Western Hills Collection to Anchor Heritage's June Long Beach Signature Auction

Dallas, Texas: The magnificent Western Hills Collection will be sold by Heritage Numismatic Auctions, Inc. (HNAI) at their June 1-4 Signature Auction to be held at the Long Beach Coin Expo.

"The Western Hills Collection," enthused Heritage President Greg Rohan, "contains more than three hundred exquisite coins, all with incredible eye appeal. Many are the finest known by the certification services -- I note that for more than five dozen of the coins, none have been certified finer. This is simple, unabashed quality of the kind that excites type, registry, and specialist collectors. While the collector specialized in several series, he collected broadly as well - in fact, he is still actively collecting in his main interests, and those coins are even more phenomenal than the gems we are selling in this auction! One look at his one hundred Patterns in this sale, or his Three Cent Nickel series, and we can hardly wait for the future auctions. And, by collecting the Patterns and Errors in his specialty series, he enhanced his collection tremendously."

"The one hundred Western Hills Patterns are an incredible achievement in themselves," exclaimed Larry Abbott, Heritage's Executive V.P. "They exhibit all you could ask for in rarity and condition. They are concentrated in the Two Cents, Three Cents, and Nickel series, but there is diversity as well." Highlights include:

• 1849 Three Cent Silver, Judd-112 Res., P-126, Low R.7, PR64 PCGS Ex:HW Bass Jr.
• 1864 Two Cent Piece, Judd-370, Delisted in Pollock, R.6, PR65 Red PCGS
• 1865 Shield Five Cents, Judd-416, Pollock-488, High R.6, PR65 NGC
• 1866 Lincoln 5 Cents, Judd-487 in Copper PR65 Brown PCGS
• 1868 Three Cent Nickel, Judd-615, Pollock-680, R.5, PR66 PCGS
• 1870 Ten Cents, Judd-833, Pollock-923, R.6-7, PR65 Red and Brown PCGS
• 1881 Liberty Head One Cent, Judd-1666, Pollock-1866, R.6-7, PR64 R&B PCGS

"Western Hills is especially strong in Three Cent Nickels," continued Rohan. "The collector was not just content with completing many of the minor coinages in superb grade - he also purchased finer specimens when encountered. Of course, he couldn't bear to part with any of his treasures until now, so bidders have an amazing selection from which to choose. These are the fruits of many decades of dedicated collecting." Among his 'Finest Known' business strike Three Cent Nickels can be found (and this is a partial list!):

• 1866 Three Cent Nickel MS68 NGC
• 1870 Three Cent Nickel MS67 NGC
• 1873 Three Cent Nickel Closed 3 MS66 PCGS
• 1873 Three Cent Nickel Open 3 MS65 PCGS
• 1875 Three Cent Nickel MS67 NGC FS-006.5, '1 in date'
• 1880 Three Cent Nickel MS67 PCGS
• 1883 Three Cent Nickel MS67 NGC
• 1884 Three Cent Nickel MS66 NGC

The Western Hills Collections contains similar quality in the Three Cent Nickel Proof issues:

• 1865 Three Cent Nickel PR67 NGC FS-001.5
• 1867 Three Cent Nickel PR66 Deep Cameo PCGS
• 1868 Three Cent Nickel PR67 Deep Cameo NGC
• 1869 Three Cent Nickel PR66 Ultra Cameo NGC
• 1874 Three Cent Nickel PR67 Cameo NGC
• 1877 Three Cent Nickel PR67 Cameo PCGS
• 1879 Three Cent Nickel PR68 NGC
• 1881 Three Cent Nickel PR68 NGC
• 1882 Three Cent Nickel PR68 Cameo PCGS
• 1883 Three Cent Nickel PR68 Cameo NGC
• 1884 Three Cent Nickel PR68 Cameo NGC
• 1884 Three Cent Nickel PR67 Ultra Cameo NGC
• 1887 Three Cent Nickel PR66 Cameo PCGS
• 1887/6 Three Cent Nickel PR66 Cameo PCGS

The Shield Nickels in the Western Hills Collection reflect similar Registry quality, with many certified 'none finer':

• 1867 Nickel Rays MS67 NGC
• 1874 Nickel MS66 PCGS
• 1875 Nickel MS66 PCGS
• 1881 Nickel MS67 PCGS
• 1883 Nickel MS67 NGC
• 1866 Nickel Rays PR67 Cameo PCGS
• 1866 Nickel Rays PR67 Deep Cameo NGC
• 1879/8 Nickel PR68 PCGS
• 1883 Shield Nickel PR67 Cameo PCGS

The Standing Liberty Quarters in the Western Hills Collection are particularly strong in high-grade rarities:

• 1918/7-S Quarter MS65 NGC. FS-008.5
• 1919-S Quarter MS66 Full Head PCGS
• 1920-D Quarter MS67 Full Head PCGS
• 1923-S Quarter MS66 Full Head PCGS
• 1927-S Quarter MS66 PCGS

The Western Hills Collector was often attracted to early proof sets, some of which he kept intact, and others which were broken for his individual collections. His 1909 Proof Set is being offered intact (Cent PR66 Red; Nickel PR66; Dime PR67; Quarter PR67; Half PR68), while his incredible 1890 Proof Morgan Dollar in PR67 PCGS is from a broken set. The Western Hills Collection contains many other significant and Registry-level coins:

• 1905 Lewis & Clark Gold Dollar MS67 NGC
• 1922 Grant Commem with Star MS67 PCGS. Ex: JFS Collection
• 1884 Indian Cent PR67 Red NGC
• 1950-D Lincoln Cent MS67 Red PCGS
• 1855 Three Cent Silver PR66 PCGS
• 1858 Three Cent Silver PR66 NGC
• 1865 Three Cent Nickel MS67 PCGS
• 1883 Liberty Nickel No Cents PR67 Cameo NGC
• 1890 Dime PR67 NGC

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

To purchase a catalog for this Heritage Auction, please contact Nicole Jewell, 800-872-6467, Ext. 272, 3500 Maple Avenue, 17th Floor, Dallas, TX. 75219.