Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 13

The Benson Collection of U.S. Coins, Part 2

Bust Quarters

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 685		1796 Draped Bust Quarter Dollar. NGC graded MS-63. Here is the poster coin for the Benson collection as it embodies the rich toning seen on virtually all of the coins from this group. Note the especially bright centers and rich, iridescent blue tones at the rims. As to the strike, it is full for this variety, the eagle's head is characteristically weak, as nearly always seen for this variety. Quarters were first issued in 1796, and were not struck again until 1804. Further, the draped bust, small eagle reverse type was issued in very sparing quantities, and perhaps 500 exist today in all grades. The combined PCGS and NGC population reports show less than 50 graded in various mint state grades. This coin resides solidly in the choice category, with its regal toning and prooflike fields. Liberty's hair, and the eagle's feathers, are especially well struck. Liberty's hair is as boldly rendered as we can imagine. We do note moderate hairlines on the delicate fields from an ancient cleaning, and these apparently limited the grade. This particular coin is identifiable by a tiny mint caused rectangular planchet flake nestled in the field between the back of Liberty's curls across from the fourth star. Free of adjustment marks or other detractions, this stunning beauty will certainly be the highlight of an advanced collection. In the summer of 1795 the new Mint Director Henry William DeSaussure arrived at the Philadelphia Mint with two goals that he immediately addressed, the first was to coin gold for circulation, and the other was to improve Robert Scot's flowing hair designs then in use. While the necessary bond was being met that allowed coinage of gold to begin, DeSaussure engaged the famed portraitist Gilbert Stuart to submit drawings that could replace the unpopular flowing hair designs. Stuart submitted a sketch of the local beauty Anne Willing to the Mint around August of 1795, and by October two obverse dies were prepared for silver dollars. John Eckstein, and assistant engraver at the Mint, had translated Stuart's drawing into the now familiar draped bust design. Eckstein also is credited with the small eagle reverse design. During this period, the Mint had prepared dies that employed 15 stars, representing the 15 states then in the new union. By 1796, Tennessee was prepared to join the union as a state, and this was officially accomplished on June 1, 1796. However, the two new quarter obverse dies both used only 15 stars, apparently having been engraved prior to the official notice. The new quarter denomination was struck on four different occasions, beginning April 9, 1796, and continuing until February 28, 1797. Two die varieties were coined, and this is the more common of the two. Many of the new quarters were saved as the first of their kind, and several known have prooflike surfaces which have long been considered special strikings, presentation coins, or simply proofs, although no Mint record yet discovered confirms a special striking. Col. E. H. R. Green (son of the millionaire Hetty Green) collected coins early in the last century and amassed a staggering hoard of 1796 quarters. It is believed that Green obtained over 200 1796 quarters, at least half of which were prooflike, as seen here. The late Abe Kosoff and Andre DeCoppet dispersed these quarters in the 1940s, and it is reasonable to assume that this coin came from the Green hoard. A rarity in all grades, and this one is certain to draw considerable attention. An American classic, in choice condition with magnificent eye appeal. Estimated Value $25,000-UP. From the Benson collection and purchased from James G. Macallister on February 8, 1945 for $140.00 as "Proof". View details and enlarged photos	Realized $37,950
Lot 686		1806 Draped Bust Quarter Dollar. 6 over 5. . B-1. PCGS graded MS-63. An extremely rare coin in this grade, the obverse and reverse are sharply struck especially on Liberty's hair, and on all but one of the reverse stars. Mottled steel gray toning on both sides, with hints of blue and silvery gray over luster in the fields. Struck from clashed dies, especially the reverse. The overdate feature is sharp and clear. PCGS in their Population Report have only graded 3 this high, with 3 graded higher, confirming that this one is well up in the Condition Census for the overdate variety. Estimated Value $9,000-UP. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $13,800
Lot 687		1806 Draped Bust Quarter Dollar. 6 over 5. EF-45. Dark even gray in color, and well struck throughout. We note one minor rim problem above star eight. A scarce overdate issue, one that is well worth the small premium it usually commands. A coin most collectors will love despite the darker than average color and weak dentils common to this variety. Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,000. From Bowers and Merena's Norweb Collection Sale, Part II, March 1988, lot 1517, earlier purchased by Ambassador and Mrs. R. Henry Norweb at the 1953 ANA Convention. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $2,300
Lot 688		1806 Draped Bust Quarter Dollar. VF-35. Bright and lustrous, with the peripheries bathed in gold shades. Nicely struck for this middle die state, the stars and curls are sharp and the obverse had not yet been lapped when this one was struck. There is a vertical die break on the obverse, and some rim crumbling above TE of STATES. A few minor ticks are noted, two above LIB, another near star ten, and there is a shallow scratch down from the eighth star. Minor hairlines on both sides, and the reverse also has some minor ticks from handling. Struck from clashed dies. Estimated Value $500 - 600. From Stack's sale May, 1990, lot 443. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,438
