The historic assemblage of some of the rarest U.S. gold coins and die patterns is estimated to be worth more than $60 million, and proceeds from its sale will benefit the dozens of Dallas-based nonprofits supported by the Harry W. Bass Jr. Foundation with a particular emphasis on early childhood education and literacy in Dallas.
The late Dallas oilman and philanthropist Harry W. Bass Jr. avidly pursued his love for numismatics and began assembling his collection of several thousand U.S. coins in the 1960s, and while many series came under his careful eye, it was the field of United States gold coins that interested him the most.
Following his death in 1998, the Foundation chose the best of the best – premier examples of coins and patterns, including the only complete $3 gold coin collection and some unique items that are not to be found anywhere else – for this permanent collection, and the rest were put up for sale.
Starting October 2000, The Harry Bass Core Collection has been on display at the American Numismatic Association's Money Museum in Colorado Springs, CO.
In April 2022, the Foundation announced it would be removing its assemblage, and Heritage Auctions was awarded the assemblage in early July. Heritage will offer one of the best gold coin collections in the history of U.S. numismatics, in a series of auctions over the next year, beginning in the fall.
The exact dates of auctions TBA.
Here are some highlights from The Harry Bass Core Collection:
