PCGS-Graded Rare Coins Realize Monster Bids at Heritage Auction Event
1804 Draped Bust Eagle Takes $5.28 Million, Other Rarities Score Strong Prices
(Santa Ana, California) – January 23, 2021 – Many important rare coins graded by Professional Coin Grading Service (www.PCGS.com) fetched record-breaking prices and hammered other notable bids at the landmark Bob R. Simpson Collection Part III sale offered by Heritage Auctions on January 20, 2021. Leading the way is an ultra-rare 1804 Plain 4 Draped Bust Eagle graded PCGS PR65+DCAM, which sold for $5,280,000 at the event. It is the finest specimen of its kind and is one of only four struck.
“The 1804 $10 is personally my favorite coin,” says PCGS President Brett Charville. “It’s basically a rarer version of an 1804 Draped Bust Dollar and has the added panache of being an early Federal proof gold piece that was then the largest-denomination coin minted in the United States,” Charville says, comparing the 1804 Draped Bust Eagle to the iconic 1804 Draped Bust Dollar, of which 15 specimens are known. Incidentally, the 1804 $10 that just sold for $5.28 million commanded some $1.1 million more than the most expensive 1804 Dollar, which has a record price of $4.14 million.
Other significant PCGS-graded rarities also took headlining figures, including:
- 1792 Silver Center Pattern Cent, Judd-1 Pollock-1 PCGS SP67BN – $2,520,000
- 1885 Trade Dollar, PCGS PR63+CAM – $2,100,000
- 1796 Draped Bust Quarter Eagle, Stars on Obverse PCGS MS65 – $1,380,000
- 1794 Flowing Hair Half Dollar PCGS MS64+ – $870,000
- 1943-D Lincoln Cent Struck on Bronze Planchet PCGS MS64BN – $840,000
“While the strong prices these rarities fetched are well-deserved nods to their overall desirability, it also speaks to the trust that collectors place in rare coins graded by PCGS,” says Charville. “Ultimately, the best coins always end up in PCGS holders because PCGS encapsulation maximizes the value, security, and liquidity of their coins.”
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 45 million U.S. and world coins, medals, and tokens with a combined value of over $41.7 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.
PCGS Announces Long Beach Expo Replacement Crossover Special
Professional Coin Grading Service Offers Special Discounts on Crossover Grading in Honor of Canceled Long Beach Expo Coin & Banknote Show
(Santa Ana, California) – January 22, 2021 – Professional Coin Grading Service (www.PCGS.com) is offering a special discount on crossover grading to honor the Long Beach Coin Expo, which was canceled over concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the anticipated high demand, PCGS is offering a discounted Crossover service fee of just $10 for submissions postmarked now until February 3, 2021.
This limited-time discount is valid for an unlimited number of submissions and applies to “Show Rarity,” “Show,” “Show Economy,” and “Show Gold” service levels for coins that do not cross. To qualify for the $10 Crossover grading fee, coins must be submitted using a PCGS Show submission form, and standard grading and Guaranteed Premium fees apply.
“As the pandemic continues canceling coin major shows like the Long Beach Expo, PCGS is extending various special offers to coin collectors and coin dealers to show its continued support of the collectible coin hobby,” says PCGS President Brett Charville.
“Additionally, we are offering substitute PCGS Members Only Shows that provide collectors and dealers convention-like settings that comply with all local, state, and federal CDC safety protocols.”
PCGS had planned to attend the popular coin, banknote, sports cards, and collectibles show in Long Beach, California, originally slated to be held at the Long Beach Convention Center February 4-6, 2021. The opportunity for collectors and dealers to directly submit their coins to PCGS at the show is one of the many highlights of the Long Beach Expo.
Those who wish to submit their coins directly to PCGS must be a PCGS Authorized Dealer or PCGS Collectors Club member; to join, please visit http://www.PCGS.com/join. For more information about the discounted $10 Crossover special, check out http://www.PCGS.com/ccspecial. The PCGS Show submission form can be downloaded at http://www.PCGS.com/forms.
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 45 million U.S. and world coins, medals, and tokens with a combined value of over $41.7 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.
ANA 2021 Summer Seminar Cancelled
ANA to offer eLearning Academy programs free of charge
The American Numismatic Association (ANA) announced that the 2021 Summer Seminar, scheduled for June 19-24 (Session 1) and June 26-July 1 (Session 2), has been officially cancelled.
