An 1867 $5 gold coin made in San Francisco and forgotten inside a cigar box in a Texas closet has sold at auction for $97,600 (£74,800). The sale price was more than four times the coin's previous record. The coin, officially known as an 1867-S Liberty Half Eagle, was found during an estate appraisal in Buda, Texas. Appraisers discovered a green milk crate hidden in a bedroom closet. Inside were two shoeboxes and an old cigar box containing the historic coin and other 19th-century currency. According to auction details published by Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas, experts from the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) examined the rare gold coin and gave it a Mint State 63 (MS63) grade. This confirmed it as the finest-known surviving example of this coin. It ranked two full grade points above the next best example. The coin was sold at Heritage Auctions' GACC U.S. Coins Signature event on October 8 and 9, 2026. It broke the previous auction record of $22,800 for the 1867-S coin.
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
