Collectors Eye Two NGC-certified Civil War Rarities in GreatCollections Sale

Two extremely rare Civil War-era gold coins certified by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation® (NGC®) are being offered in GreatCollections auctions that end on June 27, 2021. Bidding for these historic issues had already reached six figures more than a week before the auction.

An 1864 Liberty Head $10 graded NGC PF 65 Ultra Cameo (lot 1000000) not only is GreatCollections’ one millionth auction coin, but also is one of the higher-graded examples known. Several days before the auction, 18 bids had pushed the price over $200,000.

This 1864 Liberty Head $10 graded NGC PF 65 Ultra Cameo is GreatCollections’ one millionth auction coin. Click images to enlarge.

Designed by United States Mint Chief Engraver Christian Gobrecht, the Liberty Head $10 was produced by the US Mint from 1838 to 1907. Collecting Proof Liberty Gold Eagles is extremely challenging because of their small mintages. For instance, in 1864, the Philadelphia Mint produced only 50 of these Proofs, of which only about a third of that number are known today.

Also exciting collectors is an 1864 Liberty Head $20 graded NGC PF 64 Cameo (lot 1000001). Like its $10 counterpart, the 1864 Proof Liberty Head $20 also had a mintage of 50, with only a fraction of that number surviving today. Several days before the auction, 17 bids had also pushed its price over $200,000.

1864 Liberty Head $20 graded NGC PF 64 Cameo Click images to enlarge.

The long-lived Liberty Head Double Eagle has a cherished place in US numismatics. It traces its beginnings to the California Gold Rush of the 1840s, when the US Treasury was receiving a large amount of gold from the mines. In response, Congress authorized the minting of $20 gold coins. The Double Eagle went on to become one the most popular coins in the United States, until it was removed from circulation in the 1930s.

Other NGC-certified rarities in the June 27 sale included:

• an 1896-S Barber Quarter graded NGC MS 65 and pedigreed to the Eliasberg Collection (lot 835845), with a starting bid of $29,000
• a 1994 $50 American Gold Eagle graded NGC MS 70 PL (lot 1010618), with bidding already up to $12,111 several days before the auction
• a China 1998 Large Date Gold 50 Yuan Panda graded NGC MS 69 (lot 965115), with bidding already up to $9,000 several days before the auction
• a 1916-S Walking Liberty Half Dollar graded NGC MS 66 (lot 985961), with bidding already up to $8,250 several days before the auction
• an 1864 Seated Liberty Half Dollar graded NGC PF 65 Cameo (lot 999997), with bidding already up to $3,900 several days before the auction
• an 1864 Indian Cent graded NGC PF 66 Cameo (lot 999999), with bidding already up to $2,700 several days before the auction
• a 1915 Buffalo Nickel graded NGC MS 67+ (lot 986968), with bidding already up to $2,365 several days before the auction
• a Great Britain 1990 5 Sovereign graded NGC PF 69 Ultra Cameo (lot 886219), with bidding already up to $2,050 several days before the auction
• an Isle of Man 2011 Bimetallic Gold and Platinum Angel graded NGC PF 70 Ultra Cameo (lot 971172), with bidding already up to $1,550 several days before the auction

Related Articles

• NGC Census: Liberty Head $10
• NGC Census: Liberty Head $20