Heritage’s ANA Coin Auctions Hammer Beyond $53 Million

An 1876-CC Twenty Cent Piece, MS65 PCGS sold for $690,000 to lead Heritage’s ANA US Coins Signature® Auction to $36,841,730 August 12-18, and a stunning George V gold Sovereign 1920-S MS63 PCGS brought a winning bid of $552,000 to lead Heritage’s ANA World & Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature® Auction to $16,683,933 August 15-17. When the hammer fell for the final time, the events amassed a combined total of $53,525,663 and accounted for a slew of new auction records.

US Coins

“The 1876-CC Twenty Cent Piece has always been considered one of the finest known examples of this important U.S. silver series,” says Todd Imhof, Executive Vice President at Heritage, “and that was backed up by the 118 bids from elite collectors that poured in for this magnificent coin.”

A breathtaking double-struck 1794 S-28 Head of 1794 Cent, MS66 Brown NGC might have been imperfect in its creation, but it was a must-have treasure to the collectors who poured in more than three dozen bids before it ended at $588,000 – a price that was as appropriate as it was spectacular for this magnificent coin. This example is exceedingly rare for the grade, tied for the finest examples of the S-28 pair.

A 1931-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, MS66 PCGS brought a winning bid of $360,000, erasing the previous auction record for the date of $253,000 for the Price-Morse specimen that was set at Heritage in 2008. The mintage of the 1931-D Saint-Gaudens double eagle was the sixth-lowest mintage of the series, at just 106,500 pieces, and of those, it is believed that probably only 125 pieces exist today, with nearly all examples seen in Uncirculated grades. Now the 1931-D is considered the second-rarest issue from the Denver facility, behind the 1927-D. Coins at the Gem level are decidedly rare, and examples are extremely rare any finer.

The auction featured several collections, including the Benedict Family Collection, a 70-lot trove replete with an exceptional selection of type coins and important rarities. The top result from the Benedict Collection was an 1887 Liberty Double Eagle, PR65 Deep Cameo PCGS. CAC that also reached $360,000. Just behind was the $348,000 brought by an 1883 Liberty Double Eagle, PR65 Deep Cameo PCGS. CAC to break the previous auction record for that proof issue of $336,000 that was set at Heritage in 2021.

Other top results from the Benedict Family Collection included, but were not limited to:

• $264,000: an 1879 Flowing Hair Stella, PR65 Deep Cameo PCGS. CAC
• $240,000: an 1895 Liberty Double Eagle, PR65 Deep Cameo PCGS. CAC, breaking the previous auction record of $234,000 that was set at Heritage in 2020
• $204,000: the only CAC example of an 1895 Morgan Dollar, PR68 Cameo PCGS

A 1920-S Indian Ten, MS64+ PCGS. CAC drew 29 bids before it closed at $312,000. The most elusive Indian Eagle in Mint State, this issue originally included 126,500 coins, a higher total than that of the 1908 No Motto, 1911-D, 1911-S and 1913-S productions. But very few of these coins were actually released from the San Francisco Mint, and most were melted after the passage of the Gold Recall Act in 1933, and those that did survive are typically in lower Mint State grades.

Other record-setting lots included:

• $252,000: a 1910 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, PR67 NGC – breaking the previous auction record of $218,500, set by Heritage for the Morse specimen in 2005
• $240,000: an 1895 Liberty Double Eagle, PR65 Deep Cameo PCGS. CAC – surpassing the previous auction record of $234,000 that was set by Heritage in 2020
• $204,000: an 1821 JR-7 Bust Dime, PR65 NGC. CAC – more than doubling the record for an 1821 proof of $94,000 that was set at Heritage in 2015

Another collection featured in the auction was the Byron Milstead Collection of Philippines Pesos, an assemblage led by a 1906-S Philippines Peso, MS63 PCGS that brought a winning bid of $156,000 that shattered the auction record for a US Philippines business strike coin.

World and Ancient Coins

Coming from the James D. Wolfensohn Collection of Australian Sovereigns, the George V gold 1920 Sydney Sovereign that topped the event, in which multiple records were set, is one the rarest circulation-strike sovereigns from anywhere in the British Commonwealth, and the rarest from Australia. This date and mint pairing is so rare that it has earned the title of “King of Australia’s Sovereigns” and was hailed in the Quartermaster catalog as “Australia’s rarest circulating Sovereign.”

