AuctionPublicity.com - A magnificent collection of United States coins, valued in excess of $10 million, will be offered by Heritage Auction Galleries in the Platinum Night session of their official auction at the Florida United Numismatists 2008 Convention in Orlando, January 9-12, 2008. The extensive scope of the Madison Collection ranges from high-grade early American Colonial silver to a magnificent example of the extremely rare 1933 gold Indian Head Eagle, and everything will be sold without reserves. Highlights will soon be posted at www.HA.com.

“The Madison Collection is the product of much thought and even greater enthusiasm,” noted Heritage President Greg Rohan. “The consignor had first been interested in rare coins as a young man, but the Madison Collection is much more a product of a conceptual framework that emerged from the mature reflections of a sophisticated collector and businessman. Conceptually, the collector sought a representative of everything that had passed for money in the geographical United States, from colonial to modern times. This was much more than a simple type collection, in conception or execution - it really is a series of type sets designed to tell stories through museum-quality coins.”

“The numismatist worked for more than a decade assembling these wonderful coins,” continued Rohan, “but the actual buying began only after lengthy reflection on which coins and coin-substitutes best illustrate American economic and political history. This wasn’t a search for the ‘finest known’ or for Registry ‘completeness’ - although it certainly contains many coins of the very highest quality. Rather, his collection was based on telling important stories utilizing money as the main narrator. The collector asked himself important questions, and then conducted research until he found satisfactory answers: What defines a proper representation of a collecting specialty? Which pieces of Territorial Gold are absolutely necessary to include in a representative set, to fully convey the visual story of this critically important part of our history? Which varieties are crucial to telling the story? Which others are merely fascinating to the specialist? What kind of collectible assemblage properly represents that era? What constitutes a representative set of colonials? Of Hard Times tokens? Of private coinage? Which English coins might the earliest colonists have brought with them? Which foreign coins were most often used as Legal Tender? Which coins defined the Civil War for North and South? Which coins best illustrate the historical aspects of Mint production problems during the nineteenth century? Which twentieth century die varieties, overdates, and doubled dies are needed to provide a complete representation? What stories can be told through the proof finishes of the 20th century? What is a type set of Patterns? Which coinages from how many places (that may later have become states) were required to help define American Territories?”

“Only after years of reading and reflection, and then designing customized plastic holders,” concluded Rohan, “was this numismatist ready to begin more than a decade of enthusiastic, dedicated collecting. Buoyed by the revenues from maturing investments, he vigorously pursued the coins previously selected. This was very much still a work in progress, but an irresistible business opportunity that demanded his substantial energies, as well as the substantial capital the coins represent, called for an auction at this time. The consignor hopes that enough of his concept is evident in the coins he has chosen that a new generation of owners will be challenged by his vision, and will also appreciate the motto under which he collected: Sufficit Diei (”sufficient unto the day”) from the Sermon on the Mount.”

For more information about Heritage’s auctions, and a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit www.HA.com.

Posted: 11|12|07 at 10:04 am. Filed under: Press Release.