U.S. Coins Net Almost $14 Million in Stacks Bowers Vegas Auction
Over $13.94 million in United States coins and Numismatic Americana was sold in the Stack’s Bowers Galleries August 2020 Las Vegas Auction, contributing to overall prices realized of $21,739,851 for the sale across all categories, Stack's Bowers announced in an Aug. 13 statement.
The auction was held Aug. 5-7 at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino alongside the PCGS Members Only Show, with additional Internet Only sessions hosted on the Stack’s Bowers Galleries website Aug. 10-12. (All prices realized include the 20% buyer’s premium).
Lot 1006, a Parmelee 1793 NC-3 Strawberry Leaf cent, realized $660,000. (All images courtesy Stack's Bowers)
United States coins first crossed the auction block in Session 2 on Thursday, Aug. 6, with Rarities Night featuring the ESM and Fairmont Collections. The ESM Collection of United States Large Cents realized over $4.6 million. This offering was highlighted by the famous Parmelee 1793 NC-3 Strawberry Leaf cent, which realized $660,000 in lot 1006. Graded VG-10 (PCGS), it is the finest of just four known examples.
Lot 1017, a Rarity-8 1795 NC-1 Jefferson Head cent, crossed the auction block at $408,000.
Rare varieties continued to attract strong bids among the Flowing Hair and Liberty Cap types, with the Rarity-5 1794 S-48 Starred Reverse cent earning $156,000 in lot 1010 and the Rarity-8 1795 NC-1 Jefferson Head cent selling for $408,000 in lot 1017, a new auction record for the variety. The Condition Census #1 MS-65 BN (PCGS) CAC 1813 S-292 cent took the top spot for the Classic Head type at $96,000 in lot 1065, while the MS-67 BN (PCGS) 1830 N-6 cent showed a strong result among the late dates at $72,000 in lot 1093.
Lot 1320, a PCGS-graded MS-64 CAC 1851 Humbert $50, realized $432,000 at auction.
Collectors of U.S. gold had a selection of Liberty and Indian half eagles from the Fairmont Collection, highlighted by MS-61 (PCGS) examples of the 1909-O (lot 1542) and the 1929 (lot 1559), which realized $19,200 and $22,800, respectively. A selection of Territorial and Shipwreck gold featured many rarities including a PCGS-graded MS-64 CAC 1851 Humbert $50 that earned $432,000 in lot 1320 and an MS-62 (PCGS) 1849 Oregon “Beaver” $5 that sold for $336,000 in lot 1326. Other standout treasures from Rarities Night included an MS-62 1797 Small Eagle $10 that brought $300,000 in lot 1272, and an MS-63 (PCGS) 1921 Saint-Gaudens $20 that earned $192,000 in lot 1304.
Session 3 kicked off Friday, Aug. 7. The session opened with a significant offering of Numismatic Americana highlighted by the D. Brent Pogue Numismatic Library. Together with rare Spanish Colonial gold coins in Session C, these selections from the Pogue Collection realized over $592,000. Total prices realized for the D. Brent Pogue Collection now exceed $131,980,000, reaffirming its status as the most valuable numismatic collection ever sold. The Sherwood Collection of Civil War Tokens was another remarkable Americana offering, showcasing Condition Census quality and several Rarity-9 examples like a copper Fuld-328/328a brockage that brought $1,680 in lot 2225.
The Numismatic Americana was followed by U.S. coins that spanned colonial issues through modern commemoratives. Among these were Indian cents from the BSC Indians Set, highlighted by a PCGS-graded MS-65 RD 1868 that sold for $10,200 in lot 2326. Specialists were also delighted by the Henry Collection of Liberty Seated half dimes, which offered such rarities as an 1867 PCGS-graded MS-67 CAC in lot 2574 that earned $20,400. A remarkable selection of cast U.S. Mint silver ingots attracted record prices toward the end of the session, including a new auction record for a dated U.S. Mint silver ingot set by the 1959 San Francisco Mint ingot in lot 3184 that realized $28,800.
Additional U.S. coins and Numismatic Americana were offered in Internet Only Sessions 4 and 5, hosted on the Stack’s Bowers Galleries website on Monday, Aug. 10, and Tuesday, Aug. 11. Included in Session 4 were counterstamped coins from the Steve Tompkins Collection of Exonumia, Part I, offering a wide array of desirable stamps and rare host coins like the PCGS-graded MS-66 BN General U.S. Grant medal struck on an 1850 Braided Hair large cent that brought $840 in lot 4314.
Stack’s Bowers Galleries is now looking ahead to their schedule of auctions through the end of the year and into 2021, including their monthly Collectors Choice Online sales, their November 2020 Baltimore sale of U.S. coins and currency, and their January 2021 NYINC sale of Ancient coins and World coins and paper money. Contact Stack’s Bowers Galleries today at 800-458-4646 or via email at consign@stacksbowers.com to consign your collection to one of these popular auctions and take advantage of their proven success.
