SEDWICKCOINS BLOG

This catalog is packed with numerous rarities, unique pieces, and beautiful coinage designs that could possibly find a new home in your collection!

Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC’s next major sale, Treasure Auction 34, will take place live in-person and online on November 2nd and 3rd, 2023.

We’ll begin the auction with some truly impressive rarities in Gold Cobs. To highlight a few 1715 Fleet treasure coins: a boldy struck Mexico City, Mexico, 1714 J cob 8 escudos graded NGC MS 62 (lot 23); a Royal-like Lima, Peru, 1699 R cob 8 escudos with excellent strike and original as-found surfaces (lot 32); and a Lima, Peru, 1710 H cob 8 escudos graded NGC MS 63 linked to the very first offering of 1715 Fleet coins from the Real Eight Company (lot 36).

The treasure in Shipwreck Ingots is led by a cut gold “tumbaga” bar weighing 307 grams from the “Tumbaga Wreck” (lot 59) as well as a large, Class Factor 1.0 silver ingot weighing over 79 troy pounds from the Atocha (lot 65). U.S. shipwreck enthusiasts should watch for the large PCGS slab containing 5 troy ounces of gold nuggets and dust recovered from the SS Central America shipwreck (lot 60).

For more Atocha treasure, the Shipwreck Coins section hosts not one but two(!) PCGS-graded gold cob 2 escudos from the Atocha shipwreck (lots 79 and 80) in addition to a large assortment of silver cob coins (lots 81-138). The 45th Anniversary Collection of coins recovered in 1978 from the Concepción shipwreck is a great opportunity to own at least one coin from this historical Spanish colonial treasure galleon (lots 150-239). Many pieces from the Akerendam (lots 348-372) and the HMS Association (lots 296-323) are also remarkable.

Our Mexico Silver Cobs section begins with selections from the Clyde Hubbard Collection, where rarities like a strongly struck 4 reales of Charles-Joanna with assayer O to left (lot 531) and a cob 8 reales of Philip II with assayer O graded NGC AU 53 (lot 582) are sure to stand out. Within Lima Silver Cobs, there are several date runs of very nice, fully dated 1/2 reales (lots 727-728, 730-731). Potosí Silver Cobs is crowned by two unique 1736-dated 8 and 4 reales Hearts (lots 857 and 907) in their first auction appearances ever.

Our gigantic World Coins session hosts several noteworthy collections. One of the most important Colombian coin collections, the Gregorio Toulemonde Collection, will be sold with such rarities as the very difficult Bogotá 1759 JV pillar 8 reales graded NGC AU 55 (lot 1105) immediately followed by the high-grade Bogotá 1770 VJ pillar 8 reales graded NGC MS 63 (lot 1106). We are particularly excited to offer the Warren Baker Collection of Canadian colonial tokens, a lifetime assemblage of some of the best or most difficult early Canadian token designs (lots 997-1040). Incredible Chilean coinage types, desirable in rarity and grade, will cross the block through the Val y Mexia Collection.

Other notable areas of interest include a selection of beautiful Bolivian monetary medals (lots 972-991); several key Chinese type coins including the Sun Yat-sen silver dollar of Year 21 (1932) with birds over junk graded PCGS MS62 (lot 1103); a great variety of Costa Rican countermarked and counterstamped coinages (lots 1225-1250) alongside a gorgeous—not to mention rare—Costa Rican gold 1873 GW 20 pesos graded NGC MS 63 (lot 1251); an unprecedented group of Guatemala gold bust coins (lots 1320-1331); a very rare and desirable Olancho, Honduras, 8 reales-sized proclamation medal from 1808 graded PCGS AU50 (lot 1365); and the finest selection of Panama cob coins we have ever offered, topped by the incredibly rare and finest known cob 4 reales of assayer oB graded NGC AU 55, which is plated in several key numismatic references (lot 1445).

Within Medals and Decorations, we host our fifth—and final—offering of top Admiral Vernon medals from the John Adams Collection (lots 1524-1594), many of which are plated in the fantastic reference book he co-wrote alongside Fernando Chao.

Following that, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will occur as we offer the unique 1818-dated Congressional Gold Medal awarded to President William Henry Harrison for his role in the victory at the Battle of the Thames during the War of 1812 (lot 1609). This historical piece of American presidential history was presented in 1825 to Harrison by President James Monroe. After Harrison’s death in 1841, just 32 days in the nation’s highest office, it was passed down through his family. Eventually, Harrison’s grandson, President Benjamin Harrison, acquired the medal. Today, it exists as the only War of 1812 Congressional Gold Medal awarded to a U.S. president available for private sale.

