Ancient Coins: Taking an Archaeological Approach With Kenneth Bressett

Mar 1, 2022 | News

Whitman Publishing announces the March 2022 release of Bible Lore and the Eternal Flame.

A few days later he replied. “This subject is especially timely because lately I’ve been thinking about writing a sequel to my book Money of the Bible, and have been doing some research on related topics. I would appreciate your thoughts on this, and if you think it is worth pursuing….”

As any publisher would be, I was delighted by this proposal. And having been Ken’s publisher for more than fifteen years, I wasn’t at all surprised that he was thinking ahead to his next project—even before the ink was dry on his latest book!

The resulting work, Bible Lore and the Eternal Flame, is not Whitman Publishing’s first in the field of ancient coins. Recent publications include Coins of the Bible (Friedberg, 2004), a popular exploration of the subject. Money of the World: Coins That Made History (Goldberg and Goldberg, editors, 2007) included two chapters on ancient Greece and Rome by David L. Vagi. Harlan J. Berk’s 100 Greatest Ancient Coins (2008, with an expanded second edition in 2019) has introduced many collectors to the wonders of ancient numismatics. Paul D. Rynearson’s Collecting Ancient Greek Coins: A Guided Tour Featuring 25 Significant Types (2008) was at once an introduction to the subject and an action guide for assembling a personal collection of coins. David MacDonald’s scholarly but accessible Overstruck Greek Coins: Studies in Greek Chronology and Monetary Theory (2009) was the first book-length exploration of that subject.

Continuing Bressett’s Long Interest in the Ancients

Like Whitman, Ken Bressett is not a newcomer to the ancient world. Although he’s popularly known as the editor (and, now, editor emeritus) of the Guide Book of United States Coins and has been involved in many aspects of modern American coinage, Ken has a long-held passion for ancient coins. In addition to pursuing his own research, starting in the 1960s Ken encouraged Zander H. Klawans to contribute articles on ancient coins to the Whitman Numismatic Journal. In 1994 he crafted a new work from two of Klawans’s well-established books (Reading and Dating Roman Imperial Coins and An Outline of Ancient Greek Coins). He skillfully edited them into a single volume to aid both beginning and advanced students. The resulting Handbook of Ancient Greek and Roman Coins has since been a constant reference for collectors, with tens of thousands of copies in print.

More recently, Ken’s Money of the Bible, first published in 2005, has similarly proven to have evergreen appeal. It was updated in new editions in 2007 and 2013.

Another Bressett opus, Milestone Coins: A Pageant of the World’s Most Significant and Popular Money (2007), featured chapters on the ancient world and Biblical money.

“The association of coins with past events is widely known and appreciated by archeologists and historians, but it is often overlooked by Bible students,” Ken wrote in the introduction to Money of the Bible. As did that book, Bible Lore and the Eternal Flame seeks to investigate the money of the ancient world as a means of exploring the Old and New Testaments, and to bring students closer to understanding, and appreciating, the historical context of biblical stories.

What the Book is Not

Bible Lore and the Eternal Flame is not a price guide, a market study, or a how-to handbook for collectors. What it offers students is that special magic of new light shone on enduring subjects; the clarity of obscure connections brought into sharp focus; and the pleasure of tales well told. These all are sparks that can lead to collecting. Or they may additionally inform and enrich the understanding of the historian, archaeologist, and student of theology or the ancient world.

Multifaceted Approach

Bressett was careful to research Bible Lore and the Eternal Flame from many disciplines and perspectives. He even sought the review of skeptics and non-believers, whose perceptions were given special consideration in parts of the manuscript. “I want to present a picture of how numismatics and archeology help in establishing a clearer image of ancient times,” he told me in one conversation about the book.

On the other side of the coin, it was important for Ken to seek the imprimatur of the Roman Catholic Church. After a careful review of the manuscript in accord with canon 827 of the Code of Canon Law, Nihil Obstat was issued and the Bishop of Colorado Springs granted the Church’s imprimatur.

Like a Personal Visit With Ken Bressett Himself

Many of the coins pictured in Bible Lore and the Eternal Flame are from Ken Bressett’s personal collection. Reading his new book is nearly the equivalent of sitting down with one of the world’s best numismatic storytellers and doing something Ken himself is always up to: learning, learning, learning, and enjoying every minute of it.

