An extremely rare Branch Mint Proof 1876-CC Seated Liberty dime is crossing the auction block July 17 after being off the market the past four years.

The coin is a highlight of the Bob Simpson Collection of Proof Dimes to be offered in Legend Rare Coin Auctions’ Regency VIII auction held in conjunction with the PCGS Members Only show at The Venetian/The Palazzo in Las Vegas, Nev.

The coin is graded Specimen Proof 66+ by Professional Coin Grading Service with a “(BM)” designation referencing the coin as a special Branch Mint strike. It is also stickered by Certified Acceptance Corp.

Numismatic researchers cannot reach consensus as to why any Proof 1876-CC dime was struck. The Legend lot description suggests two to five examples were struck in celebration of the 1876 United States Centennial.

Also being offered in the July 17 auction are Simpson’s matched original Proof sets from 1856 through 1859.

Provenance

The offered Branch Mint Proof 1876-CC Seated Liberty dime last traded hands June 12, 2010, when Legend Numismatics sold the coin for more than $250,000 for placement in the Simpson Collection, according to Legend’s Laura Sperber.

The Proof dime collection comprises 47 coins dated from 1859 through 1891. Also among the 47 dimes in the collection is an 1880 Seated Liberty coin, graded PCGS Proof 67, CAC. 

According to Legend, the Proof 1876-CC Seated Liberty dime first came to light when it was offered as the discovery piece in Stack’s Sept. 14 to 15, 1983, auction, where it sold for $9,900.

The coin there was offered as a “Choice Brilliant Proof.”

The dime reappeared in Superior Galleries’ Jan. 5, 2008, sale when it realized $178,250. The coin was offered graded as PCGS Proof 65.

Sperber said despite selling his Proof dime collection and matched original Proof sets, Simpson is just as aggressive as ever in his collecting. She said he has moved his focus into other areas. Simpson’s most recent news-making purchase was the PCGS Proof 67, CAC, 1922 Peace, High Relief dollar that realized $458,250 in the June 2 portion of Ira & Larry Goldberg Auctioneers’ Pre-Long Beach Sale.

Matched original Proof sets

All of the coins in the matched original Proof sets are graded and encapsulated by Numismatic Guaranty Corp. The coins are all pedigreed to collector Simpson, founder of XTO Energy and co-owner and co-chairman of the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball team.

“These sets first surfaced back around 2000, when they were owned by a family from Virginia whose [ancestors] had purchased these coins directly from the Mint,” according to Legend. 

The firm stressed that Simpson’s Proof sets were original, containing the same coins as when the sets were sold by the original owning family.

The 1856 to 1859 group was originally placed by Legend Numismatics with a private collector investor, who sold the matched original Proof sets back to the firm around 2003, before they were eventually sold to Simpson.

The sets are being offered individually as sets, and will not be broken up, according to Legend officials.

More details about the matched original Proof sets follow:

1856

??Coronet half cent, Proof 66 red and brown.

??Coronet cent, Newcomb 5 (United States Copper Cents 1816-1857 by Howard Newcomb), Proof 66? red and brown.

??Flying Eagle cent, Proof 65.

??Silver 3-cent coin, Proof 67 Cameo.

??Seated Liberty half dime, Proof 67 Cameo.

??Seated Liberty dime, Proof 68 Cameo.

??Seated Liberty quarter dollar, Proof 68 Cameo.

??Seated Liberty half dollar, Proof 67 Cameo.

??Seated Liberty dollar, Proof 67 Cameo.

1857

??Coronet half cent, Proof 64 red and brown.

??Coronet cent, Proof 66 red and brown.

??1857 Flying Eagle cent, Proof 65.

??Silver 3-cent coin, Proof 67.

??Seated Liberty half dime, Proof 66 Cameo.

??Seated Liberty dime, Proof 67 Cameo.

??Seated Liberty quarter dollar, Mint State 64. This coin was placed in this set because the Mint had run out of Proof quarter dollars when the coins were purchased directly from the Mint in 1857, according to Legend.

??Seated Liberty quarter dollar, Proof 65. The original owning family added this coin to the set at an unknown time.

??Seated Liberty half dollar, Proof 67 Cameo.

??Seated Liberty dollar, Proof 66+ Cameo.

1858

??Flying Eagle, Small Letters cent, Proof 66+?.

??Silver 3-cent coin, Proof 67+ Cameo.

??Seated Liberty half dime, Proof 66.

??Seated Liberty dime, Proof 66.

??Seated Liberty quarter dollar, Proof 65 Cameo.

??Seated Liberty half dollar, Proof 66.

??Seated Liberty dollar, Proof 66.

1859

??Indian Head cent, Proof 66+ cameo.

??Silver 3-cent coin, Proof 66.

??Seated Liberty half dime, Proof 66.

??Seated Liberty dime, Proof 66.

??Seated Liberty quarter dollar, Proof 64.

??Seated Liberty half dollar, Proof 65.

??Seated Liberty dollar, Proof 65.

The Regency VIII auction will be held in Delfino #4003 at The Venetian/The Palazzo, 3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South, in Las Vegas.

Details on the auction can be found at www.legendauctions.com and www.legendrarecoinauctions.com.