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Press Release - August 12, 2025
Desert Find of 1889-CC Morgan Dollars Emerges at Heritage’s ANA U.S. Coins Auction August 26-31
| Trove of long-missing coins is considered one of the greatest numismatic discoveries of 21st century DOWNLOAD DIGITAL PRESS KIT The Desert Find of 1889-CC Morgan Dollars features 35 Mint State 1889-CC Morgans, many of which are Prooflike to Deep Mirror Prooflike. Considering the Desert Find features coins that were set aside more than half a century ago by a family in Nevada, from whom they are consigned today, it is no surprise that the grades on the included coins are exceptional. The coins appear to have been put into paper rolls, dated January 1957, and put away — quite possibly unseen since the 1950s or early 1960s. The find includes 35 coins that came from two tubes, each of which originally held 20. The whereabouts of the remaining five coins is unknown. “I got chills reading the report over and over, and couldn’t wait to see them in person,” says Greg Rohan, President of Heritage Auctions. “They were even better than I expected. I left our vault after the inspection wondering what had happened to the five missing coins from the two original rolls of 1889-CC dollars. Were they spent on the way home from the bank on groceries, a car repair? We’ll never know.” Among the top selections in this magnificent trove is an 1889-CC Dollar MS64 Deep Mirror Prooflike PCGS. VAM-3 that is among the finest DMPL coins known. In a compilation of elite coins carrying higher-end grades of MS63 and MS64, this coin tops the list as the only example that grades MS64 Deep Mirror Prooflike. Not only is this the finest of the DMPL coins in the Desert Find, it is among the finest Deep Mirror Prooflike 1889-CC dollars known overall, including established pieces from traditional numismatic sources. In addition to its grade and potential high-end quality recognition, this magnificent piece is unique as the finest Deep Mirror Prooflike 1889-CC dollar from a landmark numismatic discovery that will long be remembered as one of the greatest of the 21st century. Other highlights from this remarkable collection include, but are not limited to: • An 1889-CC $1 MS61 PCGS. VAM-2 • An 1889-CC $1 MS62 PCGS. VAM-2 • An 1889-CC $1 MS64+ PCGS. VAM-5A “A discovery like this is the sort of thing you might have occasionally expected during the mid-20th century,” says Stephanie Sabin, President of Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS). “The scope of this magnificent hoard is a thrilling discovery in the 21st century. In numismatics, you never know what’s around the next corner, and this proves there is still much more to find. We are thrilled to have encapsulated the multitude of 1889-CC Morgan Dollars from this hoard. We’re also excited to know that finds like these are still possible.” Heritage is an ANA Event Auctioneer Partner. Images and information about all lots in the Desert Find of 1889-CC Morgan Dollars, and all lots in the auction, can be found at HA.com/1385. Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world's largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Heritage also enjoys the highest Online traffic and dollar volume of any auction house on earth (source: SimilarWeb and Hiscox Report). The Internet's most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has more than 2 million registered bidder-members and searchable free archives of 7,000,000 past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos. Reproduction rights routinely granted to media for photo credit. For breaking stories, follow us: HA.com/Facebook and HA.com/Twitter . Link to this release or view prior press releases . Hi-Res images available: Steve Lansdale, Public Relations Specialist 214-409-1699 or SteveL@HA.com |