Auction Highlights

By Jaime Hernandez

The year 2022 went down in the record books with many great coins and banknotes selling for impressive all-time-high prices at auction and in private sales. Several PCGS-graded coins sold for over a million dollars at auction and privately, and the top 20 U.S. coin auction prices realized for the year 2022 were all PCGS-graded coins. In this installment of Auction Highlights, we profile a sampling of interesting coins and a banknote that recently sold at auction.

1885 Liberty Head Double Eagle, PCGS PR67DCAM

The first item is an 1885 Liberty Head Double Eagle graded PCGS PR67DCAM. This is an extremely rare coin with 77 reported examples being minted. However, today, it’s estimated that approximately 20 exist in all grades combined, making this rare coin even rarer. Examples of this issue seldom appear in the marketplace due to its rarity. Collectors were definitely in for a treat, when Stack’s Bowers Galleries offered a PCGS PR67DCAM specimen in its November 1, 2022 auction. The example that sold has a population of 2, with none being graded finer at PCGS. The coin eventually garnered $990,000 at auction.

1935 Lincoln Cent, PCGS MS68+RD

Most collectors might think to themselves, “what’s so special about a common-date 1935 Lincoln Cent?” Well, what if you were told that the 1935 Lincoln Cent in question was in the extremely high grade of PCGS MS68+RD? Somehow, this 88-yearold coin managed to remain preserved in this very high grade for all these years, making it a special coin indeed. On September 11, 2022, GreatCollections sold this 1935 Lincoln Cent graded PCGS MS68+RD for an incredible $55,125. Now there’s a pretty penny!

1880 $50 Silver Certificate Fr. 329, PCGS Choice Very Fine 35

The 1880 $50 Silver Certificate FR. 329 is an extremely rare banknote, as this variation offers only 30 to 35 known examples in all grades combined. Examples don’t appear at auction often and when they do, they usually command a strong premium. The front of the banknote prominently features a portrait of United States Secretary of State Edward Everett. The front of the banknote also features a bright-red scalloped Treasury Seal close to the center of the design. On the top-right and lower-right are vividly blue-colored serial numbers. The back of the note elegantly displays the words “United States Silver Certificate Fifty Dollars.” On November 3, 2022, Stack’s Bowers Galleries sold a really nice specimen of this issue graded PCGS Choice Very Fine 35 that realized $45,600.

Jaime Hernandez is an editor for the PCGS Price Guide and has been a proud member of the PCGS team since 2005. By the time he reached his early 20s, Jaime was successfully buying and selling coins with some of the most prominent dealers and collectors in the country. Email: jhernandez@collectors.com