Between January 23rd and 30th, Heritage Galleries & Auctioneers (HG&A) sold the Jules Reiver Collection, an important assemblage of more than 6,000 coins realizing over $8.8 million dollars at auction. The complete collection was graded by NGC. Those coins that could not be encapsulated by NGC due to detrimental surface conditions were sent to Numismatic Conservation Services (NCS) for encapsulation, which guarantees their authenticity and attribution. Over 2,000 pieces in the Reiver collection were authenticated by NCS.

1792 Half Disme NCS VF Details, realized $46,000.

Mark Borckardt, Senior Cataloger for HG&A, remarked, "Ranked among the greatest numismatists of the 20th Century, Reiver established a hobby-wide reputation for his discerning eye, inquisitive mind, and generosity with his knowledge over five decades of dedicated collecting. His collection evolved to focus on die varieties and die states of all U.S. silver and copper coinage from 1793 through 1839, which, over the ensuing 40 years, would become the most complete collection of its kind. Before his final purchases, he had amassed more than 5,000 significant issues, representing a landmark achievement in the history of American numismatics."

Mark Salzberg, Chairman of NGC and NCS further comments that, "Prior to NCS encapsulation, many of Reiver's collector coins would be overlooked. Now it is possible to have both uniformity in presentation and a guarantee of authenticity because of the NCS holder. The Reiver collection illustrates this in a powerful way."

1878-S Half Dollar NCS AU Details, realized $58,075.

"This auction has been tremendously popular with the public," said Greg Rohan, President of HG&A. "Our lot viewing sessions were consistently full, and bidding sessions were standing room only. Interest has been so strong that WFAA, Channel 8, in Dallas, sent a camera crew to cover Tuesday night's session. Needless to say, Mr. Reiver's family is thrilled with the results of the auction."

"Mr. Reiver's collecting efforts were far reaching, and the results speak for themselves," concluded Rohan. "We had originally projected this collection to bring in $7 million, and the results exceeded our highest expectations. We can think of no finer tribute to this man and his lifetime contributions to numismatics."

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This 1914 25c of the Barber series had suffered through some very poor storage conditions in its past. The residues resulting from this poor storage caused green and brown spots on top of an overall dulling brown tone. Through professional conservation techniques, these residues were removed. The surfaces underneath revealed some brilliant luster. This coin is now stable for the enjoyment of future generations.

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Even extremely worn coins need authentication. This 1796 25c is a great rarity of Early American coinage issues. Despite its worn state and being given a "fair details" designation by NCS graders, it is important to have this coin authenticated as a genuine 1796 issue. This coin will be stable for long-term storage in its hermetically sealed NCS holder.



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Although it is important to protect your coins in transit to a certain extent, please beware of unnecessary packaging when shipping to NCS. It is recommended that coins are submitted in 2x2 non PVC flips, one coin per flip. Please do not tape the flips. Coins protected in flips may be bundled together with a rubber band to keep the coins in order as they are listed on the submission form and to keep the coins from falling out of the flips during transit. When boxing your submission, use enough packing material to keep the submission from floating around the package. However, please be aware that the excessive use of wrapping material (i.e. bubble wrap and tape) makes it difficult to remove the coins upon arrival at NCS and can lead to other problems. Due to chemicals found in some packing materials, such as bubble wrap and tape, coins can discolor and develop hazing.

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