DALLAS, TX.- A magnificent Lydian “Missing Link” Early Croesus Stater from the Cambridge Collection is among the extraordinary treasures that will find new homes when they are sold Jan. 12 in Heritage’s NYINC World & Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature® Auction.

“The Cambridge Collection represents an opportunity for advanced collectors to pursue a remarkable array of artistically and numismatically significant early Greek coins,” says Kyle Johnson, Managing Director of World and Ancient Coins at Heritage Auctions. “Most importantly, this session offers every denomination of gold and silver coinage from Croesus’s lifetime and the light standard coins that were produced in his design after his death, with each selection a veritable highlight to any serious cabinet.”

The accession of Croesus to the Lydian throne circa 561 BC ushered in a revolution in the world economy. The most important reform attributed to Croesus was the introduction of a bimetallic coinage in gold and silver, first augmenting and then replacing previous electrum issues. The creation of separate gold and silver denominations ranging from a full stater down to 1/24th of a stater was a visionary move that had a major impact on the ancient economy. Croesus gold staters, which are justifiably billed as the “world’s first coinage,” were initially issued on a "heavy" standard of about 10.7 grams, the same weight as the new silver stater denomination (although, since silver is a lighter metal, the gold issues were smaller in size and far more valuable). In addition to offering all these standard early gold and silver coinage denominations, the Cambridge Collection touts a Prototype Lydian Croesus AV stater NGC Choice MS 5/5 - 5/5 that mimics the earlier Lydian electrum coinage, with a more dynamic and animated posture of the lion and bull when compared to the stiffer and more detailed style of the regular issue.

Eternal Collection, Part III

The NYINC auction also features a stellar trove of 124 lots from the Eternal Collection, Part III, the concluding chapter in a story that already has enjoyed resounding success. These lots include an exceptional array of trophy coins, with an emphasis on top British, Central European and European Colonial issues.

Part I of the collection included numerous record results among its 157 lots in Heritage’s NYINC Platinum Session World & Ancient Coins Signature® Auction in January 2025, while Part II included 120 standout lots in Heritage’s ANA World & Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature® Auction in August 2025.

Among the top attractions in Part III is a Danish Asiatic Company. Christian VII Piastre 1771-Dated (1774) MS66 NGC referred to as the “Greenland Dollar.” It is an incredibly rare, almost mythic Crown-trade issue struck by the Danish Asiatic Company in an effort to establish greater economic influence in Asia, where the preferred trade coinage at the time was milled Spanish silver, most notably the 8 Reales which featured the “Dos Mundos” globes and sometimes is referred to as the “Pillar Dollar.” Capitalizing on the success of these Spanish designs, this Piastre clearly imitates the “Pillar Dollar” motifs, one of the reasons this Danish production earned its “Greenland Dollar” moniker. The Greenland moniker comes from the representation of the three island territories of the Danish Empire amid waves below the dual globes: “ISLAND” for Iceland, “FERÖ” for the Faroe Islands and “GRÖNLAN” for Greenland. This type was struck in three separate years: 1771, 1774 and 1777. The original issues from 1771 are practically unobtainable with a current survival estimate of only five. The coin offered in this auction is a 1774 production of the 1771 dated issue — rare, but not quite as rare as the originals, from a current survival pool of approximately 20 pieces. This auction marks just the second time the 1771 emission has been offered at Heritage.

Also from the Eternal Collection comes a stunning Polish gold Specimen Pattern 5 Zlotych 1925-(w) SP63 PCGS, a unique Pattern that once was a part of the King Farouk Collection. This treasure from the Warsaw mint is considered one of the crown jewels of 20th-century Polish numismatics. The standard issue of this type, struck in silver, is rare and widely desirable in its own right, but the few gold Patterns known to have been struck are at a different level in terms of numismatic significance. Parchimowicz has documented no more than four “Constitution” 5 Zlotych struck in gold, comprised of three different varieties: an 81-pearl border, a 100-pearl border and two 100-pearl border pieces with raised initials “SW,” “WG” and the date “3/V.” The 81-pearl gold specimen, presumed unique in this particular variety, is the coin offered in this auction, and is thought to be the only one of the four gold “Constitution” examples ever offered at auction, leading many to believe it is the only one in private hands.

The collection also includes a selection of eight Bird of Paradise coins from German New Guinea, a group that includes a gold Proof 20 Mark 1895-A PR67 Ultra Cameo NGC from a mintage of 1,500 for both Proof and Business strikes. It is the largest denomination struck for German New Guinea and one of only two gold issues produced. This is the King of the famed Bird of Paradise series from 1894-95, universally recognized among the most attractive numismatic designs ever created. This coin is the finest Proof specimen ever certified, and the only piece to be graded at the Superb Gem Proof tier in combination with an Ultra Cameo designation, the closest being a PR67 in Cameo also at NGC and the Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr specimen residing in a PR66 Deep Cameo PCGS holder.

Peh Family Collection, Part IV

Another massively significant collection that has enjoyed enormous success at Heritage is the Peh Family Collection, Part IV — an assemblage that reflects the vision and passion of its principal collector, whose fascination with history was constant, inspiring him to pursue numismatics as a means of connecting with the pass.

Among the top offerings in the collection is a breathtaking Victoria gold Proof “Una and the Lion” 5 Pounds 1839 PR63 Ultra Cameo NGC, an iconic treasure in rare Choice condition. Designed by 19th-century Royal Mint Chief Engraver William Wyon, the iconic Una and the Lion is a highly coveted and elusive issue, the awe-inspiring execution of this design offering an unrivaled example of numismatic mastery by Wyon. This particular example boasts conditional scarcity, as Choice examples are difficult to come by even for this more common variety of the type, and the Ultra Cameo designation is highly covetable among collectors.

Also from the Peh Family Collection comes a Charles I gold Triple Unite 1643 MS63 NGC that is the only example of this variety certified by NGC and one of the top five highest-graded across all varieties and dates for a Charles I Triple Unite. As the largest English hammered denomination ever struck, valued at 60 Shillings, this honey-hued specimen is in a remarkable state of preservation, with bold devices cloaked in glistening luster.

Another ancient treasure in the auction comes from the Peh Family Collection: a SICILY. Syracuse. Dionysius I (405-370 BC). AR decadrachm (34mm, 43.12 gm, 2h). NGC Choice XF★ 5/5 - 5/5, Fine Style that is widely considered to be the most beautiful coins ever struck. The immense silver decadrachms of Syracuse from the later fifth century BC represent the full flowering of classical Greek sculptural art. The foremost Greek city in Sicily, Syracuse had produced beautiful coins for nearly a century when engravers, led by Kimon and Euainetos, began signing their coin dies.

Naim Margulis Collection of British Coinage

Comprising 202 lots of superior specimens, the Naim Margulis Collection of British Coinage is crowned by a George IV gold Proof 5 Pounds 1826 PR64 Cameo NGC designed by Wyon that was the ultimate chase coin from George IV’s decade-long reign and among the most desirable gold pieces in all of British numismatics.

The collections are extraordinary, but to suggest all of the auction’s top lots are included in them would be inaccurate.

Among the top individual lots is the famed Zeeland Provincial gold 30 Gulden 1683 MS63 NGC. The coinage of Zeeland in the beginning of the 1680s, until the middle of the following decade, shows an unusual amount and variety of experimentation. The legendary 30 Gulden pieces closely resemble the silver 10 Schelling issue of the same period, which was struck en masse for circulation, but the denomination is deliberately changed into quite possibly the highest denomination of any coin in the Provincial monetary system, indicating that not only were they not just off-metal strikes, but were rather intended to have a place within circulation. Only a handful of 30 Guldens are known to have survived, with the example offered in this auction unquestionably ranking amongst the finest.

Also in play is an exeedingly rare Catherine II Rouble 1775 MMД-CA UNC Details (Obverse Scratched) NGC. This Moscow date is among the rarest circulation Rouble produced under Catherine the Great. The very few that have sold at auction over the past few years have paled in comparison to the offered piece.

Collectors of Canadian coins will want to check out a George V “Dollar” Electrotype Exhibition Token 1911 MS63 PCGS that is an example of perhaps the most coveted Canadian emission: the George V 1911 Canada Dollar. Only three pattern specimens of the 1911 Dollar are known to numismatists, each now residing in the collection of the Bank of Canada Museum.

The Mirabilis Collection in our Platinum Session includes 37 lots of magnificent ancient coins, including:

• A Manlia Scantilla (AD 193). AV aureus (19mm, 6.82 gm, 5h). NGC Choice AU 5/5 - 4/5 that is the finest certified specimens extant of a Mania Scantilla Aureus — a beautiful empress that is challenging to find in gold

• The finest certified Aelius Caesar (AD 136-138). AV aureus (19mm, 7.41 gm, 5h). NGC Choice MS★ 5/5 - 5/5, Fine Style

• A stellar Commodus, as Augustus (AD 177-192). AE bimetallic medallion (40mm, 56.90 gm, 11h). NGC Choice AU 5/5 - 4/5, Fine Style

Cryptocurrency

Part of the overall event will be a separate Jan. 19 session, the NYINC Physical Cryptocurrency Featuring the Otoh Collection, Part VI Signature® Auction that includes 74 lots.

Among the highlights: a BTCC titanium Loaded (Unredeemed) 0.5 Bitcoin (BTC) 2016 MS69 PCGS that is among the event’s 30 lots from The Otoh Collection of Physical Cryptocurrency, Part VI. This lot, which is struck from pure spacecraft-grade titanium, is from a total issue of just 640, and is a superb example of this remarkable titanium issue from BTCC. The first-in-series serial number further enhances the collectability and significance.