1834 Plain 4 $5.00 PCGS AU58 CAC

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Classic Head variety. If you are a collector with a $2,500-5,000 per coin budget and you like "old gold," it is a natural to look at Classic Head quarter eagles and half eagles. And there are few coins more appealing than a "gem slider" Classic Head half eagle, especially with the look of this piece. Both the obverse and reverse have glorious natural fiery reddish-gold color with the obverse more intense in hue than the reverse. There is no real wear; just some friction and bag handling in the fields on both sides. You'd have to spend at least double the asking price of this coin to find one that was nicer and even than it might not have this coin's wonderful overall eye appeal.

CAC has approved twenty-four in this grade with another nineteen finer.

1807 $2.50 PCGS EF40

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BD-1, R-3. The Draped Bust Right variety of quarter eagle was produced from 1796 through 1807 and it is noted for being amongst the rarest of all early gold issues. The 1807 is by far the most available date of the type but even this issue is not easily found and when available, examples tend to be in the AU and lower Uncirculated grades. There is a high amount of demand for affordable middle grade quarter eagles of this design but they are seldom available as this issue just didn't circulate to wear down to the VF-EF grades. There has been just one PCGS EF40 example of the 1807 sold at auction since 2004 and this was recent (Heritage 9/11: 4201 at $13,800). The present coin is problem-free and while it shows wear, this is even and gentle. In fact, the surfaces of this coin are cleaner than usual for the type and date with nice medium green-gold and orange colors, in slightly different hues, seen on the obverse and reverse. I have handled a few reasonably priced 1807 quarter eagles this year and all of them have sold quickly.

1850-D $2.50 PCGS EF40 CAC

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A beautiful, wholly original example of this scarcer issue with lovely deep green-gold color on the obverse and the reverse. I grade this coin at least EF45 if not finer but there is a small, old reverse scrape below the right foot of the A in STATES that can be seen with careful examination. The mintage for this issue was 12,148 but the survival rate is low and of the few hundred that exist, only a handful display the originality that this coin has in spades. The PCGS and NGC population figures for the 1850-D do not reflect the true rarity of the 1850-D quarter eagle with total originality; I doubt if more than a dozen comparable pieces are known.

CAC has approved just this one example in EF45 with eleven approved in grades higher than this.

From the RYK Collection.

1852-D $2.50 PCGS VF35 CAC

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Old Green Label Holder. By today's standards I grade this coin at least EF40 and possibly as high as EF45. Beginning with this issue, the mintages for Dahlonega quarter eagles drop considerably from the numbers recorded in the 1840's. Only 4,078 were made in 1852 and the 1852-D, while not as rare as the trio of issues from 1854 through 1856, is very scarce in its own right. This piece is well struck at the central obverse but a bit weak at the central reverse. It is toned in a light to medium green-gold hue and there is a good deal of dirt in the lettering on the reverse. This is quite possibly the most affordable very nice example of this issue that I have ever seen (check auction records for VF35, EF40 and EF45 examples and you'll see what I mean...) and it is a great opportunity for the Dahlonega collector on a limited budget.

CAC has approved just four 1852-D quarter eagles in all grades: this one in VF35 and three finer.

From the RYK Collection.

1857-O $2.50 PCGS AU53 CAC

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This coin was formerly in an NGC AU55 holder and it had a CAC sticker; it was "downcrossed" to a PCGS AU53 where it now looks pretty undergraded to me! The surfaces are very deeply toned in rich green-gold shades and this is one of the few circulated 1857-O quarter eagles that I can recall with such original surfaces. This is the final year of issue for quarter eagles from this mint and the 1857-O, while not really scarce, is extremely hard to find with this appearance.

This is the only CAC AU53 example of this date; thirteen graded higher have been apporved.

From the RYK Collection.

1868 $10.00 PCGS EF45 CAC

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Despite a low mintage of 10,630 business strikes, the 1868 is accorded just a small premium over a common date. It is certainly the most affordable Reconstruction era eagle from this mint but I find it fairly hard to locate and clearly undwervalued. This is a very appealing, high grade example with very original surfaces that show deep green-gold, orange and pale rose hues. A good deal of dirt can be seen on both sides. Great value for the savvy collector!

CAC has approved two in this grade with just three finer.

From the RYK Collection.

1869-S $10.00 PCGS VF35 CAC

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If a coin graded VF35 could be called a "gem" this would be it as the appearance is extremely pleasing. The obverse and reverse have an almost cameo-like look with the green-gold devices contrasted by deep russet hues at the borders. Unlike most San Francisco eagles from this era, the surfaces are remarkably clean and PCGS was pretty tough on this coin as it certainly seems to have as much detail as many other comparable coins from this era that I have seen in EF40 holders. Only 6,430 examples were made and there are probably fewer than 100 known in all grades. This coin is a wonderfully affordable combination of true rarity and great appearance.

CAC has approved just this one example in VF35 with two approved in grades higher than this.

From the RYK Collection.

1850 $20.00 PCGS EF40 CAC

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An uncommonly clean example of this popular first-year issue with just a few small marks seen in the fields. Light grteen with some slightly deeper contrasting hues seen on the high spots of the obverse and the reverse. Clearly, a high end coin for the grade and always in demand.

CAC has approved five in this grade and forty-one finer.

From the RYK Collection.