A Complete History and Price Guide: Gold Quarter Eagles Get the Full Dave Bowers Treatment

Feb 22, 2022 | News

Whenever Q. David Bowers releases a new book, numismatists everywhere smile. His literary contributions are legendary. More than 30 years ago Bowers’s importance was recognized by the Numismatic Literary Guild when he was awarded the Clemy, the group’s top award for long-term literary excellence.

What is less known, perhaps, is David’s wonderful leadership qualities, which were on display when he served as president of the American Numismatic Association in the early 1980s.

When I first met Dave, I was a young (27) grader/authenticator for the American Numismatic Association Certification Service (ANACS), joining a ANA board meeting in Colorado Springs. At the time, the board of ANA luminaries was debating whether to change the way our grading service described coins, from numbers to adjectival grading. We graders pointed out that the hobby and our customers preferred numerical grading. Many of the board’s elder statesmen (and stateswomen) preferred adjectives like “Choice Uncirculated” to a numerical grade like “MS-63.” With 20/20 hindsight, I think we graders not only had a better crystal ball for the future, but we also understood what the majority of our members wanted.

President Bowers agreed with us younger graders and adroitly led the board to a decision to forego changing our grading methodology to an adjectival system. I will never forget his respectful command and leadership in that important board meeting. As the newest grader—just six weeks on the job—he may have saved my job (as last-in, first-out). Thanks, Dave!

ANACS was founded in part by Virgil Hancock, also a past president of the ANA. Counterfeits and altered coins were becoming a growing problem in the 1970s, so the ANA formed ANACS to assist collectors wanting to know if their coins were genuine. In 1979 Virgil Hancock and Larry Spanbauer wrote Standard Catalog of United States Altered and Counterfeit Coins to help collectors and dealers identify the most prevalent counterfeits in the market. This became our favorite authentication guide at ANACS when I worked there in 1982 and 1983. When you turn to the book’s acknowledgement page, only a few industry leaders were recognized for their help and advice, and the first person acknowledged is, of course, Q. David Bowers.

Forty years later, Dave continues to provide valuable insights throughout his new book on quarter eagles, including warnings about counterfeit and altered coin dangers. For example, he wisely notes that the 1911-D quarter eagle is often produced by adding a “D” to a 1911 Philadelphia Mint coin. Dave also reminds us that while the lettering and motifs on the Indian Head quarter eagle are recessed, a departure from the normal relief style, curiously the mintmark is raised above the field on the branch-mint coins struck in Denver in 1911, 1914, and 1925. Dave also points out that collectors should look for strong D mintmarks on the rare 1911-D coins. That tip alone to the beginner is worth the price of admission to the Guide Book of Quarter Eagle Gold Coins.

Like Dave, I had to work odd jobs to buy coins in my teen years. Neither of us could afford the rarities we dreamed about owning. Many yards were mowed to be able to buy silver coins, but my first gold coins were the incused quarter and half eagle I bought after winning $50 playing bingo with my grandmother. Thus, I truly appreciate Dave writing a book about one of the first gold coins I was so proud to call my own.

Like many collectors back in the day, I had to get a special plastic holder to display and protect my first precious rarity, and I had to carefully put all the plastic screws in place with my favorite small screwdriver. I am sure Dave had similar holder experiences. Dealers back then sometimes provided a four- or eight-piece type-set plastic holder with the purchase of one coin, in order to encourage set building. This was an old-time form of a “continuity marketing” program.

The Guide Book of Quarter Eagle Gold Coins is described on the title page as a “Complete History and Price Guide,” and it lives up to that description. Every design and coin in the denomination is covered in depth, from 1796 to 1929, including circulation strikes, Proofs, patterns, and all varieties.

America’s quarter eagles were minted in years when the country’s “hard dollar” was backed by the gold standard. Dave Bowers not only addresses the beginning of this denomination but also includes information about what brought an end to this popular collector coin. He includes excerpts from the March 1930 Numismatist that speculates about a strain on our gold reserves caused by European withdrawals or, more likely, the Treasury trying to maintain its gold supply at preferred levels.

Dave includes many interesting tidbits throughout the book. For example, he points out that quarter eagles were popular with the more affluent for gift giving, so banks carried extra of those coins at Christmas. Similarly, today banks often order extra $2 bills at Christmastime. These $2 Thomas Jefferson bills are their most requested note for holiday gift giving. The director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing told me the bills are also the most popular seller on their website.

