1851 $5.00 PCGS MS61

This is one of the mostly wildly toned Liberty Head gold coins that I've seen in a long time. My guess is that this piece was in a leather pouch for many years and the obverse and reverse have vivid coppery and purple-gold hues that are well-contrasted by the underlying green-gold hues. I am not charging much of a premium for this color (I recently sold a CAC/PCGS 1851 half eagle for a hundred bucks less) but I have the feeling that if this were a common date Morgan dollar with this degree of color it would bring an enormous premium.

1856 $2.50 PCGS MS65

In my opinion, Gem quality small denomination gold from the 1850's is one of the more undervalued areas of American numismatics. It is not exactly plentiful but on the few occasions when a coin like an MS65 1856 quarter eagle is available, prices seem very reasonable to me. This is among the nicer examples of this date that I have seen or owned with glowing frosty luster covered with a touch of light rose color. There are no marks of note on the surfaces, the strike is excellent and there is a "freshness" about this coin that would be hard to improve upon. My best guess is that there are no more than a half dozen real Gem 1856 quarter eagles known and the last to sell was Heritage 12/09: 1540 which brought $7,475.

1874 $10.00 PCGS MS62

The 1874 is basically the only Philadelphia eagle struck between this year and going back to the early 1860's that can be found from time to time in Uncirculated grades. When available, most are seen in the MS60 to MS61 range and properly graded MS62's are scarce. This piece has a very fresh appearance with nice luster and pleasing green-gold fields that are contrasted by orange-gold borders. There are a few scattered abrasions on the obverse that limit the grade but the originality of this piece makes it very appealing. The last APR for a PCGS MS62 is Heritage 4/11: 6649 which brought $4,025 and which was, in my opinion, not quite as nice as this example in spite of being approved by CAC. With this series becoming more and more popular, good values such as this are becoming more and more limited.

1864-S $5.00 PCGS VF30

The 1864-S is the second rarest business strike Liberty Head half eagle, trailing only the 1875. Of the 3,888 struck there are probably not more than two dozen or so known and with most of these off the market in tightly-held collections, it can be years between offerings. I have only handled two examples in the last five years and one of these was in a "genuine" holder. This piece has good overall detail for the date and grade with splashes of coppery color seen at the obverse border and at the right reverse. There are a few marks seen in the fields as one would expect from a coin in a 30 holder but nothing terribly detracting and the overall eye appeal level is better than you might expect. No 1864-S half eagles have appeared at auction since a PCGS VF35 (with a gigantic abrasion right on Liberty's cheek) in February 2009 and PCGS has a population of just fifteen in all grades. An important coin.

1861 $20.00 NGC AU55

This date has two basic "looks." The first (and by far the more common) is frosty with tons of bagmarks. The second (and by far the rarer) is satiny with clean to very clean surfaces. This coin is clearly in the second category and it shows just a bit of rub on the high spots but almost no marks worthy of merit. An affordable Civil War double eagle with great overall eye appeal.

1882-S $20.00 PCGS MS62 CAC

Along with the 1879-S, 1880-S and 1881-S, the 1882-S double eagle is one of the true condition rarities in the Type Three series. In MS63, this coin sells for $15,000-16,000 (if you can find one) which makes a high end MS62 like this at around a quarter of the price a seemingly superb value. This coin is very fresh with lovely rose and light green-gold color atop very frosty, undipped surfaces. There are just a few too many marks on the obverse to grade this a point higher but it is close in quality to the few MS63 coins that have been offered at auction in the last few years. If you are a collector of Type Threes, why not save your money for the really rare coins and stick with a choice MS62 to fill your 1882-S hole?

1849-O $1.00 PCGS MS62

This is not only a numismatically significant issue as it is the first New Orleans gold dollar, it is also scarce in MS62 and above. It is certainly more available in MS62 than its counterparts from Charlotte and Dahlonega but it is much more affordable and it tends to be better made as well. This frosty green-gold example is well detailed with just a few light marks in the fields. A good type coin for the New Orleans collector.

1891-CC $10.00 NGC MS61

Fresh from Europe and beautifully toned with deep yellow-gold that shades to pale orange in the fields and is contrasted by deeper highlights. Very high end for the grade with just a few light ticks at the central obverse keeping this from grading at least a point higher. The best available quality for a CC eagle at less than $2,000.

1863 $20.00 NGC AU55 CAC

The 1863 is the second rarest Type One double eagle from Philadelphia (and, no, I'm not counting the 1849 or the 1861 Paquet reverse...) trailing only the 1862. It is not often seen in any grade and when it is available it tends to come with heavy wear, heavy abrasions and poor eye appeal. This example is among the best 1863 double eagles that I have handled in the last few years. It is very lustrous and it shows light wear that is limited to the high spots. There is some natural coppery-red toning below even green-gold and pale orange highlights and the surfaces are free of the deep, detracting abrasions that characterize this issue. I purchased this coin from an "upgrader" who thought it would wind-up in an AU58 holder and, honestly, I think he's being overly optimistic. If you collect Type One double eagles or specialize in Civil war gold, you know how hard it is to find nice, lightly circulated examples of this date.