1907 High Relief $20.00 NGC MS65 CAC

Wire Edge variety Is there a coin that says "my collection is world-class" more than a Gem quality High Relief? No, they aren't "rare" as hundreds exist but they are highly desirable and always in demand. And what of this example? It is housed in an older NGC holder and it is superb. The surfaces are intensely lustrous and display uncommonly rich lemon hues. What is most impressive, to my eyes, is the fact that this coin lacks the rub of the knee and breast of Liberty that is seen on nearly all High Reliefs; even pieces that grade MS65 and MS66. A few very small marks in the left obverse field keep this from an otherwise-plausible higher grade and the eye appeal is higher than nearly any High Relief graded MS65 that I have seen in a long time. This coin truly has it all as far as High reliefs go: great eye appeal, residence in an older holder (assurance, in this case, that it hasn't been "messed" with) and a CAC sticker. Let's dwell on this last point for a second. To date, 447 High Reliefs have been graded MS65 by NGC and PCGS combined. Assuming that there are a number of regrades, let's say that there 300 or so MS65 coins. To date, only 30 have been approved by CAC. Accounting for the fact that many have not been sent to CAC yet, it is still likely that no more than 75-100 of these coins will ever be stickered. That's a real consideration when you are searching for the "right" High Relief for your collection. An exciting offering for the collector who wants to own a truly beautiful coin.

CAC has approved 30 in this grade with 19 finer.

1856 $2.50 PCGS MS65

In my opinion, Gem quality small denomination gold from the 1850's is one of the more undervalued areas of American numismatics. It is not exactly plentiful but on the few occasions when a coin like an MS65 1856 quarter eagle is available, prices seem very reasonable to me. This is among the nicer examples of this date that I have seen or owned with glowing frosty luster covered with a touch of light rose color. There are no marks of note on the surfaces, the strike is excellent and there is a "freshness" about this coin that would be hard to improve upon. My best guess is that there are no more than a half dozen real Gem 1856 quarter eagles known and the last to sell was Heritage 12/09: 1540 which brought $7,475.

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.