1733 Patt 2P Rosa Americana, Martin 1-A, BN PR(PCGS#905742)

Winter 2022 U.S. Coins Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

1285

等级

PR62BN

价格

406,790

详细说明

Iconic 1733 Rosa Americana Pattern Twopence The Pinnacle of the Series Just Three in Private Hands 1733 Rosa Americana Pattern Twopence. Martin 1-A, W-1370. Rarity-7+. Proof-62 BN (PCGS). 265.7 grains. The preeminent highlight of this or any collection of Rosa Americana coinage. The 1733 twopence is undoubtedly the most coveted, most unique in appearance, most beautiful, and most storied coin in the series, and ranks as one of the most prestigious of all early American issues. Just five examples are known and two of them are in museums. An additional example, a well worn and holed uniface reverse piece fashioned into a love token also exists but is not traditionally included in census listings. The Ford sale produced an incredible two of the three privately held pieces, as well as the aforementioned love token. Those include the finest known Gem and the present coin which held the secondary role there, but would be a signal highlight in virtually any other sale as it is here. This piece is a lovely, uncirculated Proof with no hint of wear and mirror-like reflectivity in portions of the fields. Deep chocolate-brown in color with accents of chestnut and mahogany creating an impressively handsome overall display. Traces of mint red are seen below the bust and over some of the letters of the obverse legends. There are traces of light surface detritus in the fields surrounding the detail which the Ford cataloger suggests are traces of decayed lacquer. Careful inspection reveals extremely faint hairlines over much of the surface, and some slightly heavier scratches near George's eye and nose, perhaps remnants of a long-ago careful removal of a layer of lacquer. These lines are very light, visible only with a glass, and rightfully do not preclude a numerical grade assigned by a grading service. The overall appearance is lovely, and the strike magnificent as always, with a touch of weakness in the dentils above the O in GEORGIUS perhaps representing a minute planchet clip. This issue has been a classic early American rarity since the earliest days of the numismatic hobby. It was first described and illustrated by numismatic dealer and author Thomas Snelling in the 1760s. The first auction appearance of a 1733 Rosa Americana twopence can be traced back to the May 1817 sale of the Thomas Brand Hollis Collection. There, lot 515 was described as "George II. his Head and Titles, reverse, a Leafed Rose, crowned, inscribed, Rosa Americana, 1733, "Utile Dulci," see Snelling's View of Coins struck in our Colonies abroad, &c. Plate 4, No. 28; another of these pieces is in the Collection of Marmaduke Trattle, Esq. which belonged to Mr. Edward Bootle, very fine." Which of the handful of specimens known to modern numismatists belonged to Mr. Trattle and which to Mr. Bootle are unknown, and the Trattle and Bootle cabinets are lamentably little remembered today. The great early American numismatist Charles Bushnell was frustrated in his attempt to acquire a specimen of this rarity. His newly purchased example sank aboard the wreck of the S.S. Arctic on September 27, 1854, a newsworthy disaster off the coast of Newfoundland that also claimed the life of famed numismatist Jacob Giles Morris. No specimen would appear on the market for years, and it appears Bushnell never owned one. When the Parmelee coin was sold in 1890, the cataloger noted "Mr. Parmelee has always considered this piece to be the most valuable and interesting coin in his cabinet." There have been precious few auction appearances of the 1733 Rosa Americana twopence in history, and no doubt many great collectors who would have loved to acquire an example simply never had the chance. We had the privilege of offering the Crosby Plate coin, ex Clay-Crosby-Parmelee, the only privately held example not in Ford, in our October 2018 sale of the Archangel Collection. It was graded two points higher at PCGS Proof-64 BN and realized $132,000. This one might be not quite as choice, but is certainly lovely and carries with it the Syd Martin pedigree whose name will forever be revered in Rosa Americana provenance. A truly exciting offering, an opportunity to own one of the most treasured rarities in American colonial coins. Additional information pertaining to this lot: Rosa Americana Coinage Stack's Bowers Galleries is proud to present the Sydney F. Martin Collection of Rosa Americana coinage, inarguably the most significant, extensive, and complete collection ever formed. This series was one of Syd's great passions and he authored the standard reference The Rosa Americana Coinage of William Woodin 2011, a groundbreaking masterwork. The 136 lots to follow represent decades of meticulous research