1834 $2.50 NGC MS65 CAC

Classic Head variety. Small Head. A remarkable coin that appears to be among the first Classic Head quarter eagles produced from this die pair given its nearly fully reflective surfaces. This is the sort of coin that before third-party certification was sometimes called a "Proof" or "Specimen Strike" and it has amazing eye appeal as a result of its reflectivness and rich orange-gold color. There are a few small ticks in the fields but this is clearly a special coin. Classic Head quarter eagles in Gem have peculiar auction records. PCGS is brutally tough when grading these MS65 or better and the only two sales records in the last few years for PCGS 65's (both in 2008) were $54,625 and and $89,125 respectively. I have, as you can no doubt guess, tried to cross this coin to PCGS given its higher value and, so far, have had no luck. But I do think this it has some potential of crossing in the future (especially if it were submitted with the "right" coins) and, obviously, it has enormous upside. But you are buying a coin and not a holder (hopefully) and you should be aware that this is one of the finest Classic Head quarter eagles to be available in some time. Only three 1834 Classic Head quarter eagles in MS65 have been approved by CAC with just one better.