1856-D $2.50 PCGS AU55 CAC

The 1856-D quarter eagle has the lowest mintage figure of any coin ever struck at the Dahlonega mint and it is the single rarest issue from this mint. Only 874 were produced of which an estimated three to four dozen exist. The coin that the 1856-D quarter eagle offers an interesting comparison to is the 1854-D three dollar of which just 1,120 were struck. The 1856-D, in my experience, is easily twice as rare and in Choice AU it is maybe three times as rare. In spite of this, the 1856-D is currently valued at around 25% less than the 1854-D three dollar in comparable grades. The present example is the nicest 1856-D quarter eagle to come onto the market in at least a year and I think it is considerably nicer than the NGC 58 that Heritage sold as Lot 4697 in their October 2011 auction for $40,250. I purchased this coin from one of the sharpest "crackout" dealers in the business and he spent at least six months trying to get this coin into a Mint State holder. I actually think he's got a point on this example and it really does seem to be free of wear and deserves consideration to be in an Uncirculated holder. As with all 1856-D quarter eagles, it is crudely struck but it shows better than average overall detail. There is dirt in the protected areas and the color is a nice medium rose and green-gold hue. The coin is easily identifiable by a small spot on the reverse in the field below the left base of the A in STATES. Overall, this is a simply outstanding coin. If you collect Dahlonega gold you are certainly aware of its significance but I'd also give it a glowing recommendation to the individual who is looking for a great piece to salt away for a few years.

Ex Scotsman 10/11: 389 where it sold for $41,975. This was before it was approved by CAC.

1856-D $5.00 NGC AU58

This coin has the look of an example from the hoard of 1856-D half eagles that is known but I don't think it is from there as it does not have the hairlines that these pieces tend to show. What is does have is luster; lots and lots of luster. In fact, this piece totally deserves to be termed a slider as it looks like an MS61 to the naked eye but there is a small amount of friction in the obverse fields. The 1856-D remains one of the scarcer Dahlonega half eagles from the standpoint of overall rarity and this piece is a great alernatuive to a five-figure Uncirculated example.

1856-D $1.00 NGC MS62 Duke's Creek

Duke's Creek Collection pedigree. Only 1,460 1856-D gold dollars were struck and this is the third rarest date of this denomination from Dahlonega, trailing only the 1861-D and 1855-D. In high grades, it is the second rarest, trailing only the 1855-D. There are just four or five known in Uncirculated and the present example, pedigreed to the famous Duke's Creek collection, is the first to be available to collectors in close to four years. This very appealing example is well-known within the specialist community on account of its flashy deep orange-gold color which highlights the obverse and the reverse. The underlying surfaces are clean save for a pair of shallow blunt marks in the left field and the strike is better than average for the issue with a nearly full date (the 5 is slightly weak) and a bold mintmark. As on all known examples, the U in UNITED is barely visible. The current high grade population for the 1856-D gold dollar is two in MS62 with none better at PCGS and one in MS62 (this coin) with one better (an MS63) at NGC. There are two auction records for PCGS MS62's at over $40,000 (Green Pond: 1009 brought $47,150 in 2004 and ANR 9/03: 425 was bid to $41,400). With the market for high end Dahlonega rarities seemingly as strong as it has been for at least five years, this coin is fairly priced and it represents the chance for the serious gold dollar collector to acquire a famous example of a famous, legitimately rare date.

From the Duke's Creek collection (Heritage 4/06), Lot 1488, where it sold for $40,250

1856-D $5.00 NGC EF45

I almost never see this date in the EF grades. Most 1856-D half eagles are in higher grades (AU53 and up) and this is due to the presence of a hoard as well as a lack of circulation. But this piece is not only a Choice EF, it has lovely warm reddish-gold color at the borders and smooth, lightly abraded surfaces. The strike is typically soft with the radial lines in the stars very flat and somewhat beveled edges.