When only the best will do …
It’s a catchphrase that has been used in a multitude of ways, perhaps none more appropriately than when applied to a magnificent 1899 Double Eagle PR67 Ultra Cameo NGC. CAC. JD-1, R.5 that will be among the top attractions in Heritage Auctions’ Long Beach Expo US Coins Signature® Auction September 14-17.
The offered coin stands atop a list of rarefied numismatic prizes: PCGS Coinfacts lists just 32 surviving examples in all grades, with only 10 in Gem condition or finer; in fact, only one Cameo is graded in PR66. The coin offered here is one of three that NGC has graded PR67 Ultra Cameo; none carries a higher NGC grade.
"This auction features coins of exceptional quality throughout, and this Liberty Head double eagle is as appealing as any," says Todd Imhof, Executive Vice President at Heritage Auctions. "Very few were created in the first place — the recorded original mintage was just 84 — and the number of surviving examples is significantly lower, around 30. This coin carries the highest grade of any survivor, including the one that is in the Smithsonian Institution. It’s the kind of trophy-level coin that can become an immediate centerpiece and demand a spotlight of its own in any collection."
This 1899 double eagle is one of 11 lots in the auction’s Premier Session from the Mercury Rising Collection, from which other highlights include, but are not limited to:
- A 1870 Type Two Double Eagle PR65 Ultra Cameo NGC. CAC. JD-1, Low R.7 — one of five or six survivors confirmed in private hands from an original mintage of just 35 examples struck, CAC-approved
- An 1867 Half Eagle, PR65 PCGS — the former Garrett-Bass example
Among other highlights in the auction is an 1854-D Three Dollar Gold, AU58 NGC, an infamous coin from a mintage of just 1,120, and the only three dollar issue struck at the Dahlonega mint. Demand understandably climbs for examples graded above XF, making a high-end AU coin like this one, which comes from one of the key dates in the series, a must-have prize for serious collectors. Only 13 have been graded between NGC and PCGS in Mint State, and resubmissions mean there might even be some duplication within that paltry total.
A 1796 Capped Bust Right Eagle, AU50 NGC is more elusive than its 1795 counterpart, which has five known die varieties. This beauty is one of what John Dannreuther estimates is a surviving population of 125-175 examples in all grades.
Another collection featured in the auction is the Samuel Winans Collection, a compilation focused on Liberty Head double eagles, including several with challenging dates and mint-marks. The 73 lots from the collection, all in collector-friendly grades, include:
- An 1861-S Paquet Double Eagle, AU55 PCGS — created by an assistant Mint engraver who never became a chief engraver, but was referred to upon his death as "one of the most skilled engravers and die-sinkers employed by the government." It is one of just eight graded in 55, with only nine carrying a higher grade.
- An 1862 Double Eagle MS63+ NGC. CAC is an appealing example of a coin that served little domestic commercial purpose but were more actively shipped abroad for international trade and payments. Early numismatic disinterest resulted in an issue that is scarce today. The offered example is not believed to have been offered at auction before, and is one of just three graded in 63, with only one finer.
- An 1871-CC Double Eagle, AU55 NGC is an example — one of just 55 — of the second-rarest Carson City Twenty. A Mint gold specialist noted that many 1871-CC double eagles have been cleaned, increasing demand for a minimally abraded example like the example offered in this auction, an exceptional coin for the AU grade range that shows very little wear.
- The Stuard Collection of Morgan Dollars includes 30 Premier Session lots among its 86 lots that features an exceptional selection of silver dollar dates and grades. The top attractions in the collection include, but are not limited to:
- An 1889-CC Morgan MS64 NGC is from a mintage that either went almost entirely into circulation or was melted to support the Pittman Act, the 1918 legislation that led to the melting of more than 270 million silver dollars. Part of the reason for the low mintage, beyond the millions of San Francisco Mint dollars already stored — unwanted — in Treasury vaults, was that the Carson City Mint closed in in 1885 and did not reopen until 1889. This issue is virtually impossible to obtain at the Choice level, except for occasional offerings like the one offered here.
