Heritage Auctions offers incredible selection of NGC-certified U.S. rarities in May sale

1714 Virginia Gloucester Courthouse shilling graded NGC F-12 BN and pedigreed to the Long Island Collection. Hover to zoom.

Extraordinary NGC-certified U.S. coins and tokens are part of the May auction.

Several rare coins from American history are in the spotlight in a sale presented by Heritage Auctions. Certified by Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC), these rarities include a seldom-seen Colonial-era shilling and a high-grade 19th-century Half Eagle. Online bidding for the Central States U.S. Signature Auction is underway, with the sale concluding May 4-9, 2022.

An extremely rare 1714 Virginia Gloucester Courthouse shilling graded NGC F-12 BN and pedigreed to the Long Island Collection (lot 3676) appears in the sale after 40 years out of view. This token, which shows a building with chimneys and the legend “GLOVCESTER COVRTHOVSE VIRGINIA,” is one of only two examples known to exist. Spirited bidding among advanced collectors specializing in Colonial issues is expected for this seldom-seen prize.

Another exciting rarity featured in the sale is an exquisite 1884 Half Eagle graded NGC PF-66 Ultra Cameo (lot 3978). This particular coin has the highest grade of the 15 or so thought to exist, about a third of the original mintage of 48. Three of the survivors are in museum collections at the Smithsonian and American Numismatic Society Museum.

Other NGC-certified highlights include:

an (Undated) New Hampshire Pine Tree copper, Hodder Type 4 graded NGC EF-40 BN and pedigreed to the Donald G. Partrick Collection (lot 3681)
a circa 1694 Diagonals Elephant token graded NGC MS-64 BN and pedigreed to the Long Island Collection (lot 3674)
a 1790 Baltimore Standish Barry threepence graded NGC AU-58 and pedigreed to the Garrett and Long Island Collections (lot 3695)
an 1849 Oregon Exchange Company $5 graded NGC AU-53 (lot 4122)
an 1873 Shield nickel struck on a cent planchet graded NGC Mint Error MS-64 RB and pedigreed to the Farouk and Weinberg Collections (lot 4608)
an 1895 Morgan dollar graded NGC PF-66 Cameo (lot 3821)
a 1910 Quarter Eagle graded NGC PF-67★ (lot 3949)
a 1796/5 Half Eagle graded NGC MS-61 (lot 3960)
an 1897 Half Eagle graded NGC PF-67 Ultra Cameo (lot 3980)
a 1930-S Eagle graded NGC MS-64 (lot 4026)
a 1924-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle graded NGC MS-65 (lot 4096)