Rarities Break Records in Stack's Bowers Auction

1870-CC $10 AU 58 Stack's Bowers

United States rarities saw strong bidding activity with numerous record prices achieved in Stack’s Bowers Galleries’ Rarities Night session, held Aug. 16. Broadcast live from Griffin Studios, the firm’s auction facility in Costa Mesa, Calif., gold coins performed with particular strength throughout the session, which realized more than $11 million. The 229 high-end American rarities drew fierce bidding from active participants worldwide, with online and phone bidders battling to acquire these numismatic treasures. (All prices listed include the 20 percent buyer’s fee.)

Taking top position and shattering the previous record for the issue was lot 5157, the freshly discovered and now finest-known 1870-CC $10, graded PCGS AU-58 and approved by CAC. After intense bidding from numerous phone bidders, this historic piece realized $1,080,000.

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Other gold coins brought strong prices, including lot 5113, an 1879 Flowing Hair $4 Stella, graded PF-67* Cameo by NGC and tied for finest seen by that grading service. This example of the perennially popular issue brought a healthy $312,000, attesting to its desirability and eye appeal.

1879 Flowing Hair $4 Stella Stack's Bowers

A trove of classic early “old tenor” half eagles saw extremely active bidding as demonstrated by lot 5125, an 1815 that is the second finest known of just a half-dozen examples traced to privately held collections, which brought $720,000. Once a part of the Garrett Collection, when this MS-64 PCGS example crossed the block, it set a record for that grade and, befitting its status as the second finest known, achieved the second-highest price ever recorded for this great rarity.

Half eagles continued to shine as lot 5126, an 1819 $5 BD-1 variety graded PCGS MS-64 CAC, realized a record price of $384,000, surpassing prices achieved even by higher-graded examples. Immediately following, lot 5127 offered another early “old tenor” half eagle, an 1830 Large D, graded PCGS MS-66 CAC. Tied for the highest graded and the sole finest approved at CAC, it realized $420,000, surpassing the $305,500 record price achieved by the MS-66 example offered in the May 2016 Pogue Part IV sale.

However, it was not only gold coins that attracted huge prices. Bidding was intense when two newly confirmed and certified proof Capped Bust coins crossed the block. Lot 5027, an 1821 B-5 quarter graded PF-64 by PCGS, exceeded a quarter-million dollars at $252,000. Lot 5034, the sole proof 1828 half dollar from any die marriage, graded PCGS PF-58, realized $192,000,

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An F-15 1792 half disme, graded by PCGS and approved by CAC, shattered the price records for this popular collector grade when lot 5023 brought $120,000. Among modern rarities, a PCGS MS-63+ RD example of the 1969-S doubled die cent, approved by CAC, realized a healthy $72,000 as lot 5016.