Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 37

Pre-Long Beach Coin and Currency Auction

$3 Gold

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 1868		1855 $3 Gold. NGC graded MS-63. Fully struck and quite lustrous. Pale yellow gold. Nice light-gold luster reverberates off the fields of both sides. It is easy to see this piece was delivered a full, sharp blow by the dies in the hair and feathers as well as on Longacre's first "wreath of cereals" as it is called. 50,555 minted. Pop 31; 22 finer. Estimated Value $8,000 - 8,500. The Greenhill Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $9,085
Lot 1869		1855 $3 Gold. PCGS graded AU-55. A few marks in the fields. Mostly untoned and lustrous. Second year of issue. The mint this year (and in years following) increased the size of the letters in the denomination DOLLAR to make it more readable. In 1854, the letters are much smaller (PCGS # 7972) . Estimated Value $2,400 - 2,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1870		1856 $3 Gold. NGC graded AU-58. Nice light toning with smooth luster flowing outwards from all the devices well into the unprotected fields. A choice example for the issue. After a flurry of interest in 1854 for this unusual denomination, production receded from 1855 on, with 1856's mintage only 26,010 pieces. Estimated Value $2,600 - 2,800. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $2,645
Lot 1871		1857 $3 Gold. PCGS graded AU-55. Lightly toned (PCGS # 7976) . Estimated Value $1,800 - 2,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,070
Lot 1872		1859 $3 Gold. PCGS graded AU-58. A short nick between OF and A of AMERICA. Nice luster retained in the fields and throughout the devices. ONly a touch of rub on the cheek and tops of Liberty's hair curls. A desriable coin. 15,638 coins minted. Pop 35. (PCGS # 7979) . Estimated Value $2,400 - 2,600. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,760
Lot 1873		1862 $3 Gold. NGC graded MS-62. Mostly untoned. Scarce date in mint state. Carefully preserved throughout, the surfaces show even golden bloom and there are only a few light abrasions or hairlines on either side. Fortunately for bidders, this coin, too, was struck with the controlled precision you'd expect to see on a $3 gold piece (but rarely do). Throughout the outer peripheral areas, everything is bold; while thoroughly bold and uncompromised at the central locations as well. Only 5,750 coins struck. Pop 11; 13 finer. Estimated Value $7,000 - 7,500. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $8,625
Lot 1874		1863 $3 Gold. PCGS graded AU-55. Nicely toned. A lustrous, well struck example of a scarce Civil War date. Only 5000 struck for ciurculation. Pop 22; 47 finer. (PCGS # 7984) . Estimated Value $2,400 - 2,600. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,565
Lot 1875		1864 $3 Gold. PCGS graded MS-63. Toned on both sides. Glistening fields rise and fall with original extra choice golden mint bloom. Against this are set serious, frosty design elements. Moving along, we can easily report without hesitation a highly presentable strike, with boldness to the chief areas of Liberty's hair and the feathered headdress, as well as excellent details in the "wreath of cereal" occupying the reverse. A much scarcer Civil War era three. 2,630 coins minted. Pop 3; 10 finer. (PCGS # 7985) . Estimated Value $11,000 - 12,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1876		1864 $3 Gold. NGC graded MS-62. Nice light golden toning. Low mintage date and scarce in mint state. A crisply struck $3 gold piece glowing with ember orange glow from the fields, the devices smooth and satiny. A solidly graded, choice example, this coin displays impressive striking definition for a Civil War dated coin. This is meant to say that the strike is detailed, including those strands of hair over Liberty's brow and in the central area above the ear which often keep this from full definition. The low mintage of the 1864 issue impresses us further: 2,630 pieces. Pop 7; 13 finer. Estimated Value $7,000 - 7,500. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 1877		1865 $3 Gold. NGC graded AU-58. Lightly toned with luster still evident. Low mintage of 1,165. Pop 15; 16 finer. The elusive 1865 Three Dollar Gold has the lowest mintage figure of any issue in this challenging series struck prior to 1881. For that reason alone it has always been of interest to numismatists, but unlike some later date, low mintage issues, the 1865 is genuinely rare in all grades. Estimated Value $6,500 - 7,000. