Auction Highlights

The year 2024 has been great for the coin market, with lots of dealer and collector activity. Many coins continue realizing strong prices at auction. We’d like to highlight two significant coins and a banknote, all of which recently sold at auction for outstanding prices.

1904 Liberty Head Eagle, PCGS PR65+CAM

The first coin we’d like to feature is a 1904 Liberty Head Proof Eagle. The reported mintage for this date is listed at 108 coins; however, far fewer specimens remain. The few examples available for this issue can be traced back to the fact that many of these matte-finish proofs were regarded by some who handled them outside of the U.S. Mint, including collectors and their heirs, as regular-issue coinage during the early 1900s. Therefore, many examples were either spent or mishandled. As of this writing PCGS has graded a total of only 45 specimens in all grades combined for this issue. So, this is an unquestionably scarce issue, and finding examples with reflective or cameo surfaces is even more difficult. On March 26, 2024, Stack’s Bowers Galleries offered an example graded PCGS PR65+CAM, which realized an impressive $96,000.

1907 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle High Relief, PCGS SP64

This 1907 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle graded PCGS SP64 recently appeared at a GreatCollections auction on May 19, 2024, fetching $70,312. PCGS has only grade seven examples in all grades combined, making this a rare coin. The strike status of some Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles has proven confidential over the years as some debated whether a given example should be classified as a business strike, a proof, or even a special strike. One thing is for certain: some examples exhibit unique characteristics, setting them apart from regular-issue coins. The attribution of special striking characteristics, as is the case for this example that sold recently at GreatCollections, has given rise to the special strike designation.

$50 1914 Federal Reserve Note from Philadelphia Fr-1035

This $50 1914 Federal Reserve Note from Philadelphia, a Fr-1035 variation, is graded by PCGS Banknote as Choice Very Fine (VF) 35. Although this is not a rare banknote in this grade, it is a popular issue among collectors. Much of that popularity is owed to the back design, which displays an allegorical figure representing Panama holding a caduceus and gracefully standing between two ocean-going vessels. This piece shows great detail and bright colors. Heritage Auctions sold this particular example on June 25, 2024, at the higher-than-expected price of $1,805 — a total that included the buyer's premium.