Gold from the sale of the Heritage Bass Foundation

On Sept. 29, Heritage's first sale of the Harry W. Bass Jr. Core Collection brought in almost $20,500,000. The money will go to charities in Dallas that the Harry W. Bass Jr. Foundation helps.

The 1821 Capped Head gold $5 half eagle, graded Proof 65 Cameo by the Professional Coin Grading Service and marked with a green Certified Acceptance Corp. sticker, got the most money at the 106-lot auction. It sold for $4.62 million. It is one of only two known proof examples. The other is in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution. Bass bought it at Bowers and Merena's Norweb Collection, Part I sale in 1987, where it sold for $198,000. There, it was called "one of the most rare items in the catalogue" and "a coin that, if not bought at this sale, may never be in the hands of unsuccessful bidders again." Many people thought it wouldn't be available again for another generation.

Even though the details of how it was struck in the 19th century are unknown, Heritage praised its beauty, writing, "This delightful gem proof has razor-sharp definition on all design elements, with full radials on all the stars and intricate detail on Liberty's hair and the eagle's feathers." The well-preserved orange-gold surfaces have deeply reflective fields that stand out against the frosty devices to create a dramatic cameo effect. A small flaw in the planchet between stars 11 and 12 is used as a pedigree marker.

A PCGS Proof 63, 1804 Capped Bust, Plain 4 gold $10 eagle sold for $2.28 million. It was another expensive and rare item in the sale. Only three of the four proof strikes that are known to have been made at the Philadelphia Mint are still around. These eagles were made along with 1804 Draped Bust dollars for diplomatic proof sets.

Other coins that stood out were an 1854 Coronet gold dollar with a green CAC sticker and an 1860 Coronet gold $20 double eagle with a PCGS Proof 65+ Cameo grade. These coins sold for $1.2 million and $720,000, respectively.

The session had some beautiful pattern coins, including the most affordable one, an 1868 pattern 10-cent piece with the obverse design of the Coronet cents. This coin is listed as Judd 657 in the pattern reference. PCGS gave it a grade of Proof 55, and it sold for $2,640. It is one of maybe two dozen Proof 55s from a mintage that is unknown.

The next part of the Bass Collection will be sold at the Florida United Numismatists auctions held by Heritage from January 4 to January 9.

Before, the collection was on long-term loan to the Edward C. Rochette Money Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which is run by the American Numismatic Association.