THE D. Brent Pogue COLLECTION MASTERPIECES OF UNITED STATES COINAGE Part IV May 24, 2016 • New York City Stack’s Bowers Galleries - Sotheby’s THE D. Brent Pogue COLLECTION MASTERPIECES OF UNITED STATES COINAGE Part IV May 24, 2016 • New York City Stack’s Bowers Galleries - Sotheby’s General Auction Information Stack’s Bowers Galleries Sotheby’s tel: 949.748.4849 tel: 212.894.1193 Fax: 949.253.4091 Fax: 212.606.7042 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] StacksBowers.com Sothebys.com How to Bid Before the live auction there are several ways to bid prior to the start of the live auction. Fax/Mail Bid Sheet Use the enclosed bid sheet and mail or fax it to us. If sending by mail, please allow sufficient time for the postal service. Mail: attn. auction Department Fax: 949.253.4091 Stack’s Bowers Galleries 1231 east Dyer road, Suite 100 Santa ana, Ca 92705 United States Phone telephone Stack’s Bowers Galleries at 949.748.4849 Internet View additional images and add items to your personal tracking list. You may also place bids and check their status in real time. Visit our website at www.stacksbowers.com. During the live auction attend in Person auction event: Sotheby’s 1334 York avenue New York, NY 10021 live online Bidding Stack’s Bowers Galleries will offer live online bidding for this auction. we strongly recommend that you register to bid at www.stacksbowers.com at least 48 hours before the start of the auction. live Bidding by Phone If you wish to bid by phone during the live auction, please register your interest at least 48 hours prior to the start of the auction. Stack’s Bowers Galleries will ask for the lot numbers you are interested in with your complete contact information. Stack’s Bowers Galleries will call you during the auction and you can place bids with our representative in real time. If you wish to arrange live bidding by phone, contact Customer Service at 949.748.4849 or email [email protected]. Bank Wire Information: U.S. Dollars to our U.S. account routing/aBa#: 322270288 (Domestic wires) Swift#: owBkUS6l (International wires) Bank Name: CIt Bank, N.a. address: 888 east walnut Street, Pasadena, Ca 91101 USa a/C#: 1311011385 a/C Name: Stack’s Bowers Numismatics llC address: 1231 east Dyer road, Suite 100, Santa ana, Ca 92705 account name: Stack’s Bowers Numismatics, llC ii StaCk’S BowerS GallerIeS / SotheBY’S the D. Brent Pogue Collection MASTERPIECES OF UNITED STATES COINAGE Part IV Sotheby’s, New York 7:00 pm May 24, 2016 lot Viewing: Central States Convention: (Selected highlights on display) april 27-30, 2016 (Schaumburg renaissance hotel and Convention Center, Schaumburg, Illinois) California office: May 4-12, 2016 (by appointment only) New York City Gallery: May 16-20, 2016 (by appointment only) on exhibit: Sotheby’s New York: May 21-24, 2016 auction location: Sotheby’s 1334 York avenue New York, NY 10021 lot Pickup: By special arrangement only StaCk’S BowerS GallerIeS / SotheBY’S iii Stack’s Bowers Galleries Sotheby’s Greg Roberts, CEO David Tripp, Special Consultant [email protected] Richard Austin, Senior Vice President Brian Kendrella, President Ella Hall, Associate Cataloger Contact Brian for post sale services [email protected] Q. David Bowers, Founder Contact David for research inquiries [email protected] Harvey Stack, Founder [email protected] Lawrence R. Stack, Founder Contact lawrence for numismatic inquiries [email protected] Christine Karstedt, Executive Vice President Contact Christine for all general inquiries [email protected] Andrew Glassman, CFO Contact andrew for accounting/credit inquiries and post sale services [email protected] Credits and acknowledgements the primary credit goes to D. Brent Pogue, not only for building this spectacular collection with the support of his father and family, but for his deep interest in the provenance of the specimens he acquired. the descriptions are by John kraljevich, the lead cataloger and researcher, with Q. David Bowers serving as editor and furnishing introductory material, research and additional commentary. Brian kendrella fills the role of administrative liaison handling the numerous details of bringing this collection to market. Christine karstedt serves as catalog coordinator and program director for the D. Brent Pogue Collection and invites general inquiries on this and upcoming Pogue events. lawrence r. Stack ordered the sale, contributed to the pedigree research and serves as valuations editor. ella hall serves as our Sotheby’s administrative liaison on the exhibitions and coordinates all aspects of the auction venue. Credit is also due to our staff numismatic experts including: Jeff ambio, ron Gillio, James McCartney, Benjamin orooji, John Pack, andrew w. Pollock, III, harvey Stack, Frank Van Valen, and Vicken Yegparian. Graphic design and final copy editing are by Jennifer