Intense Bidding Delivers Outstanding Results at the Stack’s Bowers Galleries 2025 NYINC Auction

Stack’s Bowers Galleries, in its role as an official auctioneer of the New York International Numismatic Convention, always hosts one of the year’s most hotly anticipated auction events at the January NYINC. This year’s auction was no exception, with numerous record-breaking results that brought the price realized totals across the ancient coins, world coins, and world currency categories to $12,398,470. (All prices include the buyer’s premium.)

Claiming the position of top-selling lot was the colossal 1637 Austrian 20 Ducats of Ferdinand II. Very rare, exceptionally beautiful, and graded MS-64+, strong bidding brought this lot to $360,000. Another Central European gold rarity, the 1639 Hungarian 10 Ducats, took second place at $192,000. The stunningly rare 1801 Pattern Ruble Novodel of Russian emperor Alexander I sold for $96,000, while a very special Salzburg 10 Ducat Klippe from 1668 brought $90,000, reinforcing the strength of European coinage at the NYINC sale.

The firm’s offerings of Latin American coins and countermarks at their NYINC sales have earned a reputation for quality, which was amplified this year with several high-end rarities. The 1916 Mexican 60 Pesos from Oaxaca, consistently one of the most desired and famous issues of the vast Mexican Revolution series, realized $66,000, comfortably exceeding its estimate. One of the most intriguing countermarks was an exceptionally rare bifacial Costa Rican 4 Reales countermark on a Bolivian host that inspired a bidding war resulting in an impressive $52,800 realization. A magnificent Peruvian gold medal featuring Simon Bolivar performed admirably achieving $45,600. The leader among the colonial issues was a Mexican Cob 8 Escudos dated 1715, pedigreed to the famous 1715 Plate Fleet shipwreck, which landed at $45,600 after competitive bidding.

The annual NYINC auction is Stack’s Bowers Galleries’ top venue for ancient coins, and this year’s robust selection was anchored by the S.P. Rutherford Collection. The collection’s top lot, a massive Ptolemaic silver Pentakaidekadrachm of Berenike II, achieved $38,400, while another oversized rarity, a Macedonian Dodekadrachm issued by the Derrones, crushed its estimate when it brought $26,400. Other standouts include an always-popular Syracuse Dekadrachm that realized $19,800 and a gorgeous Mint State Year 2 Jewish War Shekel that sold for $18,000.

The Richard Margolis Collection of exceptional French rarities had its own dedicated session which saw intense competition in the auction room. The clear leader was a wonderful Proof Napoleon 40 Francs in MS-65 that climbed to $144,000. Not far behind, another Proof striking of Napoleon, this one a 5 Francs brought $102,000, well exceeding its presale estimate. The immensely rare Specimen 20 Francs of Louis XVIII soared to $66,000.

As with Latin American coins, the NYINC has proven to be Stack’s Bowers Galleries’ premier venue for Latin American paper money. Venezuelan banknotes were especially well-represented, with an incredible 1811 8 Pesos from the early days of the republic leading the results at $60,000. Russian notes had a strong showing, with rare offerings such as a 3 Rubles from South Russia and a 1940 25 Aksha from Tannu Tuva, each of which sold for $31,200. A beautiful high-grade Egyptian 50 Piastres of 1899 was the second-highest selling lot among the paper money offerings realizing $38,400.

The physical cryptocurrency sale was led by a loaded 0.5 Bitcoin of the popular Casascius type that sold for $58,800. The colorful “poker chip” type comprised most of the other top-selling lots in the session, with a loaded 2016 0.1 Bitcoin reaching $16,800.

All results from the January 2025 NYINC Auction are available at StacksBowers.com. These results set up Stack’s Bowers Galleries for another year of growth and market expansion. The firm now looks ahead to its busy 2025 calendar, beginning with the February Collectors Choice Online Auction, followed in March by Part II of the landmark L. E. Bruun Collection and The Zurich Sale, taking place in Zurich, Switzerland. Shortly after comes the April 2025 Hong Kong Auction, the firm’s premier venue for high-end Asian numismatics. To consign your ancient coins, world coins, and world paper money to an upcoming Stack’s Bowers Galleries event, visit StacksBowers.com, call 800-458-4646, or email Consign@StacksBowers.com.

Other notable lots from the Stack’s Bowers Galleries New York International Numismatic Convention Auction:

• PTOLEMAIC EGYPT. Arsinoe II, Died 270/268 B.C. AV Mnaieion (Oktadrachm) (27.77 gms), Alexandreia Mint, struck under Ptolemy II, ca. 252/1-250/49 B.C. NGC Ch EF, Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5. Brushed. - $18,000.
• SICILY. Syracuse. Agathokles, 317-289 B.C. AR Tetradrachm (17.08 gms), ca. 317-310 B.C. NGC AU, Strike: 4/5 Surface: 4/5. Fine Style. - $13,200.
• CANADA. Beaver Club of Montreal Gold Medal, "1801" (1818). EXTREMELY FINE Details -- Mount Removed. - $50,400.
• MEXICO. Cob 8 Escudos, 1713-MXo J. Mexico City Mint. Philip V. NGC MS-63. - $28,800.
• PERU. Cob 4 Escudos, 1700-L H. Lima Mint. Charles II. NGC MS-63+. - $33,600.
• GREAT BRITAIN. Gold Pound, "O" (1600). London Mint; mm: O. Elizabeth I. NGC AU-58. - $43,200.
• GREAT BRITAIN. 2 Guineas, 1687. London Mint. James II. PCGS MS-63. - $50,400.
• GREAT BRITAIN. Gold 1000 Pounds, 2020. Llantrisant Mint. Queen's Beasts, White Horse of Hanover. Elizabeth II. SUPERB GEM PROOF. - $108,000.
• GERMANY. Hesse-Cassel. Goldgulden, 1627. Kassel Mint. Wilhelm V. PCGS MS-61. - $45,600.
• GUADELOUPE. Guadeloupe - Brazil. 20 Livres, ND (ca. 1804). ALMOST UNCIRCULATED Details; Countermark: ALMOST UNCIRCULATED. - $28,800.
• SIERRA LEONE. Dollar, 1791. Birmingham (Soho) Mint. PCGS PROOF-64. - $27,600.
• FRANCE. Obsidional Issues. Siege of Antwerp. Silver 5 Centimes Essai (Patten), 1814-V. Antwerp (Wolschot) Mint. Napoleon I. PCGS SPECIMEN-62. - $43,200.
• FRANCE. Kingdom (First Restoration). Silver 5 Francs Essai (Pattern), 1815. Paris Mint. Louis XVIII. PCGS SPECIMEN-63. - $66,000.
• FRANCE. Empire. 5 Francs, Year 12-A (1803/4). Paris Mint. Napoleon I. PCGS PROOF-63. - $60,000.
• EAST AFRICA. East African Currency Board. 50 Florins = 5 Pounds, 1.5.1920. P-12. Serial Number 1. PMG Choice Very Fine 35. - $32,400.
• BRITISH CARIBBEAN TERRITORIES. Currency Board of the British Caribbean Territories. 100 Dollars, 28.11.1950. P-6. PMG Choice Very Fine 35. - $28,800.
• VENEZUELA. Compania de Accionistas. 5 Pesos, 18.2.1856. P-S321. PMG Fine 12. - $24,000.