Tyrants of Seine coins in Long Beach Expo exhibit

By Jeff Starck , Coin World

Published: Aug 23, 2019, 3 PM

A rare gold stater of the Celtic Parisii tribe is one of many rarities of French coinage to be on exhibit from the Tyrant Collection at the September Long Beach Coin & Collectibles Expo.

Images courtesy of Goldberg Coins and Collectibles Inc.

An exhibit of rare, historic French coins, described as the best and most comprehensive ever displayed in the United States will be showcased from the extensive Tyrant Collection at the Sept. 5 to 7 Long Beach Expo.

Titled “Tyrants of the Seine,” this is the fifth exhibition in a multi-year series of different displays of portions of the extensive Tyrant Collection, described as the world’s most valuable rare coin collection in private hands.

“This exhibit will have nearly 400 coins dating from 59 B.C. with the invading French tribes after the fall of Rome in 476 A.D. through the founding of the Carolingian Dynasty in the 7th century to modern coinage shortly before World War II. I can’t recall ever seeing a better exhibit of French coins outside of France,” said Ira Goldberg, president of Goldberg Coins and Collectibles Inc.

The exhibit will be insured for $10 million, according to Goldberg, who is one of the numismatists helping an anonymous buyer assemble the wide-ranging Tyrant Collection of historic U.S. and world coins.

Highlights of the exhibit

Exhibit highlights include:

➤ A gold stater struck by the Parisii in Northern Gaul between 100 and 50 B.C. (the tribe gave its name to Paris, the capital city of France).

➤ A 1640 10 Louis d’Or ceremonial or presentation issue of Louis XIII.

➤ Napoleon’s 1815 Proof 20-franc coin struck during the Hundred Days.

➤ An 1889 Proof 100-franc coin of the Second Republic.

The owner of the Tyrant Collection wants to remain anonymous while he shares the collection’s coins with the public for their educational value.

Visitors to the September Long Beach Expo exhibit can receive a free, illustrated educational booklet about this latest display. Detailed catalogs with information and illustrations about each coin in the “Tyrants of the Seine” exhibit will be available for $10 each.

The Long Beach Expo will be held in the Long Beach (California) Convention Center. Hours are Sept. 5 and 6, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sept. 7, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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