While the Guide Book of Quarter Eagle Gold Coins is enjoyable to read as history, it also serves as a useful collector reference. If you want to review selected auction results, they are right at your fingertips. If you are a student of die varieties, this book is for you, too. If you like date-by-date analyses, welcome to them! If you like Proof coins, you need this book. If you are interested in the opinion of our country’s foremost numismatist on how many quarter eagles were melted, you need this book. If you want to know what Bowers thinks about grading and survival rates in various coin grades, you need this book. If you find striking characteristics interesting, here’s your source. If patterns are your cup of tea, this book is a must. If you like the latest information on die and planchet preparation by mint, this book is for you. If you want information on important quarter eagle collections, hoards, and treasure finds, you need this book. If you want helpful distribution information by mint, get this book. If you want helpful numismatic morsels—like Proof mintages from the 1840s to the 1870s being frequently overstated or just speculations, as those coins would be struck and sold, but if buyers failed to materialize, the leftovers were melted—this book is for you. If you want to know more about why there were quarter eagle shortages over the years, you need this book.

For these reasons and more, every gold coin enthusiast needs the Guide Book of Quarter Eagle Gold Coins. This book truly lives up to its description as “A Complete History and Price Guide.”

Q. David Bowers takes you on a fascinating journey through history using the quarter eagle as his “time machine.” His life experiences, knowledge, and immeasurable skills provides money-saving and money-making insights into this denomination. There’s no other book like it on quarter eagles. Most importantly, Dave’s contribution will be the foundation for many new enthusiasts to begin their lifelong journey enjoying and collecting this important denomination. Having the Guide Book of Quarter Eagle Gold Coins on your shelf is a must. and I will be referring to it periodically forever—and always with a smile.

“The Closest Thing to Time Travel”—A Review of Kenneth Bressett’s New Study of Ancient Coins

Feb 9, 2022 | News

Whitman Publishing announces the March 2022 release of Bible Lore and the Eternal Flame.

In Bible Lore and the Eternal Flame, Ken narrates the Greatest Story Ever Told by taking readers on a journey of facts and artifacts going back several millennia, to trace the origins of our Judeo-Christian traditions.

As usual, he fills a gaping need by presenting a narrative for beginners in the study of coins or other small remnants from ancient civilizations. At the same time, if the reader is more experienced, Ken provides plenty of rewards. He is a teacher, a motivator, and a preacher of the numerous positive aspects of the study of coins and other artifacts that link the modern reader to history.

One need not be religious or even agree that the Bible is a divine text to fully appreciate the thrill of reading Ken’s narratives and seeing the excellent photographs of the objects being discussed. Ken reminds me very much of my late dad, also a numismatist, when he writes, “Knowing that genuine artifacts still exist provides a gateway to strengthening one’s faith and provides a tangible connection to the past that can only be experienced through studying or actually seeing some of these interesting items. They are the closest thing to ‘time travel’ that one can ever experience.”

Ken talks about the invention of writing and shows us examples of the earliest clay tablets with cuneiform letters. In his specialty of numismatics, he discusses trade and commerce from the earliest forms of barter through the precious-metal economy, and into the age of coins in which we still live. Many readers will realize the actual connection between money and writing—the earliest writing was used to keep accurate records of financial transactions and accounts! Coins emerged more than a millennium later than the invention of writing.

Was Jesus a pioneer scholar of numismatics? Perhaps, since he shows us his own interest in money—16 of the 40 parables refer to coins or money, and “the topic is mentioned throughout the scriptures more than almost any other subject,” Ken explains.

Ken uses examples of coins of the ancient world, and the stories related to them, to narrate the Judeo-Christian tradition from the invention of coinage right up to the Byzantine period. He begins his story in the days of the Old Testament, a time before coins existed, when “shekel” referred to a weight of metal, mainly silver. But, as the story reaches the “30 pieces of silver,” Ken explains that now they are talking about coins—and he identifies them as silver shekels of Tyre. They portrayed a heathen god but were the purest of silver and truest of weight of their time, and they were the only coin accepted by the Temple. Because Jews made pilgrimages to Jerusalem from around the ancient world, they arrived carrying only their local coins. These were converted into Tyre shekels or half-shekels by moneychangers near the Jerusalem Temple and, indeed, it was the behavior of these money changers that caused Jesus to disrupt their business by upturning their trading tables.

