By Jessica Parks, Philadelphia Inquirer

A one-of-a-kind, pristine-condition 1873 dime fetched $1.84 million in an auction Thursday night at the American Numismatic Association convention.

“It’s not rare, it’s not scarce – it’s unique. And it’s pretty much immaculate,” said Brian Kendrella, director of operations at the Spectrum Group. He entered the winning bid on behalf of a private collector who sought to remain anonymous.

Before the live auction began, online bids had already reached $950,000. The price went up in seconds, with bidders in the room, on the phone, and online answering the auctioneer’s calls – $1 million, $1.1 million, $1.2 million, $1.3 million, $1.4 million, $1.5 million. The winning bid was $1.6 million, plus a 15 percent buyer’s fee.

The coin is the sole survivor of a one-day run of dimes from Carson City, a sparsely populated frontier town whose mints are now highly valued for their rarity and historical significance.

The 1873-CC No Arrows Liberty Seated dime was the keystone coin in the Battle Born Collection, which contained one of every coin minted in Carson City before the facility closed in 1893. All 111 pieces were parceled off Thursday night, fetching a total of $9.98 million.