What’s the cheapest price one could pay for a 1915-S Panama-Pacific International Exposition commemorative gold $50 coin?

Heritage answered that question at its Jan. 12 Florida United Numismatists auction, where it sold an example of the round type for just $24,000.

Graded by Professional Coin Grading Service as Genuine, it was generously described as “accessible,” featuring strong About Uncirculated details along with “natural honey-gold color and ample luster.” The cataloger adds, “The coin is also slightly bent, suggesting a great deal of abuse outside of knowledgeable numismatic hands. While these characteristics are a detriment to numeric grade, they are intriguing to see on a coin that is almost never found with surface abrasions, and they make this piece much more accessible to the average collector than is normally the case for Pan-Pac fifties.”

With just 483 examples of the round type sold in 1915, any survivor is a prize and this one offered a lucky collector an entry point for this otherwise much more expensive issue.

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