A $50 Panama-Pacific Exposition octagonal will highlight Spink's October 9 Collector Series auction in New York with an estimate of $100,000-150,000.
Minted for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, a world's fair held in San Francisco to celebrate the newly opened Panama Canal, the coins were originally offered at a price of $100 (equivalent to over $2,000 today).
 The coin was minted for sale at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco |
Only 1,500 were ever produced, of which 645 were sold and the rest melted down. The coin's incredible rarity and great beauty have earned it the distinction of being among the most desirable numismatic items ever produced by the US Mint.
The octagonal has received a grading of MS65, the second highest grading ever attributed to a Panama-Pacific Exposition octagonal by the PCGS, and the strike and lustre of the coin are described as being of the highest quality - with only the most minor of imperfections.
In 2011 the same coin sold for $105,000 at Morphy's in Denver.
A high relief St Gaudens Double Eagle also features, with a valuation of $15,000-25,000. Only 12,367 pieces were struck in 1907. While the coin is not the rarest in its price range, it is among the most popular - largely due to its iconic design.
There have been a number of high profile sales of rare US coins in recent weeks, with a Coiled Hair Stella achieving a record $2.5m at Bonhams in New York on September 23.
We have a wide range of rare coins available.
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