Phil Kaufman's Early Seated Proof Sets Begin Auction Appearances at Heritage's Milwaukee ANA Event

Dallas, TX: Phil Kaufman's superlative collection of Early Seated Proof Sets (1839-1858) is being offered by Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries in a series of events starting with the August 8-10, 2007 ANA World's Fair of Money Platinum Night Auction in Milwaukee. "Mr. Kaufman's Collection is so extensive - and so valuable," noted Heritage President Greg Rohan, "that we will be offering important pieces over four of our Signature/Platinum Night auctions during the coming year. Mr. Kaufman wanted to start this process in Milwaukee at the Official Auction of the summer ANA, as this represents one of the most important venues of the year. Milwaukee marks Heritage's 36th selection as the Official ANA Auctioneer."

"Mr. Kaufman is an extraordinary collector," continued Rohan. "We started selling important selections from his collections in 2002, and have successfully concluded more than a half dozen separate consignments. He has been so pleased with his results that we are now privileged to offer his beloved early Seated silver proofs."

California dealer Barry Stuppler, who helped Mr. Kaufman assemble these wonderful coins, noted, "In the recent history of numismatics there hasn't been any other collection of early proof seated Liberty coins of this quality. It was truly my privilege to help Phil build his collection."

Mr. Kaufman started collecting coins in the third grade (in the late 1950s), filling his "pennyboards and old blue album with Lincoln Cents pulled from circulation." During the early 1980s, he began to seriously pursue rarer coins, and by 1989 he was concentrating on Seated Liberty proof quarters. This specialization was expanded to proof Seated half dollars, and then to all proof Seated coinage. His goal was to obtain a leading example of each denomination and date, constantly upgrading as better coins appeared in the marketplace. His philosophy was to buy the best quality he could find and afford for the grade.

Mr. Kaufman traveled extensively over two decades to assemble this collection, including significant purchases at the Pittman and Eliasberg auctions. He assembled a library of auction catalogs and reference material going back to the early 1900s, which enabled him to become an expert in the die varieties and characteristics of early Seated proof strikes. His unique collection recently caught the eye of John Dannreuther, who studied it for a 2007 article for the ANA Journal for Advanced Numismatic Studies, and a follow-up article in the February 2007 Numismatist titled "Keys to the Kaufman Collection."

Mr. Kaufman enjoys telling the story about the beginning of his more serious coin pursuits. While his decision to focus on the early (1839-1858) dates was based on his appreciation of their history and rarity, he was not familiar with the type pricing charts of the Certified Coin Dealer Newsletter , and was quite surprised when the rarer issues were not available even at the 'high' type prices listed therein. After finishing his pricing research, what he thought would be a relatively simple chore (to a dedicated numismatist) had become a task more difficult in the finding and even more difficult in paying! He remained undaunted by this realization, and built this magnificent collection. With important collections like Eliasberg, Pittman, Norweb, Starr, and Stack now dispersed, he feels that he has taken his collection about as far as possible.

Mr. Kaufman thanks his wonderful wife Cheryl for sharing his collecting passion. Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) has listed Mr. Kaufman on their website and in the collector registry for years. Under the guidance of Mark Salzberg, NGC has pedigreed the entire Kaufman collection.

Kaufman Collection highlights from Milwaukee ANA, many the Finest Known or Among the Finest Known

Lot 1777: 1837 No Stars Half Dime PR67 NGC, Ex: Pittman/Kaufman. V-1. Large Date
The more desirable early die state with a perfect obverse die and prominent date recutting; none certified finer.

Lot 1778: 1837 No Stars Dime PR66 Cameo NGC
The only PR66 Cameo, and none certified finer.

Lot 1779: 1840 No Drapery Half Dime PR66 NGC
One of only 3 certified PR66, with none finer.

Lot 1780: 1840 No Drapery Dime PR65 Cameo NGC
One of only 3 certified PR65 Cameo, with none finer.

Lot 1781: 1840 Drapery Quarter PR65 NGC, Ex: Eliasberg
One of only 2 certified PR65, with none finer.

Lot 1782: 1840 Small Letters Half Dollar PR65 NGC, Ex: Pittman
One of only 2 certified PR65, with none finer.

Lot 1783: 1840 Seated Dollar PR65 NGC, Ex: Brand Collection; Bowers, Starr
One of only 2 certified PR65, with none finer.

Lot 1784: 1853 Arrows Dime PR66 NGC.
One of only 2 certified PR66, with none finer.

Lot 1785: 1853 Arrows and Rays Quarter PR66 Cameo NGC
The sole PR66 Cameo, with one finer.

Lot 1786: 1853 50C Arrows and Rays Half Dollar PR66 NGC, Ex: Norweb
The sole PR66, with none finer.

Lot 1787: 1853 Restrike Seated Dollar PR66 Star Cameo NGC, Ex: Pittman
The only 1853 dollar certified as a cameo by NGC.

Lot 1788: 1854 Arrows Half Dime PR66 NGC
One of only 2 certified PR66, with none finer.

Lot 1789: 1854 Arrows Dime PR66 NGC
The sole PR66 Cameo, with none finer.

Lot 1790: 1854 Arrows Quarter PR66 NGC, Ex: Mills; Clapp; Clapp; Eliasberg
One of two certified PR66, with none finer.

Lot 1791: 1854 Half Dollar PR66 NGC, Ex: Clapp; Clapp; Eliasberg
One of two certified PR66, with none finer.

Lot 1792: 1854 Seated Dollar PR66 NGC, Ex: Wilson; Clapp; Clapp; Eliasberg
The sole PR66, with none finer.

Lot 1793: 1856 Half Dime PR66 NGC
One of four certified PR66, with one finer.

Lot 1794: 1856 Small Date Dime PR67 NGC.
The sole PR67, with one finer.

Lot 1795: 1856 Quarter PR67 Cameo NGC.
The sole PR67 Cameo, with one finer.

Lot 1796: 1856 Half Dollar PR66 NGC
One of two certified PR66, with two finer.

Lot 1797: 1856 Seated Dollar PR65 NGC, Ex: Morgenthau; Starr
Among the finest known, with fully original toning and exceptional eye appeal.

Lot 1798: 1858 Half Dime PR67 Star NGC.
The only proof 1858 half dime to be certified as PR67 by NGC.

Lot 1799: 1858 Dime PR67 Star NGC.
The single finest proof 1858 dime certified by NGC.

Lot 1800: 1858 Quarter, PR67 NGC, Ex: Eliasberg
The finest ever certified by NGC over 20 years.

Lot 1801: 1858 Half Dollar PR67 NGC, Ex: Chapman; Clapp; Clapp; Eliasberg
The sole PR67, with one finer.

Lot 1802: 1858 Seated Dollar PR66 NGC
Only one finer example of the date has been certified by NGC.

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 www.HA.com.

To reserve your copy of any Heritage auction catalog, please contact Client Services at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 150, or visit www.HA.com/Catalog to order by email.