Final bids for the finest sets of Flying Eagle cents, Indian cents, and Barber dimes ever compiled reached over $5 million in November, continuing the Stewart Blay Collection's record-setting efforts at GreatCollections.
On November 12th and 19th, the coins were auctioned off at GreatCollections. The 1856 Flying Eagle cent graded PCGS MS-66 brought $343,125 to the table, the 1877 Indian cent graded PCGS MS-66+RD brought $340,875, and the 1893-O Barber dime graded PCGS MS-68PL brought $140,625.
The selling price of a PCGS MS-65RD gradated 1955 double-die Lincoln cent was $123,750. All of these achieved grade and date-specific records. More than doubling the prior record set in 2001, the MS-65RD 1955 dual die set a new standard.
With 16,645 bids, a total of $4,960,436 was realized for the 673 graded coins that were up for auction.
The award-winning collections were put together over the course of fifty years by the late Stewart Blay, a renowned New York-based numismatist and sculptor. The Blay Lincoln Cent Collection, which was auctioned off by GreatCollections earlier this year for over $7.7 million, also broke other world records.
According to Ian Russell, president of GreatCollections, "serious collectors came out of the woodwork to bid and own part of the Stewart Blay Collection." Some of these collectors hadn't acquired a coin in years, considering the lack of comparable quality on the market
Stewart had amassed a collection of exceptional quality during his lifetime, and the realized prices show that the numismatic community concurred. Among today's numismatists, the pedigree is among the most revered, so you know it will last.
Last Thanksgiving, Stewart went away suddenly, Ian continued. This once-in-a-generation collection is truly a gift from Stewart and his estate, and we are eternally grateful.
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