Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 37

Pre-Long Beach Coin and Currency Auction

$10 Indian

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 2232		1907 $10 Indian. NGC graded MS-66. Satin smooth gem. Effusive mint frost in amounts so copious it borders on an even higher grade, plus warm flaxen-gold to orange-gold color. Desirable with this meticulous strike. Augustus Saint-Gaudens' so-called "Indian" Head Eagles are more properly a concoction of his creative genius having to mold itself to the political realities of coin design. Read some of Walter Breen's lively discussion about how this special coin came about: "For the new eagle design, Augustus St. Gaudens (in consultation with Pres. Theodore Roosevelt) decided to use not a standing figure but a head, feeling that the heroic effect of any standing figure, as chosen for the double eagle, would be lost in smaller diameter. The President disgusted beyond measure at what he called our 'atrociously hideous' coinage, had asked St. Gaudens to design replacements. The profile St. Gaudens chose originated in a figure of Nike ('Victory'), part of his Gen. Sherman Monument (1905), ultimately inspired by a Hellenistic Wingless Victory on the temple of Zeus Soter. at Pergamon. At Pres. Roosevelt's insistence, and for no other reason, St. Gaudens gave this head a nationalistic character by the absurd addition of a feathered war bonnet, such as neither Ms. Liberty nor any Native American woman would have ever worn." 239,406 coins minted. Pop 116; 19 finer. Estimated Value $8,000 - 9,000. The Greenhill Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $13,225
Lot 2233		1907 $10 Indian. NGC graded MS-65. Exceptional quality. Each side has a beaming yellow-gold center that is surrounded by a nice margin of orange-gold color. Struck with scientific exactness throughout the main devices. An important two-year type. 239,406 coins minted. Estimated Value $6,000 - 6,500. The Greenhill Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $8,338
Lot 2234		1907 $10 Indian. Wire rim, periods. PCGS graded MS-65 P.Q. Nice even toning. Many early catalogs put this Wire Edge coin in the Pattern section of a sale in times past, but now this issue is widely thought of as an integral part of the desirable Indian Eagle series. Only 500 pieces were produced, and they are the truest depiction of Augustus Saint-Gaudens' original conception for this impressive 20th century gold series. This is a vibrant example of the issue in that the strike is bold in the centers and leaning toward softness at the borders. Both sides glow with satin luster consisting of alternating honey-gold and orange-gold displays. Striations or raised die finish lines (as struck) are scattered in the fields, but the surfaces are smooth enough to call for consideration at the full-Gem 65 grade level. A lovely coin that will form the centerpiece of any advanced gold collection. Pop 43; 15 finer. (PCGS # 8850) . Estimated Value $50,000 - 55,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $63,250
Lot 2235		1907 $10 Indian. Wire rim, periods. PCGS graded MS-65 P.Q. A rare and popular transitional issue, one of a mere 500 pieces made without intentions of circulation, technically making the Wire Edge ten a pattern (Judd-1774). This issue was the closest the mint came to reproducing the ten-dollar design as conceived by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Theodore Roosevelt. The presently offered coin has subtly variegated coloration and only the smallest marks, none of them singular or important. The die polishing marks (common to all specimens) are more pronounced on the reverse fields and overall the coin has a bright satiny sheen. The strike is strong as well, with clear definition to the high points of Liberty and her plume of feathers, as well as a nice, strong relief look to the eagle. The Saint-Gaudens $10 coinage that was introduced to the American public in late 1907 bore on the obverse a female wearing an Indian war bonnet, said by some, according to researcher Q. David Bowers, "to have been taken from the portrait of his mistress, Davida Clark, with whom he is alleged to have had a child (although biographers have never been able to confirm this). The bonnet or headdress is inscribed LIBERTY on a band, 13 stars are in an arc above, and the date is below. "The reverse depicts a perched eagle with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA above, the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM to the right, and the denomination expressed as TEN DOLLARS below. The eagle on the new 1907 $10 was directly copied from the motif Saint-Gaudens used on the 1905 presidential inaugural medal for Theodore Roosevelt. Later, Bela Lyon Pratt used essentially the same motif for the reverse of the new $2.50 and $5 coins of 1908. "As President Roosevelt personally objected to the use of the name of the Deity on coins, the Indian issues of 1907 and certain issues of 1908 lack IN GOD WE TRUST. Coinage of the type was effected at Philadelphia in 1907 and 1908 and also in Denver the latter year." Only 500 coins minted. Pop 43; 15 finer. (PCGS # 8850) . Estimated Value $50,000 - 55,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $63,250
Lot 2236		1908-D $10 Indian. No motto. NGC graded MS-63. Golden orangish mint color. Very choice in all respects. 210,000 coins minted. Pop 22; 27 finer. Estimated Value $4,000 - 4,500. The Greenhill Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $6,325
Lot 2237		1909-S $10 Indian. PCGS graded MS-65 PQ. Lovely rich orange and gold colors. In the 1970s, a hoard of 60 pieces of the 1909-S Eagle was sold intact to New England Rare Coin Galleries. Before then, the 1909-S was virtually impossible to obtain in Uncirculated condition. Yet after the discovery, the 1909-S is still very scarce in Mint State, with most falling into the Mint State 62 to Mint State 64 grades. The surfaces of the Gem MS65 presented here are full and satiny with rolling luster the color of warm peach-gold variegated with a little rose and yellow-gold color! The design elements are for the most part very well struck as befits a coin in this high grade, though some of the hair above the Indian's forehead is a smidgen soft. One for the record books, one for the connoisseur to seriously consider owning. A great coin. Pop 15; 4 in 66; 1 in 67. (PCGS # 8864) . Estimated Value $11,000 - 12,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $12,075
Lot 2238		1910 and 1932 $10 Indian. NGC graded both MS-62. Each delicately toned. Lot of 2 coins. Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,600. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,783
Lot 2239		1911 $10 Indian. NGC graded MS-67. Exquisite superb gem. Ablaze with luster. A fresh, untoned coin radiating mint glow on gorgeous reddish gold surfaces. So ends the discussion of the luster but never an end to the hours of enjoyment it will provide the new owner. Now on to the detail. This piece is not just close to, but completely and sharply struck, with terrific detail at the feathers of both the headdress and eagle's wing. 505,500 coins minted. Pop 1; 2 finer in 68. Estimated Value $27,500 - 30,000. The Greenhill Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $28,750
Lot 2240		1911-S $10 Indian. NGC graded MS-63. Untoned. Lustrous golden satin surfaces have a grand overall eye appeal. The above-average strike complements this eye-appeal and, some might say, adds immeasurably to the appearance. Scare San Francisco Mint tens like this command strong premiums in today's active gold marketplace.51,000 coins minted. Pop 3; 20 finer. Estimated Value $5,000 - 5,500. The Greenhill Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $7,130
Lot 2241		1914 $10 Indian. PCGS graded MS-65. A nice boldly struck coin. A beautiful, frosty-gold Gem, there are no unsettling bagmarks on either side. What one sees usually on this mint's coinage is a very convincing impression left by the recoil of the dies; greatly to our pleasure then, and the bidders' enjoyment, the present MS65 shows extraordinarily sharp detail. Combined with the smooth satiny quality of the luster, it outshines almost all others of this date and mint. Such remarkable beauty causes a coin person to stop and look and think! Pop 26; 8 finer. (PCGS # 8875) . Estimated Value $6,500 - 7,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $8,050
Lot 2242		1914-S $10 Indian. PCGS graded MS-64. Lovely rich golden toning. The auction record indicates that the 1914-D is not the rarest branch mint Indian Head eagle, but is fairly difficult to obtain in MS64. Nice luster corers the surface, with colors varying from reddish to orange-gold. All of the design elements are firmly impressed by the dies, and the only bagmarks are too inconsequential to note. A beauty. Pop 75; 10 in 65; 1 in 66. (PCGS # 8877) . Estimated Value $10,000 - 12,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $12,075
