Classical Numismatic Group

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Bressett Collection Tops $560,000

Enthusiastic online bidders pushed Classical Numismatic Group’s Keystone 6 Auction, featuring the British and ancient Roman collections of legendary numismatist Kenneth Bressett, to more than $560,000 during the American Numismatic Association’s National Money Show in Colorado Springs, CO.

“This was a terrific result and we are very happy for Ken and all the winning bidders,” said Michael Gasvoda, Managing Director of Classical Numismatic Group LLC, based in Lancaster, PA and London, UK.

The three-session Keystone 6 auction, held Friday, 11th March 2022, also featured a selection of ancient and U.S. coins from other consignments, all of which did exceptionally well, Gasvoda noted.

Here are some of top results for Ancient coins (all prices include the 20% buyer’s premium):

Lot 3050: Roman Republic. Anonymous. Aes Grave As, c. 230 BC. Rare and of exceptional quality. Good Very Fine. Estimate: $8,000. Result: $9,600.
  • Lot 3050, an extremely rare early Roman Aes Grave, reached $9,600 against an estimate of $8,000.
  • Lot 2048, a rare Byzantine gold solidus of Michael I Rhangabe, achieved $7,800.
Lot 3134: Roman Imperial. Caligula (37-41) with Agrippina Senior. Denarius, 37-38, Lugdunum mint. Bold portraits. Very Fine. Estimate: $4,000. Result: $6,600.
  • Lot 3134, a silver denarius of the notorious Emperor Caligula, reached $6,600.
  • Lot 2030, a gold aureus of the “Philosopher Emperor” Marcus Aurelius, was hammered for $6,000.
  • Lot 3141, a wonderful silver denarius of the Emperor Claudius, attained $3,900.
  • Lot 3112, a “brockage” (ancient error) silver denarius of the Roman Triumvir Octavian, reached $3,600 against an estimate of only $500.
Lot 1028: Anglo-Saxon. Eadger (959-975). Penny. Circumscription type. Near Extremely Fine. Estimate: $750. Result: $2,280.
  • Lot 1028, an exceptional silver penny of the Anglo-Saxon King Eadgar, which hammered for $2280.

An offering of United States coinage, unusual for CNG, also brought solid numbers, including the following prices realized (plus commission):

Lot 2051: USA. 1802 Draped Bust Large Cent. No stems reverse “S-231” PCGS MS63BN. Estimate: $15,000. Result: $16,800.
  • Lot 2051, a 1802 Draped Bust Large Cent, achieved $16,800.
  • Lot 2156, a gorgeous 1892 O Barber Half Dollar, brought $15,600.
  • Lot 2279, a Pattern 1858 Flying Eagle Cent, hammered at $4,800.

Born in 1928, Kenneth Bressett’s long and storied numismatic career has included editing the Red and Blue Books of U.S. coinage, authoring more than a dozen books on ancient, British and U.S. coinage, diving for treasure coins with Mel Fisher, and serving as president of the American Numismatic Association 1995-1997. He was inducted into the ANA Hall of Fame in 1996 and was named as one of the Top 10 “Most Influential People in Numismatics 1960-2020” by Coin World Magazine.

“We were deeply honored to be chosen to bring some of Ken Bressett’s wonderful collections to market,” said Gasvoda. “Ken has perhaps done more than any other person in the past century to popularize coin collecting worldwide.”

CNG had all coins on view during the National Money Show at the fabulous Broadmoor Resort, and a steady stream of show participants took the opportunity to examine the lots.

Unlike most CNG auctions, the coins in Keystone 6 opened at $20, regardless of estimate. “It was an experiment, a true collector’s auction, with highly affordable coins for people of all ages, incomes and levels of interest,” Gasvoda said. “And I am glad to say it worked out fine.”

 

All results of the Keystone Auction 6 can be found in the online catalog.

For further information, visit the website of Classical Numismatic Group.