Heritage Auctions’ June 29 Error Coinage Showcase Auction Realizes More Than $341,000, Led by Rare 1944 Steel Lincoln Cent

Heritage’s 2026 June 29 Error Coinage U.S. Coins Showcase Auction realized $341,470, underscoring the sustained strength of the market for rare error coins, wrong-planchet strikes and dramatic U.S. Mint production anomalies.

The sale was led by a 1944 Lincoln Cent struck on a 2.9-gram steel planchet, graded VF35 by PCGS, which realized $23,790. Rare 1944 steel cents struck on leftover war-alloy planchets are perennial favorites among advanced Lincoln cent collectors. This enigmatic piece was struck on a steel planchet slightly heavier than a normal production wartime planchet.

Another standout was an 1864 Large Motto Two Cent Piece double struck, graded MS62 Red and Brown by ANACS, that realized $18,300. The dramatic multiple strike transformed an already historically significant Civil War-era denomination into an exceptional mint error, while retaining attractive original color.

Modern error coinage also attracted strong bidding throughout the auction. A 1974-D Eisenhower Dollar struck on a 40% silver dollar planchet, certified MS62 by PCGS, brought $8,845. Wrong-planchet Eisenhower dollars remain highly collectible as they come from the last circulating large-size silver dollar series.

An equally remarkable wrong-planchet error, a 2000-D Sacagawea Dollar struck on a previously struck Israel 1 New Sheqel, graded MS67 by NGC, realized $8,540. Accompanied by both a standard 2000-P Sacagawea dollar and the Israel 1 New Sheqel, the extraordinary piece vividly demonstrates one of the rarest types of mint production errors, in which a foreign coin entered the coining press and received an entirely new design.

Collectors also competed vigorously for transitional pattern-related material, driving a 1999-P Connecticut Statehood Quarter struck on an experimental planchet to $7,015. During development of the new golden Sacagawea dollar, the United States Mint tested manganese-alloy planchets using Statehood quarter dies before the new dollar dies became available. Examples from this experimental striking program are known for each of the five 1999 Statehood quarter designs and remain among the most elusive modern U.S. Mint errors.

Rounding out the top highlights was a 1977-D Bicentennial Half Dollar struck on a 40% silver planchet, graded AU53 by NGC, which realized $6,405. Weighing 11.4 grams, the unusual composition error represents another compelling example of the wrong-planchet mistakes that continue to generate significant collector interest decades after leaving the Mint.

Complete results can be found at HA.com/60547.