #30174, is estimated at $60,000 to $80,000.
The finest PCGS graded Fr.271 1899 $5 Silver Certificate is offered in lot #30310. The PCGS Superb Gem New 68 PPQ graded “Chief” is one of only four examples of the design type to achieve that grade from PCGS. The note is estimated at $30,000 to $40,000.
A wonderful Fr.263 1886 $5 “Silver Dollar Back” Silver Certificate graded Gem New 66 PPQ by PCGS is found in lot #30301. The broadly margined note features a large brown spiked Treasury seal, five Morgan silver dollars on the back and the engraved signatures of Treasury officials Rosecrans and Huston. This popular Silver Certificate carries an estimate of $30,000 to $40,000.
The finest graded Fr.63b 1863 $5 Legal Tender Note, graded Superb Gem New 67 PPQ, is offered in lot #30222. Gem examples of these early federal notes are very rare and Superb examples are nearly unheard of. This excellently centered and boldly printed note is estimated to bring $25,000 to $35,000.
National Currency specialists will be interested to see a Fr.1800-1 1929 $5 National from the First National Bank of Katchikan, Alaska, Charter #12578. National Currency notes from Alaska are the rarest of all the states and examples from this southern Alaska bank only come to the market about once every year or two. This example, lot #30469, is graded Very Good 10 by PCGS and is estimated at $12,500 to $17,500.
Bidding for the November Baltimore currency auction is now open online at www.StacksBowers.com. The live session of the auction will be held Thursday, November 5 at 6 PM EST while the Internet-only session will be held Monday, November 9 at 1:00 PM EST. For currency related questions please contact Peter Treglia at PeterT@StacksBowers.com or Brad Ciociola at BCiociola@StacksBowers.com.