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 1878		1873 $3 Gold. Closed 3. NGC graded AU-58 PL. Nice prooflike surfaces. NGC #3005005-001. Attractive warm honey gold with lightly frosted motifs and decently struck details on most of the design. Some faint hairlines and stray marks in the field and light circulation wear at the high points account for the assigned grade, otherwise the surfaces are quite choice. Some striking weakness is noted at the bottom of the reverse wreath in the area of the bow, as usual with this denomination. The Annual Report of the Director of the Mint is gives no indication how many circulation strike examples of this date were produced, though 25 Proofs of the date with Closed 3 were made. Based on the number of survivors, one must surmise that at least 200-300 pieces were produced and we can speculate that their omission from mint records was probably an oversight of an early (January) delivery. What is known is that a small number of Proofs of the date were struck with an Open 3 style, which adds to the confusion surrounding this date, serving to increase the numismatic desirability. Everyone agrees: any 1873 gold $3 coin is a rarity regardless of grade or production format! When seen, the typical 1873 Closed 3 generally shows a modest amount of circulation, with even a few Very Fines reported, and, as could be expected from the limited production, virtually all display various degrees of prooflike surface. Pop 1; 2 in 62 PL; 1 in 63 PL. Estimated Value $23,000 - 24,000. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 1879		1874 $3 Gold. NGC graded MS-61. An ideal example for an Unc type set. This boldly defined representative is mostly orange-gold in color with sleek, bright metallic frosted features. Struck with preciseness only now and then found, only a portion of the wreath's ribbon is at all softly impressed. 41,800 coins minted. Estimated Value $3,400 - 3,600. The Greenhill Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 1880		1877 $3 Gold. NGC graded AU-58. The low total struck makes this one of the more elusive issues in the entire $3 gold series. The present coin, combining high grade, lovely color and luster, with excellent aesthetic aspects, will attract wide attention when it crosses the auction block. Only 1,488 minted. Pop 11; 2 in 61; 1 in 62; 1 in 63. Estimated Value $15,000 - 17,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $20,125
Lot 1881		1877 $3 Gold. NGC graded AU-55. Lightly toned with semi reflective surfaces. Only 1,468 coins struck for circulation of this most challenging date after 1873, 1875, and 1876, a coin whose lovely orange tint envelopes the letters of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and formas a lovely "aura" around the wreath and reverse legends as well. The very picture of an originally toned, carefully preserved $3 gold rarity! Pop 8; 15 finer. Estimated Value $14,000 - 15,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $16,675
Lot 1882		1878 $3 Gold. NGC graded MS-65. Lightly toned. Two tiny marks in the feathers above IB of LIBERTY. Otherwise jaw-dropping beauty for this scarce $3 denomination. Each side has a glowing orange-gold surfaces that are bursting with luster. Struck with almost scientific precision on the key design elements, only the worn state of the Master Hub reveals itself is slightly muted hair detail on Liberty (as the Master Hub was used year by year, it gradually wore, leaving behind more rounded design elements than in early years such as dates in the 1850s, a typical situation at the Mint). This lovely gem quality MS65 makes the perfect choice for a gold Type Set collector. 82,304 coins minted. Pop 143; 65 finer. Estimated Value $20,000 - 22,000. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 1883		1878 $3 Gold. PCGS graded MS-63. Lovely rich golden toning. A very pretty coin and lustrous. The perfect coin to include in a U.S. 12-piece gold Type Set (PCGS # 8000) . Estimated Value $9,000 - 10,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $6,900
Lot 1884		1878 $3 Gold. PCGS graded MS-63. Nice golden toning. An very choice satiny 1878 $3 whose surfaces glow with vivid orange and subtle coppery red originality over both sides. Sharp-edged devices and lettering improve the image all the more. (The reverse wreath on these consists of corn, wheat, cotton and tobacco.) (PCGS # 8000) . Estimated Value $9,000 - 10,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $6,900
