A 1915 round Panama-Pacific $50 highlighted Heritage Auctions' annual Summer FUN US coins signature auction on July 7-10.
The MS64-graded lot realised $88,125.
 The coin was created for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition |
The coin was designed by sculptor Robert Aitken for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, held to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal.
It displays ancient Greek symbolism in its adoption of the goddess of wisdom, Minerva. The reverse depicts an owl, a bird associated with the goddess.
An octagonal and a round variety of the coin were issued for the event, with each produced in a run of 1,500.
Most of the unsold coins were later melted down. The round examples are the rarer of the two.
In total 645 specimens of the octagonal variety were sold in comparison with 483 examples of the round variant.
An MS66-graded round specimen sold for $188,000 at Stack's Bowers in 2014.
An 1805 draped bust quarter (graded MS64+) sold for $49,350.
The issue was produced between 1795 and 1808 and is considered one of the most attractive incarnations of the US dollar.
Just over 121,000 of the 1805 date were struck, of which only a small percentage survive.
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