Proofs Prove Positive in 2018

This 1895 Proof Morgan Silver Dollar recently sold at Heritage Auctions' Summer FUN sale for $78,000.

Proofs remain popular with the serious collectors steaming into the third quarter of 2018.

Stack’s Bowers sold a top-graded Flowing Hair Stella back in March for a healthy $74k increase (to $384k) over the last time it sold. Things don’t seem to be slowing down as Heritage hammered a couple of proof Morgans with strong prices in July, 2018 at their Summer FUN sale.

This 1895 Proof Morgan Silver Dollar recently sold at Heritage Auctions’ Summer FUN sale for $78,000.

An 1895 (proof-only year) Morgan graded Proof 65 Cameo (no green bean) almost hit 80, topping out at $78k. PCGS price guide seems strong at $95k for the coin, of which there are only 16 or so, though they have record of a coin selling for $94k back in 2013, though most others have floated in the low $70k range. As always, NGC price guide is even higher at $100k. Any way you look at it, it’s no longer 2013.

The sold coin appears to be for sale right now for $80k.

Another strong proof showing was a lovely 1921 Chapman die Morgan. It sold for $72k in a white holder. Oddly, PCGS and NGC price guides are reversed for this coin, with PCGS being the higher of the two, likely driven hard by a $100k sale some time ago.

Other notable proofs from the FUN sale include an 1828 Bust Quarter selling for $29,000 in PC blue no bean, a colorful Hawaiian Dime, and a blast Franklin. All of these coins sold well above price guide, the Franklin nearly doubling both PCGS and NGCs estimates for the grade.

The point is: strong proofs seem to be strong buys at the moment. Who knows what the future brings?

Academy of Coins© Staff

The Academy of Coins© is a group of enthusiastic, like-minded personalities, professional numismatists, each passionate about coin collecting – numismatics – and numismatic education.