Major Rarity in Sunday’s GC Auction

Copperindian · June 19, 2026 12:03PM

There are only 4 examples known. This coin, discovered in 2012, was the last of the 4. Just read that the legendary Louis Eliasberg added one of the then 3 known as the next to last coin in his vast collection. Bid right now @ $127.5k & I’m “guessing” it moves much higher.

WildWestHalfDollars · June 19, 2026 12:12PM

Wish I had deep pockets!!!

johnny9434 · June 19, 2026 12:31PM

Amazing all the way around, I like 👍

golden · June 19, 2026 3:24PM

Cool coin!

Walkerfan · June 19, 2026 5:43PM

What a rare bird!!

CircOnly · June 19, 2026 7:06PM

I hate when people post my cherry picks. I was hoping to get this for about $100.

csanotes · June 19, 2026 7:33PM

But…..but…..WAIT!…..it doesn’t have a green or gold bean. I’ll pass for now and wait for one that is bean approved.

MsMorrisine · June 19, 2026 7:36PM

trophy coin for sure

certainly enough of a headline piece that it deserves to be talked about while on auction

Copperindian · June 20, 2026 10:13AM

Sat AM - last bid @ $152.5k. I don’t don’t specialize in these types of coins; no idea how high this might go, but it is a pop 4…..

WildWestHalfDollars · June 20, 2026 10:51AM

300k-400k is my guess will see if the deep pockets fight it out.

Copperindian · June 20, 2026 11:08AM

@Catbert:
Hi Dan - did you see this? How deep are your pockets?

WildWestHalfDollars · June 20, 2026 12:15PM

The fact it is a mint (New Orleans) rarity makes it that much more special versus some overdate or the like.

Copperindian · June 20, 2026 12:16PM

@WildWestHalfDollars said:
The fact it is a mint (New Orleans) rarity makes it that much more special versus some overdate or the like.

Yes + it’s a pop 4

Baylor8670 · June 20, 2026 12:29PM

When Top Pop is a 35, you know it's rare. The 35 sold for $517k in 2017.

Mintage and survivors are both 4? That's something you don't see every day.

EDIT - THE COINFACTS MINTAGE FIGURE I CITED IS INCORRECT PER @MFELD BELOW.

Clackamas1 · June 20, 2026 12:37PM

That coin has stories.

dunkleosteus430 · June 20, 2026 12:50PM

Why isn't it considered a transitional pattern or something like that?

Baylor8670 · June 20, 2026 12:58PM

@dunkleosteus430 said:
Why isn't it considered a transitional pattern or something like that?

I believe Congressional authorization as legal tender is the deciding factor between coins and patterns (anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong).

Catbert · June 20, 2026 1:30PM

@Copperindian said:
@Catbert:
Hi Dan - did you see this? How deep are your pockets?

LOLLOLLOLOOOOL!

MFeld · June 20, 2026 1:32PM

@Baylor8670 said:
When Top Pop is a 35, you know it's rare. The 35 sold for $517k in 2017.

Mintage and survivors are both 4? That's something you don't see every day.

No, the mintage is unrecorded, but believed to have been in the hundreds or thousands, with nearly all having been melted.

Baylor8670 · June 20, 2026 1:47PM

@MFeld said:

@Baylor8670 said:
When Top Pop is a 35, you know it's rare. The 35 sold for $517k in 2017.

Mintage and survivors are both 4? That's something you don't see every day.

No, the mintage is unrecorded, but believed to have been in the hundreds or thousands, with nearly all having been melted.

I see.

Maybe someone with our gracious host could update Coinfacts.

Copperindian · June 20, 2026 1:47PM

@MFeld raises a good point. Pops reported are “4 known”. PCGS grades are G6, VG8 (this one & the most recent discovery in 2012), F12 & the VF35 cited above.

Copperindian · June 20, 2026 1:55PM

There’s an informative description in CoinFacts authored by Ron Guth. In it, he cites two articles about the coin that should prove interesting.
As for me, I’m curious about the Eliasberg coin. Was it one one of the G6, F12 or VF35? Or, rather one of the ones melted? I don’t know when that may have occurred.

MFeld · June 20, 2026 2:04PM

@Copperindian said:
There’s an informative description in CoinFacts authored by Ron Guth. In it, he cites two articles about the coin that should prove interesting.
As for me, I’m curious about the Eliasberg coin. Was it one one of the G6, F12 or VF35? Or, rather one of the ones melted? I don’t know when that may have occurred.

