A 1792 half disme made a big splash in a late April Heritage Auction Galleries? sale, fetching more than $1.3 million.
But it was a drop in the bucket compared to the overall prices realized from a pair of the firm?s auctions, which netted $23 million.
More than 5,400 bidders participated in Heritage Auction Galleries? official auctions of the Central States Numismatic Society Convention, held April 26-29.
Alone, the coin auction reported $16,788,990 in overall sales, while the currency auction realized $6,223,992, for a total of $23,012,982.
Heritage reports that post-auction sales are still ongoing, and a related Online Session was held May 1. The Dallas, Texas company expects the total amount to rise above $24 million.
?Going into this series of auctions, we had been hoping to realize $18-$20 million,? said Greg Rohan, president of Heritage, ?so we?re thrilled with these impressive results.?
The sale of the 1792 half disme generated heavy media coverage.
?The big highlight of this auction was the 1792 half disme,? Rohan said, ?for which we received international publicity with thousands of media placements, including AP, CNN and the New York Times.?
The piece, graded SP-67 by Professional Coin Grading Service, was previously auctioned in October 1992 as part of the Floyd Starr collection. It realized $96,250 back then.
Rohan said the winning bid of $1,322,500 came from an anonymous collector who was bidding through Heritage?s Internet site.
Highlights from the sale included: an 1802 half dime, graded XF-45 by PCGS, $299,000; a 1908-D Motto $10, certified MS-68 by PCGS, $230,000; an 1866-S No Motto $20, graded AU-58 by PCGS, $172,500; and an 1861-S $20 Paquet, graded AU-58 by Numismatic Guaranty Corp., $149,500.
One of the more unusual pieces in the sale was a 1999 Lincoln cent with an obverse die muled with a Roosevelt dime reverse on a Lincoln cent planchet. Certified MS-66 by PCGS, the piece realized $138,000.
For information on this and all of Heritage?s previous auctions, visit the Permanent Auction Archives of the Heritage Web site, www.HeritageAuctions.com.
For auction catalogs, contact Nicole Jewell by calling (800) 872-6467, ext. 272, or write to her c/o Heritage Auction Galleries, 3500 Maple Ave., 17th Floor, Dallas, TX 75219.
