1875 Liberty Eagle Soars to Record $1.02 Million to Lead Heritage Long Beach US Coins Auction Above $17.8 Million

DALLAS, Texas (Oct. 10, 2022) – An 1875 Liberty Eagle, AU53 drew a record winning bid of $1.02 million to lead Heritage Auctions’ Long Beach Expo US Coins Signature® Auction to $17,875,326 Oct. 6-9.

The event was part of an extraordinary week of Heritage Long Beach Expo auctions. The Harry W. Bass Jr. Core Collection Part I US Coins Signature^® Auction reached $20,459,645, then the Long Beach Expo US Currency Signature® Auction - Long Beach brought $10,682,19. Last but not least, the second Long Beach Expo US Coins Signature® Auction finished at $17,875,326 boosting the three events to $49,017,169, setting a new all-time record for any Long Beach Expo numismatic auction total.

The latest US Coins auction alone drew more than 3,000 global bidders in their pursuit 1,529 lots, several of which established new records, and many of which were part of nine elite collections that were represented in the event.

“This event not only featured a wide range of exceptional coins, but also celebrated the collectors themselves, whose knowledge and passion drove their years of assembling these extraordinary collections,” says Todd Imhof, Executive Vice President at Heritage Auctions. “The fact that the magnificent 1875 Ten Dollar Liberty topped $1 million only underscores Heritage’s position as the premier global destination for the most serious numismatic collectors.”

The $1,020,000 result for the event’s top lot set a new auction record for the issue in any grade, nearly tripling the previous $372,000 mark for an 1875 Eagle that Heritage set in 2018. This magnificent coin is tied for the second-finest example known of one of the lowest-mintage circulating gold coins from the entire U.S. gold series; just 100 were struck by the Philadelphia Mint in 1875.

The event’s top lot was one of 105 sold from the Allan H. Goldman Collection . A prominent New York real estate investor with a passion for both coins and American currency, Goldman also was a passionate collector. The lots in this auction mark the second installment of his collection offered through Heritage; Part I was presented during Heritage Auctions’ July Long Beach/Summer FUN Signature® auction , in which these fresh-to-market coins generated exceptional results.

Other top lots in the Goldman collection included, but were not limited to:

An 1863 Liberty Eagle, PR63 PCGS : $144,000

A 1932 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, MS64 PCGS : $144,000

A 1931 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, MS64 PCGS : $102,000

A 1930-S Indian Eagle, MS64 NGC : $87,000

One of just 30 examples struck of an 1866 Liberty Double Eagle, PR65 Cameo drew 27 bids before finishing at $660,000. Once a highlight of the collection of Ed Trompeter, who owned an impressive run of complete gold proof sets from 1859-1915, this exceptional Gem is one of two examples in 65 Cameo and boasts an exceptional combination of rarity, eye appeal and high technical quality.

One of 22 lots from the Olivia Collection , an 1870-CC Double Eagle AU50 NGC. Variety 2-B sparked a flurry of 36 bids before ending at $630,000. This example is one of the 10 finest among the roughly 40 survivors that remain from an original mintage of just 3,789 pieces. The PCGS estimate is that 40 to 50 pieces survive today, while Rusty Goe, in The Confident Carson City Collector, is slightly more generous with a survival estimate of 55 to 65 pieces.

Other top lots from the Olivia Collection, which offered 19 Double Eagles, included but were not limited to:

An 1871-CC Double Eagle, AU58 NGC : $87,000

An 1891-CC Double Eagle, AU58 NGC : $40,800

An 1879-CC Double Eagle, AU58 NGC : $31,200

An 1885-CC Double Eagle, AU58 Prooflike NGC : $31,200

An 1878-CC Double Eagle, AU58 NGC : $30,000

An 1887 Liberty Double Eagle, PR67+★ Cameo NGC , numerically the single finest certified specimen of the 1887 double eagle at either service, brought a winning bid of $600,000 – also a new auction record. It is one of what is believed to be no more than 40 surviving examples. The only Superb Gem at either service, it boasts both the Plus and Star designations from NGC as further testament to its extraordinary eye appeal and surface quality.

An 1879 Flowing Hair Stella, PR64 Cameo PCGS closed at $180,000. One of the most desirable of all 19th century gold issues (it is believed that 425 examples of the 1879 Flowing Hair stella were struck) this magnificent coin is, strictly speaking, a pattern, but many collect it alongside other regular-issue U.S. coinage. These four dollar gold pieces, which formed part of Dr. William Wheeler Hubbell’s scheme for a system of international coinage, were distributed in three-coin sets along with goloid and metric dollars (Judd-1617 and Judd-1626, respectively).

Another collection with magnificent lots in the auction was the 92-lot Northern Lights of Vermilion Collection , which focused largely on high-grade U.S. gold, including Eagles, Double Eagles and Half Eagles. Four lots brought six-figure results. Top lots from the collection included, but were not limited to:

A 1931 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, MS65 PCGS : $144,000

A 1931-D Double Eagle, MS64 PCGS : $126,301.20

A 1915-S Panama-Pacific Fifty Dollar, MS64+ PCGS : $108,000

An 1890 Eagle, PR64 Deep Cameo : $108,000 – an auction record for this proof issue

An 1867 Liberty Eagle, MS62 PCGS : $99,000 – an auction record for this date and mintmark in any grade

Three lots from the Perfection Collection of Proof Seated Liberty Dollars drew winning bids of $90,000 or more: an 1863 Seated Liberty Dollar, PR67+ Cameo and an 1866 With Motto Dollar, PR67 Cameo PCGS each drew a winning bid of $96,000, while an 1860 Seated Dollar, PR67 Cameo brought $90,000. The 1860 and 1866 With Motto dollars set new auction records for those issues.

Other top lots from the collection included, but were not limited to:

An 1859 Seated Dollar, PR67 PCGS : $72,000

An 1865 Seated Liberty Dollar, PR67 : $55,000

The auction included 93 lots from the Christopher J. Salmon Collection of Massachusetts Silver, Part II , the second installment of the most complete collection of Massachusetts silver ever offered. Two lots from the collection cleared more than $100,000: a (1652) New England Shilling, Salmon 3-D, XF45 NGC that drew a winning bid of $111,000, and a (1652) New England Shilling, Salmon 3-B, VF35 NGC that ended at $105,000.

Other top lots from the Salmon Collection included:

A 1652 Pine Tree Shilling, Small Planchet, Salmon 2-B, AU58 NGC : $19,200

A 1652 Pine Tree Shilling, Large Planchet, Salmon 2-C, AU58 NGC : $18,000

A 1652 Willow Tree Shilling, Salmon 3-C, Good 6 NGC : $16,800

A 1652 Pine Tree Shilling, Large Planchet, Salmon 4-Di, AU58 NGC : $16,800

Not every collection needed mass quantity to produce exceptional quality. The Song Family Collection offered a single lot … but what a lot it was: an 1857-S Double Eagle from the S.S. Central America, certified MS67 Prooflike by NGC , which climbed to $150,000. No 1857-S Double Eagle has been graded numerically finer at either NGC or PCGS.

Also among the records set in the auction was an 1861 Quarter Eagle, MS65+ PCGS , which sold for $45,600 – the highest price realized for an 1861 quarter eagle of either type.

Complete results can be found at HA.com/1349 .

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