When one just looks at the mintage of 73,700 pieces, the 1878 would appear to be moderately scarce, but nothing would tip off the collector to just how rare it actually is in higher grades. Our records show that we’ve auctioned only six MS64/64+ examples in the past ten years, attesting to the issue’s extreme rarity at this grade level. This one is particularly well struck. The PCGS population is just 3 with 1 higher.
Offered at $13,500 delivered
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Though normally associated with hedonistic excess and debauchery, Nero’s first years were actually a relatively peaceful time in the empire. Nero began his rule at the tender age of 17 with much promise – his mother Agrippina Jr. was regent at first, until he began to assert his independence the following year. With the government largely in the hands of capable administrators like Seneca and Burrus, Rome enjoyed peace and prosperity for the first five years of Nero’s reign. Things began to take a turn south for his reign, however, with his involvement in the murder of his mother in 59 and the subsequent shedding of his key advisors Seneca and Burrus in 62 AD. He also divorced and executed his wife Claudia Octavia in that fateful year. So, at the age of 25, Nero had reconstructed his life, shedding moderating influences on his activities – he was now able to pursue his interests in acting, carousing, various persecutions, chariot racing and random sexual adventures – in short, he was becoming the Nero we all know and love.
Probably most shocking to the populace, however, was the Great Fire of 64 AD, where it was thought that Nero had started it to clear out large portions of prime Rome real estate to build his ostentatious palace. With much of Rome destroyed and his grand palace usurping the dwindling financial resources of the empire, conspiracies began to form against the emperor. His stage antics, poetry readings and singing and dancing had never been particularly well received by the populace, anyway, who not only viewed his talents as marginal, but also saw them as not dignified for an emperor.
Nero embarked on a “Grand Tour” of Greece in AD 67, where he participated in the Pythian, Nemean and Olympic Games – as Vagi notes, Nero was declared victor in the latter, even though he fell out of his chariot mid-way through the race!
With Imperial finances stretched to the limit with Nero’s excesses, the populace finally had enough and forced Nero to flee to his country villa on the outskirts of Rome. On June 9 of 68, surrounded by hostile soldiers, Nero uttered the famous dictum, “what a great artist we are losing”, and died in a murder/suicide situation. Not long afterwards, Rome descended into civil war.
Always conscious of his artistic portrayals on the coinage, Nero took special efforts to ensure favorable images and favorite musical themes, such as him playing the lyre. The austere portraits of his predecessors gave way to naturalistic poses and a realism previously unseen
An Extremely Fine aureus and an AU hemidrachm are on offer here today, providing splendid examples of his portraiture and reflecting the high artistry of his coinage in general.
Offered at $9,550 delivered
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Any offering of an 1828-dated half eagle is a remarkable occurrence. The two non-overdate 1828 variants, BD-3 and BD-4, are R.8 (3-4 known) and High R.6 (12 to 15 known). This BD-4 example shows the date closely spaced and centered in the field between the rim and bust. Star 1 is quite close to the bust, and one of its points virtually touches the dentils. The reverse, shared between the BD-3 and BD-4, shows the last S in STATES centered over the US of PLURIBUS, and the top of the 5 in the denomination is slightly higher than the D. The surfaces look uniformly porous on each side. This is, no doubt, the result of whatever repair was made to improve the former appearance of this great rarity. In hand, the color is lighter and – more yellow-gold in hue. We haven’t offered one for sale in any grade since 2014. Listed in XF (problem-free) at $75,000 in the PCGS price guide.
Offered at $29,900 delivered
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The San Francisco issue is the scarcest of the three 1922 Peace dollars, especially in Mint State. The fact that its mintage of nearly 17.5 million pieces exceeds that of the 1922-D by more than 1.5 million pieces is a non-factor. Throughout the Peace dollar series there is an unbroken rule that for each year this denomination was coined, the San Francisco issue is rarer in Gem or better grades than either the Philadelphia or Denver counterparts. Mintage totals play no part in this. Many researchers suggest the lower survival rate of S-mint dollars in high grade is due to more active circulation on the West Coast, and in some cases bags of Uncirculated coins still in government vaults were just moved more frequently, reducing the grades of the coins contained. The PCGS population is only 19 with 1 higher, the latter being an MS66+ example. This one is extremely lustrous and semi-prooflike in appearance.
Offered at $25,875 delivered
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After an intermission of nearly two decades since the Mint closed in 1861, New Orleans resumed coinage production in 1879, following terms of the Bland-Allison Act that Congress passed a year earlier. The year 1879 saw the production of 2,325 double eagles, the only coins of the Type Three design that were minted in Louisiana. The facility also coined 2,887,000 silver dollars. Other denominations were added in later years through 1909 when that Mint was permanently closed. Mint State 1879-O Morgan dollars are not particularly rare, although Gems are elusive and finer examples are rarely encountered. In hand, this specimen is lighter and brighter than seen in our images. The NGC population is only 11 with not a single representative graded higher.
Offered at $9,200 delivered
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