The continued strength of the numismatic market makes one thing clear: numismatic rarities and top collections belong in a Sedwick Treasure Auction. In 2022, our two Treasure Auctions plus our first exclusive paper money auction realized over $8.4 million – well above presale estimate totals – and we want you to be a part of our next sale!
For our upcoming Treasure Auction 33, we are seeking consignments of:
Shipwreck Gold and Silver Coins and Ingots (Atocha, 1715 Fleet, etc.)
Rare Latin American and World Gold and Silver Coins
US Coins and Bank Notes
World Bank Notes
Certified Shipwreck Artifacts
Perhaps you haven’t added to your collection in some time and are looking for the right way to bring it to market. Or you’re adjusting your collecting goals and want to sell coins in order to buy different assets.
That’s where we come in.
We offer decades of numismatic experience, personalized service, printed auction catalogs, and top bidders through our convenient bidding platform. For significant collections, we will travel to you. We are also attending the Long Beach Coin Expo held on February 2-4 and will accept consignments there (contact us to set up an appointment).
The consignment deadline for our next auction is February 10th. Contact us today by emailing us at office@sedwickcoins.com or giving us a call at (407)-975-3325.
2022 proved to be an exciting year for numismatics as travel re-opened and coin shows came back. Fresh, quality material came from many consignors into our May and November Treasure Auctions 31 and 32 plus our first ever exclusive Paper Money Auction held in July. And collectors paid attention to this influx of rarities with intense bidding action.
Between our two Treasure Auctions, we realized over $8.29 million. With the addition of our first paper money sale, total auction sales in 2022 reached over $8.4 million – a record year for us!
Our top selling auction item over this past year was a unique piece of American history: the only Declaration of Independence medal struck in silver by Charles Cushing Wright which sold for $168,000 in our November auction.
This special medal, produced in the 1850s, depicts the presentation of the Declaration of Independence to the Continental Congress on one side while the other side lists important American historical events leading up to 1776. It was graded by NGC as MS 62; the label also notes its pedigree to the famous Bushnell, Garrett, and Adams collections. Thus, a new pedigree is added to the medal through our auction – as part of the Resolute Americana Collection.
Our top selling lot in 2022 was this unique silver Declaration of Independence medal.
Our May Treasure Auction saw the sale of a large gold “tumbaga” bar recovered from an early Spanish colonial shipwreck sunk around 1528 off the Bahamas. This crude yet historically important gold bar weighed 1,222 grams of around 10-13 karat gold and bears the tax stamps of Emperor Charles V. Strong bidding drove the price up to its final selling point – $78,000.
Our first US and World Paper Money Auction saw the sale of an incredibly rare Banco de Panama 50 pesos note of 1869. With only 500 notes printed and very few surviving, aggressive bidding led the note to sell for $10,200 on a pre-sale estimate of $4,000 and up.
Several major collections to cross the auction block in our sales this year include two offerings of the John Adams Collection of Admiral Vernon Medals, two sections of the Clyde Hubbard Collection of Mexican Charles-Joanna Coinage, and the Gansu Collection of Chinese Panda Coinage.
A look towards 2023
We have two major sales scheduled in 2023 – Treasure Auction 33 on May 3-4 and Treasure Auction 34 on Nov. 2-3.
With motivated bidders watching our auctions for quality coin rarities, this is the perfect opportunity to consign – whether it’s a full collection or a few choice coins. There are several shows coming up that will make consigning easy for you.
We’ll be at the FUN coin show on Jan. 4-5 here in Orlando, Florida at booths 443 and 445. There, we’ll accept consignments including artifacts or heavy ingots. Our full store inventory will be on display and up for sale as well.
The following week, we will attend the New York International Numismatic Convention on Jan. 11-15 in New York City. Our booth number there is 610. If you’re attending, stop by and see us.
