Collectors continue to gravitate toward top-graded coins for inclusion in the Professional Coin Grading Service and Numismatic Guaranty Corp. Registry Set programs. This demand has placed pressure on the finest-known grades of otherwise common coins, and the weekly online auctions from firms like GreatCollections and David Lawrence, alongside increasingly frequent online auctions by Heritage, Stack’s Bowers Galleries and Legend Rare Coin Auctions, seek to satisfy collector demand for “top of the pop” coins.

Here is one example of a 20th century half dollar that is the finest grade certified by PCGS, from GreatCollections’ recent online auctions of the Centurion Collection.

The Lot:

1943 Walking Liberty half dollar, PCGS Mint State 68, CAC Sticker

The Price:

$18,001.12

The Story:

In all grades the 1943 Walking Liberty half dollar is considered a type coin for the series, with a big mintage of 53,190,000 and a high survival rate even in top Mint State grades. PCGS has graded 533 in MS-67 and 56 in MS-67+. The finest obtainable graded by PCGS is in MS-68, and this one, carrying a green Certified Acceptance Corp. sticker, sold for just over $18,000 at a Jan. 28 GreatCollections auction.

It was previously offered at an August 2015 Heritage auction where — then one of just six PCGS MS-68 examples — it sold for $21,150 and the Heritage cataloger observed, “This stellar coin showcases intense, mint-fresh luster glowing beneath beautifully iridescent lavender and lilac hues with occasional hints of gold and cottonwood-green.” It is among the finest Walking Liberty half dollars in existence, and essentially unobtainable any finer.

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