“This is a magnificent trophy for collectors of Australia’s rarest gold emissions, worthy of each of the superlatives attached to it,” says Cris Bierrenbach, Executive Vice President of International Numismatics at Heritage. “This date and mint pairing is exceedingly rare, and the condition is exceptional. The winning bidder has just won a tremendous addition to any collection.”

Highlights from the Wolfensohn Collection of Australian Sovereigns included, but were not limited to:

• $78,000: an exceedingly rare Type 1 British Colony gold “Adelaide” Pound 1852 AU55 PCGS
• $52,800: a Victoria gold Sovereign 1866-SYDNEY MS63 Prooflike PCGS
• $50,400: a Victoria gold 1/2 Sovereign 1866-SYDNEY MS63 Prooflike PCGS

The Wolfensohn Collection was one of several significant collections in the auction, among them the Carpathian Collection of Romanian Coins, and is one of the finest troves of coins from the European nation ever assembled and a trove from which highlights included a Carol I gold Specimen Pattern 20 Lei 1868 SP63 Deep Cameo PCGS that sold for $456,000 to establish a new world record for a Romanian coin. A choice rarity, it is one of the most celebrated in all of Romanian numismatics and the finest piece known at either major grading service. Only 100 were minted, but it is believed that far fewer survive today, with those in major collections and museums typically faring as “circulated.” This example is believed to be the finest known example.

Other standouts from the Carpathian Collection included, but were not limited to:

• $99,000: a Carol II gold “Angel over Arms” 100 Lei 1939 UNC Details (Rim Filing, Cleaned) NGC
• $52,800: a Carol I Leu 1870-C MS67 PCGS
• $48,000: a Carol II gold “Jubilee” 100 Lei 1940 UNC Details (Repaired) NGC
• $44,400: a Carol I 2 Lei 1901 MS63 PCGS

British coins are exceedingly popular among collectors, a trend that continued in this auction when one of the finest Anne gold 5 Guineas 1709 MS61 PCGS graded by PCGS sold for $228,000. Among the most difficult post-union issues to find at auction, this example is just the fourth to come through Heritage Auctions.

A dozen bids drove a William & Mary gold 5 Guineas 1692 MS63 NGC to $204,000. This coin features a rare tier of preservation for such a large gold coin of William and Mary, one of just two examples certified at a Choice assignment between NGC and PCGS combined of the largest denomination produced during the period.

Ancient coins fared exceptionally well and were among the event’s record setters. Topping the ancient coins in the auction was a Maximinus I (AD 235-238). AV aureus (21mm, 6.56 gm, 7h). NGC Choice XF 5/5 – 3/5, brushed that sold for $408,000, nearly tripling the previous world record for a Maximinus aureus. This rarity is just the fifth example to come to market in the last two decades, and the only one graded by NGC.

Another ancient coin that found its way into the record books was a Vespasian (AD 69-79). AV aureus (19mm, 7.40 gm, 6h). NGC MS 5/5 – 2/5, brushed that set a record for the type with its winning bid of $168,000. It is an extraordinary example of an important coin from the Judaea Capta series, which was created after the Roman Empire’s victory in the Jewish-Roman War to celebrate Rome’s conquest of Judea.

The expansive event even featured a 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which was awarded in 2008 to virologist Harald zur Hausen that ended at $192,000. Zur Hausen received the award for his research that led to the isolation of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA from cervical cancer cells.

The auction included the Otoh Collection of Physical Cryptocurrency, Part II. Leading the Otoh – or “On The Other Hand” – Collection, which was named after the online handle of the consignor and is the most significant offering of physical cryptocurrency ever brought to auction, was a Casascius gold-plated brass “Storage Bar” Bearer Bar Loaded (Unredeemed) 3 Bitcoin (BTC) 2011 Genuine PCGS that drew a winning bid of $180,000.

Other top selections from the Otoh Collection included, but were not limited to:

• $66,000: a Casascius silver Proof Loaded (Unredeemed) 1 Bitcoin (BTC) 2013 PR69 Ultra Cameo NGC
• $55,200: a Casascius gold Unloaded (Unfunded) “Gold Cas” 1000 Bitcoin (BTC) 2012 PR68 Ultra Cameo NGC

All in all, the ancient coins in the auction performed well at all levels, from the record-setting Maximinus I aureus to the Sicily. Camarina. Ca. 420-405 BC. AE tetras (18mm, 4.11 gm, 2h). NGC MS 5/5 – 5/5, Fine Style that smashed the previous auction record when it sold for $4,080.