Coins We Love - March 29

Spring has finally arrived in Virginia Beach, at least for a day or two. While we were trudging through the snow in Baltimore last week, we’re thinking of walking on the beach this afternoon. As it is often said, if you don’t like the weather in Virginia Beach, wait an hour. Needless to say we’re loving the blooming flowers and the oncoming Spring season.

This week’s CWL highlights items from our first quarterly Numismatic Masters Auction featuring coins from the D.L. Hansen collection. Each piece is conservatively priced and as part of the Guaranteed Auction Program, every coin will change hands. We hope that you’ll enjoy reading about these highlights and will check out the other coins listed here. Please keep in mind that an extended 90-day layaway opportunity is available to winning bidders as well with no interest fees! It’s hard to turn down such a favorable financing opportunity!

Sincerely,
John Brush and Your Friends at DLRC


1876 $3 NGC Proof 66+ UCAM ex: Simpson

Why we love it: An incredibly rare low mintage Princess Gold Proof Issue from the Simpson Collection, this piece exudes Deep Cameo reflectivity. This extreme rarity displays pristine, blemish-free ultra-cameo surfaces with stunning eye appeal. From an original mintage of just 45 coins in which only a single piece is graded finer across all grading services.

Value: This stunning, incredibly rare gem is available in our Numismatic Masters Internet Auction ending Sunday night, April 1st, set to sell for the highest bid above $195,000. With no comparable sales in nearly any grade, this is an amazing opportunity to own a truly rare coin that happens to be a part of the D.L. Hansen collection’s first auction appearance!.

View in Auction #1006 // Bid Now




1827 $5 PCGS MS63

Why we love it: This scarce date Capped Bust Half Eagle displays incredibly lustrous, lightly toned surfaces with limited blemishes. David Akers estimated that there may be 20 pieces of this date extant, and the lack of grading events historically aligns this information as most likely accurate. The rarity can only be considered after one observes the overall surfaces and attractiveness of the coin. These stunning characteristics along with the coin’s genuine originality make for beautiful eye appeal. This scarce issue comes from a low, original mintage of just 24,913 coins in which only two other examples in existence are graded finer by PCGS.

Value: The last PCGS example in this grade sold for over $108,000 in 2014, showing that this highlight item simply does not appear often, publicly or privately. The PCGS Price Guide has this coin valued at $120,000 with the CPG at $118,000. It is available in our Numismatic Masters internet auction series ending April 1st, set to sell for the highest bid above $102,750.

View in Auction #1006 // Bid Now


1866-S $20 PCGS MS62 (Motto)

Why we love it: A gorgeous, lustrous example of this popular and desirable first year of the Type 2 Liberty Head Double Eagles. This scarce Double Eagle displays stunning orange-gold colored surfaces, surprisingly few blemishes for the grade and is covered in blazing luster. This coin is bested in grade by only a single PCGS MS62+.

Value: The last two PCGS examples in this grade sold for over $39,000 and $34,000 in 2006 and 2005 respectively, showing that this scarce issue in this high of grade rarely appears in auction or in private transactions. The CPG lists a price of $41,300 with the PCGS Price Guide value of $39,500. In this week’s auction, this scarce and desirable piece is set to sell for the highest bid above $32,450. As it is this piece’s first auction appearance in over a decade, we expect the bidding to be very active!

View in Auction #1006 // Bid Now



1929 $20 PCGS MS65

Why we love it: A stunning gem example of this popular rare date in the Saint Gaudens Double Eagle series. This gem Saint displays immaculate surfaces with sparkling luster that makes for spectacular eye appeal. Nearly all examples of this issue were melted down leaving just hundreds known to exist, in which there are only six others graded finer by PCGS.

Value: The PCGS Price Guide has this coin valued at $75,000 with a CPG price of $73,200. Reserved for an incredibly reasonable $62,150 in this week’s auction, it appears to be a fantastic value for an underrated date in a popular series. The last two PCGS examples in this grade sold for over $61,000 and $67,500, both in 2017 with no finer pieces having sold since 2012. With just a “plus” or in a higher grade, the value jumps to six digits!

View in Auction #1006 // Bid Now



1876-S $20 NGC MS65

Why we love it: A much better date, high-grade San Francisco Mint Issue Liberty Head Double Eagle that is nearly unknown in gem condition. This scarce, gorgeous gem displays attractive yellow-gold tones along with perfect, strong luster, and pristine, nearly blemish-free surfaces. This coin is tied for the finest known example in existence with three other NGC pieces and a single PCGS-graded coin.

Value: The Collectors Price Guide lists the value of $206,500 with the PCGS Price Guide at $185,000; however, this piece is reserved for just $97,300 in this week’s highlight auction! The last two NGC examples in this finest known grade sold for over $105,000 and $94,000 in 2017 and 2016 respectively, showing that our price is right around current auction records. With quality such as this, this piece should certainly garner much attention. Of note, the only PCGS example has auctioned for $207,000 in 2010, thus there’s an amazing amount of potential in this piece over the long haul, and is a great chance for someone to own a real numismatic highlight!

View in Auction #1006 // Bid Now


1804 $2 1/2 PCGS MS61 (14 Star Reverse)

Why we love it: A quite rare and desirable early Draped Bust Quarter Eagle type coin of the 14 Star Reverse Variety. This gorgeous example displays lustrous surfaces with few blemishes and beautiful rose-colored toning that create incredible eye appeal. This scarce issue comes from a low, original mintage of just 2,827 coins in which fourteen grading events higher across both services, though several are assuredly re-submissions.

Value: With the PCGS Price Guide at $39,500 and the CPG coming in at $39,800, this piece is an excellent value in this week’s auction with a reserve of just $29,200 in our Numismatic Masters Auction ending April 1st! The last two PCGS examples in this grade sold for over $30,500 and $41,500 in 2016 and 2011 respectively, showing that this is a fantastic value for such a scarce coin!

View in Auction #1006 // Bid Now


1890 $20 NGC MS66

Why we love it: A slightly scarcer Double Eagle issue that becomes rare in high gem grades. This pristine gem comes with bright, yellow-gold surfaces that are covered in radiant luster. This better date issue comes from an original mintage of just 75,940 coins, in which this example is the absolute finest known in existence across all grading services.

Value: This finest known coin is available for the highest bid above $51,350 in our Numismatic Masters Auction ending this Sunday. The only auction appearance of this piece was over a decade ago in 2007 in which the piece sold for a conservative $52,900, showing that this highlight item simply does not appear, publicly or privately.

View in Auction #1006 // Bid Now





1873 $3 PCGS MS62 (Closed 3)

Why we love it: The 1873 Closed 3 Princess is one of the great rarities of all U.S. gold issues that is famously rare in all grades. This example features a rich orange-gold coloring making for intriguing, captivating eye appeal. This gorgeous, rare issue comes from an extremely low, original mintage of just 100 coins in which only four other examples are graded finer by both services combined.

Value: The last PCGS example in this grade sold for over $31,500 in 2016, and the PCGS Price Guide has this coin valued at $36,000 with the CPG at $36,600. It is available in our Numismatic Masters Auction ending April 1st, set to sell for the highest bid above only $27,050. This is a golden opportunity to own a part of the D.L. Hansen collection from its first auction appearance!

View in Auction #1006 // Bid Now




Until next time, thanks for stopping by and sharing some time with us to browse our Coins We Love.

Check out all of the available "Coins We Love" from past newsletters