A magnificent Lydian “missing link” early Croesus stater from the Cambridge Collection is a top attraction for Heritage’s NYINC World & Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature Auction on Jan. 12.

“The Cambridge Collection represents an opportunity for advanced collectors to pursue a remarkable array of artistically and numismatically significant early Greek coins,” says Kyle Johnson, managing director of world and ancient coins at Heritage Auctions. “This session offers every denomination of gold and silver coinage from Croesus’s lifetime and the light standard coins that were produced in his design after his death, with each selection a veritable highlight to any serious cabinet.”

The accession of Croesus to the Lydian throne circa 561 B.C. ushered in a revolution in the world economy. The most important reform attributed to Croesus was the introduction of a bimetallic coinage system, with separate gold and silver coins, first augmenting and then replacing the previous electrum issues. The creation of separate gold and silver denominations ranging from a full stater down to 1/24th of a stater was a visionary move that had a major impact on the ancient economy. Croesus gold staters are billed as the “world’s first coinage.”

Eternal Collection Part III

A stellar trove of 124 lots from the Eternal Collection, Part III, includes an exceptional array of trophy coins, with an emphasis on top British, Central European and European Colonial issues.

Among the top attractions in Part III is a Danish Asiatic Company piastre authorized by Christian VII and dated 1771 but struck in 1774. Graded Mint State 66 by Numismatic Guaranty Co. and referred to as the “Greenland dollar,” the piece is an incredibly rare, almost mythic crown-trade issue struck by the Danish Asiatic Company in an effort to establish greater economic influence in Asia, where the preferred trade coinage at the time was milled Spanish silver, most notably the 8-reale coins that featured the “Dos Mundos” globes and are sometimes referred to as the Pillar dollars.

Capitalizing on the success of this Spanish design, the Danish Asiatic Company piastre clearly imitates the Pillar dollar motifs, one of the reasons this Danish production earned its “Greenland dollar” moniker. The offered coin is a 1774 production of the 1771-dated issue — rare, but not quite as rare as the originals — from a current survival pool of approximately 20 pieces. This auction marks just the second time the emission has been offered at Heritage.

Naim Margulis Collection

Comprising 202 lots of superior specimens, the Naim Margulis Collection of British Coinage is crowned by a Proof 1826 George IV gold £5 coin that NGC grades as Proof 64 Cameo. Designed by William Wyon, the issue comprised the ultimate chase coins from George IV’s decade-long reign and among the most desirable gold pieces in all of British numismatics. The 35.5-millimeter coin had an extremely limited mintage of 150 pieces.

Additionally, Heritage will offer 234 lots from the Peh Family Collection, Part IV.

Details can be found at ha.com

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