and the relentless pursuit of the finest, rarest, and most interesting specimens. The Rosa Americana coins were the product of William Wood (1671-1730), an enterprising English merchant active in mining and coining ventures. He was also responsible for the Hibernia coinage of 1722-1724 and coinages for the Isle of Man. Wood was granted a royal patent in July 1722 to produce halfpenny, penny, and twopence coins for use in Britain's North American colonies. While the coinage was far from successful in many ways - the coins were not readily accepted in American commerce and Wood's London mint was destroyed by fire in June 1723 curtailing production - the numismatic legacy and desirability of the Rosa Americanas has fared much better in the ensuing centuries. With their fascinating history, elegant design, specifically American legend, and unique metallic composition, the Rosa Americana series has captivated collectors since the dawn of the American numismatic hobby. They were among the most prized coin series for many early collectors including Sylvester Sage Crosby, Charles Ira Bushnell, and Lorin G. Parmelee, and Rosa Americana rarities would routinely bring some of the highest prices in auctions of the time. As a result, numerous pieces in the pages to follow feature illustrious pedigrees, some with provenances back to auctions of the 1870s and plate appearances as far back as the 1860s. The series is replete with wonderful pattern issues of great beauty and rarity, as well as a plethora of interesting trial strikes and off-metal pieces, all of which are well represented in this sale. Syd's assemblage of the major types in fabulous grade along with an incredible selection of the most celebrated patterns puts his collection easily on par with the great Rosa collections of all time, those of Parmelee, Garrett, Norweb, and Ford. But what sets the Syd Martin cabinet apart and elevates it above all others is the comprehensive body of die varieties across all denominations and issues it contains, as well as the incredible selection of extremely rare trial strikes, off metal pieces, errors, and other anomalies, all of which served as essential reference material for the writing of his book and in the process created what can undoubtedly be considered the ultimate Rosa Americana collection. The ordering of Rosa Americana coins in catalogs and reference books has always posed a challenge. One will find almost as many different organizations of the series as there are works that list them. We have ordered them in a way that largely follows the organization of the series in Syd's book, with the added consideration of Red Bookvarieties as a popular framework for the series. The Pre-Patent coins of 1717 come first. Readers are encouraged to consult chapter 4 in the Martin reference for more information on these enigmatic coins. The remainder of the series, 1722-1733, is ordered in the following way: first by denomination, then by date within each denomination, then by Red Bookvariety within each date, and lastly by Martin die variety attributions within each Red Bookvariety. This order is irrespective of "pattern" issues versus "regular" issues, as those categories are impossible to fully define within the context of this series, and we feel that separating out supposed "patterns" takes away from the overall picture and story of the coinage. We list rarity ratings for every variety, the basis for which is the Martin book, although we have updated some based on new discoveries and the now more than a decade of auction records and other data that has given a better sense of the availability of different varieties attributed by Martin numbers. Enjoy the incredible collection to follow and we encourage you to look anew on this delightful and historically significant series, which is in many ways the epitome of an American "colonial" coinage. There will be something for every taste and budget, from inexpensive pieces collected by Syd as new die varieties to esoteric die trials offering a window into the coins' production, from totally unique patterns and seldom seen compositions to the exalted rarities of the series in top grades. Provenance: From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier said to be ex Philip Nelson, Hillyer Ryder, and F.C.C. Boyd Collections; our (Stack's) sale of the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, Part IX, May 2005, lot 193. Plated in Walter Breen's Compete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins p. 25. Obverse plated in the Martin reference "The Rosa Americana Coinage of William Wood," p. 330. PCGS# 905742. Click here for certification details from PCGS. Image with the PCGS TrueView logo is obtained from and is subject to a license agreement with Collectors Universe, Inc. and its divisions PCGS and PSA. Click here to see Coins in Motion.[“Coins]