By CoinWeek ….
On GreatCollections.com, bidding ends Sunday, November 1 for this amazingly toned 1995-W American Silver Eagle, graded Proof-68 DCAM by PCGS.
In March 2013, GreatCollections famously sold a PR70 DCAM 1995-W for the record price of $86,654.70 USD (including a 10% buyer’s premium). A startling price, but indicative of the intense demand Silver Eagle collectors have for the lowest mintage coin in the entire series. And that’s before one considers the fact that the 1995-W is a condition rarity, with most of the run showing numerous dings and other flaws.
As of October 2020, PCGS has graded 413 examples at PR70, whereas only eight had been certified at the time of the 2013 auction. It’s clear from this increase that the high price commanded by the GreatCollections record holder encouraged dealers and collectors to submit coins and try for a perfect grade, but after more than seven years the percentage of the total available coins that have achieved this lofty status is barely greater than one percent.
However, PCGS reports only 757 specimens graded PR-68 with a Deep Cameo designation, and auction records seem to indicate a conservative range of results going from $2,000 to $2,500 per coin.
Two examples of this grade sold earlier this year, with one selling in May for $1,880 and the other selling in February for $2,160. In April 2019, another coin went for $2,527.
2018 saw a quartet of coins garner similar prices. Two pieces fetched $2,400 in both October and September, while a third example sold for $2,040 in June. A specimen selling in February 2018 went for $2,640.
And in October 2017, an example sold for a slightly higher $2,750.
But lest anyone ignore the obvious, the coin currently on offer features outstanding rainbow toning on both sides – the likes of which is a first for GreatCollections.
For more auction results, you can search through the GreatCollections Auction Archives, with records for over 600,000 certified coins the company has sold over the past seven years.
At the time of publication, the high bid for this 1995-W American Silver Eagle is $6,605 after a hearty 51 bids.
About the 1995-W
The American Silver Eagle is one of the most-collected modern silver coins actively produced in the world today.
Beginning in 1986, America’s preeminent silver bullion coin has been issued in Proof collector versions, with other varieties–such as Burnished and Reverse Proof coins–being issued later.
And out of 34 years’ worth of options for collectors and investors alike, the 1995-W American Silver Eagle Proof coin is widely considered the key to the entire series.
30,125 Silver Eagle coins were struck at the West Point Mint to accompany a limited-edition set of Proof American Gold Eagle coins that was released in that year. Naturally, when a set also includes four gold denominations ($5 1/10th-ounce, $10 1/4-ounce, $25 1/2-ounce, and $50 1-ounce coins), it is an expensive proposition. This is why such a low number of 1995-Ws were manufactured.
To add to the collector fervor, the issue is known as a condition rarity. But ever since the record-breaking 1995-W PCGS PR70 DCAM coin that sold at GreatCollections set the highly publicized record price of $86,654.70, the PCGS-certified population of PR70 DCAMs of this issue has expanded from eight to the present census of 413 pieces.
However, it should be understood by collectors that the grading services might understate a coin’s strike when it overshadowed by toning, sometimes leading to higher-quality coins receiving lower grades than they may otherwise have received.