Lot 689		1806 Draped Bust Quarter Dollar. VG-10. Cleaned and retoned with beautiful rainbow hues around the periphery. There are some scratches on the drapery, and a couple of others in the upper left stars, and a mark or two at the top of the obverse. The reverse has several minor surface scratches, but is nicely toned. Estimated Value $125 - 150. From the Benson collection and purchased from Ira S. Reed on May 20, 1944 for an unknown price. View details	Realized $299
Lot 690		1815 Capped Bust Quarter Dollar. NGC graded MS-66. Magnificent color, surfaces and condition! Deep iridescent blue and gold on both sides, adhering near the devices while the fields are more satiny silver gray. Sharply impressed with full stars and curls on Liberty, and similar strength on the reverse devices save for only the uppermost claws on the eagle. Both dies show minor clash marks. NGC in their Population Report show only 4 graded this high, with a single coin graded higher (including one graded MS-65 with an L above the head) while PCGS has graded one coin as MS-66 with none higher. Hence, this is one of the top half dozen known of this first year of issue of the new John Reich design. A most impressive example of this date. It is important to note that many collectors assembling type sets want the first year of issue, and that keeps demand for this date high. During the years 1812 to 1815 the War of 1812 was unfolding, with British ships and troops disrupting the fragile American economy. Silver was hoarded and the mintage for 1815 quarters was a paltry 89,235. Curiously, no quarters had been issued since 1807 when the draped bust pieces were last coined, as the Philadelphia Mint focused their production on copper coins, half dollars and half eagles. Many 1815 quarters were actually delivered on January 10, 1816. Unbeknownst to the Mint, a fire would break out less than twelve hours after this delivery, which would delay further production of most coins until late 1817. Perhaps this coin was in that final delivery, and hoarded as the uncertainty of those early years continued, and somehow survived the generations to come down to us as this stunning gem. Estimated Value $17,500-UP. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $18,400
Lot 691		1818 Capped Bust Quarter Dollar. Normal date. PCGS graded MS-64. Flashy and bright, with no signs of toning on either side. Blazing mint luster in the fields, and struck from clashed and cracked dies. Well struck despite the late die state, and a beauty for the type specialist. PCGS notes in their Population Report that 43 have been graded this high, with 20 graded higher. Estimated Value $4,500 - 5,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $5,290
Lot 692		1821 Capped Bust Quarter Dollar. . B-3. PCGS graded MS-65. High in the condition census for the date, this spectacular coin is graced by deep steel gray toning, with darker highlights near the devices, and lighter hues on the devices. When examined with a light, glorious blues are seen in the stars, while lighter reddish gold is seen at the centers. Sharply struck by the dies, with full stars, curls and even the talons on the eagle. PCGS has graded only 4 this high, with 5 graded higher for the date. This particular example has a die crack from the edge through the twelfth star to Liberty's curls, clashed arrowheads at the eighth star, and shield stripes below Liberty's ear, also from clashing. Exceptional eye appeal and downright rare in grades even approaching this. A monumental coin for the type specialist. Estimated Value $10,000 - 12,500. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $10,925
Lot 693		1821 Capped Bust Quarter Dollar. VF-20. Cleaned and nicely retoned with deep green and gold around the periphery, steel gray at the centers. Estimated Value $180 - 220. From the Benson collection and purchased from Ira S. Reed on May 20, 1944 for $2.25. View details	Realized $230
Lot 694		1823 Capped Bust Quarter Dollar. 3 over 2. PCGS graded AU-55. This is certainly one of the very finest known of this supremely rare date, high in the Condition Census of the top six specimens all behind the single Proof example known. The strike is extremely sharp, and this is an early die state before the crack appears right of the date up to the center dot on Liberty, as seen on a few lower grade examples, which no doubt account for the rarity of this date. Perhaps 20 are known in all grades. Breen, in his Encyclopedia, individually lists 13 examples, with just 3 that can be called EF or better. Reviewing the PCGS and NGC Population reports seems to indicate that several are known, PCGS notes 2 in AU-55, and one in AU-58, none in Mint State above while NGC shows 1 as AU-55, 1 as AU-58 and 1 as MS-61, and the sole Proof as PF-64. With the cluster of high grade specimens reported, we suspect that there may be some duplication in the two reports, and a days study with a good coin auction library would certainly nail down the number of high grade examples known once some plate matching is done from prior auction sales. Toned a deep blue gray color, with moderate handling marks on both sides from very brief circulation. Identifiable by a small cluster of microscopic scrapes below Liberty's ear, and a few ticks between stars nine and ten, and some faint parallel scrapes above the Y of LIBERTY in the folds of the cap. On the reverse, we note some tiny marks below the wings of the eagle near the juncture with his body. Currently in PCGS holder #4664906. An extreme rarity in any grade, and especially this nice. Better than the recent sale of the Eliasberg example, this coin should have a higher technical grade, with less wear on the high points. A foremost opportunity for the Bust quarter specialist, and a date which has been offered a couple of times in the past six years. Estimated Value $27,500-UP. This coin is likely the same specimen from Stack's Anderson DuPont Sale, November 1954, lot 1798 or the specimen from Stack's 1976 ANA Sale, August 1976, lot 956, but it is hard to match to these early plates. It is possibly a new specimen that is otherwise unrecorded in auction history. One other possibility is the 1947 ANA (Kreisberg/Kosoff), lot 16 specimen. View details	Unsold
