1879 $20 Quintuple Metric Gold Stellas
Quintuple Stella (Judd-1643, Pollock-1843)
Notable History
Pedigreed to legendary numismatist Virgil Brand and the celebrated Bob R. Simpson Collection. One of five known, with one held permanently in the Smithsonian's National Numismatic Collection.
Intriguing History
The 1879 Liberty Head 'Quintuple' Stella is a metric double eagle pattern — essentially a $20 gold piece struck to metric standards alongside the famous $4 Stella proposals. Only five examples are known, including one permanently held in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution. This finest-certified specimen (PR-64+ Deep Cameo PCGS) set an auction record of $2,562,000 at Heritage's ANA U.S. Coins Signature Auction in August 2026, surpassing the previous record of $2.16 million set at Heritage the year before. The coin's provenance includes legendary numismatist Virgil Brand and, most recently, the celebrated Bob R. Simpson Collection.
Key Features
- One of just five known examples of the 1879 Liberty Head 'Quintuple' Stella, a metric double eagle (gold $20) pattern closely associated with the famous $4 Stellas of 1879 and 1880. Graded Proof-64+ Deep Cameo PCGS — the finest-certified example. Judd-1643, Pollock-1843. Pedigreed to the Bob R. Simpson Collection and, earlier, to legendary numismatist Virgil Brand.