Rare Coins Alive and Well

A remarkably preserved 1908-S With Motto Double Eagle, certified MS67 by PCGS with CAC approval, sold for $336,000, leading a two-day U.S. coins event that closed with a total of $8,751,859 in sales.

The standout Saint-Gaudens coin, one of the highest-graded survivors from this low-mintage issue, drew 32 bids before reaching its final price. Only two examples are graded finer by PCGS.

Another major highlight was an 1879 Flowing Hair Stella, graded PR66 Cameo by NGC, which drew 93 bids and achieved $216,000. This fresh-to-market rarity is one of just 20 known in PR66 Cameo, with only 10 graded higher. Gold Stellas dated 1879 were originally struck for distribution to members of Congress.

A 1910-S Double Eagle, also graded MS67 by PCGS, set a new auction record at $168,000, nearly doubling the previous benchmark set in 2015. Although more than 2 million examples were minted, most were destroyed in the 1930s when the U.S. abandoned the gold standard. The issue is extremely scarce above Gem level; this MS67 example is the sole coin at its grade, with just one finer.

A superb early gold example, a 1795 $10 Eagle (13 Leaves), BD-1, MS61 NGC, brought $132,000. Among NGC-certified pieces of this popular type, only eight are graded MS61 and just nine are finer. Another example graded AU58 by PCGS realized $114,000.

An 1861-S Paquet Reverse Double Eagle, certified AU55 by PCGS, sold for $126,000. With only about 200 examples believed to survive, this remains the rarest San Francisco double eagle. For decades no Mint State examples were known, although recent population reports show just a few in MS61–MS62.

Also surpassing six figures was a 1929 Double Eagle, graded MS65+ by PCGS, which achieved $108,000. Although many were minted, nearly all were melted during the Gold Recall of the 1930s, making high-grade survivors exceptionally scarce.

From the 1920s series, a 1924-S Double Eagle MS65 PCGS realized $90,000. Although 2.9 million were struck, most were held in government storage and ultimately melted in 1933. PCGS has certified only eight at the Gem level, with just two finer.

Another coin reaching $90,000 was an 1865 Liberty Half Eagle PR64 Cameo PCGS CAC. Only 25 proofs were struck during that year as the Civil War came to a close, with an estimated 15–20 examples surviving today.

An 1895 Morgan Dollar, certified PR65 Cameo by NGC (VAM-2), brought $87,000. With a proof mintage of 880 pieces and virtually all circulation strikes believed to have been melted under the Pittman Act of 1918, the proof version stands as the only collectible format for this date.

One of the most dramatic U.S. coin errors, a “Two-Tailed” Washington Quarter Mule, graded MS64, set a record at $84,000. This undated piece was struck with two reverse dies and is among the rarest known mule errors, with only a few dozen double-sided examples across all U.S. series.