Stack’s Bowers Galleries
is delighted to offer the 17th known example of the famous (2000)-P Sacagawea
dollar / Washington quarter mule in their Official Auction of the Whitman Coins
& Collectibles Baltimore Expo this March. This blunder is among the
greatest Mint errors of modern numismatics and has captured the imagination of
collectors and roll hunters for two decades.
The newly offered example
is gorgeous and exhibits golden tan surfaces with areas of richer honey color.
The pristine surfaces are complemented by satiny, cartwheel luster and bold
definition to the design elements. Die striations at the border are as seen on
all known examples, creating a spectacular sunburst effect that is most
dramatic on the obverse.
The creation of such a
coin would seem impossible considering the rigorous standards of the modern
U.S. Mint. However, a “perfect storm” of circumstances allowed for this
incredible issue to emerge. According to
leading error coin expert Fred Weinberg, around 1998 or 1999, the Mint
instituted an Occupational Safety and Health Administration rule requiring
employees in specific roles be rotated into other positions on a periodic
basis, adding to the potential for confusion in the Die Room. Sometime in
spring 2000, a coin press operator requested an obverse die for the new
Sacagawea dollar from the Die Room and was given instead an obverse die for a
quarter.
Many thousands of these
dramatic errors were struck before Mint employees noticed the mistake, but once
discovered, employees culled out and destroyed all the muled coins they could.
Or so they thought. A few examples escaped and in late May 2000 the first was
found in a roll of new Sacagawea dollars by Frank Wallis in Arkansas. While
initially there was some debate as to the authenticity of the error, as well as
the legality of owning the coins, the Mint acknowledged the error as genuine on
June 19. Bowers and Merena sold that rare discovery piece at the August 2000
American Numismatic Association Millennium Sale for $29,900, a shocking price,
as this mule was virtually unknown at the time. It has been reported that
examples were sold privately in the neighborhood of $250,000 in 2007/2008, and
one piece sold for 158,625 in the Stack’s Bowers Galleries August 2012
Philadelphia ANA sale.
Today, these (2000)-P Sacagawea dollar / Washington
quarter mules are highly prized by collectors for their dramatic appearance and
rarity. Error enthusiast Tommy Bollock owns 12 of the 16 previously known
specimens. The present offering in Stack’s Bowers Galleries’ Official Auction
of the Whitman Coins & Collectibles March 2018 Expo represents a new
discovery and a new opportunity for collectors to acquire this trophy. This
magnificent error will be sold alongside such spectacular highlights as a
Specimen-66 (NGC) 1860-O Liberty Seated half dollar and the magnificent
Proof-63 Cameo (PCGS) 1879 Quintuple Stella from the Garrett Collection.
Contact the firm at 1-800-458-4646 or email Info@StacksBowers.com to secure your copy
of this catalog, featuring rarities from the A.J. Vanderbilt Collection, the
Joel R. Anderson Collection, the Dobbins Collection, the RSC Collection, the
Sutton Court Collection, the ESM Collection, and many other significant
cabinets. Also, download their mobile app to view and participate via
your Android or Apple device.
