Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 47

Pre-Long Beach Coin and Currency Auction

$1 Liberty

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 4509		1849-D $1 Gold Liberty. NGC graded MS-63. A nice deep impression with needle sharp detail. The stars impress us; the hair waves, too, show complete separation. And where on occasion LIBERTY at the headband can be indistinct on a Dahlonega, George-struck gold dollar, this coin's LIBERTY shows completely and boldly. An intensely brilliant specimen. The town of Dahlonega is the seat of Lumpkin County. It lies in north-central Georgia, not far from the modern metropolis of Atlanta. Just as the California miners would discover twenty years later, gold nuggets and dust do not make for a practical medium of exchange, and their use in transactions often led to heated arguments over value. The solution to this problem was to have the gold coined at a mint in the region. Dahlonega served the South for a quarter of a century, from 1838 until 1861 when it closed for business at the outbreak of the war between the North and South. Pop 17; 8 finer, 7 in 64, 1 in 65 (PCGS # 7507) . Estimated Value $8,500 - 9,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $9,488
Lot 4510		1849-O $1 Gold Liberty. AU-50. Well struck and delicately toned. A lustrous coin. Estimated Value $240 - 250. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 4511		1850-D $1 Gold Liberty. NGC graded AU-58. A deep impression with nice clean borders and some natural flatness in the centers, all lightly toned. One of a nice date run of D-mint gold dollars we are pleased to offer in the sale. Coinage topped at 8,382 pieces after a stronger start to the gold dollar denomination in 1849. This specimen has appreciable mint luster remaining. Pop 27; 23 finer (PCGS # 7511) . Estimated Value $4,000 - 4,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $4,830
Lot 4512		1851 $1 Gold Liberty. PCGS graded MS-65. Old green holder. Well struck with lovely golden toning. A highly glossy Gem that has fresh natural patina and a beautiful appearance for such an early gold dollar. Such, then, for luster. Turning to the other key factor, a coin that is desirable with this meticulous strike at the stars, hair and coronet features, and throughout the reverse (PCGS # 7513) . Estimated Value $4,500 - 5,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $5,060
Lot 4513		1851-D $1 Gold Liberty. NGC graded MS-62. Well struck with all lettering nice and bold. Lightly toned a golden-honey color. There is a small indentation or mark in the field opposite Liberty's throat and another even smaller mark above the point of the bust. A die crack connects the rim on the reverse with a leaf, almost bisecting the first S in STATES. Only 9,882 minted. Pop 24; 11 finer, 5 in 63, 5 in 64, 1 in 65 (PCGS # 7515) . Estimated Value $6,000 - 6,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 4514		1851-D $1 Gold Liberty. NGC graded MS-62. Well struck and intensely lustrous. Only 9882 minted. This early D-mint gold dollar was struck carefully the dies, meaning the quality control department wasn't off to lunch somewhere (as so often seems to have happened at this mint). A bright, lustrous coin whose only mark on the obverse seems to be a small "tic" on Liberty's cheek while the reverse, heavy with grainy luster and a largish die break, has modest abrasions in the central areas. Pop 24, 11 finer (PCGS # 7515) . Estimated Value $6,000 - 6,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 4515		1852 $1 Gold Liberty. EF-40. Estimated Value $130 - 140. View details	Realized $184
Lot 4516		1852-D $1 Gold Liberty. PCGS graded MS-61 PQ. A needle sharp strike and intensely lustrous with semi-prooflike surfaces around the protected areas. Deep golden color. A beauty! Truly a Premium Quality example. Numerous die polish lines and clash marks, as struck. Douglas Winter alluded to this in Gold Coins of the Dahlonega Mint when he noted "due to a number of distinct striking characteristics, the surfaces of most 1852-D gold dollars have a decidedly 'busy' appearance. There are usually multiple clash marks before the face of Liberty and the nose is always broken. This is the result of die lapping and is evidenced by a shiny area in front of the forehead. In 1851 the Philadelphia Mint shipped two 1852-D reverse dies to the Dahlonega Mint. It is believed that only one saw service. It is known that today the 1852-D is significantly rarer than even its low mintage suggests, and is a prime key in the series in higher grades. Pop 7; 3 finer, 2 in 62, 1 in 63 (PCGS # 7519) . Estimated Value $8,000 - 8,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $9,200
