NGC-certified Stella in Spotlight at Stack's Bowers Auction

An 1879 $4 gold coin certified by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation® (NGC®) is among the top draws at the May 23 Stack’s Bowers Galleries – Rarities Night auction in Baltimore. The bidding for the Flowing Hair Stella, graded NGC PF 66 Ultra Cameo, already has reached $85,000 with weeks left before the auction.

This 1879 Flowing Hair Stella is graded NGC PF 66 Ultra Cameo. Click images to enlarge.

Other highlights include:

• Lot 1134 — A 1915-S Panama-Pacific Round $50 graded NGC MS 62. These coins were minted in two designs — round and octagonal — as part of a world’s fair held in San Francisco to commemorate the completion of the Panama Canal. The round coins weren’t as popular and are consequently now the rarer of the two.

• Lot 1136 — A 1915-S Panama-Pacific Octagonal $50 graded NGC MS 63.

• Lot 1111 — An 1801 Capped Bust Eagle graded NGC MS 63.

• Lot 1140 — An 1871 Pattern Half Dollar graded NGC PF 65+ RD Ultra Cameo. Pattern coins were design samples that were never circulated and sometimes were struck in unusual metals. This design was minted in copper, for instance.

• Lot 1044 — A 1937-D 3-legged Buffalo Nickel graded NGC MS 65. In these coins, an issue with the die erased one of the legs of the buffalo on the reverse.

• Lot 1036 — A 1955 Doubled Die Obverse Lincoln Cent graded NGC MS 64 RD. An example of cents minted in Philadelphia with parts of the design struck twice, creating a double-exposure effect. This coin is graded significantly higher than most others of its kind.