When an auction has as many elite offerings as Heritage Auctions’ Long Beach Expo US Coins Signature® Auction does — and make no mistake: this spectacular event offers a bounty of more than 1,500 elite coins and patterns — the choices might be sorted more easily when broken down into individual collections.
Fortunately for those who take part in the Oct. 6-9 event, many of the items in the auction can be sorted into several collections.
"This auction brings to light what can happen when passionate collectors spend years, or even decades, pursuing the finest available coins," says Todd Imhof, Executive Vice President at Heritage Auctions. "This event brings together rarities from some of the finest known collections, making available some extraordinary coins that in many cases have not reached the auction market for many years."
Among the top lots in the auction is an 1870-CC Double Eagle AU50 NGC. Variety 2-B, which is one of 22 lots in the sale that make up the Olivia Collection, including 19 Double Eagles. The offered example is one of the 10 finest among the roughly 40 survivors that remain from an original mintage of just 3,789 pieces.
Since this issue served only a utilitarian purpose, no pieces were preserved for numismatic purposes; in fact, most were eventually lost to attrition. 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. No 1870-CC twenties are known in Mint State. Most collections lack an example in any grade, much less an About Uncirculated 1870-CC.
Other top lots from the Olivia Collection include, but are not limited to:
An 1892-CC Double Eagle MS62 PCGS Variety 1-A
An 1883-CC Double Eagle MS61 PCGS. Variety 2-A
An 1875-CC Double Eagle MS62 PCGS. Variety 2-B
Northern Lights of Vermilion Collection
This comprehensive 92-lot collection, with 59 Premier Session lots Thursday, Oct. 6, focuses largely on high-grade U.S. gold, including Eagles, Double Eagles and Half Eagles.
Among the top lots in the collection are a 1795 eagle, BD-1, graded AU53 NGC and a 1799 Capped Bust Right eagle, BD-7, certified MS63 PCGS.
An 1807 Bust Right five dollar gold piece, BD-5, grades MS63 NGC and ranks among the finest known. Likewise, an 1806 BD-1 half eagle certified MS64 PCGS shows only one finer at PCGS. Later dates include an 1867 Liberty eagle certified MS62 PCGS, the sole finest at PCGS, and a nice 1915-S Panama-Pacific Octagonal fifty dollar — high end for the grade — certified MS64+ PCGS with CAC.
Other top lots from the Northern Lights of Vermilion Collection include:
An 1876-S Double Eagle MS64+ PCGS CAC
A 1929 Half Eagle MS63 NGC CAC
Allan H. Goldman Collection
Goldman was a prominent New York real estate investor who had a passion for both coins and American currency, and was an avid collector. Part I of the Allan H. Goldman Collection was presented during Heritage Auctions’ July Long Beach/Summer FUN Signature® auction, in which these fresh-to-market coins generated exceptional results.
The 108-lot second installment, in this auction, includes some exceptional Premier Session coins, including an 1875 ten dollar gold piece AU53 PCGS.
It 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. Housed in a green-label holder, it will be a welcome addition to the finest collection or Registry set.
Also featured in the Goldman Collection is a trio of late-series Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles — 1929, 1931 and 1932 — each of which is graded MS64 PCGS.
Other top lots in the Goldman Collection include:
An 1879-O Liberty Double Eagle, AU50 PCGS, Variety 1
A 1920-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, MS61 NGC
A 1930-S Indian Eagle, MS64 NGC
Christopher J. Salmon Collection of Massachusetts Silver, Part II
The auction includes the second installment of the most complete collection of Massachusetts silver ever offered. Salmon revolutionized how to collect and organize silver coins from the Bay State.
Included are two (1652) New England shillings — one 3-B and 3-D — as well as an array of 1652 Pine Tree shillings in both Small Planchet and Large Planchet formats, and Willow Tree and Oak Tree silver in their various denominations.
Perfection Collection of Proof Seated Liberty Dollars
Collectors of Seated Liberty Dollars will find 25 lots from which to choose in the Perfection Collection, which includes several spectacular early Seated dollar proofs, as well as the current and all-time finest Liberty Seated Dollars Basic Registry Set of 1858-1873 for proof coins with CAC endorsement. With 24 ultra-high-end proof rarities, the collection stands out for its technical preservation as well as captivating eye appeal and memorable toning. Each coin in is incredible condition for its issue and qualifies for the Premier Session.
Select highlights include rare, CAC-approved proof dollars from 1840, 1854, 1855 and 1857, as well as an 1858 proof-only issue dollar in PR64+ Cameo in lot 3075.
Other top lots from the Perfection Collection include, but are not limited to:
An 1863 in PR67+ Cameo CAC — arguably the finest Cameo known of the date
An 1865 in PR67 CAC, which is tied for finest certified
An 1866 With Motto in PR67 Cameo CAC
The Song Family Collection
From this extraordinary collection comes an amazing 1857-S Double Eagle from the S.S. Central America, certified MS67 Prooflike by NGC.
No 1857-S Double Eagle has been graded finer at either NGC or PCGS in prooflike format. It is rivaled only by the nearly equally astounding MS67« NGC S.S. Central America twenty sold at Heritage Auctions’ August 2022 Signature® auction for $198,000, although the prooflike fields may set the offered coin in a wholly different realm.
Raymond Lynn New Orleans Mint Gold Coins
This collection features 36 collector-grade lots of U.S. gold type forms, with an emphasis on Liberty Head Half Eagles and Eagles from the New Orleans Mint; most of the coins in the collection grade in the Choice VF to Choice XF range.
Top lots from the collection include, but are not limited to:
An 1850-O Double Eagle, VF30 PCGS
An 1842-O Half Eagle VF20 PCGS
An 1850-O Gold Dollar, MS61 PCGS, Variety 1
An 1909-O Five Dollar, XF40 PCGS, Variety 1
Schwenk Family No. 1 PCGS/CAC Peace Dollar Set
This is at least the 10th highly ranked PCGS Registry Set and at least the fifth of his Registry Sets to be ranked first for the Dr. George Schwenk, who pursued copper, silver and gold categories, as well as several type collections.
Top lots from the Schwenk Family Collection include, but are not limited to:
A 1934-S certified MS65 PCGS with CAC
A 1927-D graded MS65+ PCGS with CAC
A 1928 certified MS65+ PCGS with CAC
The auction will include a second event, starting with The Harry W. Bass, Jr. Core Collection, Part I, Sept. 29. The extraordinary Bass Collection is one of the finest collections of U.S. gold coins and related patterns, and has been away from the public eye for more than half a century.
Images and information about all lots in this auction can be found at HA.com/1349.
About Heritage Auctions
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I’d have to look at them first hand, but a number of them don’t look that good and I believe grading services today are grading higher than in years past. Maybe I can get some of my coins upgraded if I have them regraded by these services. I think it’s sad to compromise standards like that. I have a coin that was graded VF maybe over 30 years ago which looks better than the one graded AU.
Agree Antonio, I see the same thing from the grading companies. Apparently that’s why the old PCGS ‘rattlers’ trade higher because the grading standards are lower now. You should get a big bump in grade if you resubmit a rattler.
I have a beautiful Morgan CC rattler I’m thinking of resubmitting.
My guess is it was stored in a humid location.
Yeah, like this one.
Or maybe I should have used a dollar example since it’s a dollar.