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Sale 54
Pre-Long Beach Coin and Currency Auction
| Lot |
Photo |
Description |
Realized |
Lot 3545 |
 |
1924 $20 St. Gaudens PCGS Genuine. Our grade is AU58 Cleaned (PCGS # 9177) .
Estimated Value $1,050 - 1,100.
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| Realized
$1,323 |
Lot 3546 |
 |
1925 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-65. A golden lustrous gem. Bathed in vibrant golden frost that rolls around the landscape like summer lightning. All devices were struck with such force and determination by the dies that elements show with razor-edge detail (PCGS # 9180) .
Estimated Value $1,700 - 1,750.
The Leo Wexler Collection.
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| Realized
$2,875 |
Lot 3547 |
 |
1925 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Untoned and resonating with golden luster. Has all the benefits of its grade, plus no detractions (PCGS # 9180) .
Estimated Value $1,400 - 1,450.
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| Unsold |
Lot 3548 |
 |
1925 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Frosty and lightly toned, a well struck example (PCGS # 9180) .
Estimated Value $1,400 - 1,450.
The Leo Wexler Collection.
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| Realized
$1,898 |
Lot 3549 |
 |
1925 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. Fully lustrous. A coin the next owner will thoroughly enjoy (PCGS # 9180) .
Estimated Value $1,150 - 1,200.
The Leo Wexler Collection.
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| Realized
$1,800 |
Lot 3550 |
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1925-D $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-65. A frosty gem specimen with delicate golden sunset toning on both sides with hints of light olive about the borders. Lovely rich shades of color. A key date. About as close to watertight perfection as can be expected, this vibrant 1925-D makes for eye-popping originality when examined closely and with a discerning eye. As soon as one sees the booming luster, it comes as no surprise everything is razor-sharp on all devices. All sorts of succulent thoughts come to mind when we examine it, but the best that can be said its that the coin easily fits into the fabric of MS65 standards. It is a lock-solid MS65. And it has the enormous advantage that it can never be repeated in many auctions due to the low population, which we list at the end of this discussion. When a numismatist has given you those lengthy virtues, which is about all he ever thinks of, then the baton is passed to the auction bidder to tell the world what he believes the coin thus described is worth. Pop 7; 1 finer in 66 (PCGS # 9181) .
Historic note: Like the 1924-D twenty, the 1925-D also had its rarity ranking readjusted since the mid-20th century by the emergence of a few small hoards overseas.
Estimated Value $40,000 - 45,000.
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| Unsold |
Lot 3551 |
 |
1926 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63 PQ. Both sides exhibit subtle golden hues, full luster in accordance with (and in our view, better than) the choice assigned grade. In an old green label holder (PCGS # 9183) .
Estimated Value $1,350 - 1,400.
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| Realized
$1,840 |
Lot 3552 |
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1926 $20 St. Gaudens. ANACS graded MS-63. A brilliant untoned specimen whose luster gleams across all surfaces.
Estimated Value $1,150 - 1,200.
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| Realized
$1,620 |
Lot 3553 |
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1927 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-65 PQ. A lovely golden gem example in a 1st generation holder. By far the most visually arresting feature of this coin is its soft, frosted Gem quality mint luster. Full swirling luster on both sides, in fact. It must have taken a powerful strike-force from the dies to imprint the bold design.
Estimated Value $1,800 - 1,900.
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| Realized
$2,645 |
Lot 3554 |
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1927 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Frosty and untoned. A trifle too many bagmarks for the Gem grade but glows from centers to edge (PCGS # 9186) .
Estimated Value $1,400 - 1,450.
The Leo Wexler Collection.
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| Realized
$1,725 |
Lot 3555 |
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1927 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Delicate golden toning. If ever a coin could be said to persevere with fresh luster it is this 1927 double eagle! Not once does it fail to please (PCGS # 9186) .
Estimated Value $1,400 - 1,450.
The Leo Wexler Collection.
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| Realized
$1,980 |
Lot 3556 |
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1927 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Choice and frosty. With almost superhuman toil, the Philadelphia Mint struck the better part of 3 million pieces in 1927; within 7 years, though, the government began melting them down en masse in the same Philadelphia Mint furnaces. A sad ending to an historic coin design. (According to Mint records, each day, starting on June 29, 1934, eighty-four thousand ounces of 90% coin was metamorphosed into bars!) (PCGS # 9186) .
Estimated Value $1,400 - 1,450.
The Leo Wexler Collection.
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| Realized
$1,840 |
Lot 3557 |
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1927 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. Choice with frosty luster (PCGS # 9186) .
Estimated Value $1,150 - 1,200.
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| Realized
$1,725 |
Lot 3558 |
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1927 $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-62 (PCGS # 9186) .
Estimated Value $1,150 - 1,200.
