Tag: NGC

Just 2 Graded Higher 1911-S Indian Eagle NGC MS65

Sirhc

The 1911-S Indian ten-dollar gold piece was once considered one of the rarest dates of the series in Mint State. The date boasts a low mintage of just 51,000 pieces, and the great majority of the coins were released into circulation at the time of issue. Before the discovery of a hoard of 50 pieces in Europe in the 1970s, Mint State specimens of this date were virtually unheard-of. The date began appearing in auction catalogs in the 1940s, but even great collectors like F.C.C. Boyd and King Farouk were content with specimens that graded only VF during that era. Louis Eliasberg, the “King of Coins,” settled for an XF40 example in his extraordinary collection.
The situation changed radically in 1979 when Marc Emory, acting for New England Rare Coin Galleries, brokered a deal for a group of Gem Uncirculated 1911-S eagles through his contacts in Spain. The story of this remarkable find was told for the first time in the Ivy Press publication The Coinage of Augustus Saint-Gaudens.  The hoard was originally the property of the American governor of the Philippines in 1911, who gave a group of 50 ten-dollar gold coins from the San Francisco Mint to a Spanish citizen who was residing in the Philippines at the time. The coins were preserved by that gentleman, who later returned to Spain, and the hoard became part of his estate when he died. The coins were retained by his family for many years until his grandson decided to sell them through a prominent coin collector from Barcelona. Marc Emory met with the collector and finalized a deal through a Swiss bank for 30 of the coins. The remainder of the hoard eventually became available, and NERCA became the conduit for their entry into the U.S. coin market. Nearly all Gem level 1911-S eagles in collector’s hands today are from this fantastic hoard.

In hand, this Gem is lighter in hue and more lustrous than seen in our images. The NGC population is only 10 with 2 graded higher.

Offered at $25,850 (Bank Wire, ACH, Delivered)

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Nearly Mint State $5 Indian Rarity – 1909-O Indian Half Eagle NGC AU58

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The New Orleans Mint was the only Southern branch to resume coinage operations following the Civil War. Interestingly, its survival as a minting facility can be attributed in part to the same legislation that brought about the coinage of millions of unneeded standard silver dollars. The Bland-Allison Act of February 1878, called for the Treasury Department to purchase monthly 2 to 4 million dollars worth of silver bullion, and to have it coined into new silver dollars which would largely be stored in government vaults. The sudden demand in coinage operations mandated by the law virtually necessitated the reopening of the branch mint in New Orleans, which resumed coinage operations in 1879.

However, the New Orleans Mint’s days were nonetheless numbered. In 1904, coinage of Morgan silver dollars was discontinued and construction was begun on a modern, high-capacity branch mint in Denver, Colorado. Silver and gold coin production at the Louisiana branch dwindled after 1906, when the Denver Mint opened, and by 1909, the need for continued operations at the Southern facility was virtually dissolved. On April 1, of that year, coinage was suspended, and in 1911, the dismantling of the outdated machinery was begun.

Coinage in the first three months of 1909, prior to operations suspension, consisted primarily of dimes, with more than 2.2 million pieces struck; quarter production amounted to only 712,000 coins, and halves to just 945,400 pieces. The only gold coinage at New Orleans in 1909, consisted of a paltry 34,200 half eagles. Interestingly, this was the first issue of this denomination struck there since 1894.

In addition to its popularity as the only O-mint issue of Pratt’s Indian Head type, the 1909-O half eagle is also a significant key date within the series. The 1929 is rarer in the absolute sense, but in Mint State, the 1909-O is the less often seen coin.

Offered at $16,700 delivered

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The Sole Highest Graded – 1881 Liberty Quarter Eagle NGC PR67 Ultra Cameo

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Prior to 1881, gold proofs are almost entirely sold only in complete denomination sets. Gold proof sets sales continued in 1881, with 40 distributed by the end of the first quarter, but individual proof quarter eagles were struck and sold throughout the year as well, bringing the mintage for this issue to 51 pieces. These coins are among the most contrasted proofs in the Liberty quarter eagle series, and the palindrome date makes them popular type coins. Type collector demand is further heightened by the fact that many later proof quarter eagles (such as those struck from 1902 through 1907), lack the same degree of cameo contrast seen on late 19th century proofs. In United States Proof Coins, Volume IV: Gold,  John Dannreuther estimates that only 18 to 22 proof 1881 quarter eagles survive. This is far less coins than the PCGS estimate of 30 to 35 pieces, but it might be more accurate. A significant number of the non-Cameo proofs reported by the grading services have likely been reconsidered in more recent years and redesignated Cameo or Deep Cameo. This is the only PR67 Ultra Cameo graded by NGC with none higher.

Listed at $80,000 in the NGC price guide.

Offered at $74,750

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1818/5 Capped Bust Quarter NGC MS65

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Although 10 die varieties are known for the 1818 quarters from among five obverse and seven reverse dies, only the B-1 obverse features the 1818/5 overdate, with the 81, wide in the date and faint remnants of the 5 inside the upper loop. It is paired with a reverse showing large rim dentils, the scroll ending between AM, and a long, upward-curving flag on the 5 in the denomination. The overdate is a Guide Book -listed variety, increasing its popularity among that collecting subset, and it is an overdate that is widely available in high grades, up to the near-Gem level or so. The NGC population is just 8 with 3 graded higher.

Listed at $29,400 in the CDN CPG and $25,500 in the NGC price guide.

