Fifth Pogue sale saw 232 coins net more than $28 million Cdn.
Setting a new world record for the most valuable numismatic cabinet ever sold—and perhaps a new world record for any holding of collectibles in any field—the D. Brent Pogue Collection netted total sales of $106,720,432.25 USD (more than $142 million Cdn.) throughout five auction events hosted by Stack’s Bowers from 2015-17.
The latest sale—dubbed “Pogue V”—yielded sales of $21,402,213.75 USD (more than $28 million Cdn.). The Pogue Collection, assembled by father and son Mack and Brent Pogue over the course of more than three decades, focused on the highest-quality U.S. coins dated from 1793-1840.
The 232-lot sale was highlighted by Lot 5054, the Dexter specimen of the legendary 1804 U.S. silver dollar, which brought just less than $3.3 million USD. It was graded Proof-65 by Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS).
“No American coin is more famous, more widely desired, or more highly valued than the silver dollar of 1804,” reads the auction catalogue. “It is a coin of great rarity, with just eight known Class I Originals. It is a coin of great history, coined in 1834 to distribute as an official gift from the United States of America to foreign heads of state. It has retained its resume of superlatives for over a century. The 1804 dollar is surpassingly famous both within and beyond the field of numismatics, and it is this fame that buttresses its claim as King of American Coins.”
On March 31, this 1811 U.S. half cent crossed the block for about $1.3 million Cdn. (Photo by Stack’s)
Outside of the famed 1804 U.S. silver dollar, the sale was led by the finest known specimen of the 1811 half cent, which was graded Mint State-66 Red Brown by PCGS. It brought $998,750 USD (about $1.3 million Cdn.) in what’s described by auctioneers as “fevered bidding.”
“Most specialists in the half cent series would be overjoyed to own any 1811 with a modicum of visual appeal,” reads the auction catalogue. “Most are well worn, and few among them are beautiful.”
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Other highlights include a Sheldon-13 1793 Liberty Cap cent graded AU-58 by PCGS and featured on the famous 1869 Levick Plate. It brought $940,000 USD making it the most valuable circulated cent ever sold, according to auctioneers.
The two 1793 Liberty Cap cents included in the March 31 auction brought a combined $1.316 million USD, more than 65 million times their face value. The total face value of the cents in the sale—the highest quality group of early U.S cents ever sold in a single auction—was $1.42. They brought a total of $12,026,653.75 USD, nearly 8.5 million times their value as pocket change.
“The Pogue Collection sale was a phenomenal success. Part V surpassed our highest estimates by more than $3 million, and dozens of coins set new world records for examples of their date,” said Stack’s Bowers Galleries President Brian Kendrella.