Through coins, readers reach the landmark when Rome accepted Christianity at the time of Constantine the Great (A.D. 307–337). Constantine had a dream before the battle of the Milvian Bridge in A.D. 312. In his dream, a flaming cross with the Latin words In hoc signo vinces (“By this sign you will conquer”) appeared. “From that time forward, the Roman sun god was removed from Constantine’s coins and replaced with non-religious depictions,” Ken writes. Fascinating. I am betting that many professors of ancient history do not know this, because many historic details that are reflected in contemporary coins of the realm are often ignored except by specialists.

Ken also tells us that the face of Jesus does not appear on coins until the seventh-century reign of Justinian II. As for the origins of that image—well, Ken will tell the story better than I can here, so read his book!

Many readers of Bible Lore and the Eternal Flame will be surprised to learn that so many objects used around the time of Jesus still exist and can be seen in museums and private collections throughout the United States and the world. Ken not only tells us about these objects—from coins to oil lamps and ancient glass—but shows us photos of fascinating examples.

Indeed, each of these ancient objects is a portal to a continuum of human life across 4,000 years, an authentic key to the mind. Is every story true? We can never know. But Ken weaves tales that have been reconstructed by scholars since the Renaissance.

I found Bible Lore and the Eternal Flame to be a fun and fascinating book, and I’m happy to encourage you to read it, too.

Numismatic historians Kenneth Bressett (left), Robert Hoge (center), and David Hendin (right).

In Appreciation of Quarter Eagle Gold Coins

Feb 3, 2022 | News

The Guide Book of Quarter Eagle Gold Coins is volume 26 in Whitman Publishing’s “Bowers Series,” and the 20th volume in the series written by Q. David Bowers himself.

Dave became a professional numismatist and coin dealer in the 1950s, when he was a young teenager. Back then gold coins weren’t often seen in the hobby community. In his local coin club, even the older members rarely brought them in for show-and-tell, or to sell. Since the 1930s, Great Depression–era orders had legally restricted “hoarding” of such precious-metal coins (although collectors could keep gold pieces of numismatic significance, and personal exemptions allowed any American to own a reasonable face-value amount). Those federal restrictions would abide until the early 1970s.

Starting with the Bicentennial gold-medal program, Congress and the Treasury Department would tinker with mass-market distribution of federal gold products, including the trial-and-error exploration embodied by the American Arts Gold Medallions and, finally, the debut of the nation’s first widely successful gold-bullion program, the American Eagle coinage of 1986 to date. Today, Americans find it easier than ever to buy, sell, and trade gold coins. This includes numismatic offerings such as commemoratives, Proofs and Reverse Proofs, high-relief gold medals, and other collectibles.

Classic pre-1934 U.S. gold coins, too, are now easy to study and collect. Many factors contribute to this.

• Since the late 1940s, the Guide Book of United States Coins (the popular “Red Book”) has given numismatics a strong boost, making the hobby accessible to more than just wealthy and leisured intellectuals;
• starting in the 1950s, global economic conditions repatriated a flood of old U.S. gold coins, mainly from European bank holdings;
• in the 1980s, the development of modern professional third-party coin certification brought seemingly scientific stability to the art of grading, and gave birth to a robust sight-unseen market;
• since the 1990s, the communications boom and modern technology have made U.S. gold coins widely accessible for any collector with an Internet connection; and
• since the early 2000s, the modern renaissance of American numismatic book publishing has brought dozens of new books featuring U.S. gold coins into the hands of collectors and researchers.

A couple years ago I made an informal poll of 100 hobbyists. I found that roughly 10 percent identify themselves as “very active” collectors of gold quarter eagles—e.g., constantly upgrading their sets, competing in registries, cherrypicking or collecting by die variety or die state, and/or holding membership in a dedicated group such as the Southern Gold Society. 20 percent were more casual, collecting quarter eagles (including in type sets) but not as their primary hobby niche. The remaining 70 percent were split evenly between those who own some of the coins but don’t consider them a carefully assembled collection; and those who neither collect them nor own any.