Offered at $17,500

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Simply Stunning 1895 Liberty Eagle NGC PR65 Ultra Cameo

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Proof Coronet eagle production remained relatively stable during the final 15 years of the 19th century. In fact, the mintages for many of those issues are similar to a majority of those struck between 1859 and 1867. The Mint manufactured 66 proofs in the case of the 1895 eagle, which represented an increase of 13 coins over its predecessor, the 1894. By comparison, a total of 567,770 pieces were coined for circulation in 1895.
Dave Bowers estimates in A Guide Book of Gold Eagle Coins (2017) that 16 to 20 1895 proof ten dollar gold pieces survive. In United States Proof Coins, Volume IV: Gold, Part II (2018), John Dannreuther suggests a few more exist, maybe 22 to 26 pieces, and he explains:

“We have the deepest frost on all Proof coinage from 1894 through 1901 for all denominations, as the die preparation for these years resulted in heavy cameo devices. The use of hydraulic presses for Proofs in 1894, or soon after, resulted in very even striking pressure, so localized weakness is almost never found.”

This particular example is absolutely gorgeous and offers exceptional eye appeal. The NGC population is just 3 with 4 graded higher.

Listed at $65,000 in the NGC price guide.

Offered at $67,200

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One of the Finest – 1854 Arrows Seated Liberty Quarter NGC PR65

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This is the first of a brief two-year design type, and it is an important rarity in Proof format. Although the rarity has sometimes been overstated in the past, there are relatively few Proofs known. Estimates range from just 10 pieces (Walter Breen) to 12 to 15 coins (David Akers). The PCGS estimate is 10 to 15 surviving examples, which has remained unchanged for at least 15 years. These estimates further suggest that the certified population (33 coins at PCGS and NGC combined) is greatly inflated by resubmissions and crossovers. The NGC population is only 2 with 1 graded higher.

Listed at $30,500 in the NGC price guide.

Offered at $22,960

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Just Six Graded Higher – 1863-S Liberty Eagle NGC AU55

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The 1863-S is even rarer than suggested by its production of 10,000 pieces. It is also a condition rarity, most likely because of the general unawareness of mint-marked coins and their relative scarcity until the 1893 publication by Augustus Heaton of his groundbreaking work  Treatise on Coinage of the United States Branch Mints. By then, most of the remaining 1863-S tens were well-worn. Today, VF-XF coins are usually all that are encountered with AU pieces such as this among the finest examples available. In hand, this example is considerably lighter in hue and more lustrous than seen in our images. The NGC population is only 3 with 6 graded higher (only one of which is mint state).

Listed at $30,000 in the CDN CPG and $33,500 in the NGC price guide.

Offfered at $26,320

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1889-CC Morgan Dollar NGC MS63 DPL

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After a four-year hiatus, the Carson City Mint was authorized to resume coinage in July 1889, although operations did not commence until October due to repairs that needed to be performed on the building and machinery. Morgan dollar production in the final quarter of the year reached 350,000 coins. Unlike earlier silver dollar issues from this mint that were largely dumped into long-term storage and forgotten, the 1889-CC seems to have been released — at least in part — into circulation. Worn coins are plentiful today, and Mint State pieces are scarce by comparison.
The 1889-CC has long been the condition key of the Carson City Morgans, but its status as one of the key dates of the entire series was established permanently in the 1970s, when no large quantities of this date emerged from the GSA sales. A single GSA coin, sold in the Mixed CC offerings, stood as a glaring reminder of just how challenging high-grade 1889-CC Morgans would continue to be.

This survivor displays more pronounced Cameo contrast on its reverse than its obverse, but the latter is still more heavily frosted than is apparent in our image. The NGC population is 30 with 13 graded higher, none better than MS64. Listed at $75,000 in the CDN CPG and $71,500 in the NGC price guide.

Offered at $65,500

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Price is based on payment via ACH, Bank Wire Transfer or Personal Check.
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Offer subject to availability.

Highly Coveted Saint Issue – NGC MS63 1929 Saint Gaudens Double Eagle

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After numerous common date Philadelphia Mint double eagles were issued through 1928, mintages continued at substantial levels in 1929 and beyond. However, beginning in 1929 these pieces were not widely distributed, but rather, were stored in Treasury vaults awaiting their fate in the government melting pots of the mid and late-1930s. In Encyclopedia of U.S. Gold Coins,  Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth wrote: “Beginning with the 1929 double eagle and continuing through the 1933 issue, any collector who undertakes obtaining these issues does so with extreme care and financial fortitude.”
The existing population of these pieces today survives from those few coins obtained by contemporary collectors, or from a small additional number of pieces that have been found in Europe. According to Roger Burdette, the maximum number of 1929 double eagles that could have survived is 1,176 pieces with the estimated survival of only 350 pieces. The NGC population is 28 with 68 graded higher.

Listed at $62,400 in the CDN CPG and $60,000 in the NGC price guide.

Offered at $54,500

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Scarce Civil War Issue – 1862 Liberty Double Eagle NGC XF45

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The economic stresses and uncertainties of the Civil War resulted in widespread hoarding of all precious metal coinage and the government suspended specie payments in late 1861. These circumstances resulted a drastic reduction of coinage in 1862, and the Philadelphia Mint struck a modest business-strike mintage of only 92,133 double eagles that year. The coins were largely ignored by contemporary collectors and few were saved for numismatic purposes. Unlike some other dates of this period, only a handful of examples have been recovered from shipwreck finds in recent years. Today, the 1862 Liberty double eagle is one of the most elusive issues in the Type One series. The NGC population is 23 with 74 graded higher.

Listed at $18,000 in the CDN CPG and $17,500 (in XF) in the NGC price guide.

Offered at $18,250