The
Proof 1897 Indian cent is an underrated rarity among the late dates from this series. From a mintage of 1,938 pieces, 731 were intended for sale in conjunction with the year’s silver Proof sets, while the remaining 1,207 examples went into minor coin Proof sets. Today, the Proof 1897 cent is most often found in grades up to Proof-64, with many having been cleaned or mishandled over the past century. Gems are sold at auction only a couple of times per year, and those with any traces of Cameo contrast are incredibly rare.
Stack’s Bowers Galleries is delighted to feature a truly special Proof-67+ Deep Cameo (PCGS) CAC 1897 cent in our
1787 Fugio from the
Newman 13-X dies. This is an easy die marriage to attribute; the obverse is heavily clashed in the right field and the reverse is the workhorse die X with a prominent crack from 6 o’clock on the rim. This lovely near-Gem example offers incredibly silky luster and steely-brown patina with hints of tangerine luster in the protected areas. The superior technical quality is matched by tremendous eye appeal.
Most Uncirculated Fugio coppers owe their preservation to a large cask of approximately 5,000 coins purchased by the
Bank of New York in 1788 and forgotten in the basement until the bank moved to a different location in 1856. The bank handed out the coins to preferred clients for many years and in 1948 the
Shield nickels are a largely underappreciated series among 19th-century U.S. coinage. They represent America’s inaugural attempt at a nickel five-cent coin, a format that remains a staple in daily commerce to the present day. First introduced in 1866 upon the conclusion of the Civil War, the Shield nickel was issued for just 17 years but produced a tremendous amount of fascinating and rare varieties.
We are thrilled to offer an incredibly rare
FS-304, Misplaced Date variety of the
1867 Rays nickel in our
March 2021 Showcase Auction. Graded VF-30 (NGC), it exhibits sharp definition and uniform dove-gray patina. Traces of the misplaced 1 digit are clear at the left side of the rounded tip of the shield. This variety was listed as unique in the 2015
The
1905 Liberty Head half eagle is an underrated 20th-century issue that is desirable at all levels of preservation. A mintage of only 302,200 makes it scarcer than many late-date issues, representing a steep drop from the 392,000
Philadelphia strikes of 1904. While readily available in lower Mint State grades, the 1905 is seldom encountered finer than MS-65 and
PCGS estimates just 55 distinct specimens survive in Gem and above.
Stack’s Bowers Galleries is thrilled to offer an incredible MS-68 (PCGS) example in our
March 2021 Showcase Auction that is the sole finest graded by that service. In addition, it ranks among the finest known Liberty Head half eagles, as it is one of only 10 graded MS-68 by PCGS with none finer for any Philadelphia Mint issue. Only three
Stack’s Bowers Galleries Auctions Eight of Top 10 U.S. Coins in 2020
Eight of the top 10 highest auction prices realized for U.S. coins in 2020 were achieved by
Stack’s Bowers Galleries, emphasizing their role as a leading resource for world-class numismatic rarities. Among these eight exceptional results are six coins that surpassed $1 million, including two distinct examples of the famous
1804 Draped Bust dollar.
“We are thrilled to have achieved eight of the top 10 prices realized during this challenging year, an accomplishment that reflects our industry-leading innovation and expertise,” said Stack’s Bowers Galleries President
Brian Kendrella. “What is most remarkable,” he explained “is that each of these coins are old friends that we had sold previously over our firm’s 85-year history. We are proud to be the consistent choice for auctioning top-tier rarities, and it has been a privilege to present these pieces to a new generation of collectors in 2020.