Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 51

Pre-Long Beach Coin and Currency Auction

Patterns

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 1321		1838 Pattern Half Dollar. Silver, reeded edge. Judd-72. Pollock-75. PCGS graded Proof 58. Natural even toning. This one appears to have circulated for a short while, but still, all of the fancy head curls and sharp feathers on the eagle show plainly, as this piece was struck only in Proof (not meant to be spent). The graceful design is by none other than the mint's fabled engraver, Christian Gobrecht, who was employed there until 1844. Pop 3; 26 finer; 5 in 62; 11 in 63; 7 in 64. (PCGS # 11282) . Estimated Value $2,500 - 2,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1322		1850 Pattern Three Cents. Silver, plain edge. Original. Judd-125. Pollock-147. PCGS graded Proof 63. Attractive light pastel toning. Somewhat granular on the high points from insufficient metal reaching the deepest recesses of the die, but otherwise a rare Pattern three-cent silver which has grand overall eye appeal. The above-average rarity complements this, some might say, adds immeasurably to the coin's desirability. When the actual three-cent silver coinage went into production in 1851, Longacre, who designed both this Pattern and the regular issue, chose to go with a simpler motif of a six-pointed star with a shield embedded in it instead of this cap-and-rays design. Pop 19; 10 finer with 9 in 64, 1 in 65 (PCGS # 11536) . Estimated Value $2,300 - 2,400. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1323		1859 Pattern Half Dollar. Silver, reeded edge. Judd-237. Pollock-293. Rarity 4. PCGS graded Proof 63. Housed in an Old Green Holder. A hint of light tone. Fortunately for bidders, this coin, was struck with the controlled precision you'd expect to see on an early Pattern coin, with strong relief throughout the outer peripheral areas, while thoroughly bold and uncompromised at the central locations. One of Longacre's handsome designs. Pop 18; 13 finer, 9 in 64, 3 in 65, 1 in 66 (PCGS # 11966) . Estimated Value $2,700 - 2,800. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1324		1866 Pattern Five Cents. Lead, plain edge. Judd-520. Pollock-547. Rarity 8. PCGS graded Proof 60. Struck in lead. Uniformly toned deep slate gray verging on charcoal with some lighter areas. Low magnification reveals some scattered marks and some natural planchet roughness, as struck, though no actual wear is indicated. Heavily cracked reverse die, diagnostic for this rarity. A unique opportunity for the Pattern specialist to acquire a coin of extreme rarity, one whose historical importance cannot be overemphasized. In an old green label holder. Pop 1; none better. The only example graded at either service (PCGS # 60717) . The uspatterns.com website notes the following about this intriguing pattern issue: "Washington obverse with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA combined with the regular without rays reverse as used from 1867 onward. This muling is believed to have been struck outside the mint from dies sold as scrap metal which was purchased by Joseph Mickley. Many of these coins ended up in the Crosby collection. It is not known if Mickley or Crosby was the actual minter of these coins." In actuality, it is very difficult to find any documentation that either Mickley or Crosby personally restruck anything, and the same can be said for Charles I. Bushnell and the popular attribution of restrikes to him." The site goes on to note that just three examples are known in lead, all struck from a heavily cracked reverse die. Estimated Value $35,000 - 38,000. Previously in Heritage 8/96:5011, $3,520; ex Auction '89:1848. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1325		1866 Pattern Five Cents. Silver, plain edge. Judd-521. Pollock-549. PCGS graded Proof 61 Rarity 7. Old green holder. Die Alignment: 30�. An intriguing pattern with two heads of Washington, one on either side, reminiscent of the double-headed Washington cent listed in the Colonial section of Guide Book of United States Coins. Brilliant lustrous silver gray surfaces with pale toning on both sides. At the uspatterns.com website, can be found the following: "This muling of the Washington UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and IN GOD WE TRUST obverse dies is believed to have been struck outside the mint from dies sold as scrap metal which were purchased by Joseph Mickley. Many of these coins ended up in the Crosby collection. It is not known if Mickley or Crosby was the actual minter of these coins." No need to worry about "points for identification" since this is the only Judd-521 certified in any grade by PCGS, an obvious rarity and of the greatest desirability to Washingtoniana collectors as well as Pattern devotees. Labeled as R-7 on holder but in Judd book it is listed as R-8. Pop 1; none finer at PCGS. (PCGS # 60718) . Estimated Value $35,000 - 38,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1326		1869 Pattern Gold Dollar. Aluminum, reeded edge. Judd-767. Pollock-852. High Rarity 7. PCGS graded Proof 65 Cameo. Struck in aluminum. A brilliant untoned gem. Full glowing mirror luster, the color of "black ice." Devices display lovely cameo contrast. Where a collector might expect to see the some deviation in the sharp relief, mainly in the high points of the coin where the design often fails to completely fill the dies, this standout Pattern Gold Dollar takes the opposite road by being boldness personified! Pop 1; none better (PCGS # 389218) . Historic reference: Aluminum was the new "wonder metal" of the mid-1800s when this piece was made. Light and easy to work, it had splendid properties and possibilities. There was only one drawback: price. Although the price of aluminum fell to below that of silver by the early 1860s, it was still expensive to produce, hovering around twelve dollars a pound between 1862 and 1886. It retained this status until metallurgists found a way to smelt it in quantity. As a consequence, the US. mint struck only limited numbers of aluminum Patterns and die trial pieces each year, often Rarity-7 items. (In 1889, man's technology finally caught up with his need for large quantities of this miracle light metal; prices plummeted and aluminum was soon being used to make tokens, medals, promotional badges, inflation coins by the jillion, and all sorts of other doodads.). Estimated Value $18,000 - 19,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1327		1876 Pattern Dollar. Copper, reeded edge. Judd-1460. Pollock-1610. High Rarity 7. PCGS graded Genuine. Our grade is Sharpness of AU, cleaned. Reddish-brown in color. Very rare and seldom offered. This is the aptly named Sailor Head design in a plain field with IN GOD WE TRUST and the date both below the bust. LIBERTY appears on a coronet in Liberty's hair. The reverse has ONE DOLLAR within a wreath with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA at the top border and E PLURIBUS UNUM at the bottom border. Struck in copper with a reeded edge. It appears that fewer than 10 examples of this Pattern variety are currently known (PCGS # 61781) . Estimated Value $10,000 - 12,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $8,165
Lot 1328		1890 Pattern Cent. Copper, plain edge. Judd-1757. PCGS graded Proof 62 Brown Rarity 8. Very rare pattern. Both sides exhibit rich, even, copper-brown patina over boldly struck features. Though listed as regular die trial pieces, some known examples of J-1757 (and J-1758) may be mint errors. The usPatterns.com website notes that copper examples of Judd-1757 were delisted by Pollock, as the alloy was simply too difficult to determine without advanced technology; some pieces called copper indeed may actually be standard bronze. That website notes "a circulated example, struck on a thick planchet, was sold in Stacks December 1997 sale and a second weighing 67.9 grains was sold in Bowers and Merena's May 2006 sale. The weight is within the tolerance for these to simply be mint errors struck on copper planchets of nickel thickness stock." Ignoring the confusion surrounding their origin, these thick Indian cent "Patterns" are desirable to Pattern specialists and Indian cent enthusiasts alike. Pop 1; None finer. (PCGS # 62205) . Estimated Value $11,000 - 12,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold