$100 Million Tyrant Collection
HUNDREDS OF DAZZLING RARE U.S. COINS EXHIBITED
Asuperb quality type set of more than 400 U.S. coins from the acclaimed Tyrant Collection made its eagerly anticipated public debut and attracted crowds each day at the Chicago 2021 American Numismatic Association Anniversary Convention this past August. Many of the historic coins, dating from 1793 to 1964, are the finest known of their respective kinds.
The centerpiece of the extraordinary exhibit was the legendary King of Siam proof set which was originally presented in 1836 by the U.S. State Department to the King of Siam, now Thailand, as a gift on behalf of U.S. President Andrew Jackson. It was the first time in over a decade that the full, fabled set was publicly displayed.
The legendary set’s coins range in denomination from an 1834 Classic Head copper half cent to an 1804 “Plain 4” Heraldic Eagle gold $10. A renowned Class I 1804 Draped Bust silver dollar graded PCGS PR67 is also included.
“The entire, incomparable exhibit, entitled ‘U.S. Type Coins from The Tyrant Collection,’ was insured for $100 million,” said Ira Goldberg, CEO of Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, Inc. of Los Angeles, California. He is among those who have assisted the collection’s
owner in building the collection of U.S. world and ancient coins that is often described as the world’s most valuable rare coin collection in private hands.
When the existence of The Tyrant Collection was first revealed in November 2017, the owner declared: “One of the first things tyrants do upon obtaining power is strike coins with their name and likeness, announcing their claim to their territory.”
“The display contained all U.S. types and sub-types, circulation strikes and proofs, from 1793 Liberty Cap half cents through the 1907 Saint-Gaudens Ultra High Relief $20 and everything in between to 1964. It was a once-ina-lifetime opportunity for thousands of visitors to see all these historic coins together,” explained Goldberg.
Tyrant Collection owner has been displaying portions of his ancient, world and U.S. coins for their educational value, one segment at a time, in a continuing series of themed exhibits that began in 2018 in California. Those exhibitions were suspended in early 2020 until now because of the pandemic.
In addition to the King of Siam set, a few of the many other highlights of the exhibit included: 1793 S-1 Flowing Hair “Chain AMERI” large cent, graded PCGS SP65; 1796 JR-1 Draped Bust, Small Eagle dime, PCGS SP67 CAC ex. Simpson Collection; 1797 O-101a Draped Bust, Small Eagle half dollar, PCGS MS66 CAC ex. Pogue Collection; 1795 Draped Bust, Small Eagle dollar, PCGS SP66, ex. Garrett, Hayes and Pogue Collections; 1796 BD-2 Draped Bust, No Star quarter eagle, PCGS MS65 ex. Jung Collection; and 1907 Ultra High Relief double eagle, PCGS PR68, ex. Augustus Saint-Gaudens estate.
Special display cases with LED lighting were constructed for the Tyrant Collection exhibits, and each coin’s obverse and reverse were shown with enlarged, color photographs for easy viewing.