1844-O $5.00 PCGS MS61

Bass Collection Pedigree Let's say that you are a type collector and you want a nice No Motto half eagle from the New Orleans mint in Uncirculated. You really don't have alot of choices as only one date--the 1844-O--is relatively obtainable in Uncirculated. And if your budget is around $5,000 for a nice coin, than this piece is exactly what you are looking for. This piece is housed in an older holder and it has remained untouched since it was sold at the Bass IV sale in 2000. It is solid for the grade with nice light yellow-gold color and great luster. The strike is a bit weak at the centers and there are a few marks at the eleventh and twelfth stars but you aren't going to find a nicer 1844-O in an MS61 holder. Legitimately Uncirculated examples of this date are not that easy to find and this coin with its good eye apeal and great pedigree would make a great addition to any advanced set of New Orleans half eagles.

Ex Bass IV: 392 (Bowers and Merena 11/10) where it sold for $3,910

1867-S $2.50 PCGS MS61

The 1867-S is not an especially scarce date in circulated grades although it isn't easy to locate in properly graded AU55 to AU58. In Uncirculated, this date is actually quite rare with probably no more than a dozen or so known. The finest is a PCGS MS64 that is ex B+M 6/01: 1214 (where it sold very reasonably at $12,650) and the next finest is Bass II:555, graded MS63 by PCGS, that brought $9,487. Many of the examples that I have seen in MS61 holders are pretty marginal but this example is really choice and fully "new" with no wear on the high spots and no significant luster breaks. It is original and uncleaned with nice rich golden-orange color with a darker toned area below the bun and across the reverse border. There are some scattered marks in the fields that merit the grade assigned by PCGS but this piece has a nice, fresh appearance and it is clearly high end for the grade. Besides this coin, the last PCGS MS61 to sell at auction was Heritage 3/07: 2665 that brought $4,704. Choice, attractive, rare and a great value at this level.

1847-D $2.50 NGC AU58+ CAC

Two dates in the Dahlonega quarter eagle series are well-known for having great color: the 1847-D and the 1849-D. I have owned about seven or eight of the former with really neat deep rich original hues and this example is the most recent addition to this illustrious list. The obverse and reverse show a blend of rich russet, green and bluish-gold hues with the obverse a bit more intense in shade than the reverse. The underlying surfaces are clean and frosty and this piece has no real wear, just the slightest amount of friction seen on the high spots. If you like your D mint gold well struck, then you'll love this coin: it is absolutely hammered with totally full details seen on the hair and feathers. NGC tends to be pretty sparing with the "plus" sign, especially on AU58 coins, and it was clear that they liked this piece as much as I do.

1842-C Large Date $5.00 PCGS MS61 CAC

Large Date variety. The 1842-C half eagles is known with a Large Date and Small Date variety. The former is more available and this adds date pressure as many collectors of high grade Charlotte fives do not want to spend $100k or more on an Uncirculated Small Date. The 1842-C Large Date is rare in Uncirculated with an estimated dozen or so known, including at least three or four coins in the MS64 to MS65 range. This semi-prooflike example has uncommonly good eye appeal for the grade with light yellow-gold centers framed by rich orange-gold at the borders. The strike is quite sharp for the variety and there are just a few marks seen on the obverse, noticeably clustered on the lower portion of the cheek. This coin has a freshness about it that you do not see on many high grade Charlotte half eagles any more and it would be a great coin for the collector who wants a single choice early date issue for a type set.

1838-D $5.00 PCGS MS62

The 1838-D is certainly not the rarest half eagle from this mint (this honor belongs to the 1842-D Large Date and the 1861-D) but it is clearly the most popular. This is due to its twin status as a first-year-of-issue and the only Classic Head half eagle from this mint. The 1838-D has become incredibly hard to locate in higher grades, due to the extreme popularity of this issue with multiple buyers: type coin collectors, fancy coin collectors, Classic Head specialists, half eagle collectors and, of course, Dahlonega dudes. There are around ten to twelve known in Uncirculated but the only one that has been available in the past few years is the wonderful Heritage 1/11: 5105 coin, graded MS63 by PCGS, which sold for $57,500. The last example in MS62 to sell is this coin which was last offered in 2007 (see the pedigree below) and none had been offered for a few years before this. The present example is unusual in that it is prooflike and especially well struck; this suggests that it may have been among the very first made and most 1838-D half eagles have a frosty texture. The color is light green-gold and there are not many marks on the surfaces save for a few scattered marks in the obverse fields. I don't often say this but passing on the coin could result in waiting another five years or more in locating a good qualty high grade 1838-D. If you need to fill this hole in your collection of Dahlonega half eagles, consider the opportunity cost!

ex Heritage 2007 ANA: 1919 where it sold for $37,375

1853-D Large D $5.00 PCGS VF35 CAC

This attractive Choice VF coin is perfect for a lower budget type collection and it is every bit as nice as many of the common date Dahlonega half eagles that I have seen graded EF40 by both services. Light greehn in color with some dirt in the protected areas. Good value at less than $2,000

1869-S $2.50 NGC MS61

This is a nice, fully "new" example of a date that is seldom found in higher grades. I doubt if more than ten to fifteen are known in Uncirculated with most in the MS60 to MS62 range. The nicest thing about this coin is its color with a band of rich reddish-gold at the obverse border and outlining the details on the reverse. A few small marks limit the grade but this piece is really attractive. The SF quarter eagles from this era are very undervalued and offer the collector with a challenging but not overly expensive area.

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.

1859-O $20.00 NGC AU50

Only 9,100 were struck and the 1859-O is the fourth rarest double eagle from this mint trailing the 1854-O, 1856-O and 1855-O. There are less than 100 examples known in all grades with around twenty or so in the various AU grades and another three in Uncirculated. For most collectors, the 1859-O (along with the 1860-O) represents one of the biggest expenditures in their Type One double eagle set. But this is a frustrating issue as it is rarely seen with good eye appeal as a result of poor strike and heavy abrasions. And that's why I think that this is a special example. It is better struck than usual for the date with good overall detail at the centers and borders. The surfaces show a few minor, scattered marks but are free of the deep abrasions that are so often seen. The color is a pleasing light, even green gold hue and this rests atop some prooflike flash. Since March 2007, there have been five seperate APR's at Heritage for AU50 examples of this date: three in PCGS holders and two graded by NGC. Prices have ranged from a low of $34,500 to a high of $37,375. An important coin for the advanced New Orleans gold collector.