I found it interesting that two-thirds of these collectors owned quarter eagles and/or collected them either actively or casually. Comments included: “I have about a dozen examples of genuine and counterfeits. Now I only collect the fake ones.” “My main area of collecting; love them!” “Yes, with a focus on Dahlonega issues. I am always on the hunt for the die and mintmark varieties of the 1839-D, 1841-D, 1843-D, and 1846-D/D.” “No dirty old gold here! I collect the 1900–1907 Liberty Head quarter eagle short set in CAC-approved high grades (66/67). Love those little glowing gems!” “I collect Indian Head quarter eagles—just a date set, though. The ’11-D is out of my league.” “I pretty much exclusively collect gold quarter eagles. My primary focus is a date run from 1796 to 1834, including Red Book varieties. Only 6 coins to go of the 24 needed. I’ve been at it for 10 years. I also collect ‘cool’ Classic and Liberty Head quarter eagles.” “I’m plugging away at a set, albeit very, very slowly. All are PCGS VG-8 or lower. Something special about gold lowballs.” “Love them: By decade, by type, by mint.” “Have a complete set of Indian quarter eagles—minus, surprise, surprise, the 1911-D.”

In the 1950s this level of interest and excitement over gold quarter eagles was nowhere to be seen. It was decades in the future.

When Dave Bowers started in the hobby in the 1950s, books about gold coins were even rarer than the coins themselves. Researcher Walter Breen wrote a 24-page monograph on gold dollars in 1964. In 1975 numismatist David W. Akers, after spending more than 20 years researching gold coins (dollars in particular), published United States Gold Coins: An Analysis of Auction Records, Gold Dollars. Over the next seven years Akers compiled volumes covering every U.S. gold coin series. In the meantime Breen, too, continued to write monographs on other gold coins (up to the $10 denomination, published in 1967), and included gold coins in his two encyclopedias published in 1977 and 1988.

Other writers over time added to the hobby community’s knowledge of U.S. gold coins. Researchers published their work in Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine, Numismatic News, Coin World, The Numismatist, Coins Magazine, and other periodicals. Historian Cornelius Vermeule explored the aesthetics of U.S. coinage, including gold, in Numismatic Art in America (1971). Coin World published its Almanac in several editions starting in 1975, providing much technical information and data. Kenneth Bressett and others codified the grading of U.S. coins, including gold, in the Official American Numismatic Association Grading Standards for United States Coins (first edition, 1978). Later, Richard Doty, curator of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Numismatic Collection, wrote his broad-ranging America’s Money, America’s Story, and Roger W. Burdette crafted his award-winning Renaissance of American Coinage books from deep study of the National Archives, Treasury records, and other primary sources. The gold coins of individual mints were covered by specialists including Rusty Goe (Carson City) and Douglas Winter (Carson City, Charlotte, Dahlonega, and New Orleans). Mike Fuljenz helped popularize U.S. gold coins with his award-winning books on various series.

In the midst of this activity, Q. David Bowers emerged as the preeminent author on U.S. gold coinage—a position he holds to this day.

Bowers’s History of United States Coinage, As Illustrated by the Garrett Collection, published in 1979, included his analysis of the nation’s gold coins. In 1982 he published United States Gold Coins: An Illustrated History. His numismatic history of collecting U.S. gold coins was released as part of the proceedings of the 1989 Coinage of the Americas Conference. In various other books of the 1990s and early 2000s, plus hundreds of articles and columns before and since, he’s shared stories and insight on U.S. gold coins.

In 2003 Bowers joined forces with Whitman Publishing, longtime publisher of the Red Book and other hobby books, signing on as the company’s numismatic director. This collaboration has led to a boom in American book-publishing in the field of numismatics. Whitman publishes an average of one new book either entirely or substantially about gold coins every year, ranging from popular single-denomination guidebooks to (also popular) 650-page encyclopedias. The first came out in 2004: Bowers’s Guide Book of Double Eagle Gold Coins was the first book to cover the entire spectrum of the $20 denomination since David Akers’s 1982 volume on the subject. Among the more recent are Gold: Everything You Need to Know to Buy and Sell Today (by Bowers and Jeff Garrett, first published in 2010); Lost and Found Coin Hoards and Treasures: Illustrated Stories of the Greatest American Troves and Their Discoveries (Bowers, first edition 2015); and my own American Gold and Silver: U.S. Mint Collector and Investor Coins and Medals, Bicentennial to Date, published in 2016.

As Whitman’s numismatic director, Dave Bowers has advised on all of these books, while keeping up his own prodigious and constant research and writing.

David W. Akers, who in the 1970s and 1980s broke new ground publishing his numismatic research, has said, “If one had a library consisting only of books and auction catalogs that Dave Bowers has written, the field of U.S. numismatics would be quite thoroughly and satisfactorily covered. Such a claim could not be made about any other person, past or present.”