Traditionally held on the Colorado College campus adjacent to ANA headquarters, Summer Seminar is a once-a-year opportunity for numismatic learning and camaraderie that offers hundreds of collectors from around the world a varied selection of week-long courses designed for discovery and continued study.
Colorado College notified the ANA in late 2020 that it would not be hosting events on its campus in 2021 because of COVID-19. The Association looked at an alternative location in Colorado Springs, but the $128,000 deficit that would be incurred to host the event there was rejected by the ANA Board of Governors. The University of Denver (DU) campus also was considered, but previous Summer Seminar students and instructors indicated that without access to the Association’s museum and library, Summer Seminar would not be as engaging. Additionally, many previous participants noted they were uncomfortable traveling during the pandemic.
ANA Executive Director Kim Kiick indicated that the Association will offer free virtual courses through its eLearning Academy during the 2021 Summer Seminar dates of June 19-July 1. Although the online classes will not replicate the Summer Seminar event, it will give participants a taste of the popular program. Topics will appeal to a broad range of collectors – from beginners to advanced numismatists. Details will be available in the weeks ahead.
COVID-19 also caused the cancellation of the 2020 Summer Seminar, the event’s first cancellation in its 50-plus-year history.
Scholarships that were awarded for the 2020 Summer Seminar will be honored for the 2022 event.
PNG Day returns to Central States Convention
Visitors will get early advantage for buying, selling, and auction lot viewing prior to the Central States convention

(Schaumburg, Illinois) January 12, 2021 –The Professional Numismatists Guild (www.PNGdealers.org) will once again conduct a PNG Day show in conjunction with the annual Central States Numismatic Society (www.CentralStatesNumismaticSociety.org) convention.
The 2021 PNG Day will be open to the public on Wednesday, April 21, in Discovery Hall on the main floor at the Schaumburg Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center, 1551 North Thoreau Drive, in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg, Illinois. That is the site of the April 22-24 CSNS 82nd anniversary convention (www.CentralStatesNumismaticSociety.org/convention).
“For many years, there were PNG Days with Central States until 2013, and now we will happily be back with them,” said PNG Executive Director Robert Brueggeman.
“We are quite excited about again giving collectors at the outstanding Central States shows the opportunity to be the first to see the best material available from the top dealers as well as an early opportunity to offer coins, banknotes, tokens and medals for sale to top buyers,” stated PNG President Richard Weaver.
“The Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center is located only 13 miles from O’Hare International Airport and easily accessible from the airport by taxi, Uber, Lyft or limo service. Information about discount rates for transportation and hotel accommodations is available on the CSNS convention website,” explained CSNS Convention Manager Larry Shepherd.
PNG Day visitors can have access to lot viewing that day with the official auctioneers of the CSNS convention, Heritage Auctions (www.HA.com) and Legend Rare Coin Auctions (www.LegendAuctions.com). During the CSNS show Heritage will offer coins from the distinguished collections of Bob Simpson and Donald G. Partrick, and Legend will offer selections from the number one Set Registry collections of Gerald Forsythe.
“We are delighted to welcome back the Professional Numismatists Guild to hold PNG Day prior to the official opening of the Central States Numismatic Society 2021 Convention,” said CSNS President Mitch Ernst. “Central States and PNG have enjoyed a long and mutually beneficial relationship going back many years. We appreciate the confidence they are showing in CSNS leadership and in the positive new direction of our convention by bringing the prestigious PNG Day back to Central States.”
The 2021 PNG Day Show will be open to the public from 9:00 am to 1 pm, Wednesday, April 21. Public admission is $5 at the door; however, admission will be free that day for everyone who pre-registers at www.PNGdealers.org/png-events.
Admission to the CSNS convention, April 22, 23 and 24, will be free to all Central States members, and $5.00 daily for non-members.
A limited number of bourse tables for PNG Day are available for PNG member-dealers by contacting the Professional Numismatists Guild by phone at 951-587-8300 or by email at info@pngdealers.org. Dealer applications for tables during the CSNS show are available on the CSNS website www.CentralStatesNumismaticSociety.org or by contacting Convention Manager Shepherd by email at www.convention@CentralStatesNumismaticSociety.org.
The Royal Mint celebrates the 50th anniversary of Decimal Day with a commemorative 50p coin
The Royal Mint, the Original Maker of UK coins, has today launch a new commemorative coin celebrating a British milestone – the 50th anniversary of Decimal Day. The introduction of a new decimal currency was formally adopted on 15th February, 1971 and was one of the largest and most intensive public awareness campaigns ever staged by the government.
