Three of nine Specimen 70 Enhanced Uncirculated 2014-D Native American dollars graded by Numismatic Guaranty Corp. from American $1 Coin and Currency Sets have been sold for $750 each.

The three sets were sold privately by American Rare Coin Galleries in Tampa, Fla., to American Auction Network in St. Petersburg, after being originally offered on eBay for $995 but going unsold.

David Goldsmith, owner of the Tampa firm, said the three sets with Specimen 70 coins were accompanied by the Series 2013 $1 Federal Reserve notes in the sets, all of which are graded Paper Money Guaranty Gem Uncirculated 66.

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Goldsmith said he purchased 200 American $1 Coin and Currency sets from the U.S. Mint (each at the Mint’s price of $13.95 per set) and submitted 100 to NGC. Besides the three Specimen 70 coins, 12 of the coins were graded Specimen 68, and the remainder graded Specimen 69.

Goldsmith also confirmed eBay sales of his sets containing a Specimen 69 coin and PMG Gem Uncirculated 66 note, for $129 per set.

Auction website eBay had multiple listings from different sellers offering the sets, some sets with both the coin and note graded and certified; others with only the coin certified; and other sets with neither component certified.

NGC Specimen 69 coins alone were being offered on eBay for under $80 each.

Grading breakdown

NGC is certifying the Enhanced Uncirculated dollars in the American $1 Coin & Currency Sets as Specimen strikes (designated on the labels as “SP”).

Professional Coin Grading Service is grading the coins with a Mint State (designated as “MS”) designation and noting on the grading label the orientation of the edge device in relation to the obverse design. Position A reflects edge lettering that is right side up; Position B, edge lettering upside down.

Although Independent Coin Graders had not graded any of the coins from the sets as of Dec. 19, the grading service planned to employ Mint State designations.

ANACS is using the superlative “Enhanced Uncirculated” — the Mint’s designation for the finish — followed by a numerical grade.

As of Dec. 17, NGC had graded 1,522 of the Enhanced Uncirculated Native American dollars: nine Specimen 70; 1,395 Specimen 69; 117 Specimen 68; and one Specimen 66.

The PCGS Population Report as of Dec. 22 designated 140 of the coins as a “First Strike.” “Beginning in 2004, PCGS began designating coins delivered by the U.S. Mint in the 30-day period following the release date of a new product as ‘First Strike,’ ” according the PCGS.com website.

Of those 140 “First Strike” coins, 79 were designated Position A, of which 58 were graded as MS-69, 19 as MS-68 and two as MS-67. Sixty-one were designated Position B, of which 56 were graded MS-69, three MS-68 and two MS-67.

As of Dec. 17, ANACS had certified 20 of the Enhanced Uncirculated dollars, all graded EU-69.

Special handling

The Enhanced Uncirculated 2014-D Native American dollars were struck with dies that had details wire-brushed for brilliance or laser-frosted for contrast, Mint officials state.

According to Mint officials, the coins were struck on the same Schuler MRV-300 press used to strike Uncirculated Mint set coins.

The incuse edge device is imparted after the coins are struck, and orientation of the edge device is random.

“The coin’s orientation is random as it is fed into the edge lettering machine, even though the edge-lettering machine is directly fed by the press,” according to a Dec. 23 Mint statement.