1888 $20 Liberty Head proof gold coin, $170,800, Heritage Auctions

An 1888 $20 Liberty Head proof gold coin, graded PR64 Deep Cameo by PCGS, sold for $170,800 at Heritage’s Summer FUN U.S. Coins auction in Dallas, TX, July 16-18, setting an auction record for the date in that grade. The coin displayed glassy orange-gold mirrored fields against frosted devices, a hallmark of exceptional proof coinage prized by specialist collectors. The 1,400-plus-lot sale totaled $12.4 million. Also, an 1861-S Paquet double eagle, featuring Anthony C. Paquet’s short-lived reverse design, realized $128,100.