1879 Coiled Hair Stella: nearly US$1.9 million

NJ.com (8 September 2026) reports that an 1879 $4 pattern — the Coiled Hair type — sold for US$1.9 million on 2 September at Heritage Auctions. The headline says “nearly $2 million”; the body rounds to 1.9. The piece is not part of Notofilia’s virtual collection.

US$1.891 million, with premium

Numismatic Guaranty Company (opens in a new tab) (5 September 2026), covering the same Heritage ANA US Coins Signature Auction #1396 (31 August to 5 September), publishes US$1.891 million with buyer’s premium for the NGC PF 67 Cameo example from the Tacasyl Collection (lot 3647). NJ.com rounds to 1.9 million and dates the sale to the 2nd; NGC does not split out a hammer without premium. We use both figures, attributed.

Fourteen known, mintage uncertain

NJ.com describes the obverse: Liberty with hair braided and coiled, and a headband inscribed LIBERTY. Heritage, in that report, calls the coin very rare, with fourteen known examples. With no official source for mintage, purpose, or production, the firm says the Coiled Hair design was struck in extremely limited quantities for collectors in 1879 and 1880. Composition cited by NJ.com: 86% gold, 4% silver, and 10% copper, 7 g.

The same note says this example brought US$1.04 million in 2013. NGC adds that another 1879 Coiled Hair (also PF 67 Cameo) brought more than US$2 million at Heritage in April 2026, and that two 1880 Coiled Hair examples topped that mark: one in August 2025 and one in January 2026. NJ.com places those two 1880 sales in August and January 2026; we leave the year discrepancy in view.

More detail in NJ.com (opens in a new tab).