Heritage to Auction Four of the Rarest North American Pioneer Gold Pattern Coins

Dallas, TX - As part of the multi-million dollar Sid and Alicia Belzberg collection of Canadian Coinage being sold in New York City on January 13, in conjunction with the New York International show, Heritage World Coin Auctions will be offering at auction for the first time since 1935, a complete 4-piece set of 1862 British Columbia $10 and $20 patterns, struck in both silver and gold. Each of the four coins will be sold separately.

General thinking is that only 5 to 10 British Columbia pattern sets were designed and struck in silver by Albrecht Kuner (a well known designer of U.S. Territorial gold coins) in 1862. British Columbia authorities commissioned the design and striking of these coins, and acquired the dies from Kuner shortly after the few pieces were struck.

The two gold pieces are even rarer!

Often said to be the Canadian equivalent to the 1822 U.S. $5 gold, there are five documented examples of the classic $20 rarity, but three are permanently impounded in government or public museums. The Belzberg Collection $20 example is the finest of the two pieces in private hands. The $20 is the Brand-Norweb coin and the $10 is also from the storied Virgil Brand Collection.

The $10 boasts even less than five pieces known, possibly as few as three, all but the present example permanently impounded in museums, making this the only specimen that will ever be available to a private buyer. It is interesting to note that while Brand had two of the $20 pieces in gold, he only had one $10.

Heritage believes that the gold and silver patterns offered here are all possibly the finest known. Researchers report that the last time a complete set of British Columbia patterns had been offered at auction was the Newcomer sale in 1935, and there is controversy as to whether the $10 gold in the Newcomer collection was even genuine. All four coins being offered in the Belzberg Collection catalog have been certified by PCGS as follows: Silver $20, Specimen 61; Silver $10 Specimen 58; Gold $20, Specimen 60; and Gold $10 Specimen 62.

Anyone with Internet access may preview the entire collection, and bidding will soon open to Heritage members at:
http://www.HeritageCoin.com
(membership is totally free). These amazing and historical pieces will also be available for viewing in Heritage's offices, at the Florida United Numismatists convention in Orlando, Florida January 6-11, and in New York city at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on January 12-13.

The Heritage name is recognized worldwide for bringing unparalleled value to every consignor and bidder. Year 2001 sales exceeded $150 million and assets were approximately $30 million. HeritageCoin.com is the Internet's most popular and highly trafficked rare coin site, with over 64,000 registered members. HeritageCoin.com is the only coin site chosen twice by Forbes.com's Best of the Web (1999 and 2001) as one of the 250 best websites on the Internet, and also won the most recent Numismatic Literary Guild award for Best Numismatic Internet Site. For more information on how to consign your coins to the FUN Signature Sale contact one of our consignment coordinators at 1-800-US COINS (800.872.6467). We also invite you to visit us on the web at http://www.HeritageCoin.com