Two key dates in the San Francisco Mint are one of the prizes at Ira and Larry Goldberg Auctioneers June 13 to 16 auction in Los Angeles.
An 1896-S Barber million dollar graded Mint State 64 by Professional Coin Grading Service is among those nicer survivors from a low mintage of just 188,039.
Either side of the provided quarter are frosty,”with copious amounts of luster and ample eye appeal,” according to the cataloger.
Together with the 1901-S and 1913-S difficulties, it’s one of the”Big Three” key dates at the Barber quarter dollar series. Considering a PCGS MS-65 example brought $40,800 in a Stack’s Bowers Galleries market last year, the topic lot appears to offer a good value with an estimate of $17,000.
The explanation praises its attention appeal, writing,”Close examination of this obverse finds hardly any signs of handling with this near stone, matching the inverse also where no noteworthy marks are found. So the eye appeal and quality remain high and this sparkling gem will definitely be the highlight of an advanced collection of Barber Quarters!”
The Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco Mints all struck 1921 Walking Liberty half dollars and of those three, the 1921-S coin is regarded as the essential date, although others are rarer in some grades. Few were stored in the time of issue.
In high grades, the 1921-S Walking Liberty half dollar becomes the rarest and most expensive date at the show, with just the 1919-D coin competing with it at the peak of the cost guides at the best grades.
The two PCGS and NGC have graded few 1921-S half bucks nicer compared to MS-65.
This one is called”a virtually white coin, using glittering and resplendent luster, and just a hint of light tone on each side,” together with the cataloger observing the sharper than usual attack,”with Liberty’s thumb well summarized and clear to the eye.”
The cataloger adds,”Running marks are diminutive, of course none are worthy of notice, as anticipated for the gem degree grade — especially with this key condition rarity. As such, this is among the finest certified, and most sought after issues of the series that is glorious .”
In terms of recent market comparables, Stack’s Bowers Galleries sold a similarly graded instance with a bit more toning from the Larry H. Miller Collection in November 2020 for $78,000.