Augi García-Barneche will be walking the Long Beach Expo on Feb. 2-4; this will be the last show before our Treasure Auction 33 consignment deadline in late February. If you’re unable to attend any of these shows, please give us a call or email us to start the consignment process.
We are looking forward to attending the 4th Convención Internacional de Historiadores y Numismáticos (International Convention of Historians and Numismatists) to be held in Santo Domingo from June 28 th to July 2 nd . This academic event brings professional collectors and researchers together for discussions and presentations on Spanish colonial and Dominican numismatic topics. Plus, we’ll tour parts of historical Santo Domingo – the oldest continually inhabited European settlement in the Americas.
Two major auctions, plenty of busy coin shows, a major academic event – it’s easy to see why we’re excited for 2023!
A unique American silver medal depicting the presentation of the Declaration of Independence set a new record during Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC’s Nov. 3 & 4 Treasure Auction 32.
The live online and floor auction was itself a record sale for the firm with over $4.27 million sold across 1,622 lots.
The large proof silver medal was created in 1851 by artist Charles Cushing Wright. It was the only example he struck in silver and has been called Wright’s masterpiece.
On one side, the medal depicts the presentation of the draft of the Declaration of Independence to the Continental Congress on June 28th, 1776. Founding Fathers John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin along with Richard Sherman and Robert R. Livingston on the drafting committee are shown presenting the draft Declaration to the president of Congress, John Hancock. Of the 47 men present in the entire scene set at Independence Hall, 42 of them were signers of the Declaration of Independence. The design is based heavily upon the famous 1818 painting by John Trumbull that currently hangs in the US Capitol rotunda.
The other side of the medal presents a highlight of formative American historical events from the “DISCOVERY OF NORTH AMERICA BY THE ENGLISH.JLY.3.1497” to “ASSAULT ON QUEBEC BY AMERICANS.DEC.31.1775.” A vignette of Europeans landing on America’s shores as a Native American awaits graces the top of the reverse design. The bottom scene depicts a developed, busy American harbor.
The entire ownership pedigree for this unique medal can be traced dating back to Charles Ira Bushnell (Chapman auction of June 1882, lot 1274), the Garrett Estate (Bowers & Ruddy auction of April 1981, lot 1910), Julian Leidman (Bowers & Merena auction of April 1986, lot 4126), and Charles A. Warton (Stack’s Bowers auction of March 2014, lot 2077), subsequently purchased by numismatist John Adams in the Stack’s Bowers auction of August 2018 (lot 46).
NGC graded the medal as MS 62 though a specimen designation is more appropriate to describe this unique piece.
The pre-sale estimate for the lot was $25,000 and up. After spirited bidding, both online and via phone, the medal sold for $168,000. Thus, another pedigree for this unique medal has been added – as part of the Resolute Americana Collection.
“We were honored to offer this uniquely American medal at auction and see it sell so well,” said Daniel Frank Sedwick, president and founder of Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC. “It’s really fitting that the prior owner, John Adams, is himself related to Founding Father John Adams depicted on this medal.”
Shipwreck treasure also saw considerable interest during the auction with many lots surpassing their high estimates.
A unique gold bar recovered from the “Corrigan’s” wreck site of a 1715 Fleet treasure ship at Vero Beach, Florida attracted heavy bidding.
The gold ingot, weighing 915 grams and marked with a fineness of 22k, was made in Colombia before being shipped to Spain in the ill-fated fleet. It bears the royal tax stamp as well as a decorated assayer/foundry stamp (B)ARBACO(A)S indicating its origin from the important Colombian gold mining town, Barbacoas. Salvors recovered the bar in 1983 and, soon after, it went into the collection of 1715 Fleet investor Don Anderson.
With an estimate of $60,000 to $90,000, considerable bidding led to a final sale price of $132,000 for the 1715 Fleet gold bar.
The highest selling coin lot in the auction was an extremely rare gold Venezuela essai 5 venezolanos dated 1875-A in its first auction appearance ever.