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| Realized
$1,740 |
Lot 3559 |
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1927 $20 St. Gaudens. MS-60 Plus (PCGS # 9186) .
Estimated Value $1,050 - 1,100.
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| Realized
$1,323 |
Lot 3560 |
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1929 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-65. A marvelous example, well struck and fully lustrous exhibiting full mint bloom colors. Collectors are fascinated by the way the typical 1929, with its generally sharp strike and fully lustrous and frosty surfaces, almost always displays considerable eye-appeal. The example in this lot almost tries to break out of the MS65 class and sneak into the next higher grade. All design elements are sharply delineated as the photographs clearly tell, with no weakness on the central motifs. The frosty luster has vibrancy like the luster seen on a much commoner 1927 or 1928 issue, the surface bright. The surfaces are also very well preserved, with only a few minor marks on Liberty's body mentioned for accuracy. (This issue often contains copper stains, but not a problem here.) All in all, a very appealing Gem. A similar specimen from our Ohringer Part II Sale, Sept. 2008 lot 1320 realized $77,625. Pop 22; 5 finer in 66 (PCGS # 9190) .
The 1929 opens the final segment of the Saint-Gaudens double eagle series, and every issue from this year through 1933 is a major rarity. While the '29 is the least rare of this group, it is still a coveted key date whose appearance at auction is an occasion of note among specialists. As we indicated in the introduction to the '29 issue, fewer than 300 coins have been have been certified by PCGS and NGC combined. MS65 pieces are rare, with only 23 pieces graded by both serves, and a mere 3 coins finer (9/05). And according to our records, the major auction houses have seen the appearance of only 20 Gems in the past 15 years or so, with just one piece grading higher.
Estimated Value $45,000 - 50,000.
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| Realized
$69,000 |
Lot 3561 |
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1930-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-65. A stunning gem example bursting with rich mint bloom colors throughout. The lovely natural rose & golden toning on both sides improves the already expansive beauty of this Gem quality example. An extremelyrare late-date Saint-Gaudens double eagle. The production run was a mere 74,000, serving to give an explanation of the low supply of coins to be had by collectors. Always difficult to obtain. There do not appear to be many abrasions that would bar this frosty double eagle from its lock-solid MS65 designation by the grading service. It is really quite spectacular! Since it is a full-bore Gem we see no need to persuade one and all to prepare a strict market price. There will be no slipping through the cracks with this one when it comes up for bidding. Besides the coin's smooth features, both sides show a precision strike that conforms well with what we know about other 1930-S $20 gold pieces, that this date was more carefully produced than other S-mint twenties in the Saint-Gaudens series. Identical to other issues in the late 1920s and early 1930s, this year was a heavily melted one. In the vein of the 1929, 1931, 1931-D, and 1932 from the standpoint of total number of coins known, the number saved was severely reduced after the great gold confiscation by the Federal government in 1933 (approximately $2.8 billion in gold valued at the then $20.67 per ounce fixed price).
As an MS65, the 1930-S is an extremely rare coin with very few pieces having been so graded by the major services. Of the highest order of rarity, this piece will be certain to spawn much interest at lot viewing and the price it finally realizes at the sale could be a revelation to many. Pop 7; 5 finer in 66 (PCGS # 9191) .
Estimated Value $80,000 - 85,000.
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| Realized
$172,500 |
Lot 3562 |
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1931-D $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-65. A well struck frosty gem specimen ablaze with delicate golden mint bloom colors. One of the finest graded of the date, and a rarity in all grades. Breen estimated two decades ago in his Encyclopedia that only 30-35 survived, but this number appears low to us now, since the combined NGC and PCGS Population Reports show more than 120 pieces graded in all grades. All the same, the coin presented is clearly one of the better specimens known, this radiant gem boasts luxurious golden frost around the periphery, enhanced by pleasing light rose shades in towards the centers. Minor handling marks but nothing to keep this from the rock-solid gem class it is in, as a strong glass will reveal. An opportunity for the advanced numismatist.
The rarity of the 1931-D should be readily evident after Akers referred to a group of fifteen to twenty examples that surfaced in the mid 1980s. While the coins in that "hoard" were sufficient to knock the 1931-D out of the same rarity class as the vaunted 1930-S, most of these graded no better than Choice MS63. Often the various grading services overshoot in their estimates or undershoot, but on this particular occasion they must have had their 20-20 spectacles focused, which resulted in their shooting squarely at the bull's eye and hitting it dead on target. A strong, quibble-free MS65, in other words. This leaves gemmier specimens like the one offered here as better condition rarities. The present naturally toned 1931-D $20 gold piece is among the most attractive of the late date issues we have offered in recent sales, primarily due to its spectacular aesthetic appeal! Pop 14; 3 finer in 66 (PCGS # 9193) .
Estimated Value $80,000 - 85,000.
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| Unsold |
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