When news that coins from the prestigious James A. Stack, Sr. Collection were hitting the auction block once again, the numismatic world held its collective breath as it awaited details on the coins emerging for the first time in generations from this heralded cabinet. Connoisseurs knew this would be a special moment. After all, this was not the first time that coins from the James A. Stack, Sr. Collection had emerged into the marketplace.
The first coins from the magnificent collection of Stack were first offered by Stack’s Bowers Galleries’ predecessor entity Stack’s a half century ago, in 1975. These coins came onto the market nearly a quarter century after the collector, who had no familial relation to the auction firm or its founders, passed away in 1951. Stack had set out in the late 1930s to build one of the greatest United States coin collections of his time. And over the next many years, he did just that, acquiring multitudes of trophy rarities that brought the numismatic world to awe as they were ushered into the market during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.
Now, as Stack’s Bowers Galleries prepares to hold the first of two auctions offering more than 200 coins from the James A. Stack, Sr. Collection, we explore one of the finest pieces from the cabinet. The 1798 Draped Bust Half Eagle with Small Eagle reverse is an exquisite rarity in every sense. This issue started off as a rarity in 1798 by the sheer fact that an unknown but very small number were struck. Today, only five are in private collections, all of which have been reviewed and graded by PCGS. An additional two are in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution. Each of the known survivors has a colorful numismatic story, and the example that Stack’s Bowers Galleries offers has been in the custody of the James A. Stack, Sr. Collection for more than 75 years, purchased by Stack in the 1946 B. Max Mehl auction of the William Cutler Atwater Collection.
The example now being offered to the public for the first time in generations is graded PCGS AU53. Its quality is undeniable, as astute collector Stack chose only the best of the best available to him all those decades ago. The coin’s outstanding eye appeal and overall desirability are manifested with both CAC and CMQ stickers, which are bestowed only to specimens that represent premium quality for their type and grade. Though the PCGS AU55 Pogue specimen is graded finer, the Stack example has the best overall eye appeal of the three PCGS AU53-graded specimens – not unsurprising since the surfaces, strike, color, and overall appearance of the Stack example are such that it could garner the coveted CAC and CMQ nods.
“The 1798 Draped Bust Half Eagle with Small Eagle reverse is the type of coin collectors dream about owning someday. When I first laid eyes on it, it was like finding buried treasure: this specimen had seemingly fallen off the face of the earth, leading some researchers to wrongly believe that it was the same as the new example discovered in 1996,” says Stack’s Bowers Galleries Executive Vice President Vicken Yegparian. “Its inclusion in the James A. Stack, Sr. Collection really speaks to the magnificence and longevity of this cabinet,” he continues. “Not only does the James A. Stack, Sr. Collection showcase an 1804 Draped Bust Dollar that had never been included in previous census information, but also the superb condition of many of the rarities is resetting the records on ‘finest-known’ specimens in several series.” Yegparian concludes, “Auction competition will be fierce!”
The last time a similar 1798 Draped Bust Half Eagle, Small Eagle came to market was the reappearance of the D. Brent Pogue specimen in the early 2025 offering of the Bruce S. Sherman Collection. Each time a specimen has crossed the auction block in the last decade, the increase in price realized has been significant. The Pogue coin achieved a recordshattering $1,175,000 in 2015, the Harry W. Bass specimen achieved $1,980,000 in 2023, while the Pogue coin rose to $3,000,000 in its early 2025 reappearance on the auction block. Once thought of as an esoteric rarity in the early gold series, the mystique and understanding of this coin’s story and overall rarity has only grown, ensuring that many paddles will rise high into the air once this coin crosses the auction block. The additional fact that the Stack name has long become synonymous with quality means that the numismatic world will be paying especially close attention to the sale of this specimen and others from its esteemed cabinet of origin.
The coins now being offered from the James A. Stack, Sr. Collection range from early U.S. gold coins such as the 1798 Draped Bust Half Eagle, Small Eagle profiled here to silver rarities led by a newly published specimen of the 1804 Draped Bust Dollar, known as “The King of American Coins,” to the proof 1854 Large Date Liberty Head Double Eagle, the earliest date of proof double eagle confirmed in a private collection. The offerings are worth a cumulative $20 million, with many expected to individually hammer for more than $1 million apiece.
The James A. Stack, Sr. Collection will be offered in two spectacular events, the first being held on December 9, 2025, and the second on February 3, 2026. Both events will take place at the firm’s state-of-the-art Griffin Studios in Costa Mesa, California. For more information about the historic opportunity to own some of the greatest treasures the numismatic world has seen in years, please visit StacksBowers.com.