- An 1893-S Morgan Dollar, AU55 NGC is a beautiful example of the rarest Morgan Dollar in Mint State, thanks to its low mintage of 100,000 and considerable circulation.
- An exceptionally rare 1904-S Morgan Dollar, MS66 PCGS is fairly scarce in any Mint State grade — far more so at the Premium Gem level. PCGS reports only a single Prooflike coin this fine, and finer non-Prooflike pieces are exceedingly rare; the offered coin is one of 21 graded in 66 (three in 66+), with just two finer.
The James E. Blake Collection of U.S. Colonial Coins & Tokens is featured in a month-long Showcase auction (bidding ends Sept. 5) in addition to the 10 lots in this auction, in which highlights include:
Images and information about all lots in the auction can be found at HA.com/1365.
Heritage Auctions
Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam, Brussels and Hong Kong.
Heritage also enjoys the highest Online traffic and dollar volume of any auction house on earth (source: SimilarWeb and Hiscox Report). The Internet’s most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has more than 1,750,000 registered bidder-members and searchable free archives of more than 6,000,000 past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos. Reproduction rights routinely granted to media for photo credit.
Hello Everyone, Anyone visiting the site lately might have noticed a bit of a troll problem here. While I can keep giving them a taste of their own medicine indefinitely, I also do not want to go against the wishes of the majority here. I would like to ask for opinions of all the silent observers (if any are left) that are willing to comment as to whether they want CoinNews.net, RepublicanCoinNews.net, DemocratCoinNew.net or PartisanPoliticalCommentsCoinNews.net. The website address is not actually changing, for those of you that think I mean that literally. I can tell you right now, one choice… Read more »
All I can say is Wow! I still consider myself a visitor here on CoinNews and don’t know what the hell happened in the past couple of months, again, all I can muster is WOW! I used to enjoy the articles and Comments however after a few minutes of the APdE comment thread, I had to go to a new thread just to see if this non-coin banter continued? Talk about TROLL behaviors by more than a few? I know things must have gone over the top when I see Kaiser adding his 2-cents in? I’m going to try and… Read more »
Kaiser,
I wholeheartedly agree! I too vote for Coin news.net.
I will try hard to drastically decrease my overall political comments, except typical ones about the Mint, BEP, Treasury Department & Congress on coinage/medals/paper money matters.
Mazel Tov!
NumisdudeTX
Kaiser,
Thanks greatly for the kind words Kaiser! You are a gentleman in my book. Afterall, we have so much in common with our coin hobby & experiences in Germany for sure.
Gruss Gott!
NumisdudeTX
Major D says: “When the 2021 AGE 1-oz Uncirculated was released on Oct 7, 2021, it had a premium of $865 (Mint list price of $2,620 minus spot price of $1,755). This is 49.3% x spot.” Perhaps one could also note that lost in my illustration, is on August 30, 2021, US Mint Premium over spot for a W Uncirculated AGE was $340 and after the increase per the Federal register on August 31, 2021, by time of release on Oct 7, 2021 the US Mint with their adjusted Pricing Range Table were charging $840 over spot as far as where… Read more »
2020 numbers appear way off. I think that the Pringing Range Table would or should have reflected a maximum premium over spot of $340 vs $600($629)+, Major D?
Ok, thanks Major D. I appreciate your patience. I found my error. I was using the 2019 Pricing Range table, not having found or seeing the price increase, using the Federal Register instead of a search for Coin News Articles. So after a bit of research as well as using the link you provided, I was able to find the other information I needed to clearly see what you were seeing and saying! LOL After knowing I’d been using the 2019 version and your link taking me to a(the) 2020 version of the Pricing Table, I found the article in… Read more »
Kaiser Wilhelm, much of what you say often elicits additional perspective for which I’m grateful! It has and or is quite apparent to me the US Mint absolutely has zero concern for the “average collector” in this day and age IMHO. The change really began at the inception of the Bullion program in 1986. It seems like it used to be, get coins into consumers hands at a fair and reasonable price? Now it’s, as long as someone or anyone will buy at our price, let er’ rip! Get that money as long as they are buying and we absolutely… Read more »
Am I the only one that sees a 110% increase in the premium charged from 2019 to 2020? Let me see, what event occurred in that time period that might have played a part in this drastically explosive premium spike? Hmmm…I’m going to have to ponder this for awhile.
