17-01-2018 – 19-01-2018
Auction 30
Tibet and China section strong in Stephen Album Auction 30
Stephen Album Rare Coins held its Auction 30 on January 18-20, 2018 at its offices in Santa Rosa, California. The total price realized was $1.55 million (including buyer’s fees) on a pre-sale estimate of $900,000 to $1.1 million. The sell through rate was at 90.9%. The Tibet and China section was especially strong with a sell through rate of 95.5%, with many of the prices far exceeding the estimates. Rounding out the auction was a strong World Coins section. The firm’s CEO Joseph Lang noted that “we were expecting strong prices, but some of the record-breaking results were still shocking”.
A few highlights from the auction results follow (prices do not include buyer’s fees):
Lot 1650.
Lot 1650. Ethiopia. Menelik II, 1889-1913, proof silver ½ birr, EE1889 (1896-7)-A, KM-4, Y-8. Gill-pg. 104, proof is unlisted in KM, hairlined, with razor-sharp details, attractive light tone, NGC graded Proof 61, RRR. We believe this piece to be a true proof, as it has squared off rims. Gill only mentions prooflike specimens, and a look at the search engines turned up no proofs. Realized $1,700 on a $400 to $500 Estimate.
Lot 1700.
Lot 1700. Warring States: State of Chu, 400-220 BC, gold block money, H-5.1, ying yuan stamped on cut piece, some weakness of strike, EF, RR. Following a number of battles with neighboring states the Chu capital moved to Ying, near modern-day Jingzhou City on the Jianghan Plain in the western part of Hubei Province. Ying was the capital of the State of Chu until 278 BC. These gold block money items were made in what is now Hubei province. They were cut from larger bars which allowed for the making of small denominations. Historically, this is China’s first gold currency with a fixed shape and size. Realized $6,500 on a $2,000 to $3,000 Estimate.
Lot 1972.
Lot 1972. Tibet: silver ¼ rupee (2.88g), Chengdu mint, ND (1904-12), Y-1, L&M-362, Szechuan-Tibet trade issue, portrait of the Chinese emperor Guang Xu derived from British Indian rupee of Queen Victoria // vertical rosette at center, Chinese inscription, si chuan sheng zao (“made in Sichuan”), branches with cusps and flowers around, a feature also derived from the reverse of British Indian rupees; a lovely example! PCGS graded MS63, RR, ex George Anderson Collection. Realized $6,000 on a $1,500 to $2,500 Estimate.
Lot 2185.
Lot 2185. New Zealand: George V, 1910-1936, proof silver crown, 1935, KM-6, Treaty of Waitangi, mintage of 468 in proof, PCGS graded Proof 64, RR. The symbolic handshake, in 1840, that sealed the treaty between the British and various Maori chiefs from the North Island of New Zealand. Realized $4,250 on a $3,000 to $4,000 Estimate.
Lot 2462.
Lot 2462. Baroda: Sayaji Rao III, 1875-1938, pattern piéfort AE rupee (17.60g), VS1943, KM-, off-metal strike in bronze, obverse with the Gaekwar’s bust within a circle, his name and title around, three-line inscription for denomination and date, horizontal sword, leafy border on reverse, plain edge, PCGS graded Specimen-64 Brown, RRR, ex David Fore Collection (Baldwin’s Auction 82, 31 May 2013, Lot 972). Realized $5,500 on a $2,500 to $3,500 Estimate.
The firm is now inviting consignments through March 9 for its Auction 31 on May 17-19, 2018.
For more details visit the Stephen Album website.
A list of all prices realized in Auction 30 is available too.