Record $86,654 for Silver Eagle at GreatCollections

1995-W $1 Graded by PCGS Realizes $86,654.70; Over 100 Bids Received

Irvine, California – A perfect Silver Eagle graded Proof-70 DCAM by PCGS was sold at auction on March 31, 2013 by GreatCollections, setting a new world record price for the popular modern coin series.

Over 100 bids were received for the unreserved auction, before it finally sold for $86,654.70 (inclusive of the GC 10% buyer's fee). The buyer was an advanced East Coast collector who had been searching for this perfect coin for several years.

"The 1995-W is the ultimate key to the series with the lowest mintage and is notorious for imperfections, explaining the low percentage graded at the perfect Proof-70 DCAM grade," said Ian Russell, President/founder of GreatCollections.

"In addition to the technical points about the coin itself, the general market for Silver Eagles continues to grow at a fast pace... probably faster than any other coin series at the moment."

Only eight coins have been assigned the perfect grade by PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service), the leading coin grading service based in Orange County, California. Almost 1,600 coins have been graded Proof-69 DCAM by PCGS and these regularly sell for between $3,500 and $4,000 each.

The 1995-W $1 Proof Silver Eagle was released by the U.S. Mint together with a set of four gold coins to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the American Eagle coin program. The U.S. Mint originally charged $999 for the set of gold coins, and included the Silver Eagle at no cost. Only 30,125 were minted, earning it the number 13 spot on PCGS's Top 100 Modern Coin list published earlier this year.

About GreatCollections

GreatCollections is an auction and direct sale venue for certified coins. GreatCollections handles each coin transaction from start to finish. For sellers, GreatCollections offers professional imaging for each coin, cash advances as appropriate, and other individualized services generally not available with the large auction houses and other websites, freeing the seller to do nothing except collect the proceeds of the sale directly from GreatCollections. Buyers benefit by entrusting a company, whose principals have years of coin experience and whose reputations in the industry are impeccable.