Lot 4517		1853 $1 Gold Liberty. NGC graded MS-64. Well struck with lovely golden toning. There are several interesting die breaks from the rim through several of the stars on this lustrous gold dollar. Uncommonly smooth with fully metallic, warm-golden luster throughout (PCGS # 7521) . Estimated Value $1,400 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,553
Lot 4518		1853-D $1 Gold Liberty. NGC graded AU-58. Some flatness on the high curls with full lettering, date, and bold mint mark. Plenty of luster to justify the grade. Collectors wishing to buy only one D-mint gold dollar for a representative sample usually choose the 1849-D which has the highest mintage in the series. However, for little or no premium a lustrous 1853-D (mintage: 6,583) might be a better selection. Pop 38; 33 finer (PCGS # 7523) . Estimated Value $3,300 - 3,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,853
Lot 4519		1853-O $1 Gold Liberty. NGC graded MS-64. Well struck with full lettering, date, and mintmark. The surfaces are frosty and overlaid with natural light golden sunset toning. The granular texture of the luster on Liberty is often seen with this issue. But high quality specimens in the Choice Mint State range are rarely seen. Pop 38; 12 finer, 10 in 65, 1 in 66, 1 in 67 (PCGS # 7524) . Estimated Value $3,500 - 4,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $4,025
Lot 4520		1854 $1 Gold Liberty. EF-40 (PCGS # 7525) . Estimated Value $170 - 180. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $230
Lot 4521		1854-D $1 Gold Liberty. ANACS graded Details of MS-60. A needle sharp strike with flashy mint luster. Very faint hairlines from an old cleaning. Still one of the nicest examples we have handled. The new owner will delight in the coin's brightness with gold-on-gold color that seems to be somersaulting back and forth. A coin whose radiance on both sides must be seen to be appreciated. Nicely struck with just outstanding detail at the stars and hair, the wreath and all lettering. Only the lowermost star is at all flat, the others are needle-sharp. A rare Dahlonega Mint gold dollar. 2,935 minted. Usually found, when seen at all, in circulated grades (PCGS # 7526) . Estimated Value $7,000 - 7,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 4522		1854 $1 Gold Indian. PCGS graded MS-65 PQ. A lovely well struck Type 2 gold dollar. Old green holder. This is a nearly blemish-free case in point of the 1854 Type 2 in this Gem quality grade: sleek gold in color, with mint bloom that grabs hold of the full effect of the careful preservation since it was made. The only mark seems to be a tiny one at Liberty's brow. In winding this part of the description up, we are pleased to see also a strike faithful to every detail from a full blow by the dies, with marvelously crisp detail found at hair and feathers, the wreath and bow. Even the tiny letters in LIBERTY on the headband are clearly distinct. Upon receiving his post to Mint Director in 1853, Colonel James R. Snowden readied plans to change the gold dollar that Chief Engraver James B. Longacre had designed in 1849. To this end, he had Longacre increase the diameter from 13 to 15 millimeters and reduced the thickness of the planchets proportionately. At the same time, he had Longacre redesign both the obverse and reverse devices. The chief engraver utilized his replica of the marble Venus Accroupie from the three dollar gold piece. The head is in higher relief than it should be, which caused problems. The wreath of corn, cotton, maple, and tobacco that Longacre would in due course immortalize on the Flying Eagle cent also made the move from the three dollar gold piece to the new gold dollar. Once the Treasury Department agreed to the new design, coinage began on August 19, 1854. After two years of production at Philadelphia and token outputs at the branch mints that extended into 1856, Longacre was instructed to rework the denomination and created the flatter-style Type 3 gold dollar. Pop 50; 11 finer, 9 in 66, 2 in 67 (PCGS # 7531) . Estimated Value $33,000 - 36,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 4523		1854 $1 Gold Indian. NGC graded AU-58. Type 2. A lustrous, well struck example with a couple of light obverse hairlines. Desirable Type (PCGS # 7531) . Estimated Value $850 - 900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $978
