Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 21

Pre-Long Beach Coin and Currency Auction

Dollars

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 515		1794 Flowing Hair Dollar. SEGS graded AU-50. Mostly well struck on a slightly rough planchet with the central portions nice and bold. We note some weakness around the first few stars as well as the corresponding portion of the reverse. We also note a series of light hairlines that can be seen on the obverse under magnification. Interestingly, very few adjustment marks are present and the entire coin is overlaid with steel-grey and light gold toning. The rims on both sides show a series of light marks and therefore we would grade this example Extremely Fine 40. The 1794 silver dollar is an American classic, it is the first year of issue and our monetary unit, was struck in extremely limited quantities and the total known population is between 130 and 140 coins in all grades. Estimated Value $125,000 - 150,000. View details	Unsold
Lot 516		1794 Flowing Hair Dollar. PCGS graded VF-35. A most impressive example of this rare and most important date with excellent antique silver-grey color and defect free surfaces. Bold date and great strike with no adjustment marks worthy of note. A few marks on the obverse from normal circulation, but still gives the appearance of a full Extremely Fine specimen. The perfect grade for a collector seeking a choice example of our first U.S. silver dollar. It is believed that all 1794 dollars were coined on October 15, 1794 from silver bullion deposited by David Rittenhouse, and all 1794 silver dollars coined on this date were delivered to David Rittenhouse (Breen and Collins, in their draft of the 1794 silver dollar manuscript). Thus all 1758 examples struck of the 1794 silver dollars can trace their pedigree to David Rittenhouse, who passed them out to friends, many of whom kept them,others were spent and circulated. The silver bullion deposited by Rittenhouse varied greatly, and there were many gas bubbles in the silver ingots, which later caused laminations and planchet cracks, which plague approximately 30 percent of the 1794 dollar population. The 1794 silver dollar is an American classic, it is the first year of issue of our monetary unit, was struck in extremely limited quantities, and the total known population is between 130 and 140 coins in all grades. Recent sales for similar examples have been $115,000 to $130,000 (PCGS # 6851) . Estimated Value $100,000 - 115,000. View details Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 517		1795 Flowing Hair Dollar. 3 leaves beneath each wing. PCGS graded VF-20. A nice even strike with the wear evenly distributed and free from adjustment marks or other deterrents. Pleasing even bluish-grey toning adds to its appeal (PCGS # 6852) . Estimated Value $3,300 - 3,700. View details Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,910
Lot 518		1795 Flowing Hair Dollar. Silver plug. EF-45. Only variety with 14 berries, 7 on each branch. Although cleaned and retoned, this coin has an excellent look with enough detail to easily justify the grade. Free from noticeable adjustment or other marks worthy of mention and all overlaid with a pleasing violet and grayish tone. Estimated Value $6,000 - 7,500. View details	Realized $9,085
Lot 519		1797 Draped Bust Dollar. 10 stars left, 6 right. NGC graded MS-61. Already impressive as a Mint State example of a 1797 Silver Dollar, this piece is even more exceptional because of the clear, triple striking evident on both sides. Everything -- denticles, leaves, feathers, letters, hair, stars -- shows triple details, each strike shifted just slightly from the preceding. Completely original, with deep lilac centers deepening to olive-purple near the peripheries. A stunning coin that is sure to excite the participants in the current, red-hot market for errors. The triple striking has created a depth of details rarely seen on any early U.S.silver dollar. Estimated Value $25,000 - 30,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $35,650
Lot 520		1797 Draped Bust Dollar. 10 stars left, 6 right. ANACS graded EF-40. Attractive greyish-violet old time toning. We note some faint adjustment marks in the obverse center. A very pleasing and bascially problem-free example. Estimated Value $5,000 - 6,000. View details	Realized $5,463
Lot 521		1798 Draped Bust Dollar. Small eagle reverse, 13 stars on obverse. PCGS graded EF-45. Pleasing dove gray with lavender highlights. Small planchet depression at star 9 which is not effecting the grade. Luster still visible. A great strike for the date. An important coin due to the demand by type collectors who need the thirteen star, small eagle combination (PCGS # 6867) . Estimated Value $8,000 - 9,000. Ex: Cardinal Collection. View details Check results on similar lots	Realized $9,200