Lot 1885		1878 $3 Gold. PCGS graded MS-63. A common date. Mostly untoned but nicely preserved to the point where anyone would look upon it favorably for inclusion in a collection of U.S. gold pieces (PCGS # 8000) . Estimated Value $9,000 - 10,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $6,670
Lot 1886		1880 $3 Gold. PCGS graded Proof 64. This beautiful $3 coin sums up nicely the experience of the gold Proof luster on a well presented and fully struck example. It is the kind of coin that collectors expect to find in the grade. Elusive as a Gem and better, but nearly as splendid and glowing and at a much more attractive price. It is easy to see this 1880 specimen was delivered a hard blow by the special Proof dies. The dies the struck Proofs were nearly always new or virtually new, and carefully set in the equipment to impart the requisite force, a force which imparted their sharpness to the struck planchet. Proofs were also struck on the mint's medal press rather than the everyday coining presses, which imparted a better "squeeze" to the metal than the hard vertical "stamp" of the other. A delightful coin all around. And only 36 Proofs minted. Pop 8; 3 finer in 65. (PCGS # 8044) . Estimated Value $18,000 - 20,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $21,850
Lot 1887		1881 $3 Gold. PCGS graded MS-62 P.Q. Lovely golden toning. Rare date in mint state. 500 coins minted. A satiny, well struck coin. Pop 8; 11 finer. 6 in 63; 4 in 64; 1 in 66. (PCGS # 8003) . It seems there was an upsurge in interest in buying Proof gold dollars and Proof $3 gold pieces beginning around 1879 and continuing until 1889. In order to discourage "speculation" by coin dealers and others, the mint decided to strike a few business strikes each year, even though there was little or no requirement to do so. This was in order to increase the total number of pieces of any given date to the point where no premium would occur. Of course, little did the mint officials know back then that in today's more widely based collector market, such tiny numbers as 500 mintage on this 1881 $3 makes it a rarity in all grades. Estimated Value $15,000 - 17,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1888		1882 $3 Gold. PCGS graded MS-63. Nice golden toning with prooflike surfaces. A bright coin soaking up rich warm mint glow on gold to orange-tinted surfaces with nothing to censor it from its refined grade. Low mintage is the key thing. Very scarce in all grades. Only 1,576 struck. Pop 31; 27 finer; 17 in 64; 5 in 65; 3 in 66; 2 in 67. (PCGS # 8004) . Estimated Value $10,000 - 12,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1889		1883 $3 Gold. NGC graded MS-64. A boldly original gold-surfaced coin whose high-end depth of detail in the preservation complements the equally fresh mint bloom. Where an ineffectual imprint is sometimes left by the rebound of the dies that struck $3 gold pieces in the 1880s, on this year's coinage, the opposite is in fact the case: devices show crystal clarity and abnormal detail in the centers. Bidders be put on notice, you may face some competition. Only 989 pieces struck. Pop 12; 6 finer in 65. Estimated Value $12,000 - 13,000. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 1890		1883 $3 Gold. NGC graded MS-63. Light golden colors. Very scarce date with a low mintage figure. Both sides are remarkably lustrous with orange-gold color and a spray of greenish-tan patina at the rims. And so to the next qualification, the strike. Here we see quite good detail with not even minor weakness to the sharp centers and wreath. A rare $3 gold piece in this or any condition from a low mintage of 900 coins struck. Pop 9; 18 finer; 12 in 64; 6 in 65. Estimated Value $10,000 - 11,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $11,213
