The 1992 Canada S$15 Plain Edge Olympic Rarities

Link to the set: https://coins.www.collectors-society.com/registry/coins/SetListing.aspx?PeopleSetID=173349


The PF69 example of this coin is 1 of 3 known examples certified by NGC. This coin has a very dubious history and an extremely interesting pedigree. This coin was originally acquired by Ohio lobbyist Tom Noe in 1998 for his $50 million rare coin investment fund headed by his company ‘Capital Coin’. The fund held this coin, and two others like it (in PF68 grade) as part of the pension fund for the Ohio Worker’s Party. Sometime before 2005, the coins were sold to Greg Manning and Jim Halperin in a closed auction. In 2005, Noe was found to have been illegally skimming money from the coin fund and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Greg Manning and Jim Halperin then sold the coins to Mike Byers in a closed auction. Greg Manning was later accused of purchasing coins below market value from ‘Capital Coin’ but was never convicted of any wrongdoing. Mike Byers is a self-proclaimed expert in rare coins from around the World. The coins were then split up in 2009-2012, with the two PF68 examples being sold to Ian Russel of Irvine, California and the PF69 example being sold to Alan Hager (former founder of Accugrade coins and himself tied to an ANA lawsuit accusing his company ‘Accugrade or ACG’ of grading inflation). In 2016, both of the PF68 examples were acquired by the Augustus Collection, and in 2018 the PF69 example was acquired by the Augustus Collection. All three coins are now safely together again. These three coins are stunning modern numismatic rarities.

In a twist of fate, luck, or a bad omen associated with these nefarious coins ... not 10 minutes after completing the purchase of the prized PF69 example, a porto-potty blew off of the 58th floor of a high-rise building and landed 10 feet away from me on the ground. Yes, I was very nearly killed by a box of poo from the sky. Coincidence?!?

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Total population is unknown, but very few exist.The certification of the PF69 example is 17XXXXX-001, and this example is 17XXXXX-002. One more coin ending in -003 also exists, but NGC has 'deleted it from the registry (?). Very few examples known, only 3 certified by NGC.

Pedigree: ex. Tom Noe Collection, ex. Jim Halperin Collection, ex. Greg Manning Collection, ex. Mike Byers Collection, ex. Alan Hager Collection, Augustus Collection, 04/04/201