(1842-52) $5 A. Bechtler 128 Grains, 22 Carats MS(PCGS#10043)

February 2026 Showcase Auction - The James A. Stack, Sr. Collection Part II

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

23045

Grade

AU53

Price

66,000

Lot Description

A majestic flash of reflective, prooflike surface within the lustrous confines of the legends brightens rose and violet highlighted surfaces that show rich greenish-gold tones throughout. Scattered marks are seen, but none are deep or disfiguring. We note a little rim nick at 9 o'clock on the obverse, a trivial scratch under LD of GOLD, and a light scrape under DOL of DOLLARS on the reverse. The eye appeal is excellent, and the originality is even better.<p><p>More elusive than its 21 CARATS (K-27) counterpart, this is the second rarest of the three varieties of $5 coins struck in August Bechtler's name. B. Max Mehl accurately called this coin "very rare" in 1947, grading it "strictly very fine with traces of original mint luster." We haven't sold an example of this variety since 2019, when an AU-55 (PCGS) brought $21,000. At the time, we estimated an extant population of about 20 pieces; the more recent Kagin-McCarthy book states "approximately two dozen examples are known, most of which are graded XF or AU." This addition to the modern census is easily the prettiest one of these we've handled in decades.