The Eliasberg example couldn’t have been one of the ones melted or he wouldn’t have been able to obtain it.😉

TrickleCharge · June 20, 2026 2:16PM

Stack's Coin Resource Center has some good info.

https://stacksbowers.com/coin-resource-center/coin/1853-o-no-arrows-no-rays-liberty-seated-half-dollar/

Copperindian · June 20, 2026 2:52PM

@TrickleCharge said:
Stack's Coin Resource Center has some good info.

https://stacksbowers.com/coin-resource-center/coin/1853-o-no-arrows-no-rays-liberty-seated-half-dollar/

Thanks for the informative link! In parsing through it, the Eliasberg coin was the F-12.

jmlanzaf · June 21, 2026 4:25AM

@MFeld said:

@Copperindian said:
There’s an informative description in CoinFacts authored by Ron Guth. In it, he cites two articles about the coin that should prove interesting.
As for me, I’m curious about the Eliasberg coin. Was it one one of the G6, F12 or VF35? Or, rather one of the ones melted? I don’t know when that may have occurred.

The Eliasberg example couldn’t have been one of the ones melted or he wouldn’t have been able to obtain it.😉

You don't think it could have been melted in the recent silver run-up? 🤣

Walkerfan · June 21, 2026 5:32PM

Hammered for$225k ($247,500 all in)!!

Pass the Cristal… and a toast to the winner!!

Copperindian · June 21, 2026 5:34PM

@Walkerfan said:
Hammered for$225k ($247,500 all in)!!

A “bargain”!

WildWestHalfDollars · June 21, 2026 6:00PM

Wish I had deep pockets!!! > @Copperindian said:

@Walkerfan said:
Hammered for$225k ($247,500 all in)!!

A “bargain”!

Seems like one to me. Congrats to the buyer!!!

skier07 · June 21, 2026 7:08PM

I think a coin like this would do better at HA or SB timed with winter FUN or the ANA.

DCW · June 22, 2026 3:48AM

I wonder if anyone on the forum purchased this. It did seem like a relative bargain considering its rarity.

logger7 · June 22, 2026 4:55AM

GC is not usually good for major rarities like this. They have a big following but not the type of collectors/investors that HA has at the right auction as others have said here.

291fifth · June 22, 2026 6:15AM

I wonder if it will appear again in the near future in another company's auction in connection with a major show. Given the prosperity of the upper 1% of the upper 1% these days my gut feeling is that it went toward the low end of expectations.

ElmerFusterpuck · June 22, 2026 6:39AM

Saw this one but passed. Still wondering why this one is included in the basic seated half set when it's pretty much unobtainable.

Copperindian · June 22, 2026 6:47AM

.

MFeld · June 22, 2026 6:50AM

@ElmerFusterpuck said:
Saw this one but passed. Still wondering why this one is included in the basic seated half set when it's pretty much unobtainable.

If it’s an as-intended circulation strike whose rarity is simply due to meltings, shouldn’t it be included in the basic set?

Copperindian · June 22, 2026 6:58AM

I agree with the post auction comments. For a coin like this, a description like HA/SB do would be warranted. As I don’t follow this series, I wasn’t aware of the pop 4/perceived rarity. I’m sure I’m not alone there. HA/SB would have done a better job with that + might have the 1% of 1% clientele another poster alluded to.
But make no mistake - GC has a massive following that continues to grow. Witness the $306k hammer for that newly discovered top pop 1885-CC Double Eagle yesterday. Apples & oranges comparison, sure. To me, GC was a decent choice for the 50C - perhaps not the best but that’s unknowable.

skier07 · June 22, 2026 7:02AM

@MFeld said:

@ElmerFusterpuck said:
Saw this one but passed. Still wondering why this one is included in the basic seated half set when it's pretty much unobtainable.

If it’s an as-intended circulation strike whose rarity is simply due to meltings, shouldn’t it be included in the basic set?

So 1933 Saints since the government ordered them to be melted down are not part of a basic set while 1853-O’s are since they were never officially ordered to be melted by the government? Is my understanding correct?

MFeld · June 22, 2026 7:36AM

@skier07 said:

@MFeld said:

@ElmerFusterpuck said:
Saw this one but passed. Still wondering why this one is included in the basic seated half set when it's pretty much unobtainable.

If it’s an as-intended circulation strike whose rarity is simply due to meltings, shouldn’t it be included in the basic set?

So 1933 Saints since the government ordered them to be melted down are not part of a basic set while 1853-O’s are since they were never officially ordered to be melted by the government? Is my understanding correct?

