1795 Draped Bust $1.00 PCGS AU58 CAC

Old Green Holder. B-14, BB-52. Rarity-2. The Off-Center Bust variety. There are two distinct varieties of 1795 Draped Bust Dollar: the Off-Centered Bust (B-14) and the Centered Bust (B-15). The former appears to be harder to locate in higher grades, as well as being more difficult to locate in terms of overall rarity. This example shows delightful deep "old silver" color with reddish iridescence seen in the protected areas. The strike is sharp and the surfaces are very choice with only a few tiny marks seen below magnification. Unlike most 1795 dollars graded AU58, this coin is a true slider with just the barest trace of cabinet friction seen on the high spots. This coin was graded many years ago and while I don't think it would ever upgrade to Mint State, I do believe that it is hugely superior to most examples offered for sale in recent years. As an example, a PCGS AU58 of this variety recently sold for $35,650 in the 9/11 Goldberg auction. The present piece is far, far nicer in my opinion and it would make a wonderful piece for an advanced collection of early silver types.

1859-D $2.50 PCGS MS62 CAC

This newly discovered, fresh-to-the-market coin is not only the best 1859-D quarter eagle that I have ever seen, it is quite possibly the finest known for the date. The 1859-D is a scarce date in all grades with a mintage of just 2,244. It is likely that a small hoard existed at one time as survivors are almost never seen in VF and EF grades but most are clustered in the AU range. In Uncirculated, the rarity of this issue is indisputable. I know of three examples that grade MS62: this coin, Duke's Creek: 1515 (in an NGC holder; it sold for $37,375 in 2006) and Green Pond: 1036 (in a PCGS holder; it sold for $34,500 back in 2004). I like this coin better than either the Duke's Creek or Green Pond coins. It has wonderful deep, rich green-gold, orange and pale reddish hues with very choice surfaces and better luster than usual. For the date, it is well made and well detailed. Most importantly, it is fresh in appearance with no signs of having ever been cleaned or dipped. At the recent Heritage sale of the Baltimore Collection of quarter eagles, the few very high quality pieces that were available brought very strong prices. If you are putting together a world-class set of Dahlonega gold coins, the significance of this remarkable 1859-D quarter eagle will be clear.

1875-CC $20.00 PCGS MS61

When I purchased this coin a few months ago (in an MS61 holder), I thought it would be a "score" and would be in an MS62 holder in no time. After five submissions (all of which saw the same result), I've given up and am going to sell this coin as is. It is awfully, awfully nice for an MS61 Type Two double eagle from this mint due to its superb rich golden-orange and rose color as well as its blasty luster. The obverse shows some light scuffs in the fields and there is a small area of granularity (as made) around star seven; the reverse is extremely choice and grades close to MS63 on its own accord. There aren't many surviving 1875-CC double eagles that have never been dipped or processed and this is one of the few original pieces. A great piece for a type collection or a date set.

1850 $20.00 PCGS AU55

This is an attractive and interesting coin with a good back story. I bought it from a well-known wholesale dealer who had purchased it out of the 2011 ANA sale (see the pedigree below) expecting it to grade AU58. I can see why he thought this as the coin has superb deep green-gold color, nice luster and just a small amount of wear on both sides. I'm guesing the reason(s) it didn't grade AU58 are a series of very fine mint-made grease stains on the obverse from between stars seven and eight down into the upper left field through the coronet tip.In my opinion, this coin has better cosmetic appeal than 75% of all the 1850 double eagles that I have seen in AU58 holders and I love its color and originality. A pleasing example of the first collectible double eagle from the Philadelphia mint.

Ex Stack's Bowers 2011 ANA: 9658, where it sold for $6,900.

1849 $10.00 NGC MS61

As with most No Motto Philadelphia eagles from this era, the 1849 is common in circulated grades but rare in Uncirculated and nearly unobtainable above MS62 to MS63. This piece is really choice for the grade with no luster breaks in the fields and an absence of rubbing on the high spots. The surfaces are clean with just a few small, scattered marks and the luster is frosty with a slightly different texture seen surrounding the devices on both sides. As is typical for this date, there is some minor weakness of strike at the centers. There is a huge price jump for this date as you go higher up the grading ladder and this makes a nice MS61 coin like this a very good value, in my opinion.

1865 $20.00 NGC AU58 CAC

This formerly overlooked Civil War double eagle is now recognized as being a scarce issue in circulated grades and a rare one in Uncirculated. This choice "slider" example shows attractive even light to medium green-gold color with slight accents of rose. The surfaces are clean with the exception of a few contact marks below the eye of Liberty and the wear is limited to a touch of friction on the high spots of the obverse.

1858-O $10.00 NGC AU58

By 1858, production of No Motto eagles at the New Orleans mint was winding down and only two issues were produced after this (1859-O and 1860-O). The 1858-O is moderately scarce although maybe a bit less than its mintage of just 20,000 would suggest. But it becomes hard to find in the higher circulated grades and it is very rare in Uncirculated with around a dozen known. The present example is one of the absolute nicest AU's of this date I've seen and it is a virgin original coin with splendid deep, even green-gold color on the obverse and reverse. The underlying surfaces are very choice with just a few tiny nicks seen here and there. I doubt this piece actually saw any circulation and the high spots lack the rubbing typical to the grade. It is hard to imagine that a much nicer AU58 example of this date exists!

1875-CC $20.00 NGC AU55

This is an uncommonly clean example of this popular Type One issue with a near-total absence of marks on the medium natural orange-gold and greenish surfaces. The detail is certainly suggestive of an AU58 grade but there isn't quite enough "pizzazz" to grade it as such. The 1875-CC is by far the most available Type One double eagle from Carson City, which makes this a perfect coin for the type collector.

1851 $20.00 NGC AU55 CAC

This deeply toned Type One double eagle has nice rich green-gold color with contrasting darker highlights from storage overseas. The surfaces are lightly marked and gently worn with good detail seen on both sides. While certainbly a common date in nearly any circulated grade, you don't often seen 1851 double eagles with this degree of eye appeal and/or originality.