A special highlight in U.S. Paper Money is the Civil War-era Virginia $100 Treasury Note graded PMG AU 55 (lot 1614). Only 83 examples were left outstanding in 1863 and fewer than a dozen survivors in any condition are known today.

World Paper Money features two finest-known PMG-graded Latin American rarities—the Guatemala Banco Internacional 1 peso of 1879 with handwritten date (Pick-151a) graded PMG Choice UNC 63 EPQ (lot 1628) and the Paraguay 20 pesos fuertes of 1894 graded PMG Choice Fine 15 (lot 1633).

Ancient Coins contains several popular types such as the Calabria “boy on dolphin” didrachm and the religious Byzantine Empire gold designs. Our popular Coin Jewelry section hosts several gold cob escudos and shipwreck coins already mounted in jewelry settings and ready to wear. Shipwreck Artifacts has an ornate gold toothpick with a hand-carved design of intertwined sea serpents recovered from the Corrigans site of the 1715 Fleet (lot 1700), plus a silver plate from the 1641 Concepción that represents the first artifact we have ever offered from that wreck (lot 1693). Following that, Non-Wreck Artifacts features both man-made and natural artifacts of many time periods.

This auction then finishes with the online-only Express session of varied numismatic items. Thank you to our valued consignors and good luck to all of our bidders looking for that next great piece for their collection!

Interested bidders should visit the auction site, https://auction.sedwickcoins.com, for more information and auction registration.

From June 28 to July 2, the 4th International Convention of Historians and Numismatists held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic was a resounding success, attracting participants from over 30 countries and totaling 350 attendees. Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC is proud to be among the sponsors for this grand event.

With a primary focus on Latin American and Spanish Colonial currencies, minting houses, history, and art, this convention marked the fourth in a biennial series of International Conventions of Historians and Numismatists (ICHN). The previous editions were Potosi 2016, Arequipa 2018, and Cartagena MMXXI. Santo Domingo MMXXIII boasted the highest attendance of all the editions, setting the stage for another successful biennial convention. The next host for the fifth International Convention in 2025, as decided by the Vice Presidents and members of commissions, will be Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Santo Domingo MMXXIII was hosted by the Sociedad Numismatica Dominicana S.N.D, and organized by a committee led by the Society’s president, José Manuel Henríquez, and ICHN co-founder Daniel Oropeza Alba. The convention took place in the historic Colonial City of Santo Domingo, known as La Ciudad Primada de América, which was founded in 1498. It was in this city that one of the earliest mints in the Americas produced hand-struck silver coins from 1542 to 1552.

We were honored to have Cori Sedwick Downing, partner of Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC, present her new book titled “The Charles and Joanna Silver Coinage of Santo Domingo, from 1542 to 1552.” This remarkable publication was co-authored by Isaac and edited by Daniel Frank Sedwick. This new reference book analyzes the many design varieties found among Santo Domingo Charles-Joanna coinage using detailed, close up photographs and expert descriptions. Purchase your copy today on the Sedwick Coins website at https://www.sedwickcoins.com/books.htm.

Other esteemed authors also had the opportunity to showcase their published or upcoming works. Roberto Mastalir presented his volume V The Great Transition at The Potosi Mint 1649-1653: The Post-Transitional Coinage of 1653-1659, this book part of a multivolume series has been published under Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC and for first time with a very limited printing done in the host city of Santo Domingo, while Glen Murray Fantom introduced his book Boato y Tecnología: Cincuentines, Centenes y Escudos de a Ocho. Las Monedas Especiales del Real Ingenio de Segovia.

Furthermore, Ignacio Gutierrez shared details about his forthcoming publication “Los Doblones de a Ocho Escudos” por Ignacio Gutiérrez delgado – 2023 2 volúmenes segunda edición expandida which includes an special collaboration in a form of an extra chapter written by Augi Garcia, discussing the psychology of the collector and current market scenarios for 8 escudos.

Highlights of Santo Domingo MMXXIII included over two dozen in-person lectures and presentations by notable numismatic and historical researchers. Among the esteemed speakers were Daniel Oropeza Alba from Bolivia, Eduardo Dargent Chamot from Peru, Manuel Chacón from Costa Rica, Glenn Steven Murray Fantom from Spain, Hilton Lucio from Brazil, as well as experts from the United States such as Andrés Felipe Cortázar,  Cori Sedwick Downing, Jorge A. Proctor, Ricardo Tallavas de León representing the American Numismatic Association, Jesse Kraft representing the American Numismatic Society, and Burt Webber, a historic shipwreck explorer based in the Dominican Republic, who discussed the history and archaeological recovery of the 1641 shipwreck Nuestra Señora de la Concepción in Dominican Republic waters.

Among many other important speakers from all over Latin America and Spain, such as Glenn Murray Fantom, Hilton Lucio, Jorge Becerra León, Dr. Frank Moya Pons, Daniel Oropeza Alba, Ulises Gardoni, Juan Claudio Lechín Weisse, Gilberto Izcoa Medina, Eduardo Dargent Chamot, Juan Felipe Ramírez, Yanko Ramírez, Richard Cacchione Amendola, Manuel Chacón, Carlos Jara, Alan Luedeking, Nicolás Liakopolus, Ignacio Olazagasti, Eduardo Lay Parra, Indyra Mendoza, Sigrid Bazán y Juan Camilo Rojas among others.

The Convention also paid tribute to the late numismatist Luis Roberto Ponte, who passed away on March 15, 2023, with a memorial tribute.

Additional event components included a special ceremony for the release of a new government postal issue commemorating Santo Domingo’s numismatic history, a discussion among the five-member Santo Domingo MMXXIII Comisión Jurídica, and the selection of the host venue for the sixth International Convention from among the competing entities (the sixth International Convention is scheduled to take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2027).

The first ever shipwreck treasure bar encapsulated by NGC will cross the auction block in Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC’s upcoming Treasure Auction 33.

The unique Colombian gold “finger” bar was lost for over 330 years in the sinking of the Spanish treasure gallon Maravillas on January 5^th, 1656 off Grand Bahama Island.

The bar will be sold as lot 60 during the first day of the auction firm’s May 3^rd and 4^th sale, to be held online at auction.sedwickcoins.com. Its pre-sale estimate is $40,000 and up; bidding at the time of writing stood at $100,000.

“This is an incredible opportunity to own the first NGC-certified treasure bar,” said Daniel Frank Sedwick, president and founder of Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC. “As we see many collectors developing new interests in shipwreck treasure, we’re looking for ways to highlight the history and value of these rarities. Partnering with NGC to provide their certification for this impressive gold bar will make it even more attractive for the top bidder.”

NGC encapsulated the long gold bar weighing over 336 grams in their largest plastic slab dubbed the “mega holder.” The NGC holder label attests to both the authenticity of the bar and its provenance to the Maravillas. The slab’s inner gasket was trimmed to securely fit the gold bar and allow for full viewing of its markings.

The gold bar was cast and stamped in Zaragoza, an important gold-producing region in Colombia, as indicated on the bar by the complete foundry and assayer cartouche with RIBERA / ZARAGOZA inside. The top of the bar shows three clear fineness markings consisting of XIX inside a box next to a dot (the symbol for a quarter karat) inside a separate box; the fineness was also lightly incised into the surface prior to stamping. There are partial imprints of four circular tax stamps showing different parts of a typical Philip IV legend (as on the coins). Several patches of white coral encrustation across its surfaces corroborate its shipwreck pedigree.

In early 1655, this bar was loaded aboard the Nuestra Señora de las Maravillas in Cartagena, Colombia.  Spain relied on a constant stream of New World gold and silver along with jewelry, precious stones, and pearls to fund the kingdom’s expenses. The Maravillas itself carried over 5 million pesos in treasure meant for mainland Spain, including salvaged coins from the wreck of the Jesús María de la Limpia Concepción, sunk in 1654 after striking a reef off Chanduy, Ecuador.

After departing from Cartagena in July, English naval raids in northern Caribbean prevented the Maravillas from reaching its next port, Havana, until October. On January 1^st, 1656, after repairs and restocking the ships’ stores were completed, the Spanish treasure fleet left Havana for Spain. The Marvillas, as the almiranta of the fleet, lead the way.

At midnight on January 4^th, the Maravillas accidentally entered shallow water off Grand Bahama Island. The crew drastically reduced her speed and attempted to signal the fleet to halt by using cannon fire. Several ships misjudged the signals and continued forward. One of those ships struck the Maravillas near her bow, fatally damaging the galleon.