I too vote for CoinNews.net. I do come to this fine site for the comments and watched from afar during the SENZA conflagration last year
I meant to add to my comment above but the comment was closed.
Keep fighting the good fight Jeff but like my family always taught me, you cant argue with stupid.
I am just going to place this here for old times sake and is not directed at anyone…IYKYK
Yikes! I actually got a bad feeling all of a sudden when I first looked at it.
Oh yeah. It just lasted a few moments. It was in the very post that I first started calling BS on his BS. The very beginning of his end. Ahh, memories.
Impressive that TheKings714 was able to dig that one up. Someone has been paying attention to all the goings-on here.
Jeffee, I vote for the ‘do you need another whiff, Jeffee’ one! I just got back from a 45 mile road bike ride so I’m a bit ripe! I was thinking while on a vigorous trek, that perhaps some of you should take up biking, after all what better way to help heal our planet than to use muscle power to propel us from place to place vs. those evil internal combustion engines machines. It also might help some of you with a testosterone deficit problem, just saying. Now after getting that off my mind, I too will try to… Read more »
p.s. I was getting so used to calling Jeff ‘Jeffee’ that I did it again. I tried to edit it to just Jeff, but that damned ‘you are posting too fast’ prompt still is a problem.
Kaiser,
Nice “No Editing Allowed” International sign for sure. Or as we say in the German enclaves of South Central Texas, “Editing ist doch Verboten Y’all” & “Don’t Mess With Texas”…
NumisdudeTX
I don’t know Kaiser, but I saw someone post about it several days ago, so one would think it would be fixed by now. I posted something that I didn’t really intend to post earlier, but due to that problem I couldn’t edit or delete anything. Talk about stepping in it! Lol
“Jeffee, I vote for the ‘do you need another whiff, Jeffee’ one! I just got back from a 45 mile road bike ride so I’m a bit ripe! I was thinking while on a vigorous trek, that perhaps some of you should take up biking, after all what better way to help heal our planet than to use muscle power to propel us from place to place vs. those evil internal combustion engines machines. It also might help some of you with a testosterone deficit problem, just saying. Now after getting that off my mind, I too will try to… Read more »
Major D, Too funny! Numismatics as a sport – complete with a penalty box like in hockey…bad boys have to sit in it & ponder their actions & words. BTW, ice hockey does have the best fights, complete with sticks of all sports IMHO. Lol. Soccer has its fairly frequent riots with stadium fans/spectators & players rushing on the field & going crazy. But, getting hit upside the head hard with a big stick by a strong athletic hockey player during a game & on ice at that, even with a helmet on has got to cause a very specific… Read more »
Major D,
I wanted to add this to my above post…
“Competitive Numismatics,” coming up next on ESPN after this short commercial break…stay tuned for this gruelling battle of the brains!”…
“We are back now, and ready for the coin toss… & let the throwing of the coins & coin slabs at opposite teams begin, including the 5-ounce hockey puck silver coins! Excitement, here only on ESPN – your choice for all sports!”
NumisdudeTX
Major D,
Lol. A race for the gold medal!
NumisdudeTX
Kaiser,
An appropriate sport analogy for the behavior on here lately… Dodgeball, “in your face'” competition for the gold medal! Where’s the referees?
NumisdudeTX
Kaiser,
I can really relate to that pic for sure! Here in Austin, Texas we have a majority of Democrats in the populace, but a Republican-majority in the Capitol building, & in the Governor’s Mansion…so our long-standing motto “Keep Austin Weird” is so very appropriate.
NumisdudeTX
Maybe you just need a ‘cry towel’ or perhaps a good psychologist? I know I was hard on you with my titanium ‘mallet’, but when you get in the ring with me that’s what you should expect! So if it’ll help with your recovery I’ll say this. ‘I’m sorry I had to beat you so badly that you’re now reassessing your core beliefs. That’s probably a good thing’. We good now?