The coin, graded by NGC as Proof 62 Cameo, is one of ten struck by the by the Paris Mint for the nation of Venezuela. Only five examples, including this piece, are in private hands. Another four are in museums like the Banco Central in Caracas, Venezuela. The tenth example is buried in the cornerstone of the Simon Bolivar statue by Adamo Tadolini in Plaza Bolivar also in Caracas.
The rarity and importance of this coin in Latin American numismatics sparked a bidding war. The coin ultimately sold for $78,000 on a pre-sale estimate of $30,000 to $45,000.
Other top lots in the sale include:
Lima, Peru (State of North Peru), gold 4 escudos, 1838 M, extremely rare, graded NGC AU 53, finest known in NGC census, ex-Hammel, ex-Goodman (lot 1040) sold for $66,000.
Philippines (under Spain), silver 8 reales, crowned Isabel II “Y.II” countermark (Type VI, 1834-37) on an Argentina (River Plate Provinces), 8 soles, 1815 FL, Potosi mint, graded NGC AU 53, c/s AU standard (lot 1048) sold for $45,000.
Venezuela (struck at the Paris Mint by Barre), silver essai 1/2 real, 1863 E, graded NGC SP 61 (lot 1114) sold for $45,000.
Lima, Peru, gold bust 8 escudos, Ferdinand VI, 1758 JP, graded NGC MS 63, ex-Karon, ex-Segarra (lot 1020) sold for $33,600.
Guanajuato, Mexico, gold 20 pesos, 1872 S, NGC MS 66, finest known in NGC census (lot 1008) sold for $31,200.
Segovia, Spain, gold 4 excelentes, Ferdinand-Isabel, mintmark at top, denomination Arabic 4 above K at bottom between busts, rare, NGC AU 53 (lot 1065) sold for $26,400.
Potosi, Bolivia, cob 8 reales Royal (galano), Louis I, 1727 Y, very rare, graded NGC AU details / holed (lot 485) sold for $24,000.
Seville, Spain, gold milled 8 escudos, Philip V, 1701 M, florets flanking fleece, 8-S-8-M in tressure-dimples, graded NGC MS 65, finest known in NGC census (lot 1080) sold for $22,800.
Panama, proof silver 25 centimos, 1904, very rare, graded NGC PF 64 (lot 1015) sold for $21,000.
To see these and other highlights sold at auction click here
Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC’s next Treasure Auction will be held in May 3-4, 2023. Interested consignors should contact the company by email at office@sedwickcoins.com or phone +407.975.3325 (deadline February 10, 2023). Full auction results are available at auction.sedwickcoins.com.
This catalog for our Treasure Auction 32 to be held live online and in-person on November 3rd & 4th contains some great worldwide numismatic rarities – a perfect appeal to this robust and enthusiastic market.
Lot 44 – Lima, Peru, gold cob 8 escudos, 1708 H, NGC MS 63 (1715 Fleet Label), ex-Pullin.
With Session I, we have a variety of Gold Cobs – both from Spain as well as the New World. Spain sees the finest and only graded 1690 (M) Seville-minted gold cob 8 escudos in NGC MS 64 (lot 22). The New World selection holds some high grade and rarer 1715 Fleet gold including a discovery piece Bogotá 1712/1 gold cob 2 escudos graded NGC MS 66 (lot 60), a Mexico City gold cob 8 escudos 1713 J graded NGC MS 64 (lot 26), a Lima gold cob 8 escudos 1708 H graded NGC MS 63 pedigreed to the John Pullin Collection (lot 44) and two different varieties of Cuzco gold cob 2 escudos 1698 M both in NGC MS 63 holders (lots 41 and 42). Among non-shipwreck gold cobs, there is the “top pop” Lima gold cob 8 escudos 1729 N graded NGC MS 62 (lot 47) plus the substantially difficult Lima gold cob 8 escudos 1748 R graded by NGC as MS 63.
