The D. Brent Pogue Collection is known for its strengths in 18th and early 19th century U.S. copper, silver and gold coins. His set of Indian Head gold $3 coins, struck between 1854 and 1889, is a bit of an outlier among his holdings.

At Part III of the Pogue Collection, offered in New York by Sotheby’s and Stack’s Bowers Galleries, coins from his gold $3 set, considered among the finest and most complete ever assembled (though missing the unique 1870-S coin currently held by the Harry Bass Foundation) sold for more than $2.6 million, exceeding the $1.985 million low estimate total.

Here is one of three coins from the set that we're breaking down in this week's Market Analysis:

The Coin:

1877 Indian Head gold $3 coin, MS-64+

The Price:

$70,500

The Story:

Most of the Pogue Collection’s Indian Head gold $3 coins were purchased by the collector as part of his purchase of the Great Lakes Collection in October 2005.

His 1877 Indian Head $3 coin was part of that collection. Graded Mint State 64+, it is the finest certified by Professional Coin Grading Service. Featuring prooflike surfaces with frosty devices and reflective fields, it also had deep orange-gold color that was especially rich on the obverse.

COIN VALUES: What your Indian Head gold $3 coin is worth

Only 1,468 examples were struck for circulation and today perhaps 100 are known, with less than a dozen that Stack’s Bowers calls “true Mint State.” Of these, most hover in the MS-60 to MS-62 range, making this one an exceptional survivor. It sold for $70,500, at the high end of the $50,000 to $70,000 estimate.

Keep reading this Market Analysis: 

• At $35,250, this 1880 Indian Head gold $3 coin is considered 'a steal'

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