Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 34

Pre-Long Beach Coin and Currency Auction

$3 Gold

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 1047		1854 $3 Gold. NGC graded AU-58. Untoned. A few light marks on the cheek, but nothing else menacing or out of the ordinary to take your eyes off the sleek, smooth luster of this first-year $3 gold denomination (PCGS # 7969) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,955
Lot 1048		1854 $3 Gold. PCGS graded AU-58. A hint of light gold toning. Very close to mint state from the amount of luster present and from the sharp hair detail on Liberty (PCGS # 7969) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,243
Lot 1049		1854. PCGS graded EF-40. Nice even wear and toning. Small letters in the word dollars on the reverse in 1854 only (PCGS # 7969) . Estimated Value $800 - 850. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $920
Lot 1050		1855 $3 Gold. SEGS graded MS-65. Well struck, very choice and frosty. Our grade is MS64. Pleasingly bright and lustrous, both sides are warmly colored in orange- to yellow-gold hues. A solidly graded, premium quality Gem, this coin displays impressive striking definition for a $3 from this early period. This is also to say that the strike is full, including those few hair strands over Liberty's ear which often keep this from full. Only the wreath's bow shows weakness in the design; the main leafy ornaments are smartly impressed by the die. Estimated Value $9,000 - 10,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $10,350
Lot 1051		1857 $3 Gold. NGC graded VF-30. Only 20,891 minted. Lightly toned (PCGS # 7976) . Estimated Value $550 - 600. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $805
Lot 1052		1857-S $3 Gold. NGC graded AU-58. Mostly untoned. A lustrous, carefully preserved example and quite scarce. Only 14,000 minted. Pop 10; 1 in 60; 1 in 61; 1 in 62. Rare in high grade. (PCGS # 7977) . Estimated Value $9,000 - 10,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $13,225
Lot 1053		1875 $3 Gold. NGC graded Proof 64 Cameo. Only 20 struck all in proof. Key date to the $3 series. An important Rarity. Blazing gold Proof. Of all the famous issues in the Three Dollar gold series, only the unique 1870-S tops the Proof-only 1875 for fame and reputation, the 1875 being the first issue from the series to eclipse the $100,000 barrier, well over 30 years ago. The Mint listed its coinage as 20 Proofs, but today we recognize that the figure is slightly understated since the number of pieces known is estimated at above 30 coins. The reddish-golden surfaces exhibit full, watery brilliance and contrast that must be considered minimal, in spite of the "Cameo" designation it received. Wispy hairlines are scattered throughout, the most noticeable located in the fields and virtually absent on the delicate cheek contour. These, however, are both short and relatively unobtrusive. According to research published by Bowers, "In 1916, Frank G. Duffield, editor of The Numismatist, sought to unravel the mystery surrounding the 1873, 1875, and 1876 $3 pieces, for which Mint reports stated that, respectively, just 25, 20, and 45 pieces had been made, all in Proof finish. And yet, especially for the 1873, it seemed that more were around than officially stated. Readers were invited to contact Duffield with regard to the pieces they owned, but response was negligible, as most numismatists collected in private and did not necessarily want to share their knowledge. Even the better known numismatists of the era who owned such pieces did not answer the challenge. Accordingly, the matter was soon dropped. Pop 3; 1 in 65 Cameo, NGC has graded only 7 in total. In later years it became apparent that somewhat more than 20 1875 Proofs were struck. Some have suggested that these might be called restrikes but as all are from the same die pair and appear to have essentially the same characteristics and most probably were actually struck in 1875 (but not recorded), the point is moot. Today, the 1875 stands as an icon, a beacon to the $3 series, the particular date to which the eye gravitates when a display is presented." Estimated Value $80,000 - 100,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $175,375
Lot 1054		1876 $3 Gold. NGC graded Proof 64 Cameo. Well struck and untoned. A total of 45 struck all in proof. Popular key date. The Proof-only status of the 1876 three-dollar gold piece has earned it much fame over the decades. Its rarity is guaranteed by the aforesaid mintage of just 45 coins. While collectors must allow for some doubling-up in arriving at the true number of certified 1876 threes, it seems that no more than 25-30 pieces are in existence today. The population of unimpeachable, choice to gem examples, however, is much subordinate to this figure, since as many as a dozen have been thoughtlessly cleaned or even used as pocket pieces. This handsome Proof 64 has conspicuous two-tone qualities between the fields and devices and there is a nice "halo" effect surrounding the head of Liberty, the result of slight granularity in the fields seen on most 1876 threes. A few thin hairlines runs along the surface on both sides, but these are mainly there to keep the graders employed and happy, since the coin is, by and large, close to Gem quality. These few hairlines being the extent of the blemishes which prevent a full gem grade, the coin represents a wonderful, even a stunning example of this rarely offered, key date three-dollar issue. Pop 15; 6 finer. Estimated Value $40,000 - 45,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $46,000
Lot 1055		1878 $3 Gold. PCGS graded MS-64. Lovely rich golden toning. Fully pulsating with lovely deep peach-orange color, the surfaces are free of bothersome spots or marks, with the only noticeable nick being just to the side of the second 8 in the date. Nicely struck, too, with nearly full details on both sides, only the wreath's bow lacking the requisite detail for MS65 quality (PCGS # 8000) . Estimated Value $8,000 - 9,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $11,500
Lot 1056		1878 $3 Gold. PCGS graded AU-58 PQ. Light golden toning. Very choice for the grade, there are some marks on Liberty's face and in the field, but the surface exhibits much original luster (PCGS # 8000) . Estimated Value $1,600 - 1,800. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1057		1889 $3 Gold. PCGS graded Proof 65 Cameo. A brilliant gem! Ideal type coin.Among coins in the $3 series, the 1889 Proof seems to have had a lower survival than the more commonly seen 1888, although no precise figure is available. In context, this rare gold issue has a production at less than a quarter of the 880 Proofs made for the "King of the Silver Dollars" 1895 Morgan dollar. While in the context of $3 issues this 1889 Proof is seen slightly more often than most other dates, in absolute terms the adjective rare certainly applies. The present piece is a splendid example, superbly struck, one of the finest ever seen in this regard. Both obverse and reverse have mirror surfaces with the "orange peel" characteristic. There is some graininess or "aura" visible in places to the sides of the portrait, this being normal for the issue (and most other Proofs of the era as well). Devices are fully bold and stain frosted, giving this its wonderful cameo-like quality. Such a marvel of preservation and beauty will be a great addition to either a type set or a specialized collection. The quality is all there, and as such it will be wealth untold for its next owner. Pop 1; 2 in PR66. (PCGS # 88053) . Estimated Value $25,000 - 27,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold