Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 54

Pre-Long Beach Coin and Currency Auction

$1 Liberty

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 3314		1853-C $1 Gold Liberty. NGC graded MS-63. Boldly struck on slightly granular surfaces. Plenty of mint luster remains. Only 11,1515 minted. The strike on both sides of this coin is typical of the issue. There is some softness of detail on the obverse over Liberty's brow and on top of the hair curls; rim dentils are nearly all missing; and on the reverse over the 18 in the date and the second L in DOLLAR, with similar lack of detail in the dentils. There is a short horizontal distraction through the 1 of the denomination and a tiny mark on the rim above E in STATES; a small pit by the lowest star. Extensive luster everywhere. Truly exceptional for the issue, which tends to come circulated, and in the realm of surface preservation it has very few peers (see the population figures below). The fields are frosty, not prooflike -- a feature that suggests it was struck later in the die's life. Vivid-gold color flows over both sides. Pop 13; 3 in 64, 1 in 65. In a new NGC 4 pronged holder (PCGS # 7522) . Estimated Value $5,000 - 6,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $7,188
Lot 3315		1854 Type 1. PCGS graded AU-58 PQ. Well struck and certainly appears to be fully Mint State thus our Premium Quality designation (PCGS # 7525) . Estimated Value $225 - 250. The Leo Wexler Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $252
Lot 3316		1854 $1 Gold Indian. PCGS graded AU-55. Both sides display attractive golden hues. The obverse tones are more intense while the reverse coloration is more subdued (PCGS # 7531) . Estimated Value $600 - 650. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $748
Lot 3317		1854 Type 2. Sharpness of AU-50. Cleaned with some light marks. Estimated Value $250 - 300. Ex Mayflower Auction in the 1960's The Leo Wexler Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $253
Lot 3318		1855 $1 Gold Indian. PCGS graded MS-64 PQ. Lovely light gold toning on both sides. A well struck coin. Likely an carefully made strike from fresh dies, judging from the details. The surfaces are satin gold and virtually gem quality in their originality. Regarding this date, the clearest details are found throughout the hair curls and feathers of the headdress, areas which sometimes (too many times?) are seen weak. The fine detail also encompassing the key centers on the reverse which are much clearer than most as noted in word DOLLAR and in the 1855. Surfaces almost entirely free from contact marks, so definitely a coin that rests at the top end of its grade class! For the Type 2 pieces of 1854-56, the chief engraver at the mint, James Longacre, altered the gold dollar's resemblance to the double eagle when he utilized his replica of the marble Venus Accroupie from the three dollar gold piece. 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 Type 2 gold dollar. Pop 209; 54 finer; 37 in 65; 13 in 66; 4 in 67. (PCGS # 7532) . Estimated Value $10,000 - 11,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $12,075
Lot 3319		1855-D $1 Gold Indian. NGC graded MS-64. Well struck with a bold date and mint mark. Light clash marks on both sides as made and a touch of softness on the uppermost forehead curls. The luster is intense with traces of reflectiveness here and there. The rarest by far of all type two gold dollars. 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 (second 5 in date centered beneath A in DOLLAR) is one of the finest-known examples of both varieties, and it is an absolutely stunning representative. The '55-D typically displays varying degrees of striking irregularity in the center of the reverse that affects several of the letters in DOLLAR and the digits in the date. On this piece, however, one will 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, and both sides possess pleasing color that blends orange-gold and green-gold shades. With satiny surface texture and a noteworthy lack of grade-limiting abrasions, this beautiful near-Gem comes highly recommended for both the Southern gold specialist and the advanced numismatic investor. 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 and the total number of survivors probably numbering no more than 70-80 distinct examples. Conditionally rare starting at the Choice EF grade level, Condition Census begins in AU55. 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 accomodate an increase in diameter to 15 millimeters. Although Chief Engraver Longacre dutifully carried out this request, his work caused striking problems on this occasion. His Type 2 designs were difficult to strike and wore down rapidly in circulation. These deficiencies affected all issues of this type, and they resulted in its replacement by the Type 3 pieces in 1856 (1857 for the San Francisco Mint). Due to its brevity, there are only six 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 are relatively scarce coins in an absolute sense that are quite rare in Mint State from a market availability standpoint. The true 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, and the Bechtlers actually struck 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 primary reason Congress finally relented in that year was because the immense quantities of gold being mined in California forced silver coins out of circulation. Since few people in the United States of the late 1840s/early 1850s placed much trust in paper currency, the gold dollar was seen a logical 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. Tied for finest graded at either service. (PCGS # 7534) . Estimated Value $70,000 - 80,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 3320		1856 $1 Gold Indian. Upright 5. NGC graded MS-63. Frosty and toned. Choice luster across radiant surfaces. During the 1850s, the most outstanding gold dollar varieties include different date logotypes: slanting 5s for 1854 and 1855; upright and slanting 5s for 1856. It is said that engraver Longacre had a partiality to slanting 5s (PCGS # 7541) . Estimated Value $500 - 550. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $979
Lot 3321		1856 $1 Gold Indian. Slanting 5. PCGS graded MS-64. Attractive light golden toning adds to its appeal. In an old green label holder. Choice, high grade examples of MS64 quality are rarely offered. In 1856 the Mints switched to gold dollars with this design, because Mint Director Col. James Ross Snowden grew dissatisfied with the Type Two format introduced only two years before. The new motifs did the trick, and this type continued until the end of the series in 1889. The P-mints from the 1850s and early 1860s are the best made among the Type Three gold dollars, with the present example being an excellent representative of both the date, date-style and the Type. Pop 68; 13 in 65, 7 in 66, 2 in 67, 2 in 68 (PCGS # 7540) . Estimated Value $850 - 900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,012
Lot 3322		1859 $1 Gold Indian. NGC graded MS-63. Frosty and untoned. Clearly superior to the majority of Uncirculated pieces, this attractive fresh-golden example has only a few well scattered blemishes on the face and in the field and benefits from the high production standards employed by the Philadelphia Mint during this period. Struck from lightly clashed dies (PCGS # 7551) . Estimated Value $600 - 625. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $736
Lot 3323		1860 $1 Gold Indian. PCGS graded AU-58. One of 36,514 coins struck. Lovely golden-orange toning. A few stray marks on cheek and below the bust. The 6 is almost closed and looks like an 8. The first time we sent this coin in to PCGS they called it an 1880. Perhaps a new variety (PCGS # 7555) . Estimated Value $200 - 220. The Leo Wexler Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $288
Lot 3324		1862 $1 Gold Indian. PCGS graded AU-58. Lightly toned with natural luster covering the surface of both sides (PCGS # 7560) . Estimated Value $200 - 220. The Leo Wexler Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $259
Lot 3325		1874 $1 Gold Indian. PCGS graded MS-63. Lightly toned with semi reflective surfaces. Full detail to LIBERTY on the headband (often found weak on 1874 gold dollars). The somewhat prooflike field is a bonus every bidder will recognize at once since these tend to be frosty rather than prooflike (PCGS # 7575) . Estimated Value $600 - 650. The Leo Wexler Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $736