Gallery

What You Can’t Live Without Buying in Treasure Auction #20 (part one)

21 Oct

Our upcoming Sedwick Treasure, World, U.S. and Paper Money Auction #20 has something for everyone, and I’ll outline some highlights in upcoming blogs. First off, let’s show off our paper money section, a collectible that we haven’t been able to offer in great amounts but should become a staple of future auctions thanks to the hard work and expertise of our new employee, Connor Falk.

Lot 1522, TA #20, November 2016

At first glance, this colorful 1996 Cayman Islands 10 dollar note is appealing for the beach scene on the reverse, an open treasure chest residing beneath a palm tree as a sailboat moves in the shallow waters. But there’s an interesting backstory on this note: it shouldn’t exist. The X/1 series of notes were test notes printed by De La Rue on experimental paper, analyzed and then destroyed. A small number escaped, making them among the rarest of Cayman Islands notes. Add the fact that PMG certified this note as Gem Uncirculated 65 EPQ and this lot is an impressive rarity sure to be the cornerstone of a Caribbean paper money collection.

Lot 1535, TA #20, November 2016

This 1889 100 pesos Colombian Bond is very rare with only four or five known and is the plate note featured in Compendio Historico del Papel Moneda en Colombia by Danilo Parra Ariza. It features a light blue underprint and a well-executed design including a vignette of a man with a burro cart. Other examples are known to have cancellation marks including punch holes and rhombus-shaped cuts, making this lot all the more attractive for its lack of major marks or cuts.

Lot 1536, TA #20, November 2016

This the 1889 10 pesos, similar in design as the lot above yet featuring a popular vignette of a dog.

Lot 1560 (obverse), TA #20, November 2016

Lot 1560 (reverse), TA #20, November 2016

A very scarce and popular note with a central vignette of a Carib Indian, also featured on other Guadeloupe banknotes and coins. The Caribs called Guadeloupe “Karukera” which translates to “island with beautiful waters.” Connecting with Guadeloupe’s maritime past, the reverse features a large compass rose. There are some folds and soiling, but the numerous and heavy folds that plague large notes like this one are not here, hence why PCGS certified this note as Very Fine 30.

Lot 1578 (reverse), TA #20, November 2016

Lot 1579 (obverse), TA #20, November 2016

These two Mexican notes are extremely popular and in demand due to the beautiful tri-color reverses honoring the colors of the Mexican flag. Printed to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Mexican War of Independence, they are also the first commemorative banknotes in the world. Examples are scarce with notes in VF and higher rare while collectors give special attention to those with bright colors.
Check out Session 4 lots 1500-1623 for all of our bank note offerings.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Gallery

Some of Our Favorite Things in Upcoming Treasure Auction #20

14 Oct

As you peruse our catalog online, you might enjoy some of the items that stand out to us. Not all are big ticket items. Some are just cool because of what they represent. What items in our auction catch your attention?

lot-17-ta-20-gold-cob-earrrings-1715-fleet

Lot 17, Sedwick Treasure Auction #20

lot-24-ta-20-gold-cob-pendant-1715-fleet

Lot 24, Sedwick Treasure Auction #20

If bling is your thing, then these gold-coin earrings (Lot 17) and pendant (Lot 24) are a must-have! We don’t usually have earrings in our auctions, much less a pair of one escudo cobs from the 1715 Fleet. And what would complement them? Why an 8 escudos cob pendant from the 1715 Fleet! It’s really not overkill if you like to strut your stuff.

lot-210-ta-20-tumbaga-bar

Lot 210 Sedwick Treasure Auction #20

This “tumbaga” silver bar (Lot 210) is one of the coolest bars we’ve ever handled. It’s a typical rectangular bar without the depth, i.e., it’s almost like a slice of “tumbaga” (even though it’s a full bar). More interesting is the large area of exposed copper. The photo says it all. If you’ve been wanting a “tumbaga” bar, then this should be on your want list. Be sure to buy a copy of Augi’s book, The “Tumbaga” Saga, Treasure of the Conquistadors, to go with.

 

lot-777-ta-20-paoletti-first-coin

Lot 777, Sedwick Treasure Auction #20

Provenance and pedigree are terms that are thrown around a lot when dealing with antiquities. We love to know where things come from, whether from a shipwreck or a particularly important collector. We have that in spades with this auction lot: It’s the first coin collected by Emilio Paoletti (Lot 777). If you don’t already know his name, then this isn’t the coin for you, but if you do, then bookmark this lot and bid!

 

lot-1569-ta-20-bank-note

Lot 1569, Sedwick Treasure Auction #20

Connor, our new employee and banknote guy, praises this note (Lot 1569) as a “fascinating combination of Mexican iconography (the eagle) and Texan images (the frontiersman).” It’s an unsigned remainder from a bank chartered to operate in Columbia, Texas by the Mexican government on April 30, 1835, just a few months before the start of the Texas Revolution. During the revolution, the bank was instrumental in arranging loans and fundraising for the revolutionaries.

 

lot-1625-ta-20-engraving

Lot 1625, Sedwick Treasure Auction #20

While I’m not a fan favorite of this engraving (Lot 1625), the rest of the office loves it. It’s a German copperplate engraving showing native Americans dismembering and eating Spaniards, including pouring molten gold into one poor Spaniard’s mouth. I know the Indians weren’t exactly saints, but in the larger picture, they were almost always on the losing end of run-ins with Spaniards, and this is one of the few times they came out ahead. Go Native Americans!

lot-1626-ta-20-philip-ii-engraving

Lot 1626, Sedwick Treasure Auction #20

Part of this engraving (Lot 1626) graces the front cover of our catalog. It’s a hand-colored British copperplate engraving of Philip II. He’s surrounded by crests of the many countries where he was king. Yertle the Turtle (a Dr. Seuss character for those of you who didn’t grow up reading his books) had nothing on him.

 

lot-1661-ta-20-sin-razon-sword

Lot 1661, Sedwick Treasure Auction #20

If I owned a sword, this is the one (Lot 1661) I would want to own because it expressly tells me when it’s OK to use it: “no me saque sin razon,” which translates to Don’t Use Me Unless You Really Need to. Maybe our modern guns should have the same inscription.

We hope you enjoy all our auction offerings and find something that truly speaks to you!

Gallery

Notes from the 2016 U.S. Mexican Numismatic Association Convention in Scottsdale, Arizona

12 Oct

hurricane-imageLast week Dan, Connor Falk (our new employee) and I traveled to Arizona ahead of Hurricane Matthew to show auction lots for our upcoming Auction #20 (more to follow on that tomorrow!) and give some presentations. We were a little unsure about leaving with a potentially dangerous storm bearing down on us, but when the going gets tough, the tough leave town. As it turned out, Matthew took an eastward jog and spared most of the central Florida area.

The U.S. Mexican Numismatic Association convention in Scottsdale is always a great time to reconnect with friends and colleagues. Connor and I got to meet Don and Lois Bailey, Mexican numismatic legends. All three of us enjoyed spending time with Ute Wartenberg Kagan, the longtime executive director of the American Numismatic Society who brought

connor-falk-with-don-bailey-at-us-mex-2016

Connor Falk with Don Bailey

important Mexican coins from the vast collection at the Society. She will also attend our Auction #20, so if you’re attending it as well, you’ll want to meet and talk with her.

cori-downing-and-ute-wartenberg-kagan-us-mex-2016

Ute Wartenberg Kagan and Cori Downing

Augi, who stayed in Florida to make sure the hurricane didn’t blow away our office, won an award at the convention for his well-received book, The “Tumbaga” Saga, Treasure of the Conquistadors. We’re fortunate to have a very cool “Tumbaga” bar (Lot 210) in the Auction. Dan took an award for his participation in the Counterfeit Forum last year and did so again this year. The presentation was extremely well received. I spoke on the Charles and Joanna coinage from the Mexico City mint, sharing some new research I’ve undertaken.

augi-garcia-us-mex-award-2016dan-sedwick-award-us-mex-2016

All in all, it was a quick respite from the desk and chair. If you’re a collector of Mexican coins, you should become a member of the U.S. Mexican Numismatic Association and attend next year’s convention.

dan-sedwick-connor-falk-and-cori-downing-at-us-mex-2016

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Gallery

Sedwick Treasure, World and US Coin Auction #20 Preview

7 Sep

christmas-packages

While all of us at Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC, are diligently working on making our November Treasure World & US Coin Auction #20 the BEST ever, I thought I would pause to tell you about some of the cool stuff we will have for you to bid on and *hopefully* buy. First off, make sure your Christmas wish list is empty because there are lots and lots of goodies you’ll want! I’m already making my list.