The only crying here is still coming from you. Titanium mallet? More like Fisher-Price. Figure out who you are before attempting to claim understanding of anyone else. Everyone else is ready to move on, why aren’t you? Would be nice to get back to coins with the start of a fresh week. You should really re-read (slowly) all the comments from the last few days. I am not sure how you still believe you came out ahead here. You look childish, ignorant and hateful. This one of yours didn’t help change that. Why are you even bothering to non-apologize to… Read more »
You continue to crack me up with your hate-filled responses. As an Independent with a fiscally conservative slant, I’m used to dealing with characters like you. I did want to ask you, ‘a pearl of wisdom’ to be sure, where our beloved prez joey is today? Isn’t there anything going on this Monday here in the states? Hmmm….it’s 9/11/23…oh yeah, my oldest dachshund is now 16 1/2 years old this very day! And where will joey be for this monumental event, in Alaska? I seem to recall you calling me a liar when I stated he would be absent for… Read more »
If 9/11 is so important to you, why did you choose to engage with me yet again? Couldn’t this have waited until tomorrow? This would be an appropriate day for you to apologize to the rest of the people here though. You know, on this day, show a sense of unity with Americans of all stripes. “And where will joey be for this monumental event, in Alaska? I seem to recall you calling me a liar when I stated he would be absent for this event last week. Not very good optics to be sure. Since you obviously have no… Read more »
More utter nonsense from the ‘king of nonsense’. Might I suggest a line from W. Shakespeare; ‘Brevity is the soul of wit’. Your ‘misstatements’ could use a ‘hearty’ dose of both! Am I right? Maybe then you wouldn’t be so boring. And let me ask you a serious question, do you actually watch our ‘president’ during one of his world events. I’m referring to the decrepit biden, not our former President Donald Trump. To say Biden’s an embarrassment to all ‘people living in this country’ is being overly kind, in my humble opinion. If he was a dog, or cat… Read more »
Thanks for making this so easy for me. “More utter nonsense from the ‘king of nonsense’.“—Does King Donald know you are offering his crown to others? “Might I suggest a line from W. Shakespeare; ‘Brevity is the soul of wit’. Your ‘misstatements’ could use a ‘hearty’ dose of both! Am I right?“—Not so far. Where is your rebuttal? You haven’t shown any misstatements other than your own. 9/11 Biden/military airbase versus Trump/video. Praise? Condemnation? Remember? You have no brevity, soul, or wit. You took another whole paragraph to answer my closing serious question “Have you no sense of shame?” A… Read more »
Kaiser, I don’t for the life of me, no why you’re comparing Donald Trump with Jim Cramer of CNBC? They’re both rich, is that it?
Kaiser, if Trumps ‘riches’ are but a creation of an underworld accountant, then I’d like to hire that accountant. Mine is too damned honest! Lol. I have an idea about how you feel about Donald, so I’ll put you down as a maybe on voting for him in 2024. Assuming, of course, he’s the republican nominee! As to his abstinence from drinking alcohol, I sometimes think a drink, now and then, might do him some good! Cheers.
Craig, Thanks! I just knew, or was hoping, that you couldn’t be as mean as some of your comments here lately. I try hard to respect people as much as I can, but I can’t stand lies & misinformation as it hurts everyone in the long run. Of course we all have our own strong opinions about a lot of topics, but I’ll try to keep most of mine to the hobby we share. I also like humor greatly, both my strange sense of it and others jokes & funny sayings/quotes – and I love laughing! I appreciate you “accepting”… Read more »
Hi Seth,
Thank you for your comments over the years (You and Kaiser Wilhelm are the earliest still active voices I can remember from when I first visited here) and for using your voice to push back on the partisan political comments this time around. I very much appreciate that you spoke up repeatedly, factually, and reasonably. You deserve a PLUR yourself, so PLUR.
Jeff,
Thanks greatly. I appreciate that, & I’ve learned a thing or two from you about a number of subjects for sure, including coins.
Happy Collecting Jeff!
