Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 34

Pre-Long Beach Coin and Currency Auction

Commemorative Silver Coins

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 1953		1921 Alabama Half Dollar, with 2 x 2. NGC graded MS-65. Frosty white with a thin veil of natural milky gray haze. A well struck example of this scarcer early-vintage Commemorative. Curiously, the Alabama commission discovered a trick for improving sales slightly by adding this tiny 2x2 in the field to the die. In so doing, they created two varieties for collectors; today, the 2x2 is much scarcer in gem mint state grades, but just about any Alabama is a worthwhile purchase at the MS65 level (PCGS # 9225) . Estimated Value $1,300 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,265
Lot 1954		1921 Alabama Half Dollar, no 2 x 2. PCGS graded MS-66. Old green holder. A nice white example. A blazing fresh white gem with highly concentrated frostiness and almost ostentatious eye appeal. Don't mind the hint of weakness at the hair of Mr. Kilby since, with all due respect, he doesn't sport much hair on his head in the first place; the clarity of strike plus the smooth silvery finish has been taken into consideration by the grading service. Bidders will also want to take into consideration the possibility of stiff competition to own it. Pop 61; 1 in 67. (PCGS # 9224) . Estimated Value $4,500 - 5,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1955		1921 Alabama Half Dollar, no 2 x 2. PCGS graded MS-65. Creamy white. In an old green holder. A blazing fresh gem of the scarcer Alabama commemorative with intense luster and grand eye appeal. A hint of weakness at the head of Kilby as is typically found on the issue is, in this outstanding example, sharp throughout, meaning that it belongs in the top 10% or so of surviving MS65 specimens (PCGS # 9224) . Estimated Value $1,800 - 1,900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1956		1921 Alabama Half Dollar, no 2 x 2. PCGS graded MS-65. Lovely original light golden toning. Very choice for the grade. An hard to believe array of luster supports bright vibrant highlights and delicately toned features of this scarce 2x2 half dollar variety. Nicely struck, as might be expected from the grade, with the design comparable to the best preserved specimens of this issue. On the reverse of the Alabama commemorative, the warlike eagle is adopted from the Alabama state seal, with the motto HERE WE REST on the ribbon held in the eagle's beak. Two Alabama issues were made, one having a small "2x2" stamped into the field (incuse) honoring Alabama as the 22nd state. Six thousand of these were sold. The other, where the 2x2 was ground off the die comprised the remaining 59,000 pieces sold. Pop 381; 61 in 66; 1 in 67. (PCGS # 9224) . Estimated Value $1,700 - 1,800. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,840
Lot 1957		1935 Arkansas Half Dollar. PCGS graded MS-66. White and frosty. Includes original mailing envelope in choice condition. A plentiful issue that collectors may pick for their commemorative Type set (PCGS # 9233) . Estimated Value $600 - 700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $805
Lot 1958		1937-P,D,S Boone Half Dollar Set. NGC graded Each MS-66. A wonderful well matched set with each exhibiting light natural toning. Lot of 3 coins. Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,150. View details	Realized $1,265
Lot 1959		1925-S California Half Dollar. NGC graded MS-66. Light blue and gold toning. This conditionally difficult offering is fully original with richly frosted surfaces underpinning the color. The strike is generally free of criticism, as well, being sharp in all areas including the boot and hat (PCGS # 9281) . Estimated Value $900 - 950. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $863
Lot 1960		1925-S California Half Dollar. NGC graded MS-65. Frosty white. Both the peripheries and the central areas are impressive for their sharpness of strike, and the frosty textured surfaces are glistening. No deviation in the sharp relief seen, either, not even in the centers of the coin, making this a beautiful Gem 65 (PCGS # 9281) . Estimated Value $800 - 900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1961		1892 Columbian Half Dollar. NGC graded MS-67. Lovely rainbow toning on both sides. Smooth satin luster is boldly displayed on this fresh-appearing toned example. Struck with systematic exactness throughout. Pop 25; 5 in 67 Star; 1 in 68. (PCGS # 9296) . Estimated Value $2,500 - 3,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1962		1893 Columbian Half Dollar. NGC graded MS-67. Nicely toned. Deep fresh luster with sharp definition and virtually perfect fields and devices. A truly exceptional Columbian half dollar. Where a collector might expect to see the usual deviation in the sharp relief on Columbus's scalp, and also the center of the reverse where the sail failed to completely fill the dies, this standout specimen takes the opposite road by being boldness personified! Pop 16; 5 finer. (PCGS # 9297) . Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1963		1893 Columbian Half Dollar. NGC graded MS-67. Superb blue colors. Marvelous originality with gleaming cartwheel luster that enhances attractively frosted central devices. Sheer boldness of strike throughout would be the ideal for a Columbian half, and this coin meets the challenge completely; the design left by the punch of the dies is in an excellent state at the centers as well as the legends and date. Pop 16; 5 finer. (PCGS # 9297) . Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1964		1935 Connecticut Half Dollar. PCGS graded MS-66. Lovely delicate pastel toning on the obverse. Struck with mathematical precision by the dies on the The Charter Oak tree, which is Connecticut's historical claim to fame (PCGS # 9299) . Estimated Value $800 - 900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,438
Lot 1965		1936 Gettysburg Half Dollar. NGC graded MS-67. Old holder. Nice original toning with superb surfaces. Comes with the original envelope as sent. This commemorative half dollar memorializes the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, a key turning point in the Civil War. The coin's creator, Frank Vittor, conceived a dual design for both obverse and reverse: the obverse portrays conjoined busts of Union and Confederate soldiers, while there is similar duality in the Union and Confederate shields on the reverse, which are separated by the double-edged fasces representing power of life and death (that is, the sovereignty of the State). The coin is dated 1836 but was struck in 1937 and commemorates an event which technically should have been celebrated in 1938! Such was the administration of America's Commemorative program in the 1930s. In all, there were 50,000 struck; however, only 26,900 sold at the issue price of $1.65. The rest were deliquesced (PCGS # 9305) . Estimated Value $1,700 - 2,200. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,640
Lot 1966		1922 Grant Half Dollar, with star. NGC graded MS-67. Light hint of gold toning. Superb! Lustrous but deep white frostiness dominates the central surfaces of this beautiful toned coin, with a particular glow to the reverse fields. A munificent strike, as well as freedom from the usual clash marks typical for this issue where insufficient die pressure occurs all too often on Grant's hair. And that is why this is a coin to jump at before it's sale is history. Pop 6; none finer. Among the finest known. Photos of Grant during the Civil War often show him off to one side. Some have wondered, Was Grant a Loner? Not at all. He was a man who apparently hated being alone and enjoyed having convivial company about him. According to his biographers, during the Civil War, he spent his evenings sitting around the campfire, listening to other officers and occasionally interjecting a thought or story. He disliked isolation and didn't function well unless there were people around him. What he would have thought about having a commemorative coin in his honor it a mute point, perhaps, but this is one of the most replsendent coins we have had the pleasure to offer at auction (PCGS # 9307) . Estimated Value $30,000 - 40,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1967		1922 Grant Half Dollar, with star. PCGS graded MS-65 PQ. A lovely mostly white original coin. A glossy coin and a gem by any benchmark. What's more, this has an engaging display of nearly universal pure white iridescence that soar across the highly lustrous silver gray surfaces of this scarce commemorative half dollar. The strike is strong for the date, with just outstanding detail in Grant's hair and bear. In order to sell extra Grant commemoratives to the public, the commission releasing these arrogated to themselves a lesson learned from the Alabama and Missouri commission people the year before. They had the mint stamp a tiny star into the obverse field above the word GRANT. A total of 4,256 were so countermarked while each coin was in the die so as not to cause a flat patch to appear on the other side. Only a few people were hoodwinked by this sly trick. Today's collector, therefore, has very few nice Grant with Star examples from which to choose. The present coin is far better than most. Pop 144; 30 in 66; 3 in 67. (PCGS # 9307) . Estimated Value $6,000 - 7,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $7,130
