Unique 1870S $3 Gold Coin Sells for $5.52 Million, Sets New Record

THE ONLY KNOWN EXAMPLE OF THIS SAN FRANCISCO MINTED COIN BECOMES THE MOST VALUABLE $3 GOLD PIECE EVER SOLD

By Intelligent Collector Staff 

A one-of a kind 1870S Three Dollar Gold coin, graded PCGS Specimen 50 (SP50), achieved $5.52 million at Heritage Auctions on January 5, leading the second installment of the Harry W. Bass Jr. Core Collection sale during the Orlando FUN show. 

This coin is not just rare, it’s virtually unique. While rumors persist of a second example buried under a cornerstone, the Bass specimen remains the only one available to collectors today. Its unique status places it among the most coveted coins in U.S. numismatics. 

The sale led Heritage’s Part II U.S. Coins Signature® Auction, which totaled over $24 million in realized prices across 103 lots, with 30 records shattered, confirming the Bass Collection’s strength as a numismatic phenomenon. 

What made the 1870S $3 gold piece truly extraordinary was its rarity and provenance. Minted in San Francisco and unlisted in official Mint records until the 1970s, it’s estimated to be 15 times rarer than the famed 1804 silver dollar and five times rarer than the 1913 Liberty Head nickel, a rarity unmatched even among other “Holy Grail” coins. 

The coin hailed from the foundational holdings of the Harry W. Bass Jr. Foundation, once enshrined at the American Numismatic Association’s Money Museum. The Bass Collection contained virtually every early U.S. gold coin type in superb grade, with the 1870S $3 chief among its rarities. 

With this sale, Heritage not only delivered a landmark numismatic result, but also answered a familiar question among elite collectors: Where’s the best place to sell a once in a lifetime coin with unmatched rarity and history? The answer is Heritage Auctions.