Stunning Prizes for Chinese and Islamic Coins

Stephen Album Rare Coins held its Internet Auction 10 on 28th June 2021 at its offices in Santa Rosa, CA. The auction exceeded expectations, with a total hammer price of $213,000 (including buyer’s fees) for 1,000 lots, and a sell-through rate of 93.8%. The number of bidders grew by over 30% compared to the previous Internet Auction 9 held in April, resulting in a new record for the firm.

Nearly half of the auction consisted of world coins graded by PCGS. There were some shocking sales results as many items went for multiples of their pre-sale estimates, including the following (prices exclude buyer’s fees):

• Lot 911: China. Tibet. AR rupee, Chengdu mint, ND (1902-1911). Szechuan-Tibet trade issue, small portrait of the Chinese emperor Guang Xu without collar, derived from the British Indian rupee of Queen Victoria // horizontal rosette at center, PCGS graded AU53. Estimated for $150 to $250. Realized $6,000.

• Lot 873: China, Hupeh. Kuang Hsu (1875-1908). AE 10 cash, ND (1902-05). Full reverse brockage error. Cleaned, PCGS graded EF details. Very rare. Estimated for $250 to $350. Realized $3,750.
• Lot 436: World. Hungary. Artex Restrike: Miklós Horthy (1920-1944). AR 5 pengo, 1929-BP. St. Ladislav (Szent Laszlo) on horseback medallic issue, without initials U.P. (utanvert probaveret). PCGS graded Proof 66. Estimated at $100 to $150. Sold for $2,400.
• Lot 769: World. Sharjah. Khalid bin Muhammad al-Qasimi (1965-1972). AR riyal, 1970/AH1389. The Mona Lisa, a fantastic quality example. PCGS graded Proof 69 DCAM. Tied for “top pop” and none graded higher at PCGS. Estimated at $100 to $150. Realized $2,200.

• Lot 278: Islamic, Ottoman Egypt. Farouk (1936-1952). AR 20 piastres, 1937/AH1356. A lovely quality example. PCGS graded MS64. Estimated at $150 to $250. Realized $1,100.
• Lot 915: India. Ancient India. Anonymous, ca. 2nd century BC, AE rectangular unit. Hill and pillar of Asoka, all in deeply incused square, lovely example, VF-EF. Estimated at $100 to $130. Realized $800.
• Lot 54: Islamic. Seljuq of Rum. Kayqubad I (1219-1236). AR dirham, Konya. The date in numerals at reverse 6h, citing the caliph al-Zahir, choice VF. Rare. This type is the earliest confirmed example of a numeral date on any Islamic silver coin. Estimated at $75 to $100. Realized $650.

• Lot 971: India. British. AE rupee token, 1874. One rupee grain token struck at the Calcutta mint for the Bengal famine of 1874, with central hole as issued. PCGS graded AU55. Estimated at $450-500. Realized $650.

Company CFO Paul Montz was happy with the results. “Many items went for really eye-opening numbers. There will be some catalog prices in great need of updating.”

Here you can find all results of the Internet Auction 10.

The firm is currently taking consignments for future internet and signature auctions. Please visit Stephen Album’s website for further information.