The new commemorative coin celebrates this monumental moment in history with a design that conveys the transition from pre-decimal to decimal coins. The design, created by Royal Mint designer Dominique Evans, adds nostalgia to the occasion by featuring a whole range of denominations together for the basis of the design.
Dominique, comments on her design, “I have always had such a fondness for coins, their designs and individuality. Even though people understood the reason for Decimal Day, they had and still have a fondness for the pre-decimal coins. Those pre-decimal coins can still be found all over the country, in random jumbles in boxes and drawers, which led me to place together the denominations as if you had just found them and were looking at them from above. The sweet wren peeks out from under the crown of a threepence, sitting alongside the rose of the sixpence – all below the iconic Britannia.”
Clare Maclennan, Divisional Director of the Consumer Division at The Royal Mint said, “This year marks a significant anniversary in The Royal Mint’s 1,100-year history, the 50th anniversary of Decimal Day. In 1966, the decision was made to evolve the nation’s coinage from pounds, shillings and pence to a new decimal currency. This was a major logistical exercise that impacted on every person in the country and we now celebrate this historic moment on a commemorative 50p coin with a design that brings a sense of nostalgia to the occasion.
“On the 50th anniversary of Decimal Day, we will also be offering collectors an opportunity to own a Strike-on-the Day Gold Proof 50p coin which features selected frosting, enhancing details within the design. This is the first time we have produced a strike on the day 50p coin and is a truly unique way to mark 50 years since this important moment in the nation’s coinage.”
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Decimal Day, The Royal Mint are also appealing for coin collectors across the nation to share images of their coin collections. Coin collectors are able to upload images of their coin collections onto The Royal Mint website.
On 15th February 1971, the United Kingdom’s coinage evolved from the centuries-old system of pounds, shillings and pence to a new decimal currency. Far from being an overnight switch, decimalisation took many years of careful planning and also involved a huge information campaign. In order to achieve the monumental challenge of striking the new coins, a new factory was required along with new machinery, production techniques and processes.
The sheer volume of coins required for that changeover meant that The Royal Mint needed to move location from Tower Hill in London to a new production facility. In 1968 the new Royal Mint site in Llantrisant, South Wales was opened by Her Majesty The Queen and the first of almost six billion coins required for decimalisation went into production.
The first of the new coins, the 5p and 10p, entered circulation in April 1968. They bore new heraldic designs, yet corresponded exactly in size and value to the shillings and florins and, so, were able to run easily alongside them as their ‘decimal twins’.
The commemorative set will be available to purchase from www.royalmint.com in a range of precious metal and base proof finishes, prices start from £10.
| The 50th Anniversary of Decimal Day 2021 UK 50p Brilliant Uncirculated Coin | The 50th Anniversary of Decimal Day 2021 UK 50p Silver Proof Coin | The 50th Anniversary of Decimal Day 2021 UK 50p Silver Proof Piedfort Coin | The 50th Anniversary of Decimal Day 2021 UK 50p Gold Proof Coin Strike on the Day | The 50th Anniversary of Decimal Day 2021 UK 50p Gold Proof Piedfort Coin | The 50th Anniversary of Decimal Day 2021 UK 50p Gold Proof Coin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denomination | 50p | 50p | 50p | 50p | 50p | 50p |
| Issuing Authority | UK | UK | UK | UK | UK | UK |
| Alloy | Cupro-Nickel | 925 Ag Sterling Silver | 925 Ag Sterling Silver | 916.7 Au – Red | 916.7 Au – Red | 916.7 Au – Red |
| Weight | 8.00g | 8.00g | 16.00g | 15.50g | 31.00g | 15.50g |
| Diameter | 27.30mm | 27.30mm | 27.30mm | 27.30mm | 27.30mm | 27.30mm |
| Obverse Designer | Jody Clark | Jody Clark | Jody Clark | Jody Clark | Jody Clark | Jody Clark |
| Reverse Designer | Dominique Evans | Dominique Evans | Dominique Evans | Dominique Evans | Dominique Evans | Dominique Evans |
| Quality | Brilliant Uncirculated | Proof | Proof | Proof | Proof | Proof |
| Edge Lettering | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Additional Features | – | – | – | Features selected frosting | – | – |
| Limited Edition Presentation | Unlimited | 6,000 | 2,500 | 700 | 200 | 450 |
| RRP | £10.00 | £57.50 | £100.00 | £1,250.00 | £2,175.00 | £1,100.00 |



