Partrick Collection Part I Realizes $25.93 Million At FUN

1792 P1C Birch Cent, Judd-4 MS65 * Red and Brown NGC. CAC

Don Partrick's visionary collection of American colonial coins electrified the numismatic community on Thursday night, Jan. 8, 2015 when the more than 350 coins contained therein realized almost $26 million total, including a stunning $2.585 million final price realized for a 1792 Birch Cent, Judd 4, MS65 ★ Red and Brown NGC CAC , the finest known example.

The coins were sold in a special session held by Heritage Auctions as part of the official auction of the Florida United Numismatists (FUN) Convention at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.

Future sales of The Partrick Collection are planned in conjunction with the ANA Convention in 2015 and the FUN and ANA Conventions in 2016.

"There are not enough superlatives to describe how extraordinary this collection is," said Jim Halperin, Co-Founder and Co-Chair of Heritage Auctions. "It is, quite simply, the finest grouping of American colonial coins ever assembled and the numismatic world will never see another like it. This is a pedigree that will endure in perpetuity and, judging by the incredible prices and the very spirited bidding, the top collectors in the hobby fully understood that."

Partrick's 1792 Eagle-on-Globe Copper Quarter Dollar MS63 NGC CAC , the only specimen available to collectors --- a coin that has intrigued numismatists for generations, as it exhibits a number of stylistic differences suggesting a different engraver than that of the other coinage of 1792 --- drew applause from the assembled crowd when it realized $2,325,500.

"This coin was last offered publicly in 1890, so there was obviously excitement from top collectors at the prospect of acquiring it," said Halperin. "There are only two known examples of this coin, with one of them held by the National Numismatic Collection. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the smart collector who seized the moment."

1776 Newman 1-C Continental Dollar XF40 NGC

Continuing the fireworks in the auction room were two of only four known Continental dollars in silver. Partrick's 1776 Newman 1-C Continental Dollar XF40 NGC , America's first silver dollar and a coin of tremendous historic importance, realized $1,527,500, a superb price mark matched by another coin dating to the early days of the nation, a 1776 Newman 3-D, EG FECIT Silver Continental Dollar MS62 NGC.

The lowest-priced seven figure coin of the amazing night came in the form of a 1792 Copper Disme MS64 Red and Brown NGC CAC , the finest of three known, which realized $1,057,500.

Further highlights include, but are certainly not limited to:

1792 Silver Disme AU50 NGC : The finest known silver disme of 1792. Realized $998,750.

1861 original Confederate Half Dollar PR30 NGC, Ex: CSA President Jefferson Davis : The most famous of just four examples struck by the doomed Confederacy, and the only example that can be traced back to CSA President Jefferson Davis. For absolute rarity and historic significance, the 1861 Confederate half dollar is unsurpassed in the annals of American coinage. Realized $881,250.

1792 Half Disme AU55 NGC CAC : A unique copper example. This coin was impressed with the same dies used to strike the silver half dimes, the very first coins issued for circulation by the nascent U.S. Mint. Realized $824,850.

1792 Birch Cent, Judd 5, MS61 Brown NGC : The finer of only two pieces known. Realized $564,000.