There is almost no term in the rare coin market which is more misused than “fresh.” I am certainly guilty of overusing this word, and if you look at the coin descriptions I write on my website, I use the word “fresh” more often than I probably should.
I’d like to do a Numismatic List with a Twist. Here are 10 very rare United States gold coins. I have handled all but one (and many of them I’ve handled multiples of). Which is the coin I haven’t handled?
For reasons still unknown, no business strike half eagles were made in 1887 and a total of just 87 coins were made; all as Proofs. This gives the 1887 the honor as the single lowest produced date in the entire half eagle denomination.
There are numerous San Francisco which are well known for their typically ratty appearance. This blog is not about these issues; it is about some of the seemingly more available issues which—in my experience—are surprisingly difficult to locate with good eye appeal.
A total of 23,900 eagles were made at the New Orleans mint in 1849-O. There are an estimated 13-17 known in About Uncirculated, and I doubt if more than two or three of these are what I would define as “choice, original” coins.
This feels like a great point in time to specialize in Charlotte gold. There is not as much competition at the very top end of the market as there is for Dahlonega and New Orleans gold. This means that a collector wishing to focus on finest known or Condition Census issues is not necessarily biting off more than he can chew.
Liberty Head quarter eagles were issued from 1840 from 1907 at the Philadelphia, New Orleans, Charlotte, Dahlonega and San Francisco mints. Including major varieties, there are over 150 different issues which range from very common to very rare.
Of all the various Liberty Head series, the No Motto eagles are probably the most complex from a pricing standpoint. The bad news is that there are around 15 or 20 issues which have surviving populations in the 25-75 coin range, and even more which are true appearance rarities. The good news is that there are no exceedingly rare six or seven-figure dates. So, let’s talk No Motto tens!
At the recent 2017 FUN show, Douglas Winter Numismatics purchased the 1850-O Eliasberg eagle for a price which is likely a record for any business strike ten dollar gold piece from the New Orleans mint...
