LONG BEACH, CALIF.- An 1875 Liberty Eagle graded AU-53 by Professional Coin Grading Service drew a record winning bid of $1.02 million to lead Heritage Auctions’ Long Beach Expo U.S. Coins Signature Auction to $17,875,326 during October 6-9, 2022.

The event was part of an extraordinary week of Heritage Long Beach Expo auctions. The Harry W. Bass Jr. Core Collection Part I U.S. Coins Signature Auction reached $20,459,645, then the Long Beach Expo U.S. Currency Signature Auction — Long Beach brought $10,682,19. Last but not least, the second Long Beach Expo U.S. Coins Signature Auction finished at $17,875,326, boosting the three events to $49,017,169, setting a new all-time record for any Long Beach Expo numismatic auction total.

The latest U.S. Coins auction alone drew more than 3,000 global bidders in their pursuit of 1,529 lots, several of which established new records, and many of which were part of nine elite collections that were represented in the event.

“This event not only featured a wide range of exceptional coins, but also celebrated the collectors themselves, whose knowledge and passion drove their years of assembling these extraordinary collections,” says Todd Imhof, executive vice president at Heritage Auctions. “The fact that the magnificent 1875 $10 Liberty topped $1 million only underscores Heritage’s position as the premier global destination for the most serious numismatic collectors.”

The $1,020,000 result for the event’s top lot set a new auction record for the issue in any grade, nearly tripling the previous $372,000 mark for an 1875 Eagle that Heritage set in 2018. This magnificent coin is tied for the second-finest example known of one of the lowest-mintage circulating gold coins from the entire U.S. gold series; just 100 were struck by the Philadelphia Mint in 1875.

The event’s top lot was one of 105 sold from the Allan H. Goldman Collection. A prominent New York real estate investor with a passion for both coins and American currency, Goldman also was a passionate collector. The lots in this auction mark the second installment of his collection offered through Heritage; Part I was presented during Heritage Auctions’ July Long Beach/Summer FUN Signature auction, in which these fresh-to-market coins generated exceptional results.

Other top lots in the Goldman collection included, but were not limited to:

• An 1863 Liberty Eagle, PR-63 PCGS: $144,000

• A 1932 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, MS-64 PCGS: $144,000




• A 1931 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, MS-64 PCGS: $102,000

• An 1879 Flowing Hair Stella graded PCGS PR-64CAM closed at $180,000.

One of the most desirable of all 19th-century gold issues (it is believed that 425 examples of the 1879 Flowing Hair Stella were struck), this magnificent coin is, strictly speaking, a pattern, but many collect it alongside other regular-issue U.S. coinage. These four-dollar gold pieces, which formed part of Dr. William Wheeler Hubbell’s scheme for a system of international coinage, were distributed in three-coin sets along with gold and metric dollars (Judd-1617 and Judd-1626, respectively).

Another collection with magnificent lots in the auction was the 92-lot Northern Lights of Vermilion Collection, which focused largely on high-grade U.S. gold, including Eagles, Double Eagles, and Half Eagles. Four lots brought six-figure results. Top lots from the collection included, but were not limited to:

• A 1931 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, PCGS MS-65 — $144,000

• A 1931-D Double Eagle, PCGS MS-64 — $126,301.20

• A 1915-S Panama-Pacific $50, PCGS MS-64+ — $108,000

• An 1890 Eagle, PCGS PR-64DCAM – $108,000 — an auction record for this proof issue

• An 1867 Liberty Eagle, PCGS MS-62 – $99,000 — an auction record for this date and mintmark in any grade

Three lots from the Perfection Collection of Proof Seated Liberty dollars drew winning bids of $90,000 or more, including an 1863 Liberty Seated dollar graded PCGS PR-67+CAM and an 1866 With Motto dollar certified PCGS PR-67CAM that each drew a winning bid of $96,000, and an 1860 Liberty Seated dollar graded PCGS PR-67CAM that brought $90,000. The 1860 and 1866 With Motto dollars set new auction records for those issues.

Other top lots from the collection included an 1859 Liberty Seated dollar graded PCGS PR-67 that took $72,000, and an 1865 Liberty Seated dollar certified PCGS PR-67 fetching $55,000. Also among the records set in the auction was an 1861 Quarter Eagle, graded PCGS MS-65+, which sold for $45,600 — the highest price realized for an 1861 Quarter Eagle of either type.