Recent Rare Gold Purchases
I am happy to share some photos and information about a few coins I have purchased recently:
1854 ($3) Three Dollar Gold Piece PCGS MS63
Coinfacts Information: Ron Guth: Three Dollar Gold Pieces were issued every year from 1854 to 1889. This unusual denomination boasts an indirect tie-in with the stamp collecting community — the price of a first class postage stamp was 3¢ during the years in which this denomination was minted. Thus, the $3.00 Gold Piece was perfect for purchasing a complete sheet of 100 stamps. Only a few dates in this series can be considered common (1854, 1874, 1878) and the majority of the dates in this series have mintages below 10,000 coins. Highlights of the series include the unique 1870-S Three-Dollar Gold Piece, the Proof-only 1875 and 1876, and the elusive 1854-D (the only Three-Dollar Gold Piece struck at the Dahlonega, Georgia Mint.
1906 $2.50 Liberty Quarter Eagle MS67 CAC
Coinfacts Information:
Q. David Bowers (derived from the PCGS Coin Guide): Coronet or Liberty Head quarter eagles, minted nonstop from 1840 through 1907, are remarkable in American coinage as having the longest continuous production of any design without a major change. In essence, a Coronet quarter eagle of 1840 looks just like one of 1907, except for the date numerals. There were several rarities produced within that span, notably the 1841 (believed to have been made only with Proof finish), the 1863 (struck only in Proof finish, to the extent of just 30 coins), the seldom-seen 1854-S (of which just 246 business strikes were made), and the low-mintage 1875.
Particularly notable in the quarter eagle series is the 1848 CAL. quarter eagle, of which 1,389 were produced using gold bullion brought to the Philadelphia Mint from California, one of the earliest shipments to the East from the Gold Rush. The distinguishing counterstamp, made at the Mint while the coins were still in the die, served to hallmark the issue and at the same time to specifically create a souvenir for those desiring same. In actuality, the 1848 CAL. quarter eagle is the first official United States commemorative coin, although few people recognize it as such. Probably somewhere between 200 and 300 specimens survive today.
1909 $5 Indian Half Eagle PCGS MS64+ CAC
Coinfacts Information:
Q. David Bowers (derived from the PCGS Coin Guide): Indian Head half eagles, designed by sculptor Bela Lyon Pratt, were minted from 1908 through 1929, the same span as the quarter eagles of like design. The $5 pieces, like their $2.50 counterparts, have the designs incuse, except for the mintmarks on certain issues. The two rarities in the Indian series are the 1909-O and 1929, with the latter being particularly elusive. Although 662,000 1929 half eagles were struck, fewer than 200 are believed to exist today. Most of the pieces were stored by the Treasury Department after mintage, were never released into circulation, and when gold coins were discontinued in 1933 they went to the melting pot.
Among Indian Head half eagles, with the exception of 1909-D, and to a lesser extent 1908, most varieties are quite rare in Uncirculated grade, and are very rare in MS-64 or better preservation.
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