Iberian Rarities to be Offered by Heritage!

Dallas, Texas: Heritage Galleries & Auctioneers (HG&A) will offer several rare and desirable Iberian coins in their upcoming Signature auction, to be held January 8 & 9 in New York City.

"The Iberian Peninsula is one of the most romantic and storied places on the face of the earth," said Warren Tucker, Director of World Coin Auctions for Heritage, "and it's only fitting that this trio of exotic and sought-after coins should come from that wonderful region."

"The Fernando V and Isabel I gold Double Castellano (4 Ducats) ND (1474-1504), from the Seville mint is extremely rare and one of the great treasures of Spanish numismatics," Tucker said. "The only record we find of this type is from the January 1990 UBS Basel sale, lot 1884, where it was noted, 'No more than seven specimens known. Undoubtedly the most perfect example known.' It realized 100,000 Swiss Francs in that sale, or nearly $100,000 with all the buyers' fees at today's exchange. It was not as nice as the example we offer here, which may be the finest of eight known pieces. In this example, 9.20 gm and graded AU-UNC, we see Crowned Fernando and Isabel seated on thrones, facing each other on the obverse, with two shields on eagle on the reverse. This one-year type is missing from most of the great collections, and we may not again see two examples appear within a 15 year time span."

"Also being offered in this upcoming auction, "Tucker continued, " is an extremely rare Joao III (The Pious) gold Portugues ND (1521-57). This variety is unlisted in Friedberg, and the only record that we can find of this rare type selling at recent auction is a VF example of Fr-24 (one of the more available types, if there is such), which sold for $45,500 in a Hess-Divo sale in Zurich in 2003. The Eliasberg Collection did not have an example of a Portugues, and most major collections are missing this type. This is undoubtedly one of the true great European rarities. It shows the crowned arms of Portugal dividing L-R on the obverse, with the Cross of the Order of Christ on the reverse. 34.71 gm, it is graded Fine. Dom Joao III saw the Portuguese empire slowly decline and considered himself a failure. Fortunately, during his reign Portugal began the colonization of Brazil, slowing the decline and offsetting the loss of other parts of the empire."

"Last, but certainly not least," Tucker said, "is the Philip III gold 4 Cruzados ND (1621-40). Again, an extremely rare piece and the first of this type that we have offered, it is missing from most major collections, including Eliasberg. At 12.13 gm, it is a good VF with some remaining luster and two small spots of dark incrustation on the obverse at four and five o'clock. The coin shows the arms of Portugal on the obverse, and the Cross of St. George on the reverse. Philip was born on April 8, 1605, at Valladolid, Spain, the son of King Philip III of Spain and Margaret, sister of the emperor Ferdinand II. He was intelligent but lacked interest in the affairs of state. During his reign, Spain continued to decline politically and economically. Spanish involvement in the Thirty Years War increased as, in 1621, war was resumed in the Netherlands, and in 1622 fighting started with France over the Valtellina question. In 1640, the war gave Portugal the opportunity to revolt, which served to end Philip's reign."

"I'm very excited to bring these exceptional coins to the attention of the numismatic community," said Tucker. "These are all exceptionally rare pieces that should inspire some very healthy bidding."

The Fernando V and Isabel I gold Double Castellano has a pre-auction estimate of $75,000 - $95,000.

The Joao III (The Pious) gold Portugues bears a pre-auction estimate of $30,000 - $35,000.

The Philip III gold 4 Cruzados has a pre-auction estimate of $20,000 - $25,000.

For more information about Heritage's auctions, and a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit our Permanent Auction Archives at HeritageGalleries.com.

To reserve your copy of any Heritage auction catalog, please contact Nicole Jewell at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 272, or visit HeritageGalleries.com to order by email.