1,794 reasons to go to ANA show

I cannot believe the wealth of historical and rare coins that will be put on display next week in Philadelphia. The American Numismatic Association is going to see a bourse…

I cannot believe the wealth of historical and rare coins that will be put on display next week in Philadelphia.

The American Numismatic Association is going to see a bourse floor turned into a treasure house at the World’s Fair of Money in the City of Brotherly Love.

Sylvano DiGenova has contributed the latest addition to the list of rarities that will be on display.

One of the finest-known surviving examples of a 1794 Flowing Hair silver dollar will be there.

DiGenova, who is President of Tangible Investments, Inc., in Laguna Beach, Calif., is originally from Philadelphia.

So is the dollar coin.

It was struck at a time when the fledgling United States Mint was trying to coin quality dollars on a coining press made for coins of half dollar size or smaller.

A tribute to the Mint artisans is they succeeded as well as they did.

The DiGenova coin is graded by the Professional Coin Grading Service as MS63+. It has a Certified Acceptance Corporation sticker as well.

Since all hobby attention will be dazzled by what will be in Phildelphia, the impressive pedigree of this particular dollar coin will shine bright enough to attract notice.

Previous owners include Virgil Brand, F.C.C. Boyd and the Cardinal Collection, the latter assembled by noted silver dollar researcher Martin Logies.

DiGenova says he has owned this classic, early American coin three times over the years and recently sold it again.

It will be insured for $2,750,000 for its Philadelphia exhibit on behalf of its anonymous current owner.

Go to the Tangible Investments booth, No. 811, to see it.

How does the coin rate as an investment?

DiGenova calls it tremendous.

When you see the following figures, you will probably agree.

“Since the first time I acquired the coin for $350,000 in 2001, it has multiplied in value more than seven-fold.

"That’s a compounded rate of over 12 percent a year!” DiGenova says.

When historical value and investment value combine, no wonder it is a sought-after coin.

The first dollar coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint in October of 1794.

Silver for their production was provided by the first Mint Director, David Rittenhouse.

Researchers believe fewer than 150 of the 1794-dated dollars survive out of the 1,758 coins presented to Rittenhouse when their minting was completed.

The coin to be displayed by DiGenova is the fifth-finest-known surviving example.

A complimentary, full color flyer with information about 1794 dollars and this particular coin will be available at the booth.

Buzz blogger Dave Harper won the Numismatic Literary Guild Award for Best Blog for the third time in 2017 . He is editor of the weekly newspaper "Numismatic News."