The Maravillas’ captain attempted to ground her on a nearby reef. However, the ship took on water too quickly and partially sank in deeper water. Strong winds and waves began to tear the ship apart as her crew clung to any masts and rigging still above water. Of the 650 sailors aboard, just 45 survived the night and were rescued by another galleon in the fleet which had anchored nearby. For a time, the Maravillas and her treasure were a complete loss.

In mid-1656, Spanish divers led by Capitan Juan de Somovilla Texada located the site of the scattered Maravillas wreck. Picking amongst the debris yielded a small fraction of the whole treasure. Subsequent salvage work over the next three years resulted in a modest recovery of about a quarter of her riches. The wreck site was then covered by sand and lost for over 300 years.

In 1972, Robert F. Marx and his salvage company, Seafinders Inc., located the Maravillas. After identifying the wreck and obtaining a lease form the Bahamian government, they began salvaging coins, artifacts, and ingots from the site. Many of their recoveries sold at auction two years later.

In the late 1980s, Herbert Humphreys and his company, Marex, conducted further salvage work on the Maravillas. In addition to coins and artifacts, Marex recovered several gold “finger” bars from the ocean floor. The recovered treasure was then sold in the original Christie’s sale of Maravillas treasure in May of 1992; the gold bar now being offered for sale sold as lot 139.

Over 16 years later, it reappeared in Belgium where it was sold in a Jean Elsen auction as lot 1129. It subsequently appeared in Daniel Frank Sedwick’s Treasure Auction 6 held in October of 2009 as lot 1625.

The gold bar has now come back around for a second sale through Sedwick’s Treasure Auctions where pre-sale bidding has already surpassed its prior auction sales. Ultimately, one bidder will win this unique piece of Maravillas shipwreck history.

Live online bidding for the entire sale will be hosted at auction.sedwickcoins.com on May 3^rd and 4^th. New bidders are asked to register in advance in order to participate. All lots include a 20% buyer’s premium on the hammer price. The Maravillas gold bar can be viewed on the auction site here: https://auction.sedwickcoins.com/Maravillas-Gold-bar-336-3-grams-fineness-XIX-dot-19-1-4K-foundry-assayer-RIBERA-NGC-Mega-Holder_i48447157.

This is truly an amazing auction to behold as we host many rare pieces seeing their first—and possibly only—time on the market.

We’ll begin Gold Cobs in Session I with a substantial selection of high-grade Spain escudos. A particular highlight, in its own category, is the gold experimental 4 escudos dated 1591 with assayer initial C struck in Madrid by Miguel de la Cerda (lot 27). This incredible rarity, graded by NGC as Mint State 64, is the finest example among three known survivors. This coin represents the first official coinage made in Madrid, created using a new minting technique called “Ingenio de la Tijera” before the official royal mint was even established.

Immediately following, we have the finest known Mexico City, Mexico 1715 J gold cob 8 escudos from the 1715 Fleet graded NGC MS 65 (lot 28). This coin was originally sold by Frank Sedwick in 1988 and is now coming back to us 35 years later to offer to the next collector. Other Fleet opportunities in this sale include a “top pop” Cuzco, Peru 1698 M gold cob 2 escudos graded NGC MS 64 (lot 33) as well as a Lima, Peru 1712 M gold cob 8 escudos graded NGC MS 62 from the famous 2015 “Tricentennial Treasure” found off Douglass Beach (lot 35).

Our Shipwreck Ingots section hosts a fantastic find: a complete Colombian gold bar from the wreck of the Maravillas, sunk in 1656 off Grand Bahama Island (lot 60)—the only gold bar we have offered from this wreck. In a first for us, NGC, and the treasure market, we will be selling this bar encapsulated and authenticated in an NGC mega holder with Maravillas slab label designation. Other treasures include a gold “tejo” ingot from the Luz wreck (lot 61) and a Chinese gold “sycee” ingot from the “Nanking Cargo” wreck (lot 62).

Shipwreck Coins contains a bountiful selection of salvaged rarities including one of the finest collections of high grade and dated Atocha cobs (lots 71-198) we have ever seen (dubbed the RWB Reference Collection, here published for the first time). There are many choice pieces from our popular shipwrecks like the Capitana, the 1715 Fleet, and the Vliegenthart as well as the rare shipwrecks like the Vergulde Draeck, the “Jupiter Wreck,” and the Fame. Watch for our first time offering of a coin from the SB Pulaski shipwreck, a Zacatecas, Mexico 1835 OM cap-and-rays 8 reales (lot 361). Other US shipwreck rarities up for bidding include a denomination set of US gold and silver coins from the SS Central America (lots 364-376) plus a sizable date run of SS Republic half dollars (lots 381-395).