Meers. additional support provided by karen Bridges, Samantha Douglas, Melissa karstedt, larissa Mulkern, Bryan Stoughton, and Millie wu. we gratefully acknowledge the following scholars, collectors, and dealers who contributed to this effort in various ways: len augsburger, t. Bell, ken Bressett, Dr. tom Bush, Charles Davis, John Dannreuther, k. eurig, David Fanning, ron Guth, Carl lester, andy lustig, Joel J. orosz, w. David Perkins, P. Scott rubin, David Sklow/american Numismatic association, Craig Sholley, Saul teichman, anthony terranova, David tripp, and Doug winter. Style Note: Some quoted material has been lightly edited, but the original meaning has been preserved. Selected coin photographs courtesy of PCGS. iv StaCk’S BowerS GallerIeS / SotheBY’S the D. Brent Pogue Collection Sale Part IV on behalf of Stack’s Bowers Galleries and Sotheby’s, I welcome you to Part IV of our auction program of the D. Brent Pogue Collection of early United States coins. More than any other sale held in the entire calendar of american numismatics, including our first three Pogue sales, Part IV comprises a group of ultra-rarities without equal. as a bidder, buyer, or interested observer you will be part of an event that will forever echo in the pantheon of this specialty. You will have a rendezvous with numismatic history. From the first important rare coin auction held in 1851 – the roper Collection – down to the present day, there has been nothing comparable, not even close. In the past two centuries an 1822 half eagle has sold at auction on only two occasions – the harlan P. Smith Sale in 1906 and the louis e. eliasberg Gold Coin Collection held by us in 1982. Generations of american numismatists have been born, lived, and died without having the opportunity to own such a coin! there are not many coins of any kind for which the owner can also get a modern award- winning book specifically on that rarity! as to the Sultan of Muscat 1804 silver dollar, Class I, a superb gem Proof and the finest known, it has been sold at auction twice. the first time was in london in 1917 and the second time by us as part of the walter Childs Collection in 1999, the buyer at the latter being the Pogue family. other 1804 dollars of lesser grade, and some of the Class III variety struck much later, have crossed the block now and again – often billed as “the king of american Coins.” these sales have generated more publicity for the 1804 dollar than any other rarity in the american series – countless columns of print and multiple books! But none can compare to the Pogue 1804 dollar. the above said, the other coins in the D. Brent Pogue Collection Part IV on their own would be an event with no equal. there is no rarer series in american numismatics than half eagles of the 1820s. the Pogue Collection has them all – and uniformly the finest known or Condition Census. Parts I through III of the D. Brent Pogue Collection, held at Sotheby’s international headquarters in New York City in May and September of last year and this past February, are now history. these dynamic sales, cataloged by John kraljevich and coordinated by Chris karstedt, larry Stack, and the team at Stack’s Bowers Galleries and held in partnership with Sotheby’s, exceeded all expectations and will forever stand among the greatest auctions in american numismatics. with Part IV to be held on tuesday, May 24, you will again be a witness to our offering of the most valuable collection of United States coins ever sold, formed over the decades from the 1970s to the present. Brent Pogue began the careful study of early american coins as a teenager in the mid-1970s. Soon after, he and his father, Mack, were familiar faces in auction galleries whenever the most significant or finest known examples were crossing the block. always perceptive, Brent had many discussions with me and with others as he and his father, Mack, sought advice. Since then, whenever we have had a world-class collection, the Pogues have been buyers. Brent placed emphasis on the early, formative years of the Mint, beginning with 1792 and continuing into the late 1830s. this was the era of hand craftsmanship of dies, of striking the coins on presses powered by two men tugging on a lever arm, and of ever-changing political and economic challenges. each coin has its own characteristics; no two are alike. the pages to follow include insights into diecutting and mintage procedures in the early years, adding to the coin descriptions and creating a catalog that will forever stand as valuable reference. StaCk’S BowerS GallerIeS / SotheBY’S v In the early federal era, relatively few people in america collected coins. By fortunate happenstance, in the 1780s and 1790s there were many numismatists in Great Britain who collected coins, including a few who sought “foreign” pieces from america.