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Old Green Holder. By today's standards, I grade this coin MS60 to MS61. A bit on the baggy side, as is typical for this issue, but original and very frosty with nice light yellow-gold color. This is the first Type Three double eagle from San Francisco and the 1877-S becomes scarce in MS62 and rare in MS63 or finer.
After the New Orleans eagle production soared to 263,000 in 1851, it dropped back down to 18,000 in 1852. The 1852-O eagle is tied for the fifth rarest of twenty-one No Motto issues from this mint and it becomes extremely rare in properly graded AU58 and above. I know of two or three in Uncirculated (the best is an NGC MS61 that is ex Byron Reed: 160 and it sold for over $30,000 back in 1996) and just three or four others in AU58. This example is oustanding for the date and grade with just a small amount of friction in the left obverse field keeping it from an MS61 grade. The surfaces are every clean with nearly no abrasions and nice medium orange-gold color. Very few examples in this grade have reached the market in the last decade with the last APR of note being the PCGS example sold as B+M 8/10: 1730 that brought $20,700. This is the best 1852-O eagle that I have handled in years and it will become an important addition to an advanced set of New Orleans eagles.
This totally original Gem Slider is about as close to Mint State as you can get and it is more attractive than many 1890-CC double eagles that I have seen in MS60 and even MS61 holders. The surfaces are lightly marked, nominally rubbed and frosty. Really a nice example and perfect for the type collector who wants one very appealing CC double eagle for his set.
CAC has approved seventeen examples of this date in AU58 with a dozen finer.
This lustrous "slider" has just the slightest amount of friction on the high spots of the obverse that removes it from a Mint State grade; the reverse is MS61 to MS62 on its own. If you don't have the budget to afford an Uncirculated example but you want a great-looking piece for type purposes, than this might be the exact right coin for you.
CAC has approved 16 examplew in this grade with another 23 in higher grades.
For some reason Charlotte coins with really exceptional color are not seen as often as their Dahlonega counterparts. This 1847-C quarter eagle, while certainly not a rare coin by the standards of this mint, has exceptional color which gives it true character. The obverse and reverse are a deep green-gold with splashes of orange in the fields. As is the case with most examples of this date, the strike is excellent and this piece shows a considerable amount of frosty luster under the aformentioned coloration. This is one of the nicest toned Charlotte quarter eagles of any date that I have seen and it would make a great addition to a set that featured branch mint gold with color.
CAC has approved two in this grade and two finer.
The 1842-D remains one of the very few quarter eagles of any date or mint that appears to still be unknown in properly graded Uncirculated. This statement can be verified by the fact that PCGS, to date, has still not graded an 1842-D quarter eagle higher than AU58 and just four at this level. This is a well-known coin with an illustrious pedigree (see below). It has a good deal of soft, frosty luster remaining and this is highly unusual for the date as most 1842-D quarter eagles are lackluster; even those grading AU50 and higher. The color is a rich natural yellow-gold with a single obverse toning spot at the juncture of the left field and the bridge of the nose. If you know this date, you know that is is extremely rare with eye appeal and this is probably the prettiest 1842-D quarter eagle that I have seen or sold. It should be noted that there is a mint-made depression on the cheek of Liberty; this is seen on many examples of this date and it does not detract. The last PCGS AU58 1842-D quarter eagle to sell at auction was Bowers and Merena 3/09: 1474 that brought $23,000. An extremely important coin for the specialist.
Ex Heritage 1/03: 4660 ($15,525), Heritage 1999 FUN: 7630 ($23,000), North Georgia collection, Stack's 10/94: 870 ($14,300), James Stack collection.
This is the only AU58 1842-D quarter eagle to be approved by CAC. None have been approved in grades higher than this.
Variety 1-B. This numismatically significant issue has the double honor of being the first quarter eagle made at this mint as well as being the only Dahlonega Classic Head issue of this denomination. The 1839-D is only around twelfth (of twenty) or so in regards to its overall and high grade scarcity but it is clearly one of the most popular issues of any denomination from this mint. This specific coin is very attractive with lovely deep, rich reddish-gold color which is more prominent on the obverse than on the reverse. This is a very late die state with numerous cracks on the reverse and this has weakned the detail at the reverse center. But there is little in the way of actual wear and this piece is very unsual in that it has never been cleaned, dipped or recolored like so many other third-party graded examples. In the last decade, there have been just five AU58 1839-D quarter eagles sold at auction. The last one of these was an NGC coin (Goldberg 9/10: 2764) that brought $13,800.
This is one of just two 1839-D quarter eagles that have been approved by CAC in this grade. Only one finer piece has been approved by CAC.
Most of the gold coinage dated 1860 from Philadelphia follows a similar pattern of rarity: it tends to be available in VF-EF grades but it is very scarce in properly graded AU58 and quite rare in Uncirculated. The half eagle of this year trails only the eagle as the rarest 1860-dated Philadelphia issue and it is quite underrated in AU58 as the current PCGS and NGC population figures suggest. This lightly circulated example shows good luster and a very sharp strike with full details seen at the centers. There are some scattered marks in the fields which is typical for the issue. For the money, this coin represents excellent value as do many of the No Motto half eagles from this mint.
CAC has approved two examples in this grade with none finer. A total of five have been approved for the date in all grades combined.
This numismatically significant issue (it is the first Liberty Head quarter eagle from the Philadelphia mint) is a scarce and misunderstood date. There were 18,859 produced but the survival rate is quite low with maybe as few as 150-200 known. It is usually seen in VF-EF grades and the few that are known in Uncirculated come from a small hoard found in the 1990's that contained some superb frosty pieces in the MS62 to MS64 range. In the higher circulated grades, this date is rare and extremely underrated especially with original color and surfaces. This is the first 1840 quarter eagle I can recall having seen with deep, attractive color and the rich reddish-gold and green-gold hues that rest on both signs are just marvelous. This coin has no real wear, just some slight friction from numismatic handling and its eye appeal is off the charts. If you go strictly by auction records and price guides, this coin is going to seem expensive but it is one of just two graded by PCGS in AU58 and the other, ex Bass II: 321, brought $3,451 all the way back in 1999. I really like this coin and if I were a collector with a budget of around $5,000 per item, this is exactly what I would be buying.
This is the only CAC approved 1840 quarter eagle in AU58. There is one finer: an MS64.
