Heritage Auctions, the Dallas-based auction powerhouse, is closing out summer with a bang.
The company’s recent American coin collection shattered previous auction records, raking in more than $68 million in sales, with attention now turning to the upcoming final listings of their Rare Books collection.
On the coin side, three ultra-rare American “pattern coins” were each sold around the $2 million mark, including a very rare 1880 “Coiled Hair Stella” coin that sold for $2.28 million, according to the firm.
Altogether, U.S. coins brought in $51 million, while other ancient coins from around the world added nearly $17 million in sales, with buyers driving prices to new highs never before seen in coin collecting.
“As we continue deeper into this bullish market for numismatics, there is often doubt about the collecting community’s capacity to absorb these amazing, expensive rarities. But auction after auction, Heritage is delivering new and/or emboldened bidders, which results in highly satisfying prices for our consignors,” said Todd Imhof, Heritage’s executive vice president.
The auction house isn’t slowing down any time soon.
Next week, the firm will host the third and final installment of the William A. Strutz Rare Books auction, set to run from September 10-11.
Strutz, a North Dakota attorney, spent 60 years building one of the nation’s most admired private libraries, filled with some of the rarest literary treasures. The upcoming sale features nearly 400 lots from his collection, from a complete 266-volume collection of rare books to a pencil manufactured by Henry David Thoreau’s family company, the same style Thoreau used while writing some of his earlier works.
Other listings from the infamous collection include manuscript materials from James Agee, scarce first editions of Frost, Wordsworth, and Lovecraft, as well as “association copies” tied to American presidents, which will also be up for grabs.
“This final portion of the sale of the Strutz Library is the largest in volume and range of material and further represents the depth of Mr. Strutz’ collecting taste, with a focus on books of literary significance, in superb original condition and with important provenance,” added Francis Wahlgren, Heritage Auctions’ international director of rare books.