Lot 1968		1922 Grant Half Dollar, no star. PCGS graded MS-66. Old green holder. Lovely frosty example. Pleasant satin envelops all surfaces under its silvery radiance, with very little toning. Given the proper amount of strike pressure, the Grant's portrait was fully brought up by the dies, as are the shade trees on the reverse. Pop 199; 33 in 6. (PCGS # 9306) . Estimated Value $1,400 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1969		1922 Grant Half Dollar, no star. NGC graded MS-66. A nice white coin. Blistiner bright surfaces exhibit intense luster and a satiny appearance in the fields as well as on Grant's profile. This issue tends to come nice on occasion, with the present MS66 an ideal coin to put into a 48-piece Commemorative Type set (PCGS # 9306) . Estimated Value $1,300 - 1,400. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1970		1928 Hawaiian Half Dollar. NGC graded MS-66. Lovely original toning. A beaming gem rolling in unbeatable cartwheel luster that emits boldly beneath the gorgeous toned highlights. Possessed of a much better-quality strike than is normally found for a Hawaiian half dollar. This coin commemorates the 200th anniversary of the first European sighting of the Hawaiian or Sandwich Island chain by Captain James Cook in 1778. The Hawaiian had lived in peaceful harmony in their Garden of Eden for nearly 1,000 years, tribes warring with one another, reproducing as fast as rabbits to replace the casualties, and completely oblivious to the storm clouds brewing on the horizon. Until, that is, their societal bonds were torn asunder by European visitors. Cook was one of the most daring and admirable men of his day. He is commemorated here not only for his "discovery", but also because of his untimely demise at the hands of one of the natives who stabbed him in the back. This took place on Cook's second visit in 1779. The artist, Miss Juilette Mae Frazer, depicted a Hawaiian chief on the reverse. A similar high chief, Kamehameha I was the ruler of the Big Island (Hawaii) at the time of Cook's visit. A savvy giant of a man, Kamehameha acquired the latest military implements such as cannons and rifles in his drive to control the Island chain. This was finally accomplished in 1810 with the submission of Kauai, the northernmost island. Kamehameha died nine years later. In all, there were 9,950 Hawaiian Half Dollar Commemoratives sold, half of which were reserved for island residents. Another 50 sand-blast presentation Proofs were given to dignitaries. Pop 48; 6 finer. (PCGS # 9309) . Estimated Value $7,500 - 8,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $7,763
Lot 1971		1935 Hudson Half Dollar. PCGS graded MS-65. Lovely natural toning. A lustrous example that has rich frosty white luster underlying the patina; a few light marks on the sale consistent with the gem MS65 grade. Only 10,000 minted (PCGS # 9312) . Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,200. Ex:Hudson. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,495
Lot 1972		1946 Iowa Half Dollar. NGC graded MS-68 Star. Lovely toning showing gold, green, gold and lilac colors. Don't miss this remarkably toned Iowa, it has a load of colorful shades with eye-popping mint dazzle pulsating up from below. Forget the following statistic since this coin stands alone. Pop 8; none higher. (PCGS # 9316) . Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,300. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,565
Lot 1973		1920 Maine Half Dollar. PCGS graded MS-66. Old green holder. Nice light to moderate toning. Familiar high quality and overall surfaces of a coin in this high grade. For a Maine commemorative it has blazing mint luster associated with the attractive, and is mainly abrasion-free (PCGS # 9326) . Estimated Value $800 - 900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,064
Lot 1974		1920 Maine Half Dollar. PCGS graded MS-63. Old green holder. Lovely rainbow toning which is very unusual for a Maine commemorative and also, hear this, outstanding to see! Maine is America's northernmost state, with the town of Eastport the most eastern city in the United States. This locale is considered the first place in the country to receive the rays of the morning sun (PCGS # 9326) . Estimated Value $800 - 900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1975		1934 Maryland Half Dollar. NGC graded MS-67. Old holder. Lovely original natural toning. No marks visible with naked eye. Unstoppable luster erupts flamboyantly beneath the multicolor highlights, while design elements of this satiny gem. The strike is strong including the nose and lips of the portrait, but it is the colorful toning which is this coin's Ace card! Pop 44; 4 in 67 Star; 1 in 68. (PCGS # 9328) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1976		1934 Maryland Half Dollar. PCGS graded MS-66. A white gem. Clear-cut devices point to it having been giving a full strike by the dies, including Calvert's nose, which tends to be mashed or slightly granular on lesser quality examples (PCGS # 9328) . Estimated Value $700 - 750. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1977		1934 Maryland Half Dollar. PCGS graded MS-65. Lightly toned. Sharp portrait of Cecil Calvert, the first Lord Baltiimore, whose landgrant became the state of Maryland (PCGS # 9328) . Estimated Value $650 - 700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1978		1921 Missouri Half Dollar, 2 x 4. PCGS graded MS-63. A choice basically untoned example. Displaying a uniform satiny brilliance on each side. Choice, bold transfer from the die to planchet seen in the main hair elements of this scarce 2x4 coin (PCGS # 9331) . Estimated Value $750 - 850. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $891
Lot 1979		1926-S Oregon Trail Half Dollar. ICG graded MS-68. Lovely rainbow toning on both sides. A beauty, with nice snappy pastel colors on immaculate, undisturbed surfaces free of discoloration, spots, or marks. It is absolutely necessary that bidders take steps to prepare for the expected competition on this majestic Oregon Trail commemorative half. If you've been waiting an eternity to find the ultimate coin, then the whole auction boils down to this coin. Estimated Value $2,500 - 3,000. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 1980		1926-S Oregon Trail Half Dollar. ICG graded MS-67. Nice rainbow toning around the edges. A few tiny marks on the upper half of the Indian's body. First year of issue and an issue that is first on the want lists of many collectors in this lovely toned condition. Estimated Value $1,200 - 1,300. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 1981		1937-D Oregon Trail Half Dollar. NGC graded MS-68. Nice even light toning. This lovely Gem is blazing with full, pleasing white luster shining through a thin veil of toning, but we are hard pressed to find even a single carbon fleck or abrasion to direct your attention to. Since our observation is that this date is just about always fully struck, then this sharp coin has every suggestion of precision manufacture. Pop 40; 4 higher. (PCGS # 9347) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1982		1938-P,D,S Oregon Trail Half Dollar Set. NGC graded MS-64, MS-65 and MS-65. All bright and untoned and in old holders. Lot of 3 coins. Estimated Value $650 - 700. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 1983		1915-S Panama-Pacific Half Dollar. NGC graded MS-66. A gorgeous, totally original example with a natural ring of rainbow toning around the borders on both sides. A satiny gem that spares no compromises with its rich colorful iridescence on both sides. Strike is much sharper than average for the issue, as well, including the hair on the adult figure, the hair and behind on the small figure, and eagele's central chest feathers (PCGS # 9357) . Estimated Value $3,200 - 3,600. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1984		1921 Pilgrim Half Dollar. NGC graded MS-67. Light even toning. Aesthetically appealing, a handsome full strike Pilgrim of the scarcer 1921 issue, just bristling with frosty mint bloom and without deep tarnish. One would be hard put to find a more truly beautiful gem 67 specimen of a popular issue with not even a smidgen of softness on the cap, book or ripples in the cloth of the arm. Pop 16; 1 in 67 Star. (PCGS # 9360) . Estimated Value $3,300 - 3,800. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1985		1926 Sesquicentennial Half Dollar. NGC graded MS-65. Lovely golden colors. The surfaces have a smooth, metallic, satin-like sheen underneath attractive toning. There is normally some granularity on Washington's cheek; this is an attribute of the striking and is incorporated into the grade; Sesquis are very scarce in Gem Mint State 65 (PCGS # 9374) . Estimated Value $4,000 - 4,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1986		1926 Sesquicentennial Half Dollar. NGC graded MS-65. Lovely toning on both sides. A sleek, frosty Gem with no visible imperfections. Sheer boldness of strike throughout despite the low relief on this issue. A curous pairing incorporates Washington and Calvin Coolidge portraits, two giants in American history! Estimated Value $3,500 - 4,000. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 1987		1926 Sesquicentennial Half Dollar. PCGS graded MS-64 PQ. Old green holder. Lovely deep original toning with plenty of aesthetic appeal for the collector who prefers his commemorative half dollars toned (PCGS # 9374) . Estimated Value $700 - 800. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1988		1935 Spanish Trail Half Dollar. PCGS graded MS-65. Nice original light gold toning. The blazing frosty surfaces are smooth from rim to rim with no carbon to report. Sharply struck and fully lustrous, both sides possess eye appeal to spare. Only 10,000 Spanish Trail commemoratives were sold. Very attractive for the grade (PCGS # 9376) . Estimated Value $1,200 - 1,300. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,438
Lot 1989		1936-P,D,S Texas Half Dollar Set. PCGS graded Each MS-65. Each in an old green holder. These are gem white examples. Lot of 3 coins. Estimated Value $600 - 650. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 1990		1938-D Texas Half Dollar. PCGS graded MS-67. Wonderful gold and lilac shades if toning with some green. A simply stunning example of a low mintage Texas commemorative [3,775 mintage], the strike is noteworthy even though this issue is typically well struck. The focal features are all boldly defined, while the luster is radiant with a nice reciprocating sheen to the halo of colors that arise from the original issue holder in which the coin was no doubt stored for years. Fresh and superb! Pop 56; none higher at PCGS (PCGS # 9395) . Estimated Value $900 - 1,050. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,150
Lot 1991		1925 Vancouver Half Dollar. PCGS graded MS-65. Mottled toning. A sharp portraiton the obverse with copious underlying luster. Only 14,994 minted of this scarcer commemorative half dollar (PCGS # 9399) . Estimated Value $850 - 900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $900
Lot 1992		1927 Vermont Half Dollar. NGC graded MS-67. Original light toning. From center to periphery the intense radiant silvery luster glows underneath the nice patina. Additionally, this Vermont is easier said than done to find fully struck. The centers pack full detail into the design from a decidedly precision strike, with outstanding muscle detail on the mountain lion. Pop 16; 3 finer. (PCGS # 9401) . Estimated Value $1,200 - 1,350. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1993		1927 Vermont Half Dollar. PCGS graded MS-65. A very nice coin mostly untoned. Sparkling silver luster with a burst radiance around the head of Ira Allen. An unsung 1927 issue, the only commemorative half dollar struck this year, and desirable, especially when found in gem condition (PCGS # 9401) . Estimated Value $600 - 700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1994		1946-S Booker T. Washington Half Dollar. PCGS graded MS-66. Lovely rainbow toning on both sides at the periphery of this well struck Gem. Collectors always prefer this sort of toning over the more typical BTW's gray to brown patina (PCGS # 9406) . Estimated Value $600 - 700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1995		1900 Lafayette Dollar. PCGS graded MS-66 PQ. The light green to sky blue iridescence will make your eyes roll and you mouth water, if you are anywhere near the point where you want to acquire this silver dollar commemorative for your commemorative Type set or date-and-mintmark complete collection. Something perhaps worth pausing to study is the fact that all devices were struck with outstanding detail, that is, sharply by the dies, which then left behind bold elements of detail throughout. Washington's wig detail couldn't be crisper. And the statue of Lafayette on the reverse (Lafayette is the one sitting in the saddle, no one honors his horse, who history records as nameless), his figure is just as impressive as the device on the obverse. And well it should be, given the outstanding condition of the piece! Pop 85; 5 in 67 none higher at PCGS. (PCGS # 9222) . Estimated Value $20,000 - 25,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $28,750
Lot 1996		A half dozen NGC graded Commems. Consisting of: 1925 Stone Mt. MS-65; 1926-S Oregon MS-64; 1935-S San Diego MS-65; 1936 Cleveland MS-65; 1936-S Bay Bridge MS-65; 1938-S Texas MS-64. Lot of 6 coins. Estimated Value $900 - 1,000. View details	Realized $1,064