With 2025 behind us, we just closed the books on a year that will likely go down as one of the best in recent memory for the numismatic world. Untold numbers of spectacular coins and banknotes were sold throughout the year, many of those pieces shattering price records. The U.S. Mint also issued several new and exciting coin designs, while the vintage market was abuzz with headlining offerings – many of which had been previously unpublished and being pitched for sale for the first time in generations. This could portend good things for collectors in 2026. As we wait to see what the new year brings to the numismatic marketplace, let’s revisit a few head-turning items that crossed the block over the past few months.
1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition $50 Octagonal Hub Trial, PCGS SP65RD
This amazing $50 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition Hub Trial was struck on an oversized copper planchet. The 1915 Panama-Pacific $50 gold coins were originally struck in a fashion reminiscent of the $50 gold slugs produced by the United States Assay Office in San Francisco from 1851 through 1853. However, it is believed that this 1915 hub trial was made before the $50 1915 Panama-Pacific coins were officially struck.
As of this writing, the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition Hub Trial is believed to be unique, as no other examples have surfaced in over a century. This $50 1915 Panama-Pacific Hub Trial was produced on a large, 60-millimeter-diameter planchet; bear in mind, a hefty Morgan Dollar measures a significantly smaller 38.1 millimeters. On August 27, 2025, Stack’s Bowers Galleries offered this PCGS SP65RD example at auction, where it sold for an impressive $180,000.
1900-S Liberty Gold Half Eagle, Pcgs MS68+
The 1900-S Liberty Head Half Eagle has a mintage of 329,000, yet far fewer examples exist today due to melting and losses through the bitter hands of time and the elements. PCGS CoinFacts estimates about 2,500 survivors across all grades combined, with most of those in grades up to MS64. Any examples grading MS65 or higher seldom hit the marketplace. That fact makes the appearance of this stellar PCGS MS68+ specimen all the more spectacular. The coin has a population of 1. On September 14, 2025, GreatCollections sold the only PCGS MS68+ example for $115,312.
2001-D 1C Cent Muled With A Reverse Die, Pcgs MS65RD
When it comes to United States coins, mules are extraordinarily rare. It’s believed that there are less than 50 individual mule coins among all U.S. coinage. Some of the most famous mule error coins are the 2000-minted mules involving a Washington Quarter obverse and Sacagawea Dollar reverse on a “golden dollar” planchet. However, there are other incredible combinations that should have never been struck together on the same piece. One such mule that is not widely known but is extremely rare entails a 2001-D Lincoln Cent obverse muled with a Roosevelt Dime reverse. The coin was struck on a Lincoln Cent planchet and appears copper red. On January 15, 2025, Heritage Auctions sold a PCGS MS65RD example for an astounding $60,000.
2024 Flowing Hair High Relief Gold Privy Mark, Pcgs PR70DCAM
The United States Mint honored the 230th anniversary of the 1794 Flowing Hair Dollar by producing 2024 Flowing Hair High Relief gold coins. They proved to be one of the most popular offerings in the U.S. Mint’s catalog in 2024. The U.S. Mint initially offered the coins without a privy mark, but soon after the U.S. Mint announced it would also issue 230 coins with a privy mark; this made these coins some of the lowestmintage U.S. coins struck in modern history. Boasting a scant mintage of only 230 coins, these coins are very difficult for most collectors to get their hands on. On September 7, 2025, a PCGS PR70DCAM example sold for $59,737 via GreatCollections.
1863 $20 Gold Certificate Fr. 1166B, Pcgs Banknote About Uncirculated 50 Details / Restorations
In general, 1863 Gold Certificates of any denomination are extremely rare. A mere handful carry the $20 denomination, as this subject example boasts. The 1863 Gold Certificates of the $20, $100, $500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 denominations were authorized by the U.S. government in 1863 during the height of the Civil War. However, they did not circulate until a few years later. The 1863 Gold Certificates were issued to facilitate tax transactions. The notes saw high redemption rates, and this explains why very few of these pieces exist today. It’s not often that an 1863 Gold Certificate appears; when an example does surface, it stirs much excitement in the banknote arena. On August 28, 2025, an 1863 $20 Gold Certificate graded PCGS Banknote About Uncirculated 50 Details / Restorations sold for $516,000 in a Stack’s Bowers Galleries auction.