Stewart Blay Collections Realize Nearly $5 Million at GreatCollections

The Stewart Blay Collection continued to set records at GreatCollections earlier this month, with almost $5 million in final bids for the finest sets of Flying Eagle Cents, Indian Cents and Barber Dimes ever assembled.

The coins were sold at GreatCollections on November 12th and 19th.

Highlight realizations include the 1856 Flying Eagle Cent PCGS MS-66 CAC at $343,125, the 1877 Indian Cent PCGS MS-66+ RD CAC at $340,875 and the 1893-O Barber Dime PCGS MS-68 PL CAC at $140,625.

A duplicate 1955 Doubled Die Lincoln Cent PCGS MS-65 RD CAC realized $123,750. These all realized all-time world records for the date and grade. The 1955 Doubled Die graded PCGS MS-65 RD more than doubled the previous record set in 2001.

A total of 16,645 bids were received for the 673 certified coins on offer that realized a total of $4,960,436.

Stewart Blay, a legendary numismatist and sculptor based in New York, assembled the award-winning collections over the past 50 years. Earlier this year, GreatCollections auctioned the Blay Lincoln Cent Collection for over $7.7 million, also setting many world records.

"Serious collectors came out of the woodwork to bid and own part of the Stewart Blay Collection – several had not acquired a coin in years, as nothing of this quality had been on the market. The realized prices confirm the numismatic community agreed with the superlative quality Stewart had assembled over his lifetime. The pedigree is one that will survive time – perhaps the most universally respected in the current generation of numismatists," said Ian Russell, president of GreatCollections.

Ian continued, "Sadly, Stewart passed away unexpectedly last Thanksgiving. We are so thankful to Stewart and his estate for entrusting us with this once-in-a-generation collection."

Prices realized highlights from the Stewart Blay Collection of Flying Eagle Cents

1. 1856 Flying Eagle Cent PCGS MS-66 CAC – $343,125
2. 1858 Flying Eagle Cent Small Letters PCGS MS-66 CAC – $59,062

Prices realized highlights from the Stewart Blay Collection of Indian Cents

1. 1864 Indian Cent L on Ribbon PCGS MS-66+ RD CAC – $81,225
2. 1868 Indian Cent PCGS MS-66+ RD CAC – $78,925
3. 1877 Indian Cent PCGS MS-66+ RD CAC – $340,875
4. 1884 Indian Cent PCGS MS-67 RD CAC – $81,562

Prices realized highlights from the Stewart Blay Collection of Barber Dimes

1. 1893-O Barber Dime PCGS MS-68 PL CAC – $140,875
2. 1907 Barber Dime PCGS Proof-68 CAC – $87,187
3. 1911 Barber Dime PCGS MS-68+ CAC – $81,562

A permanent record of the Stewart Blay Collection is available on the GreatCollections website at www.greatcollections.com/blay and GreatCollections has plans to publish a book featuring the Blay collections. For more information, please contact GreatCollections at 1-800-442-6467 or visit www.greatcollections.com.

About GreatCollections

GreatCollections, the official auction house of the American Numismatic Association, specializes in auctioning certified coins and banknotes, handling transactions from start to finish. Since its founding in 2010, GreatCollections has successfully auctioned over 1 million certified coins, making it one of the leading certified coin companies in the United States with annual sales in 2022 exceeding $270 million. Ian Russell, owner/president of GreatCollections, is a member of the prestigious Professional Numismatists Guild, member of the National Auctioneers Association and was recently named the ANA Harry J. Forman Dealer of the Year. For more information about GreatCollections, visit www.greatcollections.com or call 800-442-6467.