Auction Highlights

There’s no doubt that some amazing coins came to light in 2023, and we can only imagine what coins will make appearances as we continue tracking through 2024. There are way too many highlights to mention, with about a dozen or so coins realizing over a million dollars each at auction in 2023.

Let’s highlight just a few of the notable pieces that were recently sold at auction.

1798 Capped Bust Right Half Eagle, PCGS AU53

Shockingly, this circulation-strike coin has a reported mintage of 100. Yes, you read that correctly – not 1,000, not 10,000 or more, but 100. Today, no more than seven examples are believed to exist, and two of those are in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution, leaving only four or five specimens out there in collectors’ hands. Owning an example in any condition is a great privilege, and needless to say this issue seldom appears in the market. PCGS CoinFacts auction archives show only four ever selling at public auction. So, any time an example shows up at auction or anywhere in the marketplace, it is a special treat for the numismatic industry. On August 10, 2023, Heritage Auctions sold a PCGS AU53 example that fetched an amazing $1,980,000.

1974-S Lincoln Cent Struck in Aluminum, PCGS PR68CAM

This is one extremely cool coin... It is a 1974-S Lincoln Cent Struck on a Nepalese Aluminum Cent. As many folks know, the United States Mint produced experimental aluminum 1974 Lincoln Cents that were later destroyed by the U.S. government. Some examples escaped and have been confiscated because the government deems them illegal to own. However, the 1974-S Lincoln Cent struck in aluminum is legal to own given it’s not one of “the” 1974 aluminum cents but rather an error struck on a foreign coin planchet. The 1974-S Lincoln Cent struck on a Nepalese aluminum planchet is currently known to be unique, as there are no others struck exactly like this example. Regardless, any legally obtainable 1974 Lincoln Cent struck in aluminum is considered rare. In January 2023, GreatCollections sold the 1974-S Lincoln Cent struck on a Nepalese planchet and graded PCGS PR68CAM for $199,687.

1880 $1,000 Fr-187k, PCGS VF25

This $1,000 1880 Legal Tender Banknote with the Fr-187k variation and with the two signatures of Treasury officials William Tecumseh Vernon and Charles Henry Treat is rare. Experts estimate that only about five examples exist. Of these, one is housed at the Smithsonian Institution and another is held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. With so few examples available to the public, this treasure is rarely seen in the marketplace. When one does appear, it definitely stirs excitement. Collectors were buzzing on August 15, 2023, when Stack’s Bowers Galleries offered a PCGS VF25 example that hammered for $252,000.