Lot 4524		1855-D $1 Gold Indian. ANACS graded Details of EF-40. Although marked "altered surfaces" it is not apparent, even under magnification! A decent strike with clean surfaces and all lightly toned. The numeral 8 in the date is not fully struck up as is usual for this issue. Always in demand as the only Dahlonega Type 2 gold dollar. One of the rarest gold dollars. The mint struck a mere 1,811 pieces in 1855; only 1856-D has a lower mintage within the series (PCGS # 7534) . Issues were brief and limited in the Type 2 Indian design: 1854-55 Philadelphia, 1855 from the three Southern branch mints, 1856 San Francisco after the device had been condemned by the mint as unworkable. The 1856-S dies were shipped west in 1855 before Mint Director Snowden's decision to redesign the obverse. In all, only 1,704,985 gold dollars were issued for circulation with this obverse and reverse design: about one-seventh the mintage of small-size dollars. The reason the coins proved unsatisfactory from the beginning was that Longacre had miscalculated, overestimating the power of coining presses then in use to create a full impression on the thin planchets. This error most of all affected the C- and D-Mint issues, since these branches were using presses installed in 1838 (up-to-date at the time but not the latest 1850s minting equipment). Estimated Value $4,000 - 4,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $4,600
Lot 4525		1856-D $1 Gold Indian. NGC graded MS-61. A better than average strike with a nice bold mint mark and the numerals in the date nearly complete. This delightful example shimmers with luster. Less than a year after the "Type 2" or Narrow Head dollars went into circulation, all concerned knew that the design must be changed: Specimens were already coming back to the Mint for recoinage, some with dates hardly legible. And many coins straight out of press had the same fault, adjust the presses as you will: weakness in centers so that obverses looked worn, dates blurry. As soon as Longacre could be spared from completing the experimental dies for the 1855 bronze pattern cents, Mint Director James Ross Snowden ordered him to begin work on a modified design for the gold dollar. This 1856-D rarity is one of the best struck Dahlonega Mint gold dollars to that point, and a very attractive specimen. Only 1,460 minted. Pop 6; 8 finer, 3 in 62, 2 in 63, 2 in 64, 1 in 65 (PCGS # 7543) . Estimated Value $28,000 - 30,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $31,050
Lot 4526		1857 $1 Gold Indian. AU-55. Lightly cleaned but all in all a lustrous example. Interesting shallow raised area caused by sinking in the die below Liberty (PCGS # 7544) . Estimated Value $170 - 180. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $230
Lot 4527		1857-D $1 Gold Indian. NGC graded AU-58. Well struck and problem-free for what is usually a problematic year. The rim below the bust lacks some dentil definition (as struck). A very lustrous untoned example of this low mintage year. Only 3,533 minted. Pop 29; 12 finer, 6 in 60, 6 in 62 (PCGS # 7546) . Estimated Value $4,400 - 4,800. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $4,600
Lot 4528		1857-S $1 Gold Indian. NGC graded AU-58. CAC Approved. Only 10,000 minted. Frosty and untoned with some faint hairlines in the field. Scarce S-mint issue. Pop 33; 16 finer, 1 in 60, 9 in 61, 4 in 62, 1 in 63, 1 in 64 (PCGS # 7547) . Estimated Value $1,600 - 1,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,415
Lot 4529		1858-D $1 Gold Indian. PCGS graded MS-63. A splendid, very choice, Brilliant Uncirculated example. The strike is full and the surfaces are ablaze with mint luster. All delicately toned a light sunset golden hue. Certainly among the finest examples in existence. Only 3,477 pieces struck. This piece is one point better than the MS62 example in the Harry Bass sale. The Philadelphia Mint shipped three sets of 1858-D dies to Dahlonega in December 1857. Mintage was low as before, but distribution must have been different than with 1857-D, for today the 1858-D, while scarce in its own right, is more available than its 1857-D counterpart. As such the presently offered Mint State 63 1858-D would be a consideration not only for the connoisseur of the gold dollar series but for an interesting addition any set of rare U.S. coins. Pop 7; 4 finer, 2 in 64, 2 in 65 (PCGS # 7549) . Estimated Value $18,000 - 19,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $18,400
Lot 4530		1859-D $1 Gold Indian. PCGS graded MS-62. A lovely golden-orange problem-free example, lustrous and bright like the preceding 1858-D. The above average strike is nearly complete while the surfaces glisten with mint bloom. Only 4,952 coins struck. Some have commented on the fact this is the most common Type 3 gold dollar from the Georgia mint. We grant you the fact, but very seldom are survivors offered with as much aesthetic appeal and downright gorgeous sparkle. A coin can have a higher numerical grade but lose rank in terms of aesthetic attraction. Sometime in January, 1859, the Dahlonega Mint received a shipment containing two die pairs for use this year. Most are poorly made, a trademark, it should be added, for the entire Dahlonega Mint run. Noted author David Akers states: "A collector must be willing to accept one that is poorly struck since that is the only way the 1859-D comes." Probably 150 to 250 examples survive in all grades, with the number certified dwindling above About Uncirculated condition. Pop 13; 4 finer, 3 in 63, 1 in 64 (PCGS # 7553) . Estimated Value $9,000 - 10,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $10,925
