Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 39

Pre-Long Beach Coin and Currency Auction

$1 Indian

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 2095		1855 $1 Gold Indian. NGC graded MS-61. Untoned example. Luster bathes the devices and legends of this smooth sun-gold Type 2 gold dollar. Light strike through the hair waves are strictly of mint origin, and neither side displays any remotely value-diminishing marks. Clash marks from the profile outline the denomination and date, as often the case on high grade examples of this fleeting and scarce three-year gold Type (PCGS # 7532) . Estimated Value $2,000 - 2,100. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,415
Lot 2096		1855 $1 Gold Indian. NGC graded AU-58. Desirable Type 2 Indian head gold dollar. This example is quite pleasing with good luster remaining and splashes of almost natural patina on each side. Reasonable detail from a good strike, but the top feathers in the headdress show a little smoothness. Light hairlines on the reverse (PCGS # 7532) . Estimated Value $900 - 1,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $949
Lot 2097		1855-D $1 Gold Indian. NGC graded MS-64. Coin is encased in NGC holder 1891934-005. Well struck with clash marks as made. Complete full date and sharp mint-mark. Lustrous honey color gold. A landmark rarity. Probably the finest known. Perhaps surprisingly for an issue with such a limited original mintage, the 1855-D was struck using two die marriages. The present Winter 7-I example is perhaps the finest-known example of both varieties, and it is an incredibly stunning representative. The '55-D typically bring to minds varying degrees of striking incompleteness in the center of the reverse that affects several of the letters in DOLLAR as well as the digits in the date. On this piece, however, we see a sharply executed reverse strike that qualifies this piece as a Full Date example as defined by Doug Winter. In the 2003 book Gold Coins of the Dahlonega Mint: 1838-1861, the author states, "Among specialists, full date 1855-D gold dollars trade for a strong premium; in some cases as much as thirty to fifty percent above the price level for a coin with a typical weak date." The obverse impression is overall bold, while both sides possess agreeable color that blends orange-gold and green-gold shades. The satiny surface texture and a noteworthy lack of grade-limiting abrasions, combine to create this beautiful near-Gem, a coin that comes highly recommended for both the Southern gold specialist and the advanced numismatic portfolio. As the only Type 2 gold dollar from the Dahlonega Mint, the 1855-D is an understandably popular coin among collectors. It is also a very rare issue, the original mintage being a mere 1,811 pieces. The total number of survivors probably numbers no more than 70 to 80 distinct coins. A rare date starting at the Choice Extremely Fine grade level, Condition Census begins in About Uncirculated 55. The 1855-D is the overall rarest Dahlonega Mint gold dollar after only the 1861-D, and it is prime condition rarity in the D-mint portion of this series. Supposedly because it was smaller and thicker than should have been, Mint Director Colonel James Ross Snowden ordered the gold dollar redesigned in 1854 to accommodate an increase in diameter to 15 millimeters. Chief Engraver Longacre dutifully carried out this request. His work was uncharacteristically careless on this occasion. His Type 2 dies were difficult to strike properly, and the coins wore down in circulation. These deficiencies affected all issues of this type, from all mints, and they resulted in its replacement by the Type 3 design soon after. Due to its brevity, there are only six unique issues in the Type 2 gold dollar series: 1854, 1855, 1855-C, 1855-D, 1855-O, and 1856-S. The '55-D is by far the rarest, followed by the '55-C, '56-S and '55-O. Even the "common" 1854 and 1855 dates are relatively scarce in an absolute sense, and are quite rare in Mint State from a market availability standpoint. The origins of the gold dollar as a denomination lie in John Marshall's discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848. Although a coin of this face value had been proposed on several occasions in the past, with Patterns made and the Bechtlers actually striking examples in North Carolina beginning in the 1830s, Congress did not authorize the United States Mint to produce gold dollars until March 3, 1849. The reason Congress relented that year was because the immense quantities of gold being mined in California forced silver coins out of circulation. Few people in the United States of the late 1840s or early 1850s placed much trust in paper currency, especially out West, the gold dollar was seen a much-needed replacement for the now-absent silver coinage in commercial channels. This denomination remained in production from 1849-1889, during which time it appeared in three distinct types. The abolition of the Gold Dollar was included as part of the Mint Act of September 25, 1890, and it probably resulted from the (by then) long-established unpopularity of the denomination as a circulating medium of exchange. Many issues in this series are scarce, if not rare, chief among which are the 1849-C Open Wreath, 1855-D, 1856-D and 1861-D. Pop 3; none finer at NGC. (PCGS # 7534) . Estimated Value $120,000 - 130,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $149,500
Lot 2098		1859 $1 Gold Indian. PCGS graded MS-62. A choice, lustrous example whose frost consists of warm gold color. The surface undulates and billows across both sides, typical for the thin planchet coins like the gold dollar and the $3 gold piece (PCGS # 7551) . Estimated Value $325 - 350. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $357
Lot 2099		1861 $1 Gold Indian. PCGS graded MS-65. Rich golden toning on both sides. Tinged in delicate golden-rose shades whose deep color and vibrancy will cause anyone to fall in love with on first viewing. What's more this isn't just "virtually" fully struck, but indeed it is razor-sharp. The hair and headdress show definitive detail. The wreath, too, basks in bold color, luster and keen-edge design. Just the ticket for a collector who would like to own a Civil War era gold piece in full Gem condition. Hoarding of gold and silver coins began at the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861 and grew in intensity until all suddenly disappeared in 1862. After about June, 1862, the United States Philadelphia Mint was, so far as gold was concerned, merely an establishment conducted for the benefit of New York banks and bullion dealers. West of the Mississippi, however, where large amounts of gold were coined in San Francisco, most gold and silver remained in circulation. The war panic in the metropolitan areas of the Eastern states seemingly did not find its counterpart in the commerce in the Far West. Pop 25; 7 in 66. (PCGS # 7558) . Estimated Value $2,500 - 2,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 2100		1871 $1 Gold Indian. NGC graded MS-68. Lovely shades of golden colors. PCGS holder 44717402. The 1871 is one of the low mintage Gold Dollars struck during the decade of Reconstruction after the Civil War. Only 3,900 pieces were made. A few, a very few are extant today in gem condition. However, only two others graded by NGC are as fine as this remarkable MS68 specimen. The surfaces on this coin show semi-reflective tendencies, and reveal lovely warm yellow and peach-orange toning. Essentially perfect, as one would expect from the grade, with no apparent marks other than for a shallow indentation on the ear of corn at right (above the wheat stem) plus a similarly inconsequential orange-colored "flake" in the surface above the 7 in the date. Indeed considering the lustrous, eye-appealing surfaces on this phenomenal example, it is hard to imagine a finer Mint State specimen could exist! Tied for finest graded. Pop 3; None finer at NGC. (PCGS # 7571) . Estimated Value $7,000 - 8,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 2101		1873 $1 Gold Indian. Open 3. PCGS graded MS-64. A nice example. There is a lovely interplay between yellow-gold and hint of reddish colors that give this the eye appeal of an even higher grade. Coins of 1873 were made with Closed 3 in the date and Open 3 in the date. A quick glance at the 1873 Closed 3 date, made early in the year, resembled "1878," as the knobs on the 3 were close together. The Open 3 was created by filing away most of the bottom knob on the 3 of the date logotype and trimming the knob to a smaller size; dies punched with this modified date logotype are called Open 3 making this the more affordable choice for a collector who needs the 1873 issue. Pop 134; 30 in 65; 9 in 66; 1 in 68. (PCGS # 7573) . Estimated Value $950 - 1,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $863
Lot 2102		1875 $1 Gold Indian. NGC graded Proof 66 Ultra Cameo. Coin is encased in NGC holder 548945-001. Lovely rich golden toning. A dazzling bright, beautiful specimen, virtual perfection, never cleaned, dipped or allowed to acquire copper spots. Of all gold coins that are popular to collect by date and mintmark, the dollars of 1875 are probably king of the hill. This remarkable specimen comes to you as close to perfection as any certified by NGC -- thus resting at the top rung of the ladder (to switch metaphors) -- there being none at the Proof 67 level or finer! On the reverse field at close to the 8 o'clock position is seen a tiny planchet flake (as made) that can be used for an "identifier" or provenance marker along with the NGC serial number. The 1875 gold dollar has coveted by specialist and everyday gold coin collectors since the late 19th century. Mint figures make out that a mere 400 business strikes were produced. Also, 20 Proofs were made, yielding a production of 420. It seems likely 20 Proof Sets were made in gold (the other denominations report the same figure), with perhaps a few more of the gold dollar and the $3 for sale individually. Most 1875 gold dollars that are marketed nowadays are in high circulated grades or low Mint State, with once in awhile a coin in hairlined Proof preservation. As to Proofs themselves, very few meet the grade criteria of the piece offered here, simply because they have fallen to the rigors of time and of handling throughout the years. We cannot recall ever seeing a more attractive Proof of the 1875 issue. We are not necessarily a fan of the grading one-upmanship game, but we have seen various other date gold dollars graded Proof-68 that fail to measure up to this lovely piece! The connoisseurs will want to submit liberal bids for this great rarity, a key coin in any Registry Set of Proof gold dollars. Pop 4; none higher; only 4 pieces graded in Ultra Cameo at NGC. Estimated Value $30,000 - 35,000. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 2103		1877 $1 Gold Indian. NGC graded MS-66 Prooflike. Full blazing surfaces. Looks like a Proof coin. A desirable problem-free delight with mirror-fresh glow sprinting over the fields, vivid and warm in appearance. The devices are cameo frosted. What's more, the fields acquit themselves nicely in terms of the fewness of hairlines plus an absence of marks. Some granularity on the date is expected. A blunt impression is sometimes left by the recoil of the dies that gold dollars in the 1870s. Just the same, we can report that this gorgeous Prooflike 1877, unlike the others, is outstanding in its detail and sharpness, its eye appeal and color. Only 3900 coins struck. Pop 1; 2 finer in 68 PL. Estimated Value $4,000 - 4,500. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $4,485
Lot 2104		1878 $1 Gold Indian. PCGS graded Proof 65 Deep Cameo PQ. Housed in PCGS holder 10952317. A wonderful Gem Proof, a lustrous Deep Cameo specimen that has molten gold color that shoots out beams of fire, and a downright bold strike. In fact, struck with mathematical precision by the dies. While not impossible to find on Proofs -- a bold strike, that is -- it is always pleasurable to find such detail and careful conservation in one of the Proof rarities in this series. The 1878 gold dollar is a very rare coin as a Proof and not a date to be confused with the much more common Proofs struck in 1879-89. Prospective bidders, as they look through their lenses in silent admiration during lot viewing, will rise up from their seats afterwards in the hope that the possession of this piece might fall to them when the bidding closes. To us, every Proof gold coin of this quality and beauty has a romance of its own, as having been held out of the reach of the harming ways of Time and The Elements, with care and reverence by its former owners. Only 20 Proofs struck. Pop 2; the only DCAM grade at PCGS. (PCGS # 97628) . Estimated Value $15,000 - 18,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $16,675
Lot 2105		1880 $1 Gold Indian. NGC graded MS-67 Star. A splendid satiny mint gem of superb quality throughout. This conditionally rare contribution to the sale is brilliant with rich frosty gold surfaces. Impressive too is the strike, which we find is free of censure, being sharp in all areas except Unlike the general run of gold dollars of this caliber, the strike is thoroughly convincing in all places, even where some weakness is usually found at top of the hair or on the lower wreath. Superb! Only 1,600 struck. Pop 4; 21 finer; 19 in 68; 2 in 68 Star. (PCGS # 7581) . Estimated Value $3,500 - 4,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,795
Lot 2106		1883 $1 Gold Indian. NGC graded MS-68. Lovely rich orange and golden toning on both sides. Uncommonly smooth for the issue, this frosty textured example displays warm orange-gold to apricot bright surface. Even the finest, most minute detail seen on this coin struck with uncommon exactness for the issue; were it only possibly for all surviving gold dollars to be as sharp and picture-perfect in the lettering and outer areas as on this 1883, but that possible. A stellar opportunity for the specialized collection! Only 10,800 coins struck. Pop 5; none finer. Estimated Value $7,000 - 8,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $9,775
Lot 2107		1884 $1 Gold Indian. PCGS graded MS-61. Nicely toned and conservatively graded. Low mintage date. In a first generation PCGS holder. Estimated Value $300 - 325. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $570
Lot 2108		1889 $1 Gold Indian. PCGS graded MS-67. Frosty with light golden toning. The deeply struck, satin-like surfaces are draped in soft reddish-golden patina and show a complete absence of abrasions, hence the superb rating. A sharp impression was left by the recoil of the dies that struck this 1889 as well, yielding the ultimate in aesthetic beauty in an Indian gold dollar. Do not feel threatened if the unsuccessful bidders lear at you when you walk away with this handsome piece. The persuasive bid required to acquire it will pay dividend in the future when the time arrives to sell. Only 28,950 pieces struck. Pop 163; 1 finer in 68. (PCGS # 7590) . Estimated Value $4,200 - 4,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 2109		1889 $1 Gold Indian. NGC graded MS-67. Lovely toning and frosty. With the 1889 gold dollar production of this denomination came to an end. Only 28,950 circulation strikes were made, yet oddly, there was increased collector interest, possibly from those with knowledge that the series was ending. A fair number of lovely gems like this were held aside. Today, a Superb Mint State 67 gold dollar attracts attention wherever it goes, whether into a gold Type Set or a date set of these artistic coins. What a fitting conclusion to this gold dollar section. Pop 185; 15 in MS-68. (PCGS # 7590) . During the period this coin was current, President Grover Cleveland held his first term of office as President, 1885-89. The Baby Ruth candy bar was named after Cleveland's baby daughter, Ruth at this time. Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,623