A 14 ducat of Salzburg

This enigmatic and possibly unique coin, graded AU58 by NGC, is a very rare denomination, and is listed as "rare" in those few references where it can be found at all. Although this is a large, high-relief coin, the ornate design elements are fully and delicately struck, with just the slightest wear to show that it did briefly fulfill its commercial purpose.

"The Eric P. Newman Collection is without a doubt the finest on Earth, and it is thrilling to see collectors respond when treasures like the 14 ducat appear," said Cristiano Bierrenbach, Executive Vice President of International Numismatics at Heritage. "This collection is highly nuanced and complex in its approach, and bidders understand why it's important to add these selections now."

A second possibly unique coin from the 17th century, a 1674 double taler from Emden, also reached the six figure level when it sold for $111,625. The obverse of the coin, graded MS66 by NGC, depicts the city of Emden from the point of view of its harbor, still an important port in Northwestern Germany today. The extremely rare single Taler of this design is never found in Mint State grades, let alone the Premium Gem level of this multiple Taler.

A 1672 ten ducat

Although struck in the 18th century, a Russian 1729 gold Ducat, was another star of this sale as it crossed the auction block for $205,625, taking second honors. Graded AU50 by NGC, 15 bidders competed for the exceptional example of an exceedingly rare one-year type, which is also from the rarer of the two major varieties of the issue.

Selections from the Eric P. Newman Collection of World Coins will continue to be offered in five online monthly events starting Feb. 27, 2014 with the last auction event concluding the last week of July 2014. These will include more than 1,500 additional coins from the collection separated by geographical region from Central and Eastern Europe to the British Isles to the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.

Items being sold are from the extensive collection of Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society (a Missouri not-for-profit corporation) and have been assembled over a period of 90 years. Proceeds of the sale of all items will be used exclusively for supplementing the Society's museum operations and scholarly numismatic research efforts and for the benefit of other not-for-profit institutions selected by Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society for public purposes.

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