1865 $2.50 NGC AU58

There are a trio of very rare quarter eagles made at the Philadelphia mint during the Civil War. The foremost is the Proof-only 1863 with a mintage of 30 and just behind this is the 1864. But the 1865 is almost as rare, despite being less heralded, with an original mintage of only 1,520. Clearly, less than three dozen survive and the 1865 is actually as rare as the 1864 in terms of high(er) grade specimens. There are exactly three 1864 quarter eagles in Uncirculated but just one 1865 (a PCGS MS63) and the two dates are reasonably similar in terms of rarity in the AU grades with around ten or so known. The present example is appealing for the date and grade with an especially choice obverse that shows nice peripheral color and fewer marks than normal; the reverse is mostly untoned with a few more marks seen in the fields. I was recently offered an AU55 of this date (for just a shade less than $20,000) which I think was vastly inferior to this coin and the piece offered here is, in fact, one of the nicer examples of this date that I have seen or owned. In the last decade, there have been ten auction records for the 1865 quarter eagle in AU58 ranging in price from a low of $17,250 to a high of $25,875. This date has really not gone up all that much in price while the 1863 and 1864 have shown strong gains of late. In my opinion, the 1865 is very undervalued and as Civil War rarities become more appreciated, I think it has good potential to appreciate in price.

1851-D $1.00 NGC AU58

As a date, the 1851-D is the second most available Type One dollar from this mint but it is at least two to three times more scarce than the 1849-D. There were only 9,982 produced and this issue tended to see rather heavy circulation with examples usually in the EF40 to AU50 range. Choice AU 1851-D dollars are scarce and examples with natural color and surfaces are quite rare. This piece has some of the most attractive color that I can recall having seen on an 1851-D dollar with both the obverse and reverse showing very deep rich green-gold hues with contrasting shades of russet in the fields. The strike is sharp for the issue with fewer of the usual clashmarks and strong detail seen on the hair, date and mintmark. Below the color, there appears to be a considerable amount of luster and there seems to be no real wear, just a touch of friction on the high spots. This is a superb coin which deserves a strong premium on account of its coloration and it would make a great addition to a Dahlonega set that emphasized eye appeal.

1863-S $20.00 PCGS AU58 CAC

This coin ably illustrates why I like the AU58 grade so much. It has nearly full luster and shows no real wear (just some minor rub on the obverse high spots) yet it is priced at around half the amount that an MS61 would be, if available. This example has lovely rich rose and orange-gold color, nice luster and very choice surfaces with just a few small marks visible with the naked eye. Despite a high mintage of nearly a million coins, this date is not often seen in Uncirculated and many of the Mint State pieces are from shipwrecks. This example has totally original surfaces with no signs of matte-like luster and, to me, this makes it very desirable. Only one PCGS AU58 has sold at auction since October 2009 (Heritage 1/11: 7252 at $5,175) and it didn't have a CAC sticker. Speaking of which, this is one of eight in this grade with CAC approval with just three better. A great coin for the Type One or Civil War specialist.

1855-S $20.00 NGC AU58 CAC

This second-year-of-issue double eagle from San Francisco is not as scarce as the first-year 1854-S but it is an undervalued issue in its own right. The 1855-S is mostly found in the EF40 to AU50 grades and it becomes scarce in properly graded Choice AU. This lustrous example is among the most original 1855-S double eagles that I can recall having seen with appealing medium to deep rose and green-gold colors on the obverse and reverse. Traces of dirt are lodged in the protected areas on both sides and this attests to the coin's originality. The last comparable 1855-S to sell at auction was Heritage 3/12: 4206 (slabbed by PCGS but without a CAC sticker) that brought $5,175. If you can find an MS61 example of this date, you are probably looking at spending at least double the amount that this AU58 costs and you are probabaly not getting a better coin. This is one of just three 1855-S double eagles in this grade to earn a CAC sticker and only one finer currently exists with CAC approval.

1860-S $20.00 NGC AU58

The 1860-S is one of the more difficult Civil War era Type One double eagles from San Francisco as it is not a date whose population has been swelled by significant numbers located in shipwrecks. This very lightly worn example probably saw very little--if any--circulation but it has a touch of friction on the high spots. The surfaces are very clean with the exception of a series of small abrasions on the reverse below the R in AMERICA. If you can find an average quality MS60 to MS61 example of this date, you are likely to have to pay around double the price of this nice slider and which, do you think, is the better value?

1843-O Large Date $2.50 NGC AU58

From the standpoint of overall scarcity, the 1843-O Large Date is the second rarest quarter eagle from the New Orleans mint, trailing only the low mintage 1845-O. This variety was long overlooked due to the extreme availability of the common Small Date 1843-O but it has become popular and collectors are now aware of how hard it is to locate high grade examples. This piece show the characteristic broad rims of this variety as well as the significantly doubled mintmark base. The surfaces are covered with deep, natural green-gold color with rich accents of orange-gold. There is a good deal of luster remaining and the strike is better than on many examples with just a hint of weakness on the eagle's right (facing) leg. Uncleaned examples of this variety are not often seen and this would fit nicely into a specialized collection of New Orleans quarter eagles.

1883-CC $10.00 NGC AU58

The 1883-CC is the rarest CC eagle in high grades struck after 1879. It is most often found in the EF40 to AU50 range and many examples (depending on the die variety) are seen with very weak strikes. This highly lustrous piece shows a bare minimum of wear but it does have signs of contact from being knocked around loose while being shipped overseas in a bag. The color is a pleasing light yellow-green with a hint of reddish around the stars and the reverse device. It is extrermely well struck with detail not often seen on this issue. In Uncirculated, the 1883-CC is nearly unobtainable and I doubt if more than three or four exist. Properly graded AU58's are far and away the best most collectors can hope for (and they are priced at around one-third what a so-so MS61 would bring, if available...) The last NGC AU58 to sell at auction was Lot 7106 in the Heritage January 2011 extravaganza and it brought $6,325; the color on that coin can be charitably described as "a bit funky."

1810 Large Date $5.00 PCGS AU58 CAC

BD-4. R-2. Well struck in green-gold with pronounced clashmarks on the obverse and some roughness in the die as struck. This piece is as original an example as one could hope for with deep, even green-gold color on the obverse and the reverse. There are a few light vertical and horizontal adjustment marks on the obverse that are very hard to see without magnification and I feel that they are not detracting. This piece probably never entered circulation but it does show some very light rub on the high spots meriting the assigned grade. The 1810 Large Date, Large 5 is the most available of the four major varieties of half eagle produced during this year. Since it gets no date premium for its rarity, it is an ideal coin to use for type purposes. This coin isn't priced at a level much higher than a schlocky, processed Capped Bust Left half eagle in AU58 and, as such, it represents a very good value for the connoisseur.

1858-S $1.00 PCGS AU58

I'm a big fan of the San Francisco gold dollar coinage. They are very inexpensive in circulated gradces but are scarce and very easy to assemble a set. The 1858-S has a mintage of just 10,000 coins and it is almost never seen in Uncirculated. This nice AU58 is well struck and shows splashes of orange-gold color on the surfaces. An old reverse scratch runs from the rim at around 7:00 to the bow.