Recut Date. Variety 3. Early die state with no reverse cracks.

The 1839-C is one of two Classic Head quarter eagles from this mint. It is the more common of the two with as many as 300-400 known but it is extremely popular as are all branch mint gold coins which employ the short-lived Classic Head design. The 1839-C is not often seen in collector grades and almost never with natural color and surfaces.

This fresh-to-the-market example is among the most aesthetically appealing 1839-C quarter eagles that I have seen. It shows deep, rich natural color with fiery golden-orange hues which have mellowed to a reddish hue, especially on the upper reverse and the reverse center. The surfaces are very clean; what appears to be a mark on Liberty’s cheek is a mint-made defect caused by the presence of a foreign object on the die at the time of strike. The eye appeal is very high for the grade.

The last PCGS EF40 to sell at auction was an undergraded piece in an old PCGS green label holder which brought $4,888 as Heritage 7/12: 4698. A low-end PCGS EF40 brought $3,450 as Stacks Bowers 8/11: 9183. These are the only two PCGS EF40′s to sell at auction in over a decade.

This is a really charming example of a popular, short-lived type and it is one of the few affordable 1839-C quarter eagles that I have offered in quite a while with fully original surfaces.

CAC has approved this one coin in EF40 with seven finer.