By Mike Fuljenz
Heritage Auctions announced that its January numismatic auctions surpassed $71 million in sales. A beautiful and finest-known 1885 Trade dollar, PR-66 NGC, brought $3.96 million at Heritage’s Florida United Numismatist’s Platinum Night Auction. Billionaire collector Dell Loy Hansen, who is building an incredible collection of every coin struck by the U.S. Mint, was the winning bidder.
An 1879 Coiled Hair Stella, graded PR-66 Cameo by NGC, sold for over $1.05 million at the same auction. It is one of only 13 examples traced.
Four seven-figure bids were also placed during the FUN Heritage Auction for the second-finest known 1793 Chain cent, MS-64+ Brown PCGS Secure. The coin brought a whopping $1.5 million and had 43 bids.
Not to be overlooked was the $540,000 sale of an 1878 $100 Silver Certificate, PCGS Very Fine 35, at Heritage’s U.S. Paper Money Platinum Night Auction. It is the finest of the four known specimens and the first time in 30 years a note from that series had been available to the public.
All in all, if a collectible piece of money was rare and desirable to many, it brought a strong price.
About the Columnist: Mike Fuljenz, president of Universal Coin & Bullion in Beaumont, Texas, is a leading coin expert and market analyst whose insightful writing and consumer advocacy have earned major honors from the ANA, PNG, NLG, and the Press Club of Southeast Texas. His website is www.universalcoin.com.