NumisdudeTX
Thanks Major D. For the 2nd time now, your help has been invaluable to me. Lets hope the 2nd time is actually over. Craig’s last comment didn’t exactly radiate “closure” to me. Dazed and Coinfused posted a new rant just a few hours ago on another thread. Lets also hope you won’t have to step up again for a 3rd time. Or at least lets hope it is more than 3 years from now, a sign of progress being made.
The site isn’t sunk yet, Kaiser Wilhelm. Just Craig’s reputation.
We will see more later here on CoinNews assuredly. WORTHY Read and solicitation to participate! BREAKING US Mint Coin News…
“An Invitation to All Americans: Honor Our Nation’s History with New Designs for United States Coins”(9/8/21)
https://www.usmint.gov/news/press-releases/an-invitation-to-all-americans-honor-our-nations-history-with-new-designs-for-united-states-coins
PS The above is the link to the United States Mint Press Release from yesterday:
Additional information also WORTHY of posting from the US Mint.
“The Mint is considering a variety of possible themes for these special circulating coins and we invite all Americans to take a brief survey about the thematic concepts being considered. Please visit https://catalog.usmint.gov/semiq to take the survey, which is open now through October 10, 2023”
Man, I was just fast forwarding thru some recorded Magic Mike shows on my dvd and just happened to see him offering the 2014 W 50th Anniversary Proof Gold Kennedy Half Dollar coin. He was selling this incredibly historic Kennedy for just $2299.95. Can we just say $2300? I bought a few of these from the mint and after checking my mint receipt , I keep all receipts organised in date order in my files, noted that I paid $1240/coin. Who says you can’t make a bit of money owning coins?
I got the WWII privy mark gold coin. I’ll likely never sell it but a saw a value listed recently for it at $25,000.
Reb, what you’re saying kind of sounds straightforward? Are you referring to the V75 “End of World War II 75th Anniversary American Eagle Gold Proof Coin”, with the V75 Privy mark and a mintage of less than 1945? Or are you referring to the “End of World War II 75th Anniversary 24-Karat Gold Coin”. Since you didn’t use V75 or American Gold Eagle, I’m leaning towards the latter? However since you mention $25,000, that implies the former? Either way, congratulations on picking up a coin you wanted. Now, are you willing to share what “you” paid or were charged for… Read more »
Again, Reb I ask as many a listing looks like this one(below) and for those not on a hyper alert before purchasing has surely pulled the trigger on the “V75 Label” thinking they are buying a V75 “Privy” gold coin? “2020 W Burnished Gold Eagle PCGS SP70 First Strike Gold Shield V75 Label OGP+BOX” FYI for any who may not be aware. You can get coins with a V75 “Label” that are not actual V75 “Privy” marked coins. Marketing and capitalism at its finest, however confusing, deceptive IMO, to newer or uneducated collectors to say the very least. Caveat Emptor!… Read more »
Do you know who’s counterfeiting these V75 gold coins? This is the reason I rarely buy a coin from anywhere but the mint.
More than likely China, Craig. Here is a throwback article from our friends over Numismatic News. “Caution: Hundreds of Websites Selling Counterfeit Gold, Silver Coins”, “the “gold coin” and all 50 “silver coins” he received are counterfeits apparently made in China, according to the non-profit Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation (ACEF).”
https://www.numismaticnews.net/us-coins/caution-hundreds-of-websites-selling-counterfeit-gold-silver-coins
… and they were offered in Facebook ads? Uh … no thanks.
Thanks for the article, CalSkier. I’ve been aware of Chinese counterfeiting coins for some time, but wasn’t aware of them faking those gold V75 WWII coins. That would be a very humbling feeling if one paid tens of thousands of dollars for a gold V75 only to find out it was fake. I have to say though that the Chinese have some skilled craftsmen as I’ve seen some of their counterfeit coins and they look damned good. I couldn’t tell the difference from an original, legal U.S. coin.Caveat Emptor, indeed!
Best … gif … EVER!
