People’s reasons for consigning items to auction often involve the three D’s — death, divorce and debt, with a fourth, disaster, sometimes added for good measure. It’s not often obvious why a coin returns to auction quickly, but when it does, comparing the results can prove interesting. 

There was lots of exciting bidding at the Stack’s Bowers Galleries and Sotheby’s auctions of the D. Brent Pogue Collection several years ago, and relatively few Pogue coins have returned to the marketplace. His 1810 Capped Bust, Large Date, Small 5 gold $5 half eagle graded Very Fine 25 by Professional Coin Grading Service is one of just three known of the Bass-Dannreuther 3 die pair, of which only two are in private collections and available in the marketplace. 

The variety is unknown in Mint State. The Pogue auction cataloger added, “When assembling his superlative cabinet, D. Brent Pogue did not acquire many circulated coins, but the ones he did are some of its greatest rarities.” 

It sold for $56,400 in the February 2016 Pogue III auction. Returning to auction at Stack's Bowers' 2018 American Numismatic Association Rarities Night sale, it brought $78,000. 

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