Session II starts with selections from the Clyde Hubbard Collection of Mexican coinage, a 250+ lot offering of rarities such as a Mint State Charles-Joanna 4 reales assayer G graded NGC MS 61 (lot 404), a Philip II cob 8 reales assayer O graded NGC XF 45 (the first circulating 8 reales of Mexico) (lot 450), and the unique cob 1 real Royal of Philip III assayer F graded NGC XF 45 (lot 560). Mexico Silver Cobs features the finest known Philip II cob 8 reales assayer F graded NGC MS 62 (lot 660). The finest and only graded Lima, Peru “Star of Lima” type cob 4 reales dated 1660 V, graded by NGC as XF 45, stands out in Lima Silver Cobs. The Potosí Silver Cobs section is particularly attractive as we host several key rarities: the only graded 1700 F cob 8 reales Royal (lot 736), the 1726 Y cob 8 reales Royal of Louis I (lot 743), and the unique 1701 Y cob 4 reales Heart graded NGC VF 30 (lot 752).

The following day, we’ll start Session III, World Coins, with a variety of key Latin American rarities. The Bogotá, Colombia 1888 “Cocobola” bust 50 centavos graded MS 61 and pedigreed to the Pat Johnson collection (lot 874) is sure to attract attention. The advanced Costa Rican collector will want to watch for the very rare 1917 GCR 50 céntimos without the 1923 counterstamp (one of just 10 recorded in 1917) graded NGC MS 63 (lot 896). Two finest known Guatemalan coins stand out—the extremely rare 1778 P gold 1 escudo graded NGC XF 40 (lot 947) and the finest known 1801/797 M gold 1 escudo graded NGC MS 62 (lot 948). We’re pleased to offer an absolutely gorgeous Mexico City, Mexico gold bust 8 escudos dated 1743 MF graded NGC MS 62 with prooflike luster (lot 980). A star in the session is the impressive Cuzco, Peru 1837 BA gold 8 escudos graded NGC MS 63 (lot 1025) with a design once called “the most beautiful gold coin of the Americas.” We close out the session with a key modern Venezuela rarity, the 1975 gold 500 bolívares graded NGC MS 69 (lot 1091).

Session IV begins with Medals and Decorations where we’ll host the fourth assembly of high grade and rare Admiral Vernon medals from the John Adams Collection (lots 1104-1178). The section also plays host to such desirable pieces like the Gran Cruz knight’s badge for the Spanish Order of Charles III awarded to Captain General José de la Gándara y Navarro for command during the War of Restoration in Santo Domingo (1863-65) (lot 1100). An artistic medal commemorating the 1624 Dutch navy victories pedigreed to the José Toribio Medina collection (lot 1201) is sure to attract international bidding attention. California gold features prominently in US Coins and Medals as we offer a San Francisco Assay Office 1852 gold $10 coin graded NGC AU 58 (lot 1249) plus three San Francisco-minted gold pieces from the Saddle Ridge Hoard (lots 1213-1215). Following up on our previous auction’s record-breaking sale, we offer the finest extant bronze George Washington and the Declaration of Independence medal made by Charles Cushing Wright graded PCGS SP65 (lot 1261).

A pair of Georgia proof bank note rarities (lots 1275-1276) stand out in US Paper Money along with a unique Bingham Canyon & Camp Floyd Rail Road $10 note (lot 1280). World Paper Money hosts several key notes including the finest known Guatemala Banco Comercial 1 peso of 1892 graded WBG AU 58 TOP (lot 1309), a serial number 1 Banco de Guatemala 1 peso of 1896 graded PMG VF 35 EPQ (lot 1311), and the colorful Panama “Arias” 5 balboas specimen note of 1941 graded PMG UNC 60 (lot 1328).

Following our Coin Jewelry section of numismatic wearables, the Shipwreck Artifacts section has an intact silver wine goblet from the Atocha (lot 1379)—ready for the winning bidder to take a swig from. Non-Wreck Artifacts features a Wild West era Colt 1851 Navy revolver (lot 1406). We’ll finish this amazing auction with our Express session of affordable collector’s pieces. To all: thank you and good luck!

View the entire online catalog, get registered, and place bids on our auction website here >> https://auction.sedwickcoins.com/auctionlist.aspx

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.