Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 72

February 2-5. 2013

$20 Gold

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 1820		1853/2. PCGS graded AU-58. CAC Approved. Well struck and frosty. In circulated grades, the 1853/2 is similar in to the higher mintage 1851-53 regular date Double Eagles in the amount of wear (and abuse) it received in circulation as a heavy, soft-metal coin. Despite the 10% copper alloy for hardness, these tended to abrade quickly in commerce. It goes without saying the 1853, 3 over 2 overdate is decidedly rarer than the regular date issues around it. There are very few high grade ones known (see below). The typical one might be Very Fine or Extremely Fine and pretty banged up at that. This handsome coin is characterized by bright frosty mint luster, only lightly bagmarked surfaces, and grand eye-appeal. The luster in the fields also tips over onto the devices, with Liberty�s cheek noteworthy as it is also free from all but faintest luster grazes. Sharply struck including stars with light, attractive reddish-gold and pink coloration overall. In AU58, this is a legitimately scarce coin and it is an issue that is almost never seen better. This issue and should be strongly considered by the quality-conscious rarities collector. Pop 15; 6 finer, 2 in 60, 4 in 61 (PCGS # 8909) . Estimated Value $10,000 - 12,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $17,250
Lot 1821		1853/2. NGC graded AU-55. Frosty and untoned. The excellent photograph in Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of United States Coins has a blowup picture of the overdate. The bottom half of the diagonal of the underfigure "2" is seen within the opening of the 3. Also, some traces of an earlier 5 visible within the 5, but his is from a slightly different shaped 5, which Breen attributed to part of the 1852 logotype. A small raised lump beneath the R of LIBERTY is diagnostic of the 1853/2 variety. An example that is glowing lustrous and nicely preserved, albeit with some noticeable nicks on the face and in the left obverse field. No weakness is present within the hair on the obverse, however, thus rare in this condition, since most are weak in this area on the Type One double eagles. All stars full with complete central detail. What is most noticeable, and commendable, is the fact the surfaces have frosty pink-gold luster around the main devices and within those devices. This is a splendid AU55 example that will delight the most specialist collector. Pop 31; 45 finer (PCGS # 8909) . Estimated Value $4,000 - 5,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $10,063
Lot 1822		1855-S. SEGS graded MS-60. Saltwater surfaces; a few light scattered marks but much finer than average in the absense of abrasions. Struck, no doubt, from locally mined California Gold Rush bullion. Estimated Value $2,600 - 2,700. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $2,645
Lot 1823		1856-S S.S. Central America 17M No Serif, Full A. PCGS graded AU-55. CAC Approved PQ. Housed in the gold tag holder issued by PCGS for this treasure. Lovely golden toning on both sides. A coin that should be regraded to Mint State with this degree of luster and charm. The Mint at San Francisco opened in 1854 to strike locally mined California Gold Rush gold. Production was elevated right through the 1850s and 1860s with many Double Eagles making their way to the East Coast for use as bank reserves or for import-export payments. Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,200. Ex: S.S. Central America. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $6,613
Lot 1824		1856-S NGC graded AU Details. Obverse improperly cleaned, yet there luster lapping at the fields and hidden within the devices pointing to the fact this double eagle scarcely served its time in circulation before being set aside. No doubt it spent most of its existence as gold backing for paper money. Fortunately it lay undiscovered when the gold confiscation of 1933 resulted in millions of double eagles being melted into bars (1933-37) (PCGS # 8919) . Estimated Value $2,300 - 2,400. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1825		1857-S S.S. Central America. PCGS graded MS-66. CAC Approved PQ. 20A Spiked Shield. Wonderful light golden toning. Very choice. SSCA 1013. The SS Central America, sometimes called the Ship of Gold, was a 280-foot sidewheel steamer that operated between Central America and the eastern coast of the United States during the 1850s. She was originally named the SS George Law. The ship sank in a hurricane in September 1857, along with 400 passengers and crew and 30,000 pounds of gold, contributing to the Panic of 1857. Gorgeous bright frosty luster, essentially "as struck" -- an incredible coin if you have never seen one of these stunning double eagles! The mint at San Francisco opened for business in 1854 in response to the flood of gold bullion issuing from California's Sierra Nevada mother lodes. From gold's discovery in 1848 until the mint opened, a number of private mints operated in this part of the state. Much of the issue from San