September 01, 2015

High-Grade No Motto New Orleans Eagles: An Analysis

September 01, 2015/ Doug Winter

All No Motto eagles are very rare in MS64 and higher grades. Even the common Philadelphia issues which exist by the thousands in circulated and low-end Uncirculated grades are all but unknown in high grades. This is due to a combination of factors: mishandling, use in commerce, melting(s), and lack of collector interest until well into the 20th century.

August 03, 2015

What's the "Next Big Thing" in Rare Date Gold? Five Suggestions:

August 03, 2015/ Doug Winter

In the last decade, we have seen a number of Next Big Things in the rare date gold market. We’ve seen New Orleans double eagles and Carson City double eagles. We’ve seen Civil War issues, and we’ve seen No Motto San Francisco eagles. In most cases, we’ve seen big demand spikes and subsequent price increases in these areas. What could be the Next Big Thing and why? Here are five suggestions with explanations.

July 06, 2015

The San Francisco Gold Coin Market: What's Hot, and What's Not

July 06, 2015/ Doug Winter

I’ve written a lot about the 19th century gold coinage from the San Francisco mint, but it’s been awhile since I’ve discussed the “heat factor” for the various types and denominations from this mint. Clearly, San Francisco gold has gone from “unloved” to “up and coming” in the last few years, but which specific series are hot and which are not? Let’s take a look at each series and let me share my thoughts with you.

June 18, 2015

What's Up in the Carson City Gold Market?

June 18, 2015/ Doug Winter

My CC interest is still strong but a few factors have made my interest wane a bit in recent years. The market has become very pricey—especially for double eagles—and coins which I would happily write a check for $15,000 back in 1992 I have trouble with at $30,000 or $40,000 today. Most of the coins I see in the marketplace today are very low-end (not all but most) and when I see pieces in AU53 holders which are not only overgraded but which are processed, I have trouble playing at current numbers. Finally, to be honest, the market has become a little too competitive for me.

May 21, 2015

CAC Populations and Appearance Rarity: An Analysis

May 21, 2015/ Doug Winter

As I wrote in an earlier article, CAC populations have created a new category of rarity: the appearance rarity, which is most akin to traditional condition rarity. A scan of the most recent CAC populations reveals a number of coins which are very surprising to me as appearance rarities.

April 30, 2015

A Dozen Undervalued United States Gold Coins Priced Below $7,500: The 2015 Edition

April 30, 2015/ Doug Winter

It’s been quite a while since I wrote an article about the topic of affordable, undervalued 19th century U.S. gold coins, and I think it’s time to do a more current version of this article. I’m going to change things up ever so slightly this time and include some market overviews on each denomination, and make some suggestions which include multiple coins as opposed to “singles.”

April 01, 2015

How Rare are High-Grade Dahlonega Quarter Eagles?

April 01, 2015/ Doug Winter

The Dahlonega mint began production of quarter eagles in 1839 and discontinued this denomination in 1859. There are a total of 20 issues and two major types: the popular one-year Classic Head (1839 only) and the Liberty Head (1840-1859).

March 17, 2015

How Rare Are Choice High-Grade Dahlonega Half Eagles?

March 17, 2015/ Doug Winter

Since I wrote the first of my three editions of Dahlonega gold books over two decades ago, I’ve sought to constantly remind collectors that truly choice, high-grade (in this instance high-grade equates to coins which grade AU55 and above) Dahlonega half eagles are rare, regardless of how “common” the issue seems to be in terms of overall rarity.

February 10, 2015

A Dozen Sleeper Dates in Liberty Head Proof Gold

February 10, 2015/ Doug Winter

Due to its high per-coin cost, there are not many date collectors of Proof gold coins. This means that a number of amazingly rare dates have fallen through the cracks, and offer great value to well-heeled collectors looking for exceptional individual coins to put away, or for type collectors who want more “bang for their buck” when choosing a specific coin to represent a design type for their set.

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