1879-CC $10.00 NGC AU58

Battle Born Collection pedigree. The 1879-CC has the lowest mintage figure of any Carson City gold coin and it was traditionally regarded as the rarest eagle from this mint. Of the 1,762 produced, only four dozen or so are known. But in recent years, the popularity (and price) of this rarity has been trumped by the 1870-CC and now the 1879-CC is actually, in my opinion, extremely undervalued when compared to such issues as the 1872-CC, 1873-CC, 1877-CC and 1878-CC eagles. This is one of the more lustrous 1879-CC eagles that I have seen with very vibrant semi-prooflike surfaces that show virtually no wear. There are some contact marks in the obverse fields that are accentuated by the depth of the luster; the reverse has some minor nicks in the fields. I bought this coin in the recent Battle Born sale and thought it was an incredible bargain for a number of reasons. Firstly, I saw a PCGS EF45 1879-CC eagle recently sell for close to $30,000 and that coin wasn't close to the present example from a quality standpoint. Secondly, I saw coins in the Battle Born sale (like the 1878-CC in NGC AU58 which brought $80,500) that were not close to being as rare as the 1879-CC sell for significantly more. Remember; this is a date that used to sell for more than the 1870-CC and which is probably the second rarest CC eagle in terms of rarity. A very important Carson City eagle.

Formerly in the Battle Born collection (Lot 11029) where it brought $41,688; earlier sold to the owner of this collection by me in Augsut 2002.

1879-O $10.00 PCGS AU55 CAC

This fresh-to-the-market example is remarkable for the issue as it is one of the very few 1879-O eagles that I have seen which has fully original deep natural toning. The obverse and the reverse both show deep green-gold hues that change to reddish-gold in the protected areas. The fields lack the deep, copious abrasions that are virtually always seen on this issue. There are flashes of prooflike surface within the protected area and the detail is excellent. Only 1,500 examples were made and this is the second rarest With Motto eagle from this mint, trailing only the 1883-O. In AU55, the 1883-O is now a $75,000+ coin (if you can find one) and a price ratio of around 3 to 1 makes sense for the 1879-O; an issue that was long priced at this ratio but which began to lag, price-wise, when the value for the 1883-O exploded a few years ago. At the recent Philadelphia ANA show, a dealer offered me an 1879-O in NGC AU55+ with CAC approval for nearly $30,000. I like the present example more. A very important coin for the advanced specialist.

1863-S $2.50 NGC EF45

After the extremely rare 1854-S, the next scarcest San Francisco quarter eagle is the unheralded 1863-S which narrowly eclipses the 1862-S. Only 10,800 were made and the survival rate is very low with probably no more than 1% still known. Auction records for EF45's are very scant over the last decade with just five seen from 2000 to the present. The most recent was Heritage 7/12: 4734 at $2,300 and the one right before this was Heritage 9/05: 4346 at $2,530; both were encapsulated by NGC. This example is light green-gold color with good detail but a bit of weakness on the reverse; the obverse is nicely detailed. There are a few small scuffs in the fields that do not detract. Trends is too low on this date as the last four APR's (dating back to 11/03) are for more than $2,000. A good coin for the savvy collector who appreciates undervalued Civil War issues.

1853/2 $20.00 PCGS AU50 CAC

Its status as the only overdate in the Liberty Head double eagle series makes the 1853/2 a very in-demand coin. It is especially desirable in collector grades (i.e., EF40 to AU50) and it becomes prohibitively expensive in the higher AU to Mint State range. This lustrous example has light green-gold color and very good detail. Its shows the diagnostic die dot below the right foot of the R in LIBERTY and the "spray" behind the neck of Liberty (a clashmark). Remarkably, there has been but one PCGS AU50 example of this variety sold at auction since 2004, Heritage 7/10: 4823 which brought $4,313.

This is the only CAC approved example of this date in AU50. Three finer pieces have been approved as well.

1853/2 $10.00 NGC AU53 CAC

There is only one (count them: one) legitimate overdate in all the Liberty Head eagle series: the 1853/2. This is an unquestionable overdate with evidence of the 2 clearly in the lower loop of the 3. I think this variety is clearly underrated and this surprises me, given the surge in popularity of this series. This coin is very choice for the grade with the appearance of an AU55. Unlike most 1853/2 eagles, it lacks serious marks and the surfaces exhibit a good deal of luster below light green-gold color. The last APR for an NGC AU53 is Heritage 3/12: 4106 but this coin was non-CAC and not nearly as choice as the current example. Terrific value for the collector who likes unusual coins.

CAC has approved three in this grade with five finer.

1851-O $20.00 PCGS EF45

There are only two "affordable" dates in the New Orleans double eagle series: the 1851-O and the 1852-O. If you track this series, you know that nice EF examples of this date have risen dramatically in the last decade. Has this market peaked? I don't think so and I base this belief on the demand I see for any sub-$5,000 PCGS graded 1851-O double eagle (or 1852-O) that I list on my site. These coins are regular visitors to raregoldcoins.com and they tend to fly off the proverbial shelf when available. This example has nice deep, even green-gold color with enough dirt present in the lettering to show that it is original. The surfaces lack any serious marks and the overall level of eye appeal is strong for the grade

1847-D $2.50 NGC AU55 CAC

Of the 200-250 known, only a dozen or so grade Uncirculated and most are in the EF40 to AU50 range. Nice AU55’s are regarded as scarce. This is a pleasing example with good color and surfaces. There is a considerable amount of luster on the obverse and reverse and the detail is above-average for the date and grade.

CAC has approved three in this grade with nine finer.

1851-O $20.00 NGC AU58 CAC

There are a small number of Gem Sliders known for this date and when they become available, collectors get excited. The reason is simple: an MS61 example of this date, if available, is now approaching $40,000 and a very high end AU58 like this coin is a remarkable value at less than half the price. This piece probably never entered circulation and it has glassy semi-prooflike surfaces with rich light green-gold that is accentuated by splashes of rich lime-gold across the central obverse. The strike is as sharp as one could hope for and there is just the slightest amount of bag friction on the high spots of the obverse. A small mark on the obverse can be seen between stars two and three and it seems to be mint-made. An exciting coin for the advanced collector of New Orleans gold.

CAC has approved two in this grade and two finer.

2/2

1841-O $10.00 PCGS EF40

The 1841-O eagle is a significant issue for a variety of reasons. It is the first year of issue for New Orleans eagles and it has a tiny original mintage of just 2,500. It is the second rarest No Motto eagle from this mint in terms of overall rarity after the 1859-O but it is the rarest from the standpoint of high grade availability. It is unknown in Mint State and extremely rare in properly graded AU with less than ten known. While it is available from time to time in EF grades, most of these coins are dipped and very abraded with little or no eye appeal. This example has a great natural appearance with deep, even green-gold color. It shows very clean surfaces with fewer marks than normal and the strike is above average as well with good detail at the centers. In the recently-concluded Stack's Bowers 2012 ANA sale, a PCGS EF45 example of this date sold for $16,450 and I don't think it was significantly finer than the EF40 I am offering here for significantly less money. While prices have risen on this issue in the last few years, I think it is still very undervalued and I would buy an 1841-O sooner than later if you need one for your New Orleans eagle set.