Historic 1804 Dollar Sale

The newly discovered and finest-known Class III 1804 dollar sold on December 10 at Stack’s Bowers Galleries’ James A. Stack Sr. Collection Part I auction. The 16th 1804 dollar, graded Proof (PR)-65 by Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), hammered at $6 million, almost tripling the previous record for a Class III 1804 dollar, an example of which last sold for $2.3 million in 2009. (All prices include a 20-percent buyer’s premium.) 

With 54 lots, auction sales for the James A. Stack Sr. Collection Part I totaled $14,818,200, with an average price of over $200,000. “The excitement that has surged through the numismatic community these last several months since we announced the discovery of additional coins from the James A. Stack Sr. Collection has been unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” says Stack’s Bowers Galleries President Brian Kendrella. “Our team worked hard through every part of their process, and their efforts resulted in new world records throughout the sale.” 

Record-Breaking Items

The second highest realization was a 1794 dollar, graded PCGS Extremely Fine (EF)-45, that sold for $1,020,000. The dollar surpassed expectations, setting a new world record for any 1794 dollar graded below Mint State. For reference, an EF-40 example sold for $384,000 in May 2025, and the PCGS Price Guide suggests a value of $600,000 for an EF-45 1794 dollar.

Other top lots included:

• An 1854 PR-61 and 1859 PR-64 Deep Cameo Type I Liberty $20 ($900,000 each)
• An 1893 $20 in PR-66 Deep Cameo ($720,000)
• An 1867 $20 in PR-64+ Deep Cameo ($660,000)
• A 1795 BB-27 Flowing Hair dollar in Mint State (MS)-64 ($600,000)
• A dramatically toned 1800 BB-190 dollar in MS-62+ ($264,000)
• A 1797 Small Eagle BB-73 dollar in About Uncirculated-58 ($192,000)
• An 1883 Morgan dollar in PR-66 Cameo ($45,600)

“It’s been an absolute honor to work with the descendants of James A. Stack Sr. these last couple years in shepherding their amazing family legacy into the hands of eager collectors,” says Vicken Yegparian, executive vice president of Stack’s Bowers Galleries. “It’s a testament to the connoisseurship of James A. Stack Sr. and the connoisseurship of our bidders today that the best coins brought such strong prices.”

Future Auction

Stack’s Bowers Galleries will hold the James A. Stack Sr. Collection Part II sale in February 2026. For more information on the December 2025 auction results and the upcoming February 2026 auction, visit the Stack’s Bowers Galleries website.