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A rare 1880 gold coin is not priceless, but it is close. The $4 Coiled Hair Stella, which was struck in the US but never released for circulation, brought an astonishing $2,574,000 at auction by Bonhams in Los Angeles.

The sale price, which was nearly double the pre-estimate auction value makes it one of the 10 most expensive US coins ever sold at auction (based on the Red Book 250 Top Auction prices). This price placed it in the vaunted company of the 1933 Double Eagle, the 1794 Silver Dollar, 1804 Silver Dollar, 1913 Nickel and Brasher Doubloons.

The sale of the Coiled Hair Stella was part of an overall collection of 27 lots that represented a virtually complete collection of every major gold design type issued in proof in the US between 1836 and 1915. The $399,186 a lot average represents a world record for a rare coin collection on a per lot basis nearly doubling the previous record.

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