Branding Your Collection
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How Rare are Non-Shipwreck Gem Type One Double Eagles?
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In the recent Stacks Bowers 2016 ANA Sale, I was fortunate to purchase an amazing 1860 double eagle, graded MS65 by PCGS, which was part of the Bull Run Collection and earlier was sold as Lot 900 in the famous October 1982 Eliasberg Collection auction.
After I bought this coin, I told another dealer that the Eliasberg 1860 “was the finest non-shipwreck Type One double eagle I had ever owned.” This got me to thinking: just how rare are non-shipwreck MS65 and finer double eagles of this type?
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10 Rare Date Gold Coins with Surprisingly Low/High CAC Populations
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To me, CAC populations help to quantify quality. By this, I mean that if 8 examples of a specific date of Liberty Head half eagle have been approved by CAC, we can assume that there are at least 8 above-average examples of this date with some degree of originality and eye appeal. A figure of “8” at PCGS is not as quantifiable when it comes to quality.
Read MoreWhat is the Rarest New Orleans Half Eagle?
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A total of 17 half eagles were produced at the New Orleans mint between 1840 and 1909. Focusing on the No Motto Liberty Head issues (struck between 1840 and 1857) there are at least five issues which I would call “rare” (i.e., fewer than 100 examples known in all grades). These are the 1842-O, 1847-O, 1855-O, 1856-O, and 1857-O. Of these five, which is the rarest in terms of overall rarity and which is the rarest in high grades?
Read MoreCivil War Eagles: A Rarity Study with Condition Census Information
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This is the first of potentially many articles which focus on rarity and Condition Census information in the Liberty Head eagle series. The first sub-group I’m going to focus on is the 11 Civil War issues. These coins are, with one exception, rare in all grades and a number of them are either unknown or excessively rare in Uncirculated.
Read MoreStandalone New Orleans Coinage: Gold Coins
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A “standalone” coin is one that, literally, stands alone; be it as a first-year issue, a one year type, or for other factors. In the United States gold coin market, there are a number of standalone issues from New Orleans and this article will identify and analyze them.
Read MoreHigh-Grade No Motto New Orleans Eagles: An Analysis
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All No Motto eagles are very rare in MS64 and higher grades. Even the common Philadelphia issues which exist by the thousands in circulated and low-end Uncirculated grades are all but unknown in high grades. This is due to a combination of factors: mishandling, use in commerce, melting(s), and lack of collector interest until well into the 20th century.
Read MoreWhat's the "Next Big Thing" in Rare Date Gold? Five Suggestions:
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