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Sale 2
Coins, Manuscript and Collectibles Auction
| Lot |
Photo |
Description |
Realized |
Lot 2036 |
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1842-1852 Bechtler $1 Gold. NGC graded MS-62. Standard weight for August Bechtler of 27 G. of 21-carat fine gold. While these are crude coins in terms of design, they are of course of historical significance because they represent the earliest, though scant, attempts to provide gold for commerical use years before the vast gold fields were discovered in California. Thus we have here one of the first Gold Dollars to appear in the young United States, and a coin made of native ore found in North Carolina. This specimen is fairly normal, showing lots of tiny surface abrasions, but none severe. Its luster is bright, and the crude charm of its design is pleasantly presented. Rare and underrated in comparison to federal gold.
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| Realized
$3,565 |
Lot 2037 |
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Nearly Mint State $50 Slug. PCGS graded AU-55. A stunning coin for the Territorial specialist. The surfaces show some die rust, which has been reduced by brief circulation. Moderate hairlines are also noted in the fields. The rims don't have the usual heavy dents that seem to plague this issue (they were called "slugs," after all, as all of you will remember, because Barbary Coast kidnappers used them in bandanas to slug captives over the head, then haul them off to indenturedness aboard sailing vessels). The obverse has some tiny areas of tooling where minor marks have been buffed down. The eagle is bold, and the shield too, with full details on every tiny device. Always popular for the engine-turned reverse, which shows virtually no signs of contact. An important and very rare coin indeed.
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| Realized
$18,975 |
Lot 2038 |
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1854 Kellogg & Co. $20. Eliasberg. NGC graded MS-61. The Red Book plate coin. Lots of mostly small abrasions as nearly always found on these huge creations, a couple of larger marks on Liberty's face, and a gash on the C of CALIFORNIA in the reverse legend (these identify it as the plate coin). The strike's not perfect, but the immediate impression is of a well-made coin, for Liberty is extremely bold, as is the date. The old-gold color is lovely to behold, as well. In all, an important and historic coin from the West when it truly was the Wild Wild West. Worth a lot of attention and a good winning bid!
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| Unsold |
Lot 2039 |
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1854 Kellogg & Co. $20. PCGS graded AU-58. Kellogg answered to the many pleas of local merchants to "supply the vacuum" of much needed gold coinage in the San Francisco area. Coinage began in February of 1854. Here is a splendid example, with a full, rounded cheek on Liberty, and mountainous curls under her crown. The fields and devices are far cleaner than normally encountered. Obviously, this coin was saved while most others were spent countless times, and banged up by time and circulation. If you have been searching for a really exceptional Kellogg Twenty, then look no further than this lot.
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| Realized
$6,900 |
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