NGC-certified Stella and EID MAR Sell for Six Figures Each in Stack’s Sale

Four coins certified by Numismatic Guaranty Company® (NGC®), including three struck by the US Mint and one struck by Caesar’s assassin Brutus, each realized over $100,000 in a recent sale. Stack's Bowers’ August 2023 Global Showcase Auction was held across several sessions in mid-August 2023.

The top NGC-certified coin in the sessions was an 1879 Flowing Hair Stella graded NGC PF 67★ Cameo (Session 6, lot 5113) that realized $312,000. John A. Kasson, a former chairman of the Congressional Committee on Coinage, proposed a four-dollar gold coin that aligned closely with the widely accepted gold coins used in various European countries. Rep. Alexander H. Stephens supported the idea and asked the US Mint to prepare pattern four-dollar gold pieces for evaluation by Congress. The Mint struck several hundred Stellas dated 1879 and 1880, but the coin never gained authorization for regular production.

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Another exemplary sale was a Roman Imperatorial Brutus (d. 42 B.C.) Silver Denarius EID MAR graded NGC Ancients VF, 5/5 Strike and 3/5 Surface (Session B, lot 50103) that realized $240,000. The famous coin's front shows a liberty cap flanked by a pair of daggers above the legend EID MAR, a bold reminder of Brutus' involvement in Julius Caesar's assassination on the Ides of March in 44 B.C. The event helped shape the Western world, making these infamous coins highly sought-after by collectors for their rarity and historical significance.

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Other NGC-certified coins in this Stack’s Bowers auction included:

• a 1908 Motto $20 graded NGC PF 66 (Session 6, lot 5210) that realized $156,000
• a 1900 $20 graded NGC PF 64+ Cameo (Session 6, lot 5197) that realized $126,000
• a 1902 $20 graded NGC PF 64 (Session 6, lot 5198) that realized $90,000
• an 1881 $20 graded NGC AU 58 (Session 6, lot 5189) that realized $87,000
• a Roman Imperatorial Sulla (d.79 BC) Gold Aureus graded NGC Ancients Ch VF, 5/5 Strike and 2/5 Surface (Session B, lot 50090) that realized $81,000
• a Western Roman Empire Romulus Augustus, AD 475-6 Gold Tremissis graded NGC Ancients Ch AU, 5/5 Strike and 4/5 Surface (Session B, lot 50172) that realized $66,000
• an 1820 Large Date Square 2 Half Dollar graded NGC MS 65 PL (Session 6, lot 5032) that realized $66,000
• a Poland 1645 GR Danzig 4 Ducats graded NGC AU Details and pedigreed to the Paramount Collection (Session E, lot 52477) that realized $66,000
• a 1905 $20 graded NGC PF 64 (Session 6, lot 5202) that realized $60,000
• an Italy 1925R Prova 100 Lire Silver Jubilee Gold Medal graded NGC PF 62 Matte (Session E, lot 52421) that realized $55,200

Prices realized include buyer’s premium. The $ symbol represents US Dollars.