A wide variety of Shipwreck Ingots includes two hefty gold “finger” bars from the Atocha (1622) from the J.P. Silberman Estate (lots 71 and 72), a fascinating 28.75 kilogram silver ingot from the Maravillas (1656) with original uncleaned coral encrustation (lot 79), and a rectangular gold bar weighing 915 grams from the Corrigan’s wreck site of the 1715 Fleet with ties to Florida salvage history (lot 73). In addition, we have three lustrous gold disk ingots recovered from the Luz (1752) (lots 74-76) whose origins are analyzed by Daniel Frank Sedwick in this catalog’s feature article.
Lot 75 – Gold oval ingot, 1126.09 grams, tested at 0.909 fine gold (21.816K), marked with V-over-upside-down-V monogram and XXXXVI, ex-Luz (1752), ex-Sotheby’s.
Our popular Shipwreck Coins section features an assortment of high grade Atocha coins (lots 94-183) – this year marks the 400th anniversary of its sinking off the Key West. Many of these also come with vintage Mel Fisher certificates of interest to the salvage history collector. Notable coins include a very rare French gold louis d’or 1723-Z from the Chameau (1725) (lot 279), a Santiago gold bust 8 escudos 1751 J from the Luz (1752) graded NGC MS 62 (lot 298), and a clump of seven US Seated Liberty silver half dollars from the SS Republic (1865) – the first time we have offered a clump from this wreck (lot 316).
We’ll begin Session II with our second offering of selections from the Clyde Hubbard Collection of Charles-Joanna Coinage (lots 323-393) in Mexico Silver Cobs with notable rarities like the “Early Series” 4 reales with assayer P to right (lot 323) and the very difficult “Late Series” 4 reales of assayer S unlisted in Nesmith (lot 332). The finest known NGC-graded Lima 8 reales 1684 V in an NGC AU 53 holder (lot 422) stands out in our Lima Silver Cobs section. Watch for some well-struck Royals in Potosí Silver Cobs like the very rare Louis I 8 reales Royal of 1727 Y (lot 485) or the impressively defined 8 reales Royal of 1680 V with pomegranate above the pillars (lot 465).
We’re pleased to host the Gansu Collection of Chinese Panda Coinage in Session III representing 250 lots of very high grade and rare examples from 1982 to 2005 of the iconic Chinese flagship coin series. Some of the series’ greatest rarities make appearances – the 1995 large and small date gold 50 yuans graded NGC MS 69 (lot 646 and 641), the “top pop” 1998 large date 50 yuan graded MS 69 (lot 693), and a gorgeous denomination set of the 1992-P proof gold Pandas (lot 603).
Lot 1115 – Venezuela (struck at the Paris Mint by Barre), gold essai (5 venezolanos), 1875 A, reeded edge, extremely rare, NGC PF 62 Cameo.
The second day of our auction begins with World Coins in Session IV. Desirable coins from across the globe will be sold – from the finest NGC-graded Seville, Spain, gold 8 escudos 1701 M graded NGC MS 65 (lot 1080) to the extremely rare and finest Lima, Peru, gold 4 escudos 1838 M graded NGC AU 53 and pedigreed to the Hammel and Goodman Collections (lot 1040). A pair of key Venezuelan rarities are being offered for the first time publicly in this sale: a gold essai 5 venezolanos 1875-A graded NGC PF 62 Cameo (lot 1115) and a silver essai 1/2 real 1863 E graded NGC SP 61 (lot 1114).
In Session V’s Medals and Decorations, we’ll host our third offering of Admiral Vernon medals from the John Adams Collection (lots 1127-1201). Several very rare silver Bolívar medals are also available such as the Colombia 1828-dated “Bolívar saved from assassination” medal graded NGC AU 58 (lot 1120) and the Bolivia 1825 “Potosí Gratitude to Bolívar” medal (lot 1118). One of the top lots in the entire auction resides in US Coins and Medals: the unique proof silver Declaration of Independence medal crafted by Charles Cushing Wright in the 1850s and based on John Trumbull’s famous 1818 painting (lot 1238). This special medal bears a pedigree chain going back to the original owner, Charles Ira Bushnell, and continuing on to notable collectors such as John Work Garrett and the aforementioned John Adams.
