1848 $5.00 PCGS AU58

This superbly toned 1848 half eagle is from an interesting group of coins recently found in the South that belonged to an Odd Fellows Home. It consisted of a small number of silver and gold coins that were dated from 1843 to 1848; both Philadelphia and New Orleans pieces were included. Due to the way it was stored, this piece has acquired vivid fuchsia hues on the obverse and reverse. I can't recall having seen a more vividly toned No Motto half eagle that had unquestionably natural color. This piece is worth a significant premium, in my opinion, for some of the most electrifying shades that I have ever observed on a U.S. gold coin!

1840 $5.00 PCGS AU50

Narrow Mill variety. Graded at PCGS' Paris offices (or "Le PCGS" as I call it...) and a lovely dark green example with a very fresh appearance. While not a really rare coin, the 1840 Narrow Mill is hard to find with natural color and it is historically significant as the first Liberty Head half eagle with the modified design.

1803/2 $5.00 PCGS AU55 CAC

BD-1, Rarity-4. I had to really "pay up" for this piece but I was happy to do so on account of its quality. It is a coin that very easily could have graded AU58 and it is as choice and original an example of this date and type as your are likely to find. The obverse shows some friction in the fields but has choice, even medium gold color; the reverse grades at least AU58+ and shows deeper green-gold hues with tinges of fiery reddish-gold in the lettering. The strike is sharp, the planchet is high quality and the eye appeal is about as high as you will find for an AU example of this type. You can save a $1,000 or so and buy a dipped-out, unattractive Bust Right half eagle or you can pay up (as I did!) and buy a really special coin with true character and great eye appeal. Your choice...

1857-S $3.00 PCGS EF45

The low mintage Philadelphia issues tend to get the attention in the Three Dollar series. But the branch mint issues from San Francisco range from slightly scarce (1856-S) to unique (1870-S) and the 1857-S is one of my favorite of the five Three Dollars issues made at this mint. Only 14,000 were struck and this date is scarce in all grades. I bought this coin due to its exceptional eye appeal for the grade. It is sharply impressed (except for some lightness on the date) and it shows very pleasing rich natural honey-gold color. This is unusual for the issue as nearly every 1857-S has been cleaned at one time. In fact, I regard the 1857-S as one of the rarest Three Dollar gold pieces with original color and surfaces and it is almost never seen in Choice EF with good eye appeal.

1859-S $2.50 NGC AU58

Only 15,200 examples were struck and this is one of my favorite "sleeper" dates in the entire San Francisco quarter eagle series. The 1859-S is very scarce in the higher AU grades and it is very rare in Uncirculated. The beauty of this date in AU58 is that it is affordable and there is a large price jump once the Mint State grades are reached. This piece is bright and quite lustrous with a good strike and just a few small marks in the fields. At less than $3,000 this is a really good value for the collector of undervalued United States gold coins.

1847-C $2.50 NGC AU55+ CAC

The 1847-C is, by far, the most available quarter eagle from this mint. It is also the best produced. These two factors combine to make this issue the perfect choice for a collector who is seeking a single affordable type example of a Charlotte quarter eagle. This particular piece is extremely high end with lovely deep rich green gold color. It appears to have never been cleaned or dipped and it is kept from an AU58 grade, I presume, only by the presence of some light, well-hidden scuffs in the left obverse field. I can't recall having handled many nicer Charlotte quarter eagle in this price range and this is the sort of coin that gets more and more appealing with repeated viewings.

1849-D $1.00 NGC EF45

The 1849-D dollar is the most available gold coin from the Dahlonega mint, making it perfect for the new collector. This example is quite choice for the grade with nice dark green-gold color and very clean surfaces. The obverse is slightly weak as often seen at the center while the reverse is sharp with a full date. An old scrape below the 49 in the date is barely noticeable. While certainly not "rare" in the absolute sense of the work, nice affordable 1849-D dollars aren't easily located and this piece would be a perfect introduction to the Wonderful World of Dahlonega.

1850-O 50C PCGS MS64+ CAC

Fully struck and very lustrous with attractive totally original russet pastel color on the obverse and, a bit less extensively, on the reverse. A few very faint scuffs in the fields narrowly remove this piece from the Gem level. I like this coin considerably more than Osburn: 7038 (at $6,613) which, while graded MS65 by NGC, had no character due to a recent dipping. Only four examples have been graded MS64+ by PCGS and, in my opinion, the entire population for Mint State 1850-O half dollars at PCGS is grossly inflated. Coins like this are wonderful value and this piece is really not all that far off, from the standpoint of appearance, from the PCGS MS65 that sold for $14,950 in the Bowers and Merena 11/10 auction.

1845 25C PCGS MS63

There are few areas in the market that offer better value than No Motto Seated Quarters and I am especially fond of the Philadelphia quarters from the 1840's. This choice, fresh example shows light russet-gold centers that are framed by flashes of fiery apricot-gold at the borders. There are a few scattered marks in the obverse fields that limit the grade but this is among the few 1845 quarters that I have seen that weren't either bright white from a recent dipping or dark and full of friction. Only four PCGS MS63's have sold at auction since 2000 and the last coin to trade was Heritage 9/08: 1512 that brought $1,783. Exceptional value at under $2,000!