I don’t know the basis upon which the grading companies determine their set parameters. However, I would distinguish the 1853–O half dollars from the 1933 $20’s because the Saints weren’t intended to be released and all but one are illegal to own.

WildWestHalfDollars · June 22, 2026 9:34AM

Wish I had deep pockets!!! > @DCW said:

I wonder if anyone on the forum purchased this. It did seem like a relative bargain considering its rarity.

Maybe the billionaire that is doing the top 100 US set. He may have needed the coin not sure. He posted his coins a while back but cannot recall if he had this coin or not.

jacrispies · June 22, 2026 9:54AM

Can someone post the link to the coin?

The archives at GC are difficult to navigate.

CircOnly · June 22, 2026 9:56AM

https://www.greatcollections.com/Coin/1146086/1853-O-Seated-Liberty-Half-Dollar-No-Arrows-PCGS-VG-08

Colonialcoin · June 22, 2026 10:13AM

@CircOnly said:
https://www.greatcollections.com/Coin/1146086/1853-O-Seated-Liberty-Half-Dollar-No-Arrows-PCGS-VG-08

No offense to GC, but a coin of such importance deserves a much more in depth description. Each of the big-3 firms have their strengths and weaknesses for certain material. Congrats to the buyer! He or she stole it.

keoj · June 22, 2026 5:49PM

I have a different perspective FWIW. The big three auction houses all have their strengths and weaknesses as you noted. However, this is a major coin and I would like to think that half dollar specialists knew about the coin being on sale and I would like to think that they know how to value the rarity without a large write up (but thank you Heritage and Stacks for what you do to present coins!). I'm quite sure that it went for market value. The only way that it's didn't was perhaps some whales didn't check GC. GC does a great job for the service they provide. I see more and more big coins going this way.

keoj

alefzero · June 22, 2026 7:12PM

@logger7 said:
GC is not usually good for major rarities like this. They have a big following but not the type of collectors/investors that HA has at the right auction as others have said here.

Bet it flips to HA before the year's end. The Heritage (or Stacks)
boys might have bought it actually.

oldabeintx · June 22, 2026 7:30PM

I’m a huge GC fan, but it isn’t a place I go to outside of US Federal coinage issues, unless someone points me there. Heritage and SB handle major specialty collections outside of GC’s wheelhouse. They also provide a free and interesting education with their catalogues.

ElmerFusterpuck · June 22, 2026 10:07PM

@MFeld said:

@ElmerFusterpuck said:
Saw this one but passed. Still wondering why this one is included in the basic seated half set when it's pretty much unobtainable.

If it’s an as-intended circulation strike whose rarity is simply due to meltings, shouldn’t it be included in the basic set?

It's probably just me and whatever is in my wallet. I do understand it for a complete variety set. But for basic? Looks like I'll live with < 100% completion. Seems like that's just the way it is.

ShaunBC5 · June 22, 2026 11:07PM

As far as questioning the venue goes, this is a pop 4 coin. If the auction was held in my backyard, the guys who want this coin would have found it and bid accordingly. No one who’s been after this one is going to hear about the sale after the fact in the news or at some local show in a few months. This coin also doesn’t need a write up for the guys who are in competition for it. I’d like one because I’ll never own it, but it didn’t need one to convince the whales to go after it.
I’m sure the coin was shopped to all the houses and GC made the best pitch/offer. Shaun’s Backyard Coin Sales was probably a close second

MFeld · June 23, 2026 3:15AM

@ElmerFusterpuck said:

@MFeld said:

@ElmerFusterpuck said:
Saw this one but passed. Still wondering why this one is included in the basic seated half set when it's pretty much unobtainable.

If it’s an as-intended circulation strike whose rarity is simply due to meltings, shouldn’t it be included in the basic set?

It's probably just me and whatever is in my wallet. I do understand it for a complete variety set. But for basic? Looks like I'll live with < 100% completion. Seems like that's just the way it is.

It’s probably not just you. Would you feel differently if the population were higher and if so, at what level of survivors?

safari_dude · June 23, 2026 3:43AM

Guaranteed if I had bought it that three or four rolls of them would pop up in the next week or two….😬

johnny9434 · June 23, 2026 4:17AM

@safari_dude said:
Guaranteed if I had bought it that three or four rolls of them would pop up in the next week or two….😬

Some things dont surprise me at times 😉

Major Rarity in Sunday’s GC Auction

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