US Paper Money holds the tough South Carolina 7 shillings 6 pence note of 1778 (lot 1241) along with Continental Congress half dollar note of 1776 designed by Benjamin Franklin (lot 1242). In World Paper Money, rare Cuban revolutionary notes like the Junta Central Republicana 10 pesos of 1869 graded PMG VF 25 (lot 1269) and the high-denomination República de Cuba 1000 pesos note of 1869 signed by Carlos Manuel de Céspedes graded PMG XF 40 (lot 1268) are on display.
Lot 1238 – USA, proof silver medal, Declaration of Independence (struck in the 1850s), by Charles Cushing Wright, unique in silver, NGC MS 62 [sic], ex-Bushnell, ex-Garrett, ex-Adams.
The Coin Jewelry selection in Session VI hosts some beautiful Spanish colonial coins in jewelry mounts ready for wearing like a Lima gold cob 8 escudos of Philip V in an 18-karat pendant setting (lot 1292) as well as a Bogotá gold cob 2 escudos from the 1715 Fleet in a 14-karat gold anchor pendant (lot 1293). For the ultimate 1715 Fleet collector, we have an impressive conserved iron signal cannon from the Fleet, still possessing much original detail like the full yoke and lifting handle “dolphins” (lot 1340) in Shipwreck Artifacts. Within Non-Wreck Artifacts, there is a “duel-ready” pair of European flintlock pistols from the 1700s (lot 1344).
Our Express session features some 400 lots of more cost-efficient coins, paper money, and artifacts. We aptly end this auction on lot 1622, the year of the Atocha and Santa Margarita’s sinking.
Spanish colonial rarities in the form of coins and shipwreck treasure bars paved the way to $4.02 million in Sedwick’s May 3-5 Treasure, World, and U.S. Coin Auction 31. This is the firm’s third consecutive sale to break the $4 million level.
The top coin lot in the sale was lot 651, a Potosi, Bolivia, cob 4 reales Heart dated 1720 Y and certified by NGC, which sold for $66,000 on a pre-sale estimate of $20,000 and up. The term Heart is apparent when viewing the coin: a sharply defined, medallic aligned design on a specially prepared heart-cut planchet. Prior to the auction, this date was unknown among the census of Heart-shaped cobs. It also holds a pedigree to the collection of the late numismatist Pat Johnson.
Lot 651
A second unique Heart 4 reales, also from the Potosi mint yet dated 1721 and graded NGC XF 45 (lot 652), saw $48,000 on an estimate of $20,000 and up. It held the distinction of being the plate coin for the type in both Sedwick’s Practical Book of Cobs 2nd and 3rd editions (1990 and 1995) and Janson’s La Moneda Circulante En El Territorio Argentino 1584-2019 (2020).
However, the top lot overall in the sale was not a coin but a Spanish colonial gold bar recovered from a treasure galleon that realized $78,000 on an estimate of $40,000 and up. The 12-inch long, 1,222 gram gold bar (lot 65) contains a mixed fineness of between 10 to 13 karat gold due to the Spanish smelting of miscellaneous artifacts from the New World; its balance of copper gives it a distinct red-gold tone throughout. There are nine circular tax stamps reading CAROLVS EMPERADOR that signify that the royal tax owed to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (King Charles I of Spain) had been paid and that bar could be sent from the New World to Spain. Yet the bar would never arrive: it was lost aboard the shipwreck now called the “Tumbaga Wreck,” a treasure galleon lost around 1528 near the Bahamas. The bar was salvaged in 1992 and ended up in a private collection shortly thereafter.