Kaiser, I should amend my earlier post, as the fact is I have bought coins from outside of the Mints offerings on multiple occasions. I’ve purchased some Kilo silver Kookaburras from the Perth Mint and I’ve also purchased a few coins from the Royal Canadian Mint as well. These are all reputable institutions, as far as I know, so I feel confident the coins I receive are legitimate. You should experience the quality of the Perth Mint, they really do an outstanding job with their coinage. I may peruse some online coin sites to get a handle on the sales/price… Read more »
I have ordered a couple proof sets from The Royal Mint years ago, but even with the coins in the plastic holder they still became tarnished, which was a bummer. None of my other sets ever did this. I haven’t bought from them in probably 20 years, so maybe they’ve improved on their packaging . The 10 ounce British Silver Royal Arms, is that a coin or a bar? And what did they price those at…sounds interesting to me. Thanks.
It’s the Privy mark coin. I got the 24-karat coin and the 4-coin Eagle set that year as well. As I’ve said before, I’ve been a slave to all precious metals proof coins since 1960. Guess I should change my handle to “60 Proof”. The coin is identical to the one-ounce proof that year except for the mark, the single coin packaging, and the COA. I believe it came with the original shipping box & packing slip but I can’t remember. I got it through the “or?” option (eBay within a couple of days of issue as it was beginning… Read more »
Yes, it is somewhat of a dilemma. But I generally fall on the side of the collector over the investor/speculator. I kind of resent paying an artificially inflated price for a “scarce” coin that I still would have purchased even with a higher mintage. I would honestly prefer if ALL coins were purchasable as subscriptions. Make the subscription period shorter (24 or 48 hours, perhaps) if the Mint desires scarcity. But give everyone who wants the coin a legitimate shot at buying it. On the other side of the coin (I know, a pun), NO coin should continue to be… Read more »
You are surely one lucky collector REB. I tried, but I came up short, when trying to snag that one (I didn’t have any luck with the silver ones either). The numismatic gods were kind to you that day and I would never let it go either!
I was as unlucky as you with the Mint that day (I did score the silver though). Within the week, I got the gold via the secondary market with a sizable markup. Still, with a 300+% appreciation and rising, I’m happy with my “investment”.
Thanks for filling in the blanks and congrats on scoring one of those for your collection Reb! I tried as literally almost everyone and their brother, sister, cousin, uncle, niece, nephew, mother, father, as well as friends were trying to score that day! Oh yeah, did I mention the dealers, their networks and bots! Of course the DEMAND, beyond outstripped supply for what we all knew, would equate to a modern grand slam walk off homer in game seven, bottom of the ninth, in the World Series! LOL I think the US Mint missed an opportunity to make more money… Read more »
Thanks, CaliSkier. I don’t generally use secondary sources for coin purchases. Some of the quick bot-infused sellouts forced my hand. The 2019 S ERP was particularly irksome. That was the one with the signed early-issue certificates. The seller claimed the coin was “damaged” (despite my asking that he send me the shipping box unopened) and canceled the deal as the price climbed higher. I suspect he turned around and sold the coin at a higher price. The guy from whom I bought the coin had been burned by a previous buyer who was after a signed COA. I got lucky… Read more »
Good one Kaiser. Unfortunately, and I say that only because I’m like you (at least concerning my coins, Lol), I’ll most likely never realise any profit from them as I have no desire to sell any. I do enjoy purchasing Au coins, but only at a reasonable premium over the spot price. I do wonder if there is a hidden agenda to discourage folks from acquiring Au and even Ag coins from the mint. Maybe there is an anticipated shortage in both of these metals and selling them in coin form for a small premium isn’t sustainable. It makes no… Read more »
Craig, It’s a very complicated thing in some ways, but actually simple in other ways…Since the U.S. Mint is a 100% government monopoly when it comes to legal tender coins of the USA, they can charge whatever they want for any coin. Because of that situation, we collectors have to pay the price or forget about getting the coins at issue price. FOMO causes many collectors to just buy almost anything at any price the Mint charges. The Mint’s Numismatic Program coins & medals cannot lose money or cost the taxpayer 1 cent under the regulations, so they make up… Read more »
How much it wrote?? $$$$$