Currency Rarities to be Auctioned!

Dallas, Texas: Two exceptionally rare pieces of currency, of which only a handful of specimens currently exist, are about to hit the auction block.

"These two pieces represent some of the finest specimens of their type known," said Dustin Johnston, Consignment Director for Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries.

"The first, an 1863 'Spread Eagle' $100 note, was last offered at auction by Heritage in 2005," Johnston said, "at which time it realized an impressive $115,000. Only a handful of uncirculated Spread Eagles are known for all six Friedberg numbers in total. Of these, one is in a museum and three have been off the market for several decades. This is one of only two uncirculated Spread Eagles that have reached the auction market since 1947. It's fully Choice, with exceptional color and clarity of printing. The centering is outstanding for the issue, with all the margins clear of the design; in fact, were the centering just a bit better, this note would be fully Gem. It's also blessedly free of the usual edge problems and subsequent repairs that plague this thin-paper issue. This beautiful design is the classic of our early Federal notes, and it is missing in high grade from most major collections."

"Also offered in this upcoming auction," Johnston continued, "is a magnificent 1878 General Mansfield $500. Its last appearance in a Heritage auction was in May of 2005, when a frenzy of bidding ended with a final price realized of $138,000. Since our original offering of this note in 1991, at which time it was newly discovered to the census, one additional piece has turned up in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, bringing the total known up to six, two of which are permanently impounded in government hands. A lower-grade example of this note recently sold in a 2004 Heritage auction for $75,000, so there's no doubt regarding collector demand for this scarce issue. The good news is that the disappointed under-bidder from our last offering of this note gets a second chance; the bad news for him is that many new-market entrants will likely be competing for this classic rarity."

Heritage Auction Galleries will offer the Fr. 167a $100 1863 Legal Tender PCGS Choice New 63 and the Fr. 185d $500 1878 Legal Tender PMG Very Fine 20 in their upcoming Signature Auction, to be held April 27-29, 2006 as the official auctioneer of the Central States Numismatic Society's 2006 Convention, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, located at 400 North High Street, Columbus, Ohio.

The Fr. 167a $100 1863 Legal Tender PCGS Choice New 63 bears a pre-auction estimate of $150,000 & up. The Fr. 185d $500 1878 Legal Tender PMG Very Fine 20 carries a pre-auction estimate of $175,000 & up.

Fr. 167a $100 1863 Legal Tender PCGS Choice New 63

Fr. 185d $500 1878 Legal Tender PMG Very Fine 20

Images, descriptions, and prices realized from all of Heritage's previous auctions are available in the Permanent Auction Archives at the Heritage website.

To discuss consigning your rare currency to a future auction, please contact Dustin Johnston at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 302, or email DJohnston@HeritageAuctions.com.

To reserve your copy of a catalog for any upcoming Heritage auction, please contact Nicole Jewell, c/o Heritage Auction Galleries, 3500 Maple Avenue, 17th Floor, Dallas, TX 75219, or call 1-800-872-6467, ext. 272.