More than 100 pieces of historic, rare Orange County California paper money from the collection of the late William (“Willie”) Pannier, long-time owner of the Fullerton Coin & Stamps store, will be offered in an auction to be conducted by Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles (www.GoldbergCoins.com) in Beverly Hills, February 1, 2011.
The auction also includes a two-pound gold nugget nicknamed “The Fullerton Boulder” that Pannier often used as a paperweight.
Pannier passed away from cancer last August at the age of 66, and the oldest coin and stamp shop in Orange County California closed, but not for long. Well-known Orange County developer and former sports agent, Dwight Manley, prevented the complete shutdown of the long-time, popular Fullerton store where he worked as a teenager. Manley purchased the company owned by his late numismatic mentor and reopened it. He personally works there every Saturday and sometimes joins the staff on weekdays, too.
“There was only one Willie. He was a very special, one-of-a-kind person who transcended from another era. I brought him to the American Numismatic Association for the first time in 2003 to attend the renaming of the library in my honor. He was an important part of many people’s lives including mine and my children’s. We will always love him,” said Manley.
Fullerton Coin & Stamps opened in 1961 in downtown Fullerton and was acquired by Pannier in 1976. In 1978 he moved the store to its present location, 123 N. Raymond Ave., and the shop will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year because of Manley’s reopening of the store.
Pannier began collecting paper money in the late 1960s and then became interested in Orange County currency, according to his brother David.
“We were second generation Orange County residents. Orange County was in our roots. Some of the notes were displayed at the store, but he kept the more pricey things at home. He always tried to upgrade the notes or get a lower serial number for his collection,” David Pannier recalled.
“These historic, Southern California bank notes have been off the market for decades in his collection. There are several unique and serial number one examples,” said Larry Goldberg, partner with his cousin, Ira, in the Beverly Hills auction firm that is offering the currency from Pannier’s collection.
Between 1863 to 1935, some federally-chartered banks in the United States printed the name of the bank, city and town on the face of paper money. Collectors describe these as National Bank Notes, named after the National Bank Act of 1863.
David Pannier remembers his thoughts the first time he saw the huge gold nugget that his brother purchased about eight years ago: “My God! You can’t put that in a necklace!” The impressive nugget was displayed at the coin store for years, but when Willie Pannier became ill early in 2010 he took it home and used it as a paper weight, according to his brother. “He liked to look at it and admire it.”
“This is the largest gold nugget we’ve ever offered for sale in our 50 years in numismatics. It weighs 34.705 ounces,” said Larry Goldberg.
Lot viewing for the auction is conducted now through February 2, 2011 at the Beverly Hills, California offices of Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins& Collectibles, 350 South Beverly Dr., Suite 350. The auction will be conducted at the Crowne Plaza Beverly Hills Hotel, 1150 South Beverly Dr., starting January 31 and the Pannier collection items will be offered on February 1.
For additional information about the collection and other coin and bank note items in the auction, contact Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles by phone at (800) 978-2646, by email at [email protected] or visit online at www.GoldbergCoins.com