Lot 522		1798 Draped Bust Dollar. Heraldic eagle reverse, close date. ANACS graded AU-58. A well struck, problem-free example, that exhibits plenty of mint luster beneath the light mottled toning (PCGS # 6873) . Estimated Value $8,000 - 9,000. View details Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 523		1798 Draped Bust Dollar. Heraldic eagle reverse. VF-35, cleaned and retoned. Steel- and silver-gray in color, not too far from a natural toning. The overall appearance remains quite pleasing and most collectors would be perfectly happy to own this coin. Estimated Value $1,400 - 1,600. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 524		1798 Draped Bust Dollar. Heraldic eagle reverse. VF-35, cleaned. A very sharp coin that, unfortunately, was cleaned with a light abrasive in the past. The color has since returned to normal and now appears as a pleasing, silver-gray. If you're looking for lots of detail and the surface quality is not that important, this coin represents great value. Estimated Value $1,400 - 1,600. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,840
Lot 525		1798 Draped Bust Dollar. Heraldic eagle reverse, close date. ANACS graded VF-30. Light golden toning (PCGS # 6873) . Estimated Value $1,300 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,898
Lot 526		1799 Draped Bust Dollar. ANACS graded VF-35. A rock-solid Very Fine coin with deep, charcoal-gray toning that completely covers both sides (PCGS # 6878) . Estimated Value $1,400 - 1,600. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,668
Lot 527		1801 Draped Bust Dollar. ANACS graded VF-35. A nice even strike on a problem free planchet. No problems worthy of note and all overlaid with old time uneven toning (PCGS # 6893) . Estimated Value $1,700 - 1,900. View details Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,013
Lot 528		1802 Draped Bust Dollar. Narrow date. Sharpness of AU-55. Boldly struck with excellent detail including full hair defination. Although cleaned and retoned, now a gun-metal grey, the surfaces are remarkably clean and quite lustrous. Estimated Value $3,000 - 4,000. View details	Realized $5,520
Lot 529		1836 Gobrecht Dollar. Designer's name on base. Circulation issue. PCGS graded Proof 45 Original. Well struck and quite pleasing for the grade. Although slipped into circulation for a while, the surfaces and rims are remarkably clean. Due to the fact that no stars or other devices appear on the obverse, one would expect far more marks in the unprotected fields. All is overlaid with antique bluish-grey toning. A most popular type coin and always in demand as a mere 1000 coins were struck (PCGS # 11225) . Estimated Value $6,000 - 7,000. View details Check results on similar lots	Realized $8,050
Lot 530		1839 Pattern Dollar. Silver, reeded edge. PCGS graded Proof 63. A nice bold impression with semi mirror surfaces overlaid with stunning toning. Both sides exhibit a natural blending of golden, violet and sea green iridescence. Pop 19 with 6 higher, best being PR-65. Always in demand! The dies alignment is medal-turn (coin-turn are considered originals) and were restruck circa 1859 (PCGS # 11446) . Estimated Value $25,000 - 30,000. View details Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 531		1841 Liberty Seated Dollar. AU-50. Lightly cleaned years ago, now with a glossy appearance. Minor rim mark at 2:00 on the obverse. Estimated Value $350 - 450. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $265
Lot 532		1843 Liberty Seated Dollar. PCGS graded MS-62. Well struck and quite scarce in this quality. Nice and frosty throughout, mostly white with a toning spot on the reverse (PCGS # 6929) . Estimated Value $2,800 - 3,500. View details Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 533		1849 Liberty Seated Dollar. PCGS graded MS-64. Well struck with semi prooflike surfaces that are overlaid with delicate golden-lilac toning. A very scarce date in this high state of perservation. In an old green PCGS holder. Pop 5 with 2 higher, 1 MS--65 and MS-66. Estimated Value $9,000 - 10,000. View details	Unsold
Lot 534		1849 Liberty Seated Dollar. NGC graded AU-50. Interesting purple and gray toning. Only 62,600 struck for circulation. Estimated Value $425 - 500. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $518