Lot 4531		1860-D $1 Gold Indian. NGC graded MS-61. A marvelous example of this notoriously poorly struck issue. Except for the first two letters of UNITED and the corresponding area on the reverse, the strike is full. The obverse exhibits proof-like luster while the reverse is more frosty with a few scattered marks hardly worthy of mention. The approach of the Civil War rendered gold scarce (South Carolina seceded from the Union in December 1860). Associated New York City banks voted in the Clearing House, Dec. 28, 1861, to suspend specie payments for the duration; from then until about 1879 gold was hoarded as worth more than face value in greenbacks. In the rebellious South, all gold coins disappeared swiftly into hoards after South Carolina made its move. Many gold dollars were exported with other specie to pay for European armaments and war materiel. It should come as no surprise that mintage of gold dollars suffered a dramatic fall-off before coinage ceased entirely in April 1861 when the war officially began. Only 1,566 struck. Pop 4; 4 finer, 2 in 62, 2 in 64 (PCGS # 7556) . Estimated Value $15,000 - 16,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $16,675
Lot 4532		1861-D $1 Gold Indian. ANACS graded Details of AU-55. Scratched. The key date gold dollar. A much better than average strike with all the lettering, numerals, and mint-mark fully defined. Some light to moderate scratches are noted on the reverse. Plenty of mint lustre remains and all is lightly toned. Always in great demand. After dropping to a level of 1,811 pieces in 1855, coinaged continued to slip in 1856 at the mint in Dahlonega. This year it reached a low point when only 1,460 gold dollars were struck (PCGS # 7559) . Estimated Value $17,000 - 20,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $19,550
Lot 4533		1862 $1 Gold Indian. NGC graded MS-62. Frosty and untoned (PCGS # 7560) . Estimated Value $275 - 300. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $403
Lot 4534		1862 $1 Gold Indian. NGC graded AU-58. Inexpensive Civil War issue (production of gold dollars increased in 1861 and 1862 in anticipation of mass hoarding, but then mintage fell off dramatically from 1863-on) (PCGS # 7560) . Estimated Value $180 - 190. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $219
Lot 4535		1880 $1 Gold Indian. PCGS graded MS-67. First generation holder. Well struck and untoned. Only 1,600 struck for circulation. A gold, mint-fresh example, as superb, crisp and glossy as when it was first released from to the Treasury for distribution. Razor-sharp detail on all devices is typical for this 1880 date; however, even so, we are excited to present a specimen with an even more wonderful sharp design across broad sections of the main devices. A remarkable coin. Pop 105; 24 finer; 23 in 68; 1 in 69. (PCGS # 7581) . Estimated Value $4,000 - 4,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $7,188
Lot 4536		1888 $1 Gold Indian. MS-60. Lightly cleaned. Only 15,501 minted (PCGS # 7589) . Estimated Value $190 - 210. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $276
Lot 4537		1889 $1 Gold Indian. PCGS graded Proof 64. Lovely golden toning on both sides. Smooth, rolling-fresh finish, mellowed over time as when first extracted from its protective storage and sent off to be graded and encapsulated by PCGS; awash in originality. It is difficult to find such choiceness in a Proof gold dollar nowadays. Many have disappeared into collections. It is fair to report, too, that the devices were delivered a blow by the dies with the primary energy required to impart the design to the outer areas as well as enough vigor to impart clear-cut centers. Only the word LIBERTY is soft, and this is mainly attributed to too-energetic die polishing by the Mint's die department. A very attractive specimen. Only 1,779 Proofs struck (PCGS # 7639) . Estimated Value $4,000 - 4,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $5,290
Lot 4538		1889 $1 Gold Indian. PCGS graded MS-64. CAC Approved. A nice frosty coin with nearly all of the elements of a higher grade. 1889 is the last year of issue. The Coinage Act of 1890 abolished the gold dollar along with the $3 and three-cent nickel piece (PCGS # 7590) . Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,050. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,150
Lot 4539		1889 $1 Gold Indian. AU-58. Quite lustrous; there is a minor rim mark near CA of AMERICA. Pinkish-rose toning in areas (PCGS # 7590) . Estimated Value $180 - 190. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $242