Three choice lots from upcoming Heritage auctions
U.S. Coins
The 1854-D three dollar gold piece is one of the chief rarities of the series. While coinage of the denomination at Philadelphia surpassed 138,000 pieces, branch mint involvement was limited to regional commercial needs. Three dollar dies arrived at Dahlonega from the Philadelphia Engraving Department in June 1854, and by year’s end, only 1,120 examples had been struck. While the Philadelphia Mint continued to strike three dollar gold pieces annually, mintage figures were generally low. Occasionally, the San Francisco Mint also produced three dollar pieces, but none of the Southern branch mints would ever strike the denomination again. This near-Mint coin represents the finest quality typically available to collectors.
1854-D $3 AU58 NGC. Variety 1-A.
Sole Dahlonega issue in the series
Auction: June 26
NFTs
Six years ago this month, Larva Labs released its CryptoPunks into the world. Considered some of the most iconic NFTs ever produced and often credited with kicking off the non-fungible token craze, these portraits were algorithmically generated by computer code and number 10,000. No two are exactly alike, each featuring distinct characteristics, with some traits rarer than others. In the past year LACMA, ICA Miami and Centre Pompidou have all added Punks to their collections, signifying continued interest in this digital medium. One of 6,039 male Punks, CryptoPunk 6837 is one of 2,459 Punks to sport an earring, one of 351 with a cap and one of just 293 with an eye mask.
Larva Labs CryptoPunk 6837
Non-fungible token
Auction: June 30
Luxe Jewels
Beginning his career in jewelry as an apprentice with the Fratelli Lunati Company, Milan-born Pierino Frascarolo went on to found his own jewelry business with Aldo Lenti. During the 1960s, Frascarolo became well known for his animal-themed creations in enamel and gold, leading some to dub him the “David Webb of Italy.” Frascarolo and Lenti eventually parted ways, and Frascarolo went on to form Frascarolo & Co. in New York City with Adriano Gugliada. This iconic zebra-inspired bangle by Frascarolo, which features ruby cabochons and approximately 2.50 carats of full-cut diamonds, is a skillful example of this very famous bracelet.
Frascarolo Diamond, Ruby, Enamel, Gold Bracelet
Estimate: $6,000-$8,000
Auction: July 6