Steven L. Contursi (born May 21, 1952) is an American businessman and
numismatist. He is the founder and president of
Rare Coin Wholesalers
Rare Coin Wholesalers is a rare-coin company that specializes in United States rare coins. Located in Irvine, California, Rare Coin Wholesalers buys, sells, appraises and trades rare coins and precious metals. Originally established as a S.L. Cont ...
. In the past 38 years, Steve Contursi has bought and sold over $1 billion worth of rare United States coins.
Education
Steven graduated with a Cum Laude degree in physics from
Lehman College
Lehman College is a public college in the Bronx borough of New York City. Founded in 1931 as the Bronx campus of Hunter College, the school became an independent college within CUNY in September 1967. The college is named after Herbert H. Lehma ...
of the
City University of New York
The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven Upper divis ...
, as well as being honored with the 1974 Joseph A. Gillet Prize for being the top Physics student as a senior.
Notable coins
In 2004, Contursi sought evidence for his coin to be the first silver dollar made for the United States, a 1794
Flowing Hair Silver Dollar. The coin was sold in May 2010, for $7.85 million, making it the most expensive coin ever sold.
In addition to owning the first silver dollar, Steven owned the first gold coin made for the U.S., the ‘Unique’
Brasher Doubloon. The coin was struck in 1787 by silversmith Ephraim Brasher, a neighbor of George Washington. With the “EB” stamped on the chest, it was sold in December 2011 to a Wall Street investment firm for $7.4 million.
In 2005, Steven purchased the
King of Siam proof set for $8.5 million in a private sale.
In June 2012, Steven purchased the highest grade “Ultra High Relief” 1907
Saint Gaudens Double Eagle
The Saint-Gaudens double eagle is a twenty-dollar gold coin, or double eagle, produced by the United States Mint from 1907 to 1933. The coin is named after its designer, the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who designed the obverse and reverse. ...
(PR69) nicknamed “America’s Most Beautiful Coin Design” by experts.
In late December 2011, Steven donated a
1792 half disme
The 1792 half disme (pronounced "deem") is an American silver coin with a face value of five cents which was minted in 1792. Although it is subject to debate as to whether this was intended to be circulating coinage or instead an experimental iss ...
to the
ANA Money Museum. The coin, purchased for $220,000, was donated with “no strings attached.” He said, “This donation is my way of giving back to the ANA for the wonderful things that they do for collectors.”
See also
*
List of most expensive coins
The following list is a chart of the most expensive coins. Most of these are auction prices. Several private sale prices over $2m are not in this list yet.
References
coins.ha.com Retrieved on 2020-06-21.
* Yeoman, R.S. ''A Guide Book of Un ...
References
External links
Official
Rare Coin Wholesalers company website
Other
Money Show Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Contursi, Steven
American numismatists
1952 births
People from the Bronx
Lehman College alumni
Living people