In the upcoming auction, we have a Maravillas Research Collection of countermarked Potosi cobs. Here’s a refresher about the Maravillas from our website (abridged):

Maravillas, sunk in 1656 off Grand Bahama Island

shipwreck

As the almiranta (“admiral’s ship,” or rear guard) of the homebound Spanish fleet in January of 1656, the Nuestra Señora de las Maravillas was officially filled with over five million pesos of treasure (and probably much more in contraband, as was usually the case). That treasure included much of the silver salvaged from the South Seas Fleet’s Capitana of 1654 that wrecked on Chanduy Reef off Ecuador. The ill-fated treasure sank once again when the Maravillas unexpectedly ran into shallow water and was subsequently rammed by one of the other ships of its fleet, forcing the captain to try to ground the Maravillas on a nearby reef on Little Bahama Bank off Grand Bahama Island. In the ensuing chaos, exacerbated by strong winds, most of the 650 people on board the ship died in the night, and the wreckage scattered. Spanish salvagers soon recovered almost half a million pesos of treasure quickly, followed by more recoveries over the next several decades, yet with over half of the official cargo still unfound. The first re-discovery of the Maravillas in the 20th century was by Robert Marx and his company Seafinders in 1972. The second big salvage effort on the Maravillas was by Herbert Humphreys and his company Marex in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The wreck area is still being searched today, but officially the Bahamian government has not granted any leases on the site since the early 1990s.

roberto_mastalir

Roberto Mastalir Divisek

 

In addition to the above Potosi shipwreck cobs, we are honored to present a collection of “Transitional” 1652 Potosi 8 reales cobs put together and written about extensively by Robert Mastalir. All of his coins in the upcoming auction are featured (photographed) in his book The Great Transition at the Potosi Mint, 1649-1653, the 1652 Transitional 8 Reales, which is out of print already, but we plan to re-print it for the auction soon.

 

 

Unfortunately, sometimes collections come to us after the death of the collector, and that’s the case for the Charles Eidel collection of shipwreck coins and ancient Greek and Roman coins. Charlie was a genial retired NYC policeman whose appetite for coins was wide ranging. His meticulous record keeping and coin descriptions reflect his love for the hobby. It’s now time for him to posthumously pass along his gems for the next generation of collectors.

Near and dear to my heart is our major offering of Charles and Joanna coinage (both Early and Late Series) in this auction. We have a smattering of coins from several different sources which complement each other very well and will give you a lot of opportunities to enrich your collection…or start one! While we generally feature 4 reales from shipwrecks, this time we will have a large selection of the very hard-to-find smaller denominations. We will even have an early series Assayer R 1 real. And when’s the last time you saw Assayer S in any denomination? We’ve got a 2 reales for sale!

That’s it for now, but it should help you decide on what you’d like to see under the Christmas tree this year (or before)! Happy bidding.

bidders-at-fudraising-auction

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Gallery

Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC welcomes numismatist Connor Falk

16 Aug

Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC, a world class auctioneer of coins and artifacts, is proud to have numismatist Connor Falk join the company.

Falk will review and catalog consignments as well as work with clients to get the most out of the auction experience. Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC, already the leader in Latin American and shipwreck coin and artifact auctions, is expanding into new areas of numismatics such as U.S. coins and paper money to better serve a growing market. Falk will lead these expansion efforts with his numismatic knowledge and enthusiasm.

connorfalk

Connor Falk

“It comes down to personal service,” said Daniel Frank Sedwick, president and founder of Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC, “and to maintain our high level of service in additional areas, we needed expertise and energy. With his experience in customer relations, writing and editing, and of course numismatics, Connor was the right fit in every way.”

According to Agustín García-Barneche, vice president and partner of Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC, “you just don’t see enough young, professional numismatists in world coins like Connor, so we jumped at the chance to bring him on board. Like each of us in the company, Connor will be involved in all the logistics, which will give us even more flexibility to travel and service our clients, collectors and dealers alike. Our growing company has just taken a big step forward!”

Prior to joining Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC, Connor Falk was the online content editor for F+W’s Numismatics department and a journalist for Numismatic News. He was the bourse chairman for both the 2016 Chicago Paper Money Expo and the 2016 Chicago International Coin Fair. A numismatist in his own right, he focuses primarily on U.S. and Mexican coins and paper money.

Falk has a B.A. in English from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point (Class of 2014). He is a member of the ANA, the Central States Numismatic Society (life member), the Chicago Coin Club, and the U.S. Mexican Numismatic Association (life member). Outside of numismatics Connor spends time scuba diving and he is working his way up to a Master Scuba Diver certification.

Want to discuss consignments or upcoming auction lots? Contact Falk at 920-676-5269 or by email at connor@sedwickcoins.com

sedwick_teamConnor Falk, Daniel F. Sedwick and Agustin Garcia-Barneche. Anaheim, CA ANA World’s Fair of Money 2016. 
Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC is the world’s premier specialist company in the colonial coinage of Spanish America, shipwreck coins and artifacts of all nations. In addition to an Online Store, we sell coins and artifacts at various numismatic shows around the nation. Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC also has the honor of being the only auction company in the world specializing in authentic treasure! Our auction catalogs are accessible on the web and printed in a high-quality format with full-color illustrations for all lots.
Contact Info:
Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC
407-975- 3325
info@sedwickcoins.com
www.SedwickCoins.com
← Older Entries
Newer Entries →