First Half Of 2023 Auction Highlights

PCGS - The first half of 2023 has shown much strength for numismatics, with many coins realizing robust prices at auction. It's always exciting to review the most recent auction sales to see how coins and banknotes are performing on the block, and let's review three such highlights that recently wowed crowds on the auction floor.

1855-S $3, PCGS PR64CAM

1855-S $3, PCGS PR64CAM. Courtesy of PCGS.

This is a very special coin because it is the first $3 proof coin struck at the San Francisco Mint. It is believed to have been produced to celebrate the opening of the San Francisco Mint, which opened during the previous year in 1854. This specimen has a mysterious provenance and is believed to be unique. The coin has been off the market since August 2011, when it traded hands at a Heritage Auctions sale for $1,322,000. When the coin was offered again at another Heritage event in February 2023 it fetched an astounding $2,160,000.

1854-O Liberty Head Double Eagle, PCGS AU53

1854-O Liberty Head Double Eagle, PCGS AU53. Courtesy of PCGS.

This coin is one of the major key dates in the Liberty Head Double Eagle series and is one of its lowest-mintage issues. The San Francisco Mint began striking coins in 1854, and a lot of the gold that was being sent to New Orleans in previous years was now utilized by the San Francisco Mint. This unquestionably also affected the New Orleans coin output. Therefore, the mintage for the 1854-O Liberty Head Double Eagle is only a scant 3,250, while actual surviving examples are estimated to be about 30 to 40. It can be years between marketplace appearances for this issue, regardless of grade or condition. Yet, on February 26, 2023, a PCGS AU53 specimen of the 1854-O $20 was offered by GreatCollections and realized $399,375.

1928 $500 Cleveland Fr-2200-D, PCGS Choice Unc. 64

1928 $500 Cleveland Fr-2200-D, PCGS Choice Unc. 64. Courtesy of PCGS.

Some issues of the $500 banknotes are hard to obtain, especially in nice uncirculated grades. And the 1928 $500 Cleveland, with the signatures of United States Register of the Treasury Walter O. Woods and Secretary of Treasury Andrew W. Mellon, is no exception. On April 13, 2023, an example of this note graded PCGS Choice Unc. 64 sold for $12,000 at a Stack's Bowers Galleries auction. The population for this banknote is 1 at PCGS, with none graded higher.