Lot 2243		1915-S $10 Indian. NGC graded MS-64. Nice light golden toning. Sleek "velvety" bright mint luster and its rich, variegated golden color, the typical "look" for a pre-1920 $10 gold piece, but due to the relative paucity of choice Mint States, not all that available in the present day. Faithful to every detail from a full blow by the dies, the devices are crisply detailed. Pop 10; 6 finer; 4 in 65; 1 in 66; 1 in 67. Estimated Value $25,000 - 28,000. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 2244		1916-S $10 Indian. NGC graded MS-65. A frosty gem with natural light toning. The surfaces on this handsome coin are judged by us to be warm reddish gold in color, and exceptionally lustrous, with the grade acting on behalf of its outstanding quality. For those collectors who expect the usual halfhearted impression left by the striking of the (sometimes worn) dies that made this year's coinage, for we are pleased to report the opposite is true. This is a very bold coin with sharp centers. 138,500 minted. Pop 8; none finer. Estimated Value $12,000 - 13,000. The Greenhill Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $16,100
Lot 2245		1926 $10 Indian. NGC graded MS-65. Untoned. Likely an early strike from new dies, just estimating from the details. The surfaces are vivid gold in hue and drenched in typical bright luster found on 1926-dated eagles. Here, too, we are struck by the nice, convincing design detail for all areas of this important coin with not even the slightest amount of flatness on the feather ends. Pop 475; 35 finer. Estimated Value $6,000 - 6,500. The Greenhill Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $4,830
Lot 2246		1926 $10 Indian. NGC graded MS-63. Attractive golden toning. Estimated Value $1,300 - 1,400. The Greenhill Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,208
Lot 2247		1926 $10 Indian. PCGS graded MS-62. Attractive golden toning (PCGS # 9189) . Estimated Value $850 - 900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $805
Lot 2248		1930-S $10 Indian. PCGS graded MS-65 PQ. Popular semi key date. Lovely rich golden toning. Mint records list 96,000 1930-S eagles as being produced, a total that is greater than the mintage figures of four other S-mint issues in this series: 1908-S, 1911-S, 1913-S, and 1915-S but when balanced against the P and D mint figures in the mint records, 96,000 seems minuscule. The 1930-S was not released into circulation. There was a banking panic on; for this reason, it is significantly rarer than these other dates in terms of total number of coins known. The 1930-S is a heavily melted issue, and the few extant examples are Mint State. This is a well struck coin whose surfaces display finely detailed features with bright satin frost. Both sides are glow in original orange-gold shades, and the often-seen alloy spots minimally present. A nearly distraction-free Gem MS65 of this crucial Indian eagle rarity, one of the highlights of the sale. Pop 17; 3 in 66; 1 in 67. (PCGS # 8883) . Estimated Value $55,000 - 60,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $71,300
Lot 2249		1932 $10 Indian. NGC graded MS-65. A golden orange gem. A few stray streaks that in the planchet when struck are noted on the reverse. Brilliant-gold and fully lustrous with a near-perfect strike. Both the peripheries and the central reverse are detailed and close to 100% crisp for their sharpness of strike, a trait of 1932 tens, which is a forceful reminder in a Indian $10 from this or any mint that it is quality that counts. Estimated Value $5,500 - 6,000. The Greenhill Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $4,370
Lot 2250		1932 $10 Indian. PCGS graded MS-64. An intensely lustrous specimen and quite nice for the given grade (PCGS # 8884) . Estimated Value $1,800 - 2,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,668
Lot 2251		1932 $10 Indian. PCGS graded MS-63. A small mark on the cheek. Rich shades of gold toning atop the smooth-flowing luster (PCGS # 8884) . Estimated Value $1,300 - 1,400. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,208