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A nice, original example with clean, lightly marked surfaces and good overall eye appeal. The 1872 is dozens of times scarcer than the 1873 Open 3, 1875 and 1876 yet it sells for essentially no premium in this grade. Unbeatable value at less than $2,000!
BD-1, R-3. The 1807 is the most available early quarter eagle with an estimated 250-300 known to exist in all grades from the original mintage of 6,812. It is usually seen in the AU50 to MS62 range which makes it a date (and a type) that is priced out of the range of many collectors. In problem-free EF45, the 1807 is seen even less frequently than its low population figures would suggest (can you say "regrades??") and this is verifiable by the fact that no PCGS EF45 has sold at auction since Heritage 2/03: 8094. This example has warm sunset gold color at the borders which frames green-gold centers; a dab of reddish color can be seen at the central reverse. For the grade, there is a good amount of luster and the surfaces are free of severe abrasions, adjustment marks or imperfections. I think this coin is much closer to AU50 than EF45 (I tried a number of times to upgrade it) and you would be hard-pressed to find another Capped Bust Right quarter eagle in this grade and price range with as much eye appeal as this piece.
The 1881-CC is, by a large margin, the rarest Carson City half eagle produced after 1878. There were only 13,886 struck and this issue saw extensive local use in commerce, meaning that survivors tend to be both well-worn. This Choice EF example has great eye appeal for the date and grade with nice medium orange-gold color over clean, vibrant surfaces. There have been no PCGS EF45 examples sold at auction since the Goldberg 6/04: 2512 (that's eight years if you are keeping score at home...) and I think the 1881-CC remains a very undervalued issue in the Carson City half eagle series.
CAC has approved just this one example in EF45 with five better.
BD-5, High Rarity-5. Die State C with a massive terminal crack on the obverse that starts at the rim above star seven, runs through the entire length of the portrait and through the 8 in the date and ends at the rim at 5:00. The 1798 is the most affordable half eagle from the 18th century and this makes it extremely popular with collectors. There are a host of varieties and it is among the most fascinating early gold issues in my opinion. This is an extremely choice example for the grade with good detail and attractive rich reddish color on the obverse and reverse. The central reverse is weak as always seen on the late die state of this variety; when you look at how massive the aforementioned obverse crack is, you will understand why there is not much detail at the central reverse. I think PCGS was spot-on in assigning this coin an EF45 grade but it is much nicer than most 1798 half eagles in 45 holders. The last APR for a PCGS EF45 was in Heritage 2004 ANA sale and the last I saw, in the inventory of a knowledgeable Southern dealer, was not as nice and priced to me at $13,500. Coins like this are in great demand and once this is sold, who knows when another will become available?
Very lustrous for the grade with scattered ticks on the obverse and reverse. It has become very hard to find appealing PCGS-graded CC double eagles for less than $3,500 and this piece has the added benefit of a CAC sticker. A goodd coin for the beginning double eagle collector.
The last of these affordable SF Type One double eagles and a coin that is a bit abraded but which has pleasing medium reddish-gold and orange color.
My personal favorite from this date run of SF Type One double eagles with dark, even green-gold surfaces that are contrasted by deeper hues on the relief details. Clean, original and caked with nearly 150+ years of dirt and grime, this piece represents excellent value for the collector/investor who likes the double-play of bullion and numismatic scarcity.
I purchased a nice little date run of choice "Euro" Type One double eagles at the Denver ANA show and all are characterized by dark, natural color. This Civil War date is very clean for the grade and has a good deal of luster at the peripheries. It is a tougher date although it brings virtually no premium over isses such as the 1863-S, 1864-S and the 1865-S.
Medium to deep green gold with contrasting splashes of reddish color on much of the obverse and reverse give this nice example good overall eye appeal. The 1859-S is a date that is not often seen with natural color.
