1836 Script 8 $2.50 PCGS MS63 CAC

In my opinion, there are few designs that look better in higher grades than the Classic Head quarter eagles and half eagles. These coins tend to have nice color and, if they are unmessed-with, great luster and eye appeal. The present example is a lovely piece for the quality-conscious type collector with rich mellow green-gold color over clean, strongly lustrous surfaces. There are a few slight scuffs in the left obverse field but nothing else of note. As is typical for this design, there is some minor weakness of strike at the centers but the borders are fully detailed. For many type collectors, MS63 is a perfect grade for this type as MS64 examples don't tend to be appreciably better and are quite a bit more expensive.

1869 $2.50 PCGS MS63 CAC

Only 4,320 business strikes were produced and while not as scarce in circulated grades as one might believe, the 1869 quarter eagle is very rare in full Mint State with an estimated six to eight known. This example, which is the only piece graded MS63 that has been approved by CAC, could well be the finest known 1869 quarter eagle. It is semi-proofike but with more than enough frosty within the surfaces to have a business strike-like "look." The surfaces are lightly toned in rich lemon-gold hues and the naked-eye appearance is suggestive of a point higher. There are a few wispy lines on the obverse and a very small, very faint mint-made flake between the final two stars on the obverse. Coins like this are a sort of Final Frontier in 19th century gold collecting: an issue that is not solely a condition rarity, that has claims to finest known status and yet is compellingly priced.

1883 $3.00 NGC MS63

With an original mintage of just 900 business strikes, the 1883 has one of the lowest production figures of any American gold coin. It is comparable to the 1885 three dollar (which has a mintage figure of just 801) and not as rare as the 1881 (with a mintage of 500). This example is semi-prooflike with attractive medium reddish-gold toning which is most fully developed at the obverse border and across much of the reverse center. There is a small sharp mark on the cheek of Liberty and a few light nicks in the upper right obverse field; the reverse appears to be of Gem quality. Auction appearances for MS63 1883 three dollar gold pieces seem to occur at the rate of about two or three a year and typically examples fetch in the $11,000-12,000 range.

1860-S $1.00 NGC MS63 CAC

The short-lived San Francisco gold dollars are a neat, highly collectable set. All of these issues (with the exception of the ultra-popular 1856-S) are extremely scarce and very undervalued in Uncirculated. The 1860-S is certainly no exception and there were only 13,000 pieces originally minted. Most survivors are in the EF45 to AU55 range and in Uncirculated this date is very scarce. I have only seen one Gem (a PCGS MS65 that sold for $21,850 in the ANR 1/06 auction) and no more than two or three accurately graded MS64 coins. The present example is one of the few 1860-S dollars in Uncirculated with natural color and surfaces. It shows nice medium to deep green-gold and pale orange hues with satiny, unmolested underlying luster. There are no marks of note and the strike is excellent with the detail and appearance of a P mint dollar as opposed to one from the San Francisco mint. Excellent value for the savvy collector and a really nice example of the second-to-last gold dollar from this facility.

1854-O Large Date $10.00 NGC MS63

Large Date Variety. As most collectors know, any No Motto eagle in MS63 or higher is rare. New Orleans eagles in this grade range are all but unheard of. Only two dates are sometimes seen in this grade, the 1847-O and 1851-O and even those are very rare. But to find an 1854-O Large Date in MS63 is almost unheard of. There are approximately seven to nine known in Uncirculated but this includes some pieces from the S.S. Republic and at least a few in MS60 to MS61 that I think are marginally "new." There are exactly two known in MS63 and none finer. PCGS has graded a single example which I sold to a California collector in 2005; it is originally ex Heritage 1/99: 8181 and it sold for $31,050 back then. This second example is also a coin that I handled before and it is listed as coin #2 in the Condition Census in my 2006 book "Gold Coins of the New Orleans Mint, 1838-1906." It has been off the market for at least a decade and I was able to reacquire it at the recent Long Beach show. It has an amazing naked-eye "look" with glittering semi-prooflike surfaces that are free of chatter or friction and which show rich yellow-gold color. There are a few light lines on the surfaces and a touch of mint-made planchet roughness on the reverse but this piece has an amazing appearance that is unlike nearly any other example of this variety that I can recall seeing. Usually, the texture of this date is frosty and it has a sunken, slightly concave appearance. This piece has a great strike and its "look" suggests that it is one of the very first struck of this variety. Coins of this quality and rarity are seldom available these days and when they are they typically appear at auction where they tend to bring crazy prices. If you are a serious collector of New Orleans gold, Liberty Head eagles or you just want something special to put away, give this coin some serious consideration.