Lot 1891		1885 $3 Gold. NGC graded MS-62 Prooflike. A hint of light golden toning. Another scarce date. This conditionally rare offering is fully brilliant cloaked in smooth satin-covered surfaces. The strike is generally free of criticism, being sharp in all areas except at the ribbon bow that ties together the two halves of the wreath. Precision strike on every other device. Mintage (and low survivability in Mint condition) is the key to the 1885: Only 801 coins minted. Obviously few survive for collectors today. Pop 1; 9 finer. Estimated Value $8,500 - 9,000. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 1892		1886 $3 Gold. PCGS graded Proof 65 Deep Cameo P.Q. A wonderful blazing Gem Proof coin. One of the finest graded by PCGS, and no doubt one of the most prestigious examples available for purchase, the current Population Report shows just 3 graded as Proof 66 Deep Cameo, and we don't know if any of the others are as choice or not. The surfaces are pristine, without the usual signs of handling or annoying coppery spots that diminish the value, and close examination will find only faint evidence of hairlines. Beautiful purest gold in color, with perfectly struck devices and each is fully frosted, providing spectacular cameo qualities. Only 142 were struck, and this coin is clearly one of the very best. 142 proofs minted. Pop 3; none finer. (PCGS # 98050) . Estimated Value $30,000 - 35,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $35,650
Lot 1893		1886 $3 Gold. PCGS graded Proof 64 Cameo. A lovely example. An worthwhile cameo Proof by any standard, the deep mirror surface is not in the least timid or accommodating, while pale champagne and other toning hues blossom on both sides. The strike, like the luster, is confident, indeed, as bold as ever seen on virtually any Proof date in the series. Put this in your gold coin collection and you will add a mark of distinction to it, as well as draw admirers from your close associates. Only 142 proofs struck. Pop 3; 6 finer; 5 in 65; 1 in 66. (PCGS # 88050) . Estimated Value $14,000 - 16,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1894		1887 $3 Gold. NGC graded Proof 64 Ultra Cameo Double Struck Rotated Reverse 180 Degrees, Mint Error. Lovely golden toning. The obverse shows some letters doubled. The reverse shows the date upside down above the word dollars. A unique and important gold mint error. Multiple strikes: Reverse rotated 180°. This superb coin, marvelous to contemplate, appears to be the one from the Bass Collection, May 2000, Lot 287, there described as: "Arguably the most interesting coin in the present catalogue! Choice cameo Proof with greenish gold fields and frosty yellow gold devices. A few minor abrasions are noted. Completely triple struck with the reverse die inverted between impressions. The obverse doubling is offset about one millimeter while the reverse is perfectly inverted. A third strike is also visible. Three varieties of 1887 Proof $3 exist, based on die alignment. A few Proofs are known with medallic alignment, many more with normal coin alignment, and two or three (including the coin offered here) struck once with medallic alignment and then with coin alignment, the reverse die (or the obverse die as the results would be the same) being rotated 160° between strikings (should be 180°, and sometimes noted as such in the literature, but the die alignment is the same as the preceding lot and is slightly off register from 180°). The first catalogue appearance of this variety of which we are aware was in Lester Merkin's November 1965 sale." It is with great pleasure that we offer this piece to the current audience for competition now, more than half a decade later. Perhaps it will disappear for a generation to come, but who knows? The opportunity is what counts, and the coin is available for your consideration. Circulation strike mintage: 160. NGC serial #1869643015. Bass 5/2000:287 as "Triple Struck" From Stacks sale of the Ullmer Collection, May 1974, Lot 431; Bowers and Merena's sale of the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, May 2000, Lot 287. Estimated Value $30,000 - 40,000. Bass 5/2000:287 as "Triple Struck" From Stacks sale of the Ullmer Collection, May 1974, Lot 431; Bowers and Merena's sale of the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, May 2000, Lot 287. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $35,650
Lot 1895		1889 $3 Gold. NGC graded Proof 63 Cameo. Lovely rich golden toning. A very nice coin. Appreciable quality for the final date of issue. Each side has a bright warm-gold mirrors that are capped off by by a nice display of the same patina on the somewhat satiny cameo-like devices. The dies left their rigid impression behind with firmness everywhere including in the wreath bow. 129 proofs struck. Pop 7; 35 finer. Estimated Value $7,000 - 7,500. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $10,063