The Guide Book of Gold Quarter Eagle Coins—the 26th volume in the Bowers Series, and the 20th of those volumes written by Bowers himself—expands and confirms that distinction.

PCGS Graded Top 8 of 10 Most-Valuable U.S. Coins Sold in 2021

Jan 12, 2022 | News

Overall, Professional Coin Grading Service claims 17 of the top 25 U.S. coins crossing the auction block last year, including the most-valuable coin ever sold

1933 Double Eagle PCGS MS65 (Image courtesy of PCGS)

“It just goes to show that the best coins always end up in PCGS holders,” asserts PCGS President Stephanie Sabin. “Year over year, the vast majority of the most valuable coins to hit the hammer at auction are in PCGS holders. This speaks to the trust and confidence collectors place in our consistent grading and ability to provide the maximum value, security, and liquidity for collectible coins.”

Here’s a rundown on the top 25 U.S. coins sold in 2021 and prices realized (including buyer’s fees):

1. 1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, PCGS MS65 – Sotheby’s, $18,872,250
2. 1787 $15 Wing Punch Brasher Doubloon, MS65 – Heritage Auctions, $9,360,000
3. 1822 Capped Bust Half Eagle, PCGS AU50 – Stack’s Bowers Galleries, $8,400,000
4. 1804 Draped Bust Dollar, PCGS PR68 – Stack’s Bowers Galleries, $7,680,000
5. 1861 Paquet Reverse Double Eagle, PCGS MS67 – Heritage Auctions, $7,200,000
6. 1794 Flowing Hair Dollar, PCGS MS66+ – Heritage Auctions, $6,600,000
7. 1804 Draped Bust Eagle, PCGS PR65+DCAM – Heritage Auctions, $5,280,000
8. 1907 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, PR68 – Heritage Auctions, $3,600,000
9. 1792 J-1 Silver Center Cent, PCGS SP67BN – Heritage Auctions, $2,520,000
10. 1854-S Liberty Half Eagle, PCGS XF45 – Heritage Auctions, $2,400,000
11. (TIED) 1885 Trade Dollar, PCGS PR63+CAM – Heritage Auctions, $2,100,000
11. (TIED) Brasher 1786 Lima-Style Brasher Doubloon, MS61 – Heritage Auctions, $2,100,000
13. 1893-S Morgan Dollar, PCGS MS67 – GreatCollections, $2,086,875
14. 1921 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle Satin Special Strike, PR64+ – Heritage Auctions, $2,010,000
15. 1880 Coiled Hair Stella, PR67CAM – Heritage Auctions, $1,860,000
16. 1797 Draped Bust Overton-101A Half Dollar, PCGS MS66 – Stack’s Bowers Galleries, $1,680,000
17. 1870-CC Liberty Head Double Eagle, PCGS AU53 – Heritage Auctions, $1,620,000
18. 1796 Draped Bust Quarter Eagle Stars, PCGS MS65 – Heritage Auctions, $1,380,000
19. 1792 25 Cents J-13, AU58 – Heritage Auctions, $1,260,000
20. 1776 Continental Dollar “CURRENCY” Silver, VF35 – Heritage Auctions, $1,140,000
21. 1866 Liberty Seated Dollar No Motto, PCGS PR63+ – Heritage Auctions, $1,050,000
22. 1794 Flowing Hair Overton 101A Half Dollar, PCGS MS64+ – Heritage Auctions, $870,000
23. 1794 Flowing Hair Dollar, AU58 – Stack’s Bowers Galleries, $840,000
24. 1794 Flowing Hair Dollar J-18, VF25 – Heritage Auctions, $840,000
25. 1943-D Bronze Lincoln Cent, PCGS MS64BN – Heritage Auctions, $840,000

1822 Capped Bust Half Eagle, PCGS AU50 (Image courtesy of PCGS)

For more information and images covering all of the top-selling coins of 2021, visit https://www.pcgs.com/top-selling-coins-2021. You can also view the top-selling PCGS coins of all time at https://www.pcgs.com/top-selling-coins-of-all-time.

About Professional Coin Grading Service

Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) is a third-party coin and banknote grading company that was launched in 1986. Over 35 years, PCGS has examined and certified more than 48 million U.S. and world coins, medals, and tokens with a combined value of over $47 billion. For more information about PCGS products and services, including how to submit your coins for authentication and grading, please visit www.PCGS.com or call PCGS Customer Service at (800) 447-8848.