Crossing the Block: The Bentley Shores Collection of U.S. Gold Coins

By Greg Cohen, Professional Numismatist and Consignment Director, U.S. and World Coins

Among the many great consignments to our official 2013 ANA sale, the Bentley Shores Collection of U.S. Gold Coins will long be remembered for its set of Saint Gaudens Indian Head eagles. The Bentley Shores collector assembled this wonderful collection with the assistance of Gene Nesheim of our staff. When the time came for him to sell his numismatic holdings, he contacted Gene, and after the November 2012 Baltimore Convention, I accompanied Gene to visit the collector and take this collection on consignment for our highly anticipated 2013 ANA sale. Many of the coins are among the finest graded at either NGC or PCGS. Condition rarities and rare dates abound, as do coins that have graced some of the finest Indian Head eagle collections assembled in modern times, including Price, Kutasi, O’Neil, and Michaels.

Starting with a 1907 Wire Rim and a pair of 1907 Rolled Rim pieces and concluding with the rare 1933, there are not only high grade, Condition Census circulation strike coins, but Proof issues as well. For good measure, the Bentley Shores Collection also contains some other Proof gold coins, including a 1907 Liberty Head $20 in NGC PR-67 Cameo and a 1908 No Motto $20 in PCGS MS-69 (!), tied for finest graded for the series, and from the famous Wells Fargo Gold Hoard.

Stack’s Bowers is pleased to present the Bentley Shores Collection as part of our Rarities Night Session at our official auction of the ANA World’s Fair of Money. We would like to take this opportunity to wish the prospective bidders the best of good luck; an opportunity like this may not come again for quite some time. Catalogs will be in the mail shortly and the sale will be uploaded to our website. If you would like to view the Bentley Shores Collection (or any other coins in our ANA sale), visit our website for lot viewing times in our Irvine and Manhattan offices. If you cannot attend in person, be sure to contact one of our numismatic experts for a phone description. Collectors putting together Registry Sets of Indian Head eagles will be wise to review the coins in the offing and be prepared to engage in a bidding war when these beauties cross the auction block. The historical introduction written by Q. David Bowers, and the expert physical and numismatic descriptions of the individual coins by our award winning catalogers will combine for a memorable reference work for years to come. If you are not yet on our mailing list, be sure to contact an auction services associate to reserve your copy.

 If you have a world class collection or Registry Set that you might be interested in consigning to an upcoming auction, we are currently accepting consignments for our September Philadelphia and November Baltimore auction sales. Contact one of our consignment directors to discuss your material today.