Significant Coin Auctions

I just wanted to get some forum opinions on this. I am working on a small section of the Young Numismatists Auction Catalog for the ANA Milwaukee show. I wanted to include a small section and discuss 10 or so famous coin auction sales.....like Eliasberg, Pittman, etc.

So, what would you guys say are the most significant coin auctions to occur over the past century?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

 

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The auction of King Farouk's coins is often considered to be pretty significant. Eliasberg as you mentioned of course. I'll try and think of some more if I can.

 

john ford jr.

 

I agree with all of the above, and that King Farouk and Ford have to be included, but how about:
1) the single coin auction (1933 Double Eagle)
2) The Hunt Brothers sale, after their 1980 silver disaster.

I am sure that we'll all think of more.

 

What about the Norweb collection,sold 1987-88 and made $20 million or even bigger, the Garrett sale from 1979-81 that netted $25 million

 

http://www.rcw1.com/m/News_Article.php?article=News06101701.txt&newstype=News Article

Kinf of Siam Coins - Purchased for 8.5 million by Steven L. Conturis

 

The Louis Eliasberg collection, the only complete collection of federally issued U.S.coins up to date at that time in 1942 sold at auction in 1996 and 1997 for $44.million

Sorry I did not see you had Eliasberg down

 

Thanks guys. Keep them coming if you think of them. Feel free to repeat names as well, because I was looking to see which ones everyone saw as most significant.

Thanks again!

 

Couple of British ones for you

Edward III (1341-1343) Double Leopard, Sold at Spink of London. £460,000 (US$841,800), against a pre-sale estimate of £100,000-150,000, making it the most expensive English Coin ever sold.

Coenwulf, King of Mercia (796-821) Gold Penny or Mancus of 30 pence. sold at the Spink in October 2004 to a private collector for £230,000 was later purchased by the British museum for a staggering £350,000 in February 2006 British Culture Minister David Lammy temporarily blocked the export of what has been described as the most important Anglo-Saxon coin ever found

 

I'm confused. Why not just use the 2008 Red Book on pages 399 to 403 where they list the Top 250 Auction Prices.

 

Because I really wasn't just interest in the top prices of individual items. I was interested in significant auctions in terms of whole collections or sales, like Eliasberg, Bass, Ford, etc.

Thanks for all of the responses everybody.