Morgan highlights Heritage sale

A condition rarity, this 1892-S Morgan silver dollar sold for $76,375 in a recent Heritage auction.

When was the last time a Morgan silver dollar topped the bidding in a $9.8 million auction?

If you say it has been a while, you are probably right.

Heritage Auctions did it as results of its April 4-6 Dallas auction show.

A Numismatic Guaranty Corporation MS-63 1892-S dollar brought $76,375.

Heritage catalogers noted that this silver dollar is a seldom available condition rarity in the MS-63 grade.

“While circulated examples of this date are fairly common, only 13 coins have been assigned Select status by the two major grading companies combined, with another 33 coins finer. In a series as heavily collected and contested as Morgan dollars, the competition for a condition rarity at this level is stiff,” the catalogers wrote.

Fans of classic 18th century coins can point to the same price realized for a 1795 half dime. It was graded MS-66 by the Professional Coin Grading Service and it has a Certified Acceptance Corporation sticker.

The cataloger noted that this coin is a relatively available LM-9 variety, making it ideal for a high-level type set, with only seven coins of all 1795 varieties certified in finer numerical grades.

Gold came next in the list of top prices.

A 1908-S double eagle sold for $70,500. It is the lowest mintage “With Motto” issue in the entire Saint-Gaudens series, Heritage pointed out.

This coin was graded NGC MS-66 example, and is surpassed in numerical grade by only five other coins at the major grading services combined.

Most examples of this date found there way into channels of commerce at the time of issue and stayed there, but high-grade examples, when found, tend to be quite pleasing to the eye, according to Heritage.

Heritage was pleased to note that the sale had a 100-percent sell-through rate.

“A 100 percent sell-through rate is a good indicator that the coin market is experiencing a resurgence,” said Jim Halperin, co-founder of Heritage Auctions.

“All but 12 coins met their reserve in the Live auction, and most of those 12 have already received close offers in the Post-Auction period. We were extremely pleased to see collectors’ bidding intensify during this auction – we think it bodes well for the rest of the year.”

Other top lots included:

• $61.687 paid for a 1929 gold $20 graded PCGS MS-65,

• $55,239 for an 1873-CC $20 in NGC MS-61,

• $54,080 for an 1891 $20 in AU-58 PCGS Secure; and,

• $54,050 for an 1870-CC gold $5 in PCGS AU-53.

Prices reported here include a 17.5 percent buyer’s premium.

See www.HA.com for more results.