Lot 65
Two key collections also provided substantial returns amid strong bidder interest. The first offering of the Clyde Hubbard Collection of Charles and Joanna Coinage realized a total of $403,440 across 134 lots. The top lot was a Mexico City, Mexico, 3 reales, of Charles and Joanna from the Early Series coinage with assayer Gothic R (lot 366), graded NGC XF 40 and finest known in the NGC census, that sold for $16,200 on an estimate of $10,000 to $15,000.
The John Adams Collection of Admiral Vernon medals sold for a total of $192,384 across a total of 50 lots. The top lot was 1192, a British gilt copper alloy Admiral Vernon medal dated 1739 with the Porto Bello / Fort Chagre design, that sold for $24,000 on an estimate of $1,000 to $2,000. That medal’s history boasts pedigrees to the collections of Dr. Thomas Hall, Virgil Brand, and John J. Ford Jr.
The best performing lot versus its pre-auction estimate was lot 1098, a Philippines 8 reales with crowned Y.II countermark from 1834-1837 on a Santiago, Chile, “volcano” peso dated 1820 assayer FD. It is graded NGC XF details / obverse damage with counterstamp AU Standard. Its pre-sale estimate was $700-$1,000; once the hammer fell, the coin had sold for $42,000.
A similar Philippines rarity with the same crowned Y.II countermark but on a Bolivia 8 soles dated 1834 with assayer LM (lot 1092), saw $36,000 on an estimate of $2,000 and up. It was graded by NGC as AU 58 with an UNC Strong counterstamp and is the finest known in the NGC census.
Other top lots in the sale include:
Lot 679, a La Rioja, Argentina, gold 8 escudos dated 1845 RB and graded NGC MS 63, the finest known in the NGC census, sold for $60,000 on an estimate of $20,000 and up.
Lot 720, a Santiago, Chile, gold 10 pesos dated 1863/2 graded NGC MS 64 Star Prooflike, finest known in the NGC census, sold for $26,400 on an estimate of $10,000 and up.
Lot 872, a Costa Rica, 2 reales, Liberty Head and ceiba tree counterstamp of 1845 on a Potosi, Bolivia, pillar 2 reales of Charles III dated 1768 JR graded NGC VF 20, c/s XF Standard, sold for $21,600 on an estimate of $2,000 and up.
Lot 34, a Mexico City, Mexico, gold cob 8 escudos dated 1714 J with the date over GRAT on the obverse, recovered from the 1715 Fleet and graded NGC MS 61 as well as pedigreed to the Frank Sedwick Collection and plated in The Practical Book of Cobs, sold for $22,800 on an estimate of $15,000 and up.
Lot 1109, a Segovia, Spain, gold milled 8 escudos of Philip V dated 1721/19 F graded NGC AU 55, sold for $22,800 on an estimate of $12,500 and up.
Lot 1067, a Leon, Nicaragua, “imitation cob” 1 real dated 1823-(PMPY), pine tree style graded NGC AU 58 and finest known in the NGC census, sold for $13,200 on an estimate of $500 and up.
Lot 1289, a Zeugitana, Carthage, gold stater from around 320-310 BC pedigreed to the British Museum, sold for $12,000 on an estimate of $4,000 to $6,000.
Lot 345, a USA (Philadelphia mint), gold $20 Coronet Liberty double eagle dated 1861 recovered from the Steamer Pewabic shipwreck, sunk in 1865 off Thunder Bay Island, Michigan, graded NGC AU 58 / Steamer Pewabic, sold for $11,400 on an estimate of $10,000 and up.
The firm’s next floor Treasure Auction 32 will be held Nov. 3-4 both in-person in Winter Park, Florida, and online at auction.sedwickcoins.com. The consignment deadline for that sale is August 22nd; interested consignors should contact the company by email at office@sedwickcoins.com or by phone at 407-975-3325.
Sedwick’s next auction is a standalone, online auction of US and World Paper Money to be held on July 1st at auction.sedwickcoins.com. Pre-registration for that sale is available now.
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