1847 $2.50 NGC MS63 CAC

One of the things that I like about Philadelphia quarter eagles is that you can still buy important Condition Census coins for less than $10,000. Take this 1847 for example. As a date, the 1847 is quite undervalued and it is actually scarcer in terms of overall rarity and high grade rarity than its heralded branch mint counterparts. There are likely no more than ten Uncirculated 1847 quarter eagles known of which only one, a PCGS MS64 that I sold to the owner of the greatest collection of Liberty quarter eagles ever formed, a few years ago. This particular example is bright and very lustrous with a vibrancy that is not often seen on quarter eagles of this era. The surfaces show some scattered abrasions from handling with none of these worthy of specific mention. Some 1847 quarter eagles are weakly struck on the eagle's legs but this one has full feathers. No MS63 examples of this date have ever been sold at auction. A coin with great upside potential.

1893-O $10.00 PCGS MS63

I have never seen a better example of this date than this coin and it is closer to grading MS64 than any 1893-O eagle I know of. Every MS63 1893-O eagle that I am aware of has tons of abrasions in the fields; to the point that the luster can be impaired. This piece looks more like a 1903-O than an 1893-O with relatively few marks of note, rich, frosty luster and lovely light rose, green and orange-gold color. If this coin had graded MS64, it would have been a "pop 1" example with a potential value of well into five figures. I don't often get excited about Condition Rarities but this is a great coin that deserves to be in the finest collection of New Orleans eagles.

1859 $3.00 PCGS MS63 CAC

Let's say that you want a nice PCGS MS63 Three Dollar gold piece for your type set. You can buy a common date like an 1874 or an 1878 in this grade for around $5,000-5,500. Or you can spend an additional few thousand dollars and buy a coin that is genuinely scarce in this grade. To me, that's what makes this choice 1859 three dollar such an appealing coin. It is totally original and very high end for the grade with rich luster that is dusted with pale green-gold and rose shades. There are a few ticks in the left field and at the central reverse but the naked-eye appearance rivals coins of this date that I have seen in MS64. The 1859 is scarce in MS63, rare in MS64 and virtually unavailable in Gem. The last PCGS MS63 to sell at auction was Heritage 12/11: 4505 that brought $7,763.

1877 $2.50 PCGS MS63 CAC

Even if you have no interest in purchasing this coin, click on the photo icon and take a long glimpse at its appearance: it has the "look" that I find more appealing than on any other gold coin. The luster is very intense with a hybrid appearance that combines rich frostiness with flashy reflective luster. This excellent appearance is compounded by superb natural medium yellow-gold color that shades towards rose and green hues as the coin tilts towards a light source. The obverse is a virtual Gem in appearance; the reverse shows a few very hard-to-find marks at TE in STATES. The 1877 is a rare, low mintage issue with just 1,652 struck. It is a bit less rare overall than this tiny figure would suggest but it is rare in Uncirculated and very rare in MS65 or higher. There are no Gems known and maybe three exist in MS64 with the last one, Heritage 10/11: 4731 (graded by NGC and approved by CAC) having been purchased by me for $14,950. No PCGS MS63 1877 quarter eagles have sold at auction since October 1999 when Bass II: 593 brought $8,740. A great coin that combines beauty, rarity and eye appeal in one neat package.