Francisco went east through various means to satisfy the needs of commerce and for use as export. Double eagles that stayed behind in California were used a currency since the state's residents shunned paper money of any kind. This is the main reason why S-mint double eagles are found circulated (often heavily so) and only rarely in fresh mint condition. The Mint State 66 offered here is quite naturally among the finest in existence. Perhaps only a few thousand frosty original coins exist out of the original mintage. It traces to the shipwreck of the passenger liner SS Central America, which floundered off the East Coast in a storm late in 1857. On the history of the $20 denomination itself: one of the consequences of the immense discoveries of gold in California was an increase in gold bullion coming to the Philadelphia Mint for coinage. Authorities felt that large-scale domestic or international transactions payable in gold should be made in more compact form than eagles or smaller denominations. Accordingly, Rep. James Iver McKay (D.N.C.) was persuaded to introduce an amendment to his Gold Dollar bill, Feb. 1849, which would authorize coinage also of $20s, to be called Double Eagles. These were to weigh 516 grains = 33.436 grams, a little over a troy ounce each, and be roughly comparable in value to several Latin American denominations. Estimated Value $15,000 - 20,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $29,900
Lot 1826		1858. NGC graded AU-58 Star PQ CAC Approved. Well struck with reflective fields. A wonderful coin. This is a classic scarce P-mint date within the Liberty Double Eagle series of the first design from 1850 to 1866. With Mint State examples very expensive, most collectors opt for an attractive (when available) About Uncirculated specimen. This is a pleasing example with frosted devices, almost cameo in their look and slightly reflective fields. Both sides only light abrasions that are far fewer than average. A handsome offering. Pop 1; 30 finer (PCGS # 8923) . Estimated Value $4,000 - 4,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $6,900
Lot 1827		1861-S. PCGS graded AU-58. CAC Approved. A lovely frosty untoned coin. The Double Eagles, whose net gold content is .9675 of an ounce, actually weigh more than an ounce, because they have copper alloy in them to make them durable in circulation and not easy to damage. At the time they were current (1850-1933) the gold "standard" equated to $20.67 per ounce. This is one of the desirable Type 1 pieces with the denomination abbrievated TWENTY DOL. and an absence of the now-familiar motto IN GOD WE TRUST which did not appear until 1866 (PCGS # 8935) . Estimated Value $3,800 - 4,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $6,038
Lot 1828		1863. PCGS graded AU-58 PQ. Lovely golden toning. This is an essential issue for the date and mint collector that is elusive in any grade; furthermore, it being a major rarity in Mint State, the offering of a choice AU58 example like this presents a major opportunity. Few have survived at this Choice AU grade level. Even Harry Bass, a major buyer of gold in the 1960s thru 1980s had just an Extremely Fine example, and that had been cleaned. Some authorities rate this date the third most difficult Type One Double Eagle from the Philadelphia Mint. The surfaces are immaculate for the grade, free from the usual abrasions. A wonderful example of this rare 1863-P mint issue that will positively make the forward-looking buyer�s day! Pop 12; 18 finer (PCGS # 8939) . Estimated Value $10,000 - 12,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $16,100
Lot 1829		1867-S. PCGS graded VF-35. Lightly toned (PCGS # 8952) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,550. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,783
Lot 1830		1869-S $20. Fine-15. Even wear. Estimated Value $1,450 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,725
Lot 1831		1872-S $20. VF-20. Evenly worn. Estimated Value $1,450 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,696
Lot 1832		1873. Closed 3 and 1876. Coins grade VF and EF respectively. Lot of 2 type 2 Double Eagles. Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,200. View details	Realized $3,738
Lot 1833		1873-CC. PCGS graded AU-50. Only 22,410 minted of which merely 405 examples are estimated to have survived. Untoned. Supporting luster remains on this scarce CC-mint release with only lightly marked surfaces for the grade. We note some marks on Liberty�s chin and one in the field by the third star, but no other problems worth describing. With so few struck, it follows that this is a very rare date in higher grades given the extensive use of gold (and silver) coins in the West in the second half of the 19th century; especially above Extremely Fine, one rarely encounters an 1873-CC. Hence a double eagle specialist will soon find this date to be quite a challenge. Here is a very nice one indeed, and we expect to see spirited bidding on this one (PCGS # 8968) . Estimated Value $8,000 - 9,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $13,200
