Auction Highlights

With 2023 behind us, we look ahead to 2024 with the coin market in a state of good health overall. We believe it will be another good year for the hobby, and with this in mind, we take a moment to reflect on three recent auction transactions that really highlight the strength of the marketplace across various areas.

1919-S Standing Liberty Quarter, PCGS MS66+FH

PCGS has graded just 10 examples of this scarce Standing Liberty Quarter in MS66 with the Full Head designation, with just five such examples grading higher with the Full Head designation. Besides being conditionally rare in PCGS MS66+FH, the 1919-S Quarter boasts one of the lower mintages in the series overall, making it one of the more coveted coins in the series. One of these rare MS66+FH beauties crossed the block at GreatCollections on October 1, 2023, realizing $182,812. It’s interesting to note that the last auction sale of this issue graded PCGS MS66FH dates to August 2006, when that piece took $78,900, indicating a significant price increase amid continued demand.

1950 Proof Franklin Half Dollar PCGS PR66DCAM

Although most Proof Franklin Half Dollars may seem common, some examples can be rare in higher grades or when carrying special grading designations, such as CAM (Cameo) or (DCAM) Deep Cameo. Examples exhibiting DCAM surfaces, especially on both the obverse and reverse, can be quite rare. This is exactly what this example is – conditionally rare. PCGS has graded this single example in PR66DCAM, with none others grading higher with the coveted DCAM designation. The year 1950 marked important milestones for the Franklin Half Dollar, as it was the first year for which proofs were struck in the series and saw the lowest mintage output among the proof emissions for the coin’s run. The 1950 PR66DCAM specimen profiled here has many of these exciting attributes, and are just some of the reasons that the coin sold for an impressive $66,000 at the June 2023 Stack’s Bowers Galleries auction.

1934 $5,000 Fr.2221-G, PCGS Choice Unc 64

Overall, $5,000 banknotes are really scarce, and most examples are usually in circulated grades. The $5,000 notes prompt something of a numismatic yearning for many banknote collectors, as most can never own a specimen. Many have fantasized that, someday, they will be able to own one of these scarce and fascinating $5,000 notes. One such individual seized that opportunity on September 15, 2023, when Heritage Auctions offered a PCGS Choice Uncirculated 64 example of a $5,000 1934 Federal Reserve Note that realized a whopping $300,000.