Lot 535		1851 Liberty Seated Dollar. Restrike. PCGS graded Proof 62. An exciting coin from our sale of the Dr. Jon Katdatzke Collection, February 2000, Lot 1408, there graded Proof-62 by ANACS and called an "1851-O Proof Restrike" by them. Now it is in a PCGS holder as an 1851 "Restrike Over O Mint." Which is correct? In 2000, we provided a lengthy description of the coin, mostly information gleaned from an article by Walter Breen, where he speculated wildly about how, when, why, and by whom it was produced. We're not going to reproduce that information here; instead, we're going to take a close look at the coin itself and discuss several important points. First and foremost, we should point out that this is the only example known. No matter how you categorize it, there is no other coin like it in all of American numismatics. It is the ONLY 1851 Silver Dollar with an O mintmark. It is clearly a U.S. Mint-made product, fully up to the high standards of production of a Proof coin. It is also one of the most interesting and enigmatic of all U.S. coins. Your writer (RJG) has spent a considerable amount of time examining this coin under a microscope, with the naked eye, comparing it to plates and high resolution images of every date in the Seated Liberty Silver Dollar series. With that in mind, let's examine some of the characteristics of this fascinating coin. 1. The weight. Breen lists the weight of this coin at 400.3 grains, off from the standard weight of 412.5 grains by slightly less than .03%. Breen attributed the low weight to one of two possibilites: 1) a shaving off of the high wire rim caused by squeezing of the planchet into the thin space between the dies and the collar or 2) the use of a foreign dollar-size coin "polished down and with edges shaved off." Unfortunately, we are at a disadvantage because we are unable to confirm the weight of the coin or to examine all of the rims. However, where they are visible, the rims show a partial wire rim but no evidence of filing. There is no trace of any undertype, even under microscopic examination (no compressed legends or other details). 2. Could it have been made at New Orleans? No, the obverse die is clearly the one used to make the so-called 1851 Restrikes. No Proof Seated Liberty Dollars (of any date) have ever been reported from the New Orleans Mint. 3. Was it struck at Philadelphia over a New Olreans minted Silver Dollar? This is a distinct possibility that would account for the flattening of the mintmark. Possibilities include the 1850-O and 1859-O because of the placement of the mintmark relative to the junction of the olive branch and the bottom of the arrow's fletch. However, again, there is no trace of the undertype one would expect to see. The positioning of the elements on the Restrike dies and the underlying coin would have to have been identical in all respects, the coin and the dies would have to have been perfectly aligned in the press, and there is the small matter of hiding the underlying date. If the mintmark was so difficult to stamp out, then one would expect the same problem in the date area or on other parts of the coin. 4. When was it struck? The 1851 Restrike Dollars are believed to have been struck around 1859-1860, using a reverse of that period. There is no reason to doubt that this coin was made at the same time. 5. Was a reverse with a New Orleans mintmark used? It is entirely possible for such a scenario to have occurred. Philadelphia was responsible for creating the dies for each of the branch mints, which were then shipped to the respective mints for use in the subject year. Thus, it is entirely possible that someone grabbed the wrong reverse and combined it with the 1851 Restrike (centered date) obverse. However, Proof coins were made in a department separate from the regular coining department and the use of a New Orleans mint reverse would have required access to the Engraving department, as well, where the dies were made. Then, the die would have required proper polishing and preparation in order to strike the single known 1851-O Proof Dollar. 6. Was the mintmark chiselled off? That's a judgment call that may or may not strain the bounds of reason. Yes, there are some faint scrapes and scratches on and around the mintmark, but they are of the microscopic sort. The mintmark is perfectly level with the surrounding surface on all points. If indeed, the mintmark was chiselled off, it required the steady hands of a surgeon and a degree of skill we've yet to see. Clearly, this coin requires side-by-side study with other 1851 Restrike Dollars, as Breen offered the possibility "other reverses might exist" in his 1977 "Encyclopedia of United States and Colonial Proof Coins 1722-1989." One area that intrigues us is the shape of the tip of the fletch that projects from the bottom edge of the olive branch, just above the mintmark. Also, the shape and size of the buds on the olive branch offers a possible area of research and comparison. Authors Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth included this unique 1851-O Silver Dollar in their recently published book "The Top 100 United States Coins," assigning it a rank of 60 out of 100. We especially like their comment: "With the proper publicity and recognition, the value of the 1851-O Silver Dollar could approach the half million dollar mark." We concur! Estimated Value $250,000 - 350,000. Ex: From our sale of the Dr. Jon Kardatzke Collection, February 6-8, 2000, Lot 1408. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 536		1859-S Liberty Seated Dollar. EF-45. Old gray cabinet toning with lighter highlights. Estimated Value $1,100 - 1,300. View details	Unsold
Lot 537		1867 Liberty Seated Dollar. PCGS graded Proof 66 Deep Cameo. A well struck creamy white example. A superb gem in every way. The seated figure of Liberty just pops right off the coin! Pop 1 with none higher by PCGS. A wonderful type coin. Estimated Value $30,000 - 40,000. View details	Unsold
Lot 538		1867 Liberty Seated Dollar. NGC graded Proof 66. A beautiful, glittering Gem, untoned except for a slight blush of milky color that rests atop the deeply mirrored surfaces. Close examination with a magnifying glass fails to reveal any noticeable marks or hairlines, attesting to the remarkable stewardship of previous owners. No mention is made of the cameo contrast on both sides, leading us to believe that this was graded a few years back, when NGC was not making such determinations. This is one of the finest examples certified by NGC; their Census Report shows only three finer: a single Proof-68 and two Proof-67 Cameos. A wonderful coin searching for a new home. Estimated Value $15,000 - 17,000. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 539		1868 Liberty Seated Dollar. NGC graded Fine-12. A nice, evenly balanced example of the date in a highly collectible and affordable grade. Estimated Value $150 - 175. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $196
Lot 540		1871 Liberty Seated Dollar. NGC graded Proof 62. Speckled, iridescent toning over bright surfaces. Faint hairlines are visible beneath the obverse toning; the reverse appears to be of Gem quality. Housed in an old NGC holder, thus worth a premium. Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,800. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $2,300
Lot 541		1873-S Trade Dollar. PCGS graded MS-64. Well struck with lovely even gold and lilac toning. Pop 13 with 3 higher all MS-65. Trends for $8,000 (PCGS # 7033) . Estimated Value $3,500 - 4,000. View details Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 542		1876 Trade Dollar. PCGS graded MS-65 PQ. Wonderful old time toning: olive-green around all of the devices and legends; lilac toned in the fields. As pretty and as original as they come. Housed in an old, green-label holder. PCGS reports 14 in this grade, with 7 higher (all in MS-66). Gem Trade Dollars of any date are incredibly rare. Even after 17 years of grading coins, fewer than 150 Trade Dollars have earned a grade of MS-65 or above -- this out of the nearly 5,000 coins submitted! (PCGS # 7041) . Estimated Value $7,000 - 8,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $10,350
Lot 543		1878-S Trade Dollar. SEGS graded MS-62. Lightly toned on both sides. Some light to moderate marks on both sides. Estimated Value $200 - 250. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $345
Lot 544		1878-S Trade Dollar. AU-50. Numerous light surface marks, none of which are noticeable or distracting. Lightly cleaned years ago, now with a golden color re-forming at the rims. Flat rim scrape at 1:30 on the obverse. Estimated Value $125 - 150. View details	Realized $98
Lot 545		1878-S Trade Dollar. ICG graded EF-40 (PCGS # 61800) . Estimated Value $100 - 120. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $150
Lot 546		1880 Trade Dollar. PCGS graded Proof 62. PQ. Scarce Proof-only date, with a mintage of only 1,987 coins. The toning is somewhat dusky, but the overall quality suggests a higher grade. To it's credit, the reverse is particularly bright and reflective. In an old, green-label PCGS holder. Despite the discontinuance of the Trade Dollar in 1878, and its replacement by the Morgan Dollar, collector demand for the Trade Dollar continued unabated. In fact, Proof mintages after 1878 are among the highest in the series and 1880 tops them all! (PCGS # 7060) . Estimated Value $1,300 - 1,400. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,300