Lot 695		1825 Capped Bust Quarter Dollar. 5 over 4. . B-2. PCGS graded MS-65. Silvery gray in color at the centers, with mint fresh luster beneath, and deeper blues and golds at the rims. Well struck throughout, and downright rare in gem grades. Each of the obverse stars is full and complete, and the only weakness we could find was on a few of the reverse wing feathers. Loaded with eye appeal, and rarely encountered so fine. PCGS has graded 2 this high, with 4 graded higher of this hodge podge overdate issue. Estimated Value $10,000-UP. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $16,100
Lot 696		1828. Browning-4. Quarter dollar. Extremely Rare Proof Issue and 1828 JR-1 Dime Proof. The Quarter in NGC graded PF-62 and the 1828 dime is not certified but grades Proof 63. The 1828 Quarter is a rare proof issue and it has an illustrious pedigree. The coin itself is toned with antique gold hues on both sides, fading to deep blue at the rims, and brilliant at the centers. As expected, the mirror fields show moderate disturbances and hairlines from a past cleaning, but these are not too distracting. Breen, in his Proofs Encyclopedia, lists seven known of this variety, with a few others not attributed, as well as a few proofs from other die pairings. This coin is the first listed for the variety in that reference work. All told, perhaps a dozen were coined in proof. Examination of the strike will note no signs of weakness on the stars, branch, claws or feathers, areas which are often poorly struck on these. As to the 1828 dime, it has antique steel gray in color with deeper blue tones at the rims of both sides. This is one of just five proofs of this date that are confirmed to exist, and as Breen notes others that claim to be proof lack the proper striking qualities. Listed as #3 in Breen's Proof Encyclopedia, and a well known and pedigreed specimen of this rare proof issue. The strike is outstanding, many of the reverse letters show slight doubling from the second strike, and both sides have the knife rim familiar to proof collectors. Identifiable by a tiny planchet flaw between the wing and the M of AMERICA. We note tiny rust pits below the left side of the eagle's neck. Our consignor wanted these two coins sold together as they been together pretty much since their first known auction appearance in 1898. Truly an exceptional pair for the specialist to long enjoy. Lot of 2 coins. Estimated Value $5,500-UP. The Quarter is from S. H. and H. C. Chapman's sale of the Thomas Cleneay Collection, 12/9-13/1890: 1340; Christian Allenburger Sale, 1948: 842; New Netherlands (T. James Clark) 47th Sale, 1956: 1514; Stack's Eugene Gardner Collection Sale 1965: 1630; RARCOA's session of Auction '82, 1982:713; Superior's Session of Auction '90, 1990:1076; Bowers and Merena's Miller Sale: 11-1992: 1675. The dime is from S. H. and H. C. Chapman's sale of the Thomas Cleneay Collection, 12/9-13/1890: 1501; exhibited at the ANS in 1914; Lester Merkin Sale, April 17, 1970, lot 484; Kamal Ahwash, April 24, 1979 privately; Stack's sale of the Allen Lovejoy Collection, 10/16/90:89 and Bowers and Merena's Miller Sale 11/92:1674. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 697		1832 Capped Bust Quarter Dollar. PCGS graded AU-53. Original tawny gold toning around the periphery and sharply struck. Briefly circulated, and one for the collector. Subdued luster in the fields, and a few faint blotches on the reverse. Estimated Value $450 - 550. From the Benson collection and purchased from James G. Macallister on April 3, 1944 for $2.50 as "Uncirculated". View details	Realized $575
Lot 698		1835 Capped Bust Quarter Dollar. . B-1. MS-63 Prooflike. Choice and lustrous with good color and clean surfaces. A few hairlines account for the grade, and we note a few microscopic rim ticks on the reverse. Boldly struck and a perfect coin for the type collector. The reverse has a long thin crack through STA to RIC. Prooflike in the fields. Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,000. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 699		1837 Capped Bust Quarter Dollar. . B-1. PCGS graded MS-64. Possibly the finest known of this variety, and certainly well up in the Condition Census for the Browning-1 die pairing. Quickly identifiable by a crack through the first star, above the date, to the last two stars on the right, and another crack on the reverse through D STATE to the rims above. Sharp on all but a few upper stars, and very frosty and white at the centers, delicate gold around the periphery. We note a few very light hairlines, including a thin one down Liberty's neck, but the surfaces and eye appeal certainly approach that of a gem example. The reverse die is well executed, but may have been lapped as the right wing of the eagle shows weak definition on this inside near the shield. Hopefully, this one will sell to a variety collector who can study the minor cracks and nuances of this scarce late die state. PCGS has graded 15 this high, with 15 graded higher of the date. Estimated Value $3,500 - 4,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $7,475
Lot 700		1838 Capped Bust Quarter Dollar. . B-1. PCGS graded MS-62. Silvery white and without signs of toning on this one. One tick is noted at the top left wing of the eagle. This is the final year of issue of this type. Decent luster and a good strike too. Estimated Value $900 - 1,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,208