Below is the final of three posts from our own Steve Roach highlighting impressive gold items in the U.S. market.

The spot price of gold has dropped recently, hitting prices not seen for the past six years due to various concernsabout the global market coupled with expectations that the Federal Reserve will be slower than expected in raising interest rates. Despite this, high-end gold coins continue to excel at auction. Here are three rare examples that performed well at a Nov. 15 auction by online auctioneer GreatCollections.

The Coin:
1861-S Coronet gold $5 half eagle, AU-50

The Price:
$7,822.10

The Story:
Collectors love coins that were once in prominent collections and the addition of a well-known name in a coin’s provenance (ownership history) can add a premium to a coin’s price. On Nov. 15, an 1861-S Coronet gold $5 half eagle formerly in the collection of Harry W. Bass Jr. graded About Uncirculated 50 by PCGS sold for $7,822.10.

From a low mintage of 18,000 pieces, PCGS CoinFacts notes an estimated survival rate of just 60 coins. There is additional demand for the coin because it is a Civil War issue and no Mint State examples are known.

When it was offered at Bowers and Merena’s May 2000 auction of the Bass Collection it sold for $4,600. That the Bass pedigree is noted on the slab’s insert helps document and preserve the coin’s history for future buyers.