1926-S 1C MS65 Red PCGS....

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Sold on Aug 4, 2020 for:

$102,000.00 Bid Source: Live: Phone bidder

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Description

1926-S Lincoln Cent, MS65 Red
Benchmark Condition Rarity
Registry Set Trophy Coin

1926-S 1C MS65 Red PCGS. Ex: Lone Star Collection. During the 1940s and 1950s, collectors retrieved numerous 1926-S cents from circulation, providing a supply of worn pieces for modern numismatists. However, circulated representatives become noticeably more elusive in the AU levels, and Mint State examples of this issue are all the more challenging to locate, particularly with original red color. Most Mint State examples known are either attractively lustrous but poorly struck or sharply impressed but toned brown. According to David W. Lange in The Complete Guide to Lincoln Cents (2005), the 1926-S emerges as perhaps the rarest issue in the series at the MS65 Red level: "This date has the lowest certified population of MS65 RD coins, only a single example appearing in the listings. This, by the way, is also the highest certified grade for 1926-S."

The Gem Red population was apparently at one point highly inflated by resubmissions. In A Guide Book of Lincoln Cents, Dave Bowers writes: "As to certified MS-65 RD coins, when David W. Lange wrote his book in 1995 [first edition], there was just one -- count it -- just one. Now there are nearly two dozen certified." Bowers' information is clearly outdated and duplications have been removed from the population totals. Today, PCGS reports two MS65 Red coins and NGC one, with none finer at either service (6/20). Our research suggests that this three-coin figure is likely accurate, as we can account for just two PCGS-graded Gem Red specimens that have appeared on the market. It should be noted that we have also seen an ICG-graded coin in this grade on several occasions, but that piece has not historically garnered the attention of its PCGS counterparts.

This magnificent specimen is the former Walsh/Jack Lee coin, with a reputation for being included among the highest-ranked Registry Sets of Lincoln cents. The quality is unsurpassed. Fully lustrous, satiny orange-gold surfaces yield boldly rendered design elements, and the eye appeal is nothing short of remarkable for the issue. We observe no carbon spotting or abrasions. A 1926-S Lincoln cent of this caliber is among the rarest coins in the series for advanced collectors. This is perhaps the biggest "stopper" in the series at the Gem Red level. Passing on this coin may mean passing on the prospect of ever completing a Gem Red Lincoln cent collection. A winning bid on this coin immediately heightens the rank and importance of a leading PCGS Registry Set.
Ex: The Joshua and Ally Walsh Collection of United States Cents / FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2006), lot 3097; The Jack Lee Estate Lincoln Cent Registry Set / Houston Signature (Heritage, 12/2008), lot 189.(Registry values: N4719)

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 22CL, PCGS# 2575, Greysheet# 1900)

Weight: 3.11 grams

Metal: 95% Copper, 5% Tin and Zinc

View Certification Details from PCGS