One lot in this week’s GreatCollections email really jumped off the page: an 1888 Three-Dollar Gold Piece, graded PCGS MS-66+ with CAC approval, already pushing close to $30,000 with plenty of bidding still to go.
Three-dollar gold pieces are scarce to begin with. The entire series ran from 1854 to 1889, and the 1888 issue had a mintage of just 5,000 coins. Estimates suggest only a few hundred survive in Mint State today, and only a tiny fraction sit anywhere near the top of the grading census.
Editor’s Note: At the time this article was written, the GreatCollections auction was actively ongoing. The auction has since concluded, and final prices realized may differ from the bid totals discussed below.
So why the heavy bidding? Grade plays a huge role here. MS-66+ is elite territory, and the CAC sticker confirms the coin’s quality within that grade. Add in registry-set competition and a denomination that collectors rarely encounter, and you have the perfect recipe for a bidding war.
Watching coins like this climb is fascinating, even if they’re far outside your budget. They show how the market values rarity, condition, and certification when all three line up perfectly.
Let us know!
Would you rather own one trophy coin like this, or spread the same budget across several classic gold pieces? I’m genuinely curious.
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