The 1880-CC was made plentiful in the 1970s with the dispersal of the GSA silver dollar holdings. More than 131,000 coins were distributed, or roughly 22% of the total mintage from a century prior. Of these, more than 114,000 coins qualified for what the GSA graders considered Uncirculated, meaning the coins were neither toned nor obtrusively scratched. About 16,000 toned and scratched coins were also distributed. Nonetheless, the availability of this issue declines significantly at the Superb Gem grade level. And it’s certainly fair to say that the example being offered here is conditionally scarce.
The PCGS population is 50 with just 3 graded higher, two of the latter being MS67+ examples.
$23,000 in the PCGS price guide.
Offered at $19,775
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The mintage of 8.8 million double eagles in 1928 was the highest production figure for any coin of the denomination from the beginning in 1850. The next closest was the 1904 Liberty double eagle with a coinage of slightly more than 6 million coins. Unsurprisingly, the 1928 is one of the common dates in the Saint-Gaudens series, although the PCGS population is less than 40% of the 1927, and less than 20% the total for 1924 double eagles. Enough of these have been graded that any collector can aspire to own an example as fine as MS66. Locating one at this grade level is a different story, however.
An unremarkable production of more than 1.8 million half eagles was accomplished at the San Francisco Mint in 1903. The 1903-S five is widely collectible through MS63 and even MS64. Examples in Gem and Premium Gem grades are scarce, while Superb Gems of this quality are condition rarities. This one’s a beauty!
The PCGS population is only 5 with none graded higher.
Listed at $16,200 in the CDN CPG and $18,500 in the PCGS price guide.
The 1941-S is the key issue from the “short set” of 1941 to 1947 Walking Liberty halves. The wartime West Coast issue is less rare than its reputation in grades through MS66, but Superb Gems, such as the one offered here, are unquestionably rare relative to Registry demand for the popular series. The NGC population is 52 with a single (MS67+) example graded higher. Listed at $38,400 in the CDN CPG and $15,000 in the NGC price guide.
An unremarkable production of more than 1.8 million half eagles was accomplished at the San Francisco Mint in 1903. The 1903-S five is widely collectible through MS63 and even MS64. Examples in Gem and Premium Gem grades are scarce, while Superb Gems of this quality are condition rarities.
The PCGS population is only 5 with none graded higher.
Listed at $16,200 in the CDN CPG and $20,000 in the PCGS price guide.
Numismatists are familiar with Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ eagle and double eagle, but his oeuvre included statues, bas-reliefs, medallions, cameos, and works in other media. As a teenager he began his career with an apprenticeship to a cameo-cutter before he left for Paris in 1867. Although he was able to make some money selling cameos in New York City, by his own accounts they did not sell well in Paris, where other artists were more skillful. Saint-Gaudens would soon create works on a grander scale, but his experience with cameo-cutting would come in handy when he was commissioned to design medals and, later, coins.
It is impossible to say which of Saint-Gaudens’ many works was the most important, but certainly his statue of General William Tecumseh Sherman is one of the most lauded, and the figure of Victory (Nike) in the monument would later be used as a model for the double eagle. This statue also brought Saint-Gaudens into contact with Roosevelt, who was vice president at the time, and their collaboration would later result in the beginning of the American coinage renaissance.
Saint-Gaudens wanted his statue of Sherman to be positioned near Grant’s Tomb, which was completed in 1897, for artistic and historical reasons. Roger Burdette (2006) writes, “After a chance meeting on a train returning from the Buffalo Exhibition in May 1901, he sought the intervention of vice-president Theodore Roosevelt in an attempt to secure his preferred location of the statue.”
Although Roosevelt was unsuccessful and the statue was placed at the southeastern corner of New York’s Central Park, he did not forget his encounter with Saint-Gaudens. Less than four years later, Roosevelt would ask Saint-Gaudens to redesign some of the country’s coins. The coins were Saint-Gaudens’ final project, and the 1907 High Relief double eagle was the fitting capstone to the artist’s distinguished career.
The physical perfection of this coin makes one realize why Theodore Roosevelt was so proud of these pieces and why he used them for presentation purposes.
Most 1907 High Reliefs are a pleasure to behold. This one, however, is (even) much better than that!
The NGC population is 20 (two of which have been designated “Star” by NGC) with 5 graded higher.
Listed at $312,000 in the CDN CPG and $290,000 in the NGC price guide.
The Arrows at Date type of the Seated Liberty half dime was only produced for three years, from 1853 through 1855, at the New Orleans and Philadelphia mints. The Philadelphia issues are by far more plentiful than the O-mint coins, making them ideal for type representation. Yet, among the three P-mint dates, the 1855 is noticeably scarcer than the earlier two. The one offered here boasts highly lustrous, color free surfaces and loads of eye appeal. The PCGS population is (this) 1 with 1 graded higher. Listed at $20,000 in the PCGS price guide. Offered at $14,700
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This Philadelphia issue is plentiful in grades through MS66, but it is moderately scarce in MS67 condition. At this grade level, however, t he NGC population is only 3 with none graded higher. The example herein offered displays frosty, faintly toned surfaces.
Listed at $7,500 in the NGC price guide.
Offered at $5,200
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The years from 1879 through 1890 saw skimpy half dollar mintages at the Philadelphia Mint (and no half dollar mintages elsewhere) as the nation’s coin factories concentrated on increasing the glut of unpopular, largely unused Morgan dollars mandated by cronyism and politics (pardon the redundancy) in the form of the Bland-Allison Act of 1878. The Philadelphia Mint struck 8,400 business strikes and 1,355 proofs in 1880 . This example displays color-free surfaces and is tied with five others for the highest graded at NGC.
Listed at $14,400 in the CDN CPG and $13,500 in the NGC price guide.
Offered at $10,700 Delivered
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The mintage exceeds 2.8 million pieces, making the 1901-S popular and available in just about any desired grade through the Premium Gem level. Superb Gems such as this MS67 are conditionally scarce and essentially unknown any finer. In fact, t he NGC population is 25 (one of which has been designated “Star”) with none graded higher. The one offered here boasts a bold strike and satiny surfaces.
Listed at $26,400 in the CDN CPG and $23,000 in the NGC price guide.
Offered at $20,550
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