Nearly $250,000 was raised by the auction. The most notable result was an 1812 Capped Draped Bust Gold $5 half-eagle graded Mint State63/63 by NCI, which sold for $20,000, compared to an estimated $18,000 to $20,000. It was kept in its original NCI slab, with an NCI photo certificate. This certificate gave a separate grade for both the reverse and obverse. Skinner described it as a “nice original” coin.
PCGS CoinFacts explains that “Most 1812 Half Eagles have a strong strike. Usually with all the obverse stars defined nicely.” However, the site points out that “if there is any weakness it is usually on the ribbon on reverse. This is where the RI or PLURIBUS might not be clearly visible.”
This date marks the end of the Capped Draped Bust Type, which was first struck back in 1807. It is still rare, but it is one of the most frequent dates for the short-lived type of Mint State grades. Population reports confirm this.
Although market grading has changed since the piece was certified NCI, bidders seem to have supported the grade. The item sold at an amount comparable to what MS-63 examples have achieved at auction.
NCI-certified highlights also included a 1905 Coronet Gold $2.50 quarter eagle that the firm graded Proof65/65 and a 1891-CC Coronet Gold $10 eagle that was graded MS63/63, which sold for $4,063 based on an estimate $4,000 to $6,000.
ANACS slab of short-term interest
An 1879-CC Morgan Dollar graded MS63 Deep Mirror Prooflike By ANACS was another coin that crossed the podium in an old holder. It sold for $13,750 above its high estimate at $9,500 and made $13,750.
Robert Paul, a collector, has created an online resource that dates the slab between February 1989 to June 1990. He wrote, “This holder was the 1st generation slab-style holder issued by [American Numismatic Association] before being purchased by Amos Publishing. It has been re-labeled ANACS.” Paul refers to it as the “ANACSSlab Gen 1 (Type 11), and reports that ANACS slabs from this area are rare.
As a semi-key issue of the Carson City Mint series, the 1879-CC Morgan Dollar is very popular. There are two types of Mint marks in the issue: clear CC or “Capped CC,” which results from a rusted Die. Clear Mint marks are preferred by many collectors. As Rusty Goe observed in Confident Carson City Collector Volume 2, “the responses to this question are varied and frankly a bit irrational sometimes.”
The realized price was comparable to similar graded coins from Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and Numismatic Guarant Corp. Heritage observed that only 125 1879-CC Morgan dollar specimens with mirror-like surfaces are known to exist in any grade.
