It's the most valuable U.S. Mint gold coin ever sold at auction, surpassing 1913 Liberty nickels, 1804 silver dollars, and 1933 double eagles.
The famed 1822 half eagle is the key to a comprehensive U.S. coin collection. Three specimens are known, two of which are permanently held in the Smithsonian National Numismatic Collection.
The Pogue-Eliasberg specimen sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries is the lone private sample and a rare chance to buy this issue. Most of the great American numismatists never owned one, and many died without ever bidding for one at auction.
The 1906 Harlan P. Smith Collection Sale and the 1982 Louis E. Eliasberg Gold Coin Collection sale were the only other auctions of an 1822 half eagle in American numismatic history. The Smith specimen and Lilly Collection gold coins were donated. The other Smithsonian example is from the Mint Cabinet Collection, where it was since 1830.
The About Uncirculated Pogue Specimen was purchased by Virgil Brand in 1899 and kept in his huge collection until his heirs sold it in 1945. It entered Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr.'s unmatched cabinet and became part of the only complete U.S. coin collection
The young D. Brent Pogue bought the Eliasberg Collection's gold coins in 1982, starting what would become the world's most valuable numismatic collection, which Stack's Bowers Galleries sold for over $140 million from 2015 to 2021.
Pogue 1822 half eagle sold for $8.4 million and currently hangs in a new cabinet. Only three collectors had it for over 115 years, but a fourth has joined them. Even wealthy collectors, dealers, and museums may wait generations to own this issue.
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