Lot 1834		1874-CC. NGC graded AU-58. Well struck and untoned with reflective surfaces. From the Bass Collection. Many of the double eagles in the Bass Collection were acquired in the 1960s and 1970s when choice specimens were more available than they are today. As his numismatic expertise became known, Harry Bass was given first choice of many outstanding coins such as this lovely semi-prooflike '74-CC. Pop 201; 16 finer, 1 in 58+, 9 in 60, 5 in 61, 1 in 62 (PCGS # 8971) . Historic Note: In 1866 the reverse of the Liberty Head $20 gold was modified by adding the motto IN GOD WE TRUST within the circle of stars above the eagle. This motto was continued from this point forward. The type minted from 1866 through 1876 is designated as Type 2 by coin collectors, being defined by the combination of the IN GOD WE TRUST motto with the denomination below expressed as TWENTY D. Estimated Value $6,500 - 7,000. Ex: Bass Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $10,350
Lot 1835		1874-CC. PCGS graded AU-53. Lightly toned, a popular branch mint date due to its affordability. Lustrous with a small mark in the hair new Y of LIBERTY and two minor marks in the right reverse field below RIC. Much choicer than average (PCGS # 8971) . Estimated Value $2,500 - 2,600. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $4,830
Lot 1836		1876-S. PCGS graded AU-55 (PCGS # 8978) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,550. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,783
Lot 1837		1878. NGC graded MS-60. Semi-prooflike surfaces (PCGS # 8985) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,550. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,013
Lot 1838		1878-S and 1902-S. Both grade EF-40. Lot of 2 coins. Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,200. View details	Realized $3,450
Lot 1839		1878-S. PCGS graded MS-61 PQ. An attractive coin (PCGS # 8987) . Estimated Value $1,900 - 2,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,990
Lot 1840		1878-S. PCGS graded MS-61. Nice golden toning, a slightly better early S-mint date, the design was switched to the now formal Type 3 in 1877 when the obverse portrait was improved and the denomination lengthened to the full TWENTY DOLLARS on the reverse. Frosty (PCGS # 8987) . Estimated Value $1,900 - 2,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,645
Lot 1841		1879-S and 1891-S Both Fine. Lot of 2 coins. Estimated Value $2,800 - 2,900. View details	Realized $3,450
Lot 1842		1879-S NTC MS63. Our grade is MS60. Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,550. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $2,990
Lot 1843		1883-CC. NGC graded AU-58. Only 59,962 minted of which merely 1,540 examples are estimated to have survived. Frosty and choice. While one of the more available Carson City issues in lower grades, all CC Double Eagles are scarce and challenging to acquire in strict AU58 condition. This is a solid example, with original surfaces, only light abrasions, and nearly full luster, along with lovely vivid-gold color. The 1883-CC has a surprisingly high survival rate for a frontier era gold coin. Pop 306; 96 finer (PCGS # 8999) . Estimated Value $4,000 - 4,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $5,750
Lot 1844		1884-CC. PCGS graded MS-61. Dull surfaces. Well struck and frosty. Only 81,139 minted of which merely 2,525 examples are estimated to have survived. A still attractive reddish gold example in spite of some areas of muted frostiness. A few tiny ticks are noted on the cheek and nose, but these are of little relevance. Although a fair number have survived from the original mintage, most are worn or scuffed from indifferent bullion storage. This Mint State rare Carson City Double Eagle resides in a desirable PCGS holder.Pop 96; 48 finer, 42 in 62, 6 in 63 (PCGS # 9001) . Estimated Value $5,000 - 6,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $10,063
Lot 1845		1890-CC PCGS graded Genuine XF Details. Altered surfaces (PCGS # 9014) . Estimated Value $1,700 - 1,750. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,898
Lot 1846		1892-S. PCGS graded MS-61. Housed in an Old Green Holder (PCGS # 9021) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,550. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,898
Lot 1847		1893. NGC graded MS-61. Frosty and untoned (PCGS # 9022) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,550. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,840
Lot 1848		1893-CC. PCGS graded MS-63. CAC Approved PQ. Only 18,402 minted of which merely 1,112 examples are estimated to have survived. A lovely example which could grade MS64. The 1893 Carson City double eagle is the most available double eagle issue from that mint in Uncirculated condition. It can be found with relative ease all the way up to the MS-62 grade but bear in mind that finding choice specimens can pose a challenge. Many "sliders" end up in second-tier Mint State grading holders. The quality conscious, experienced collector can find this frustrating when going by population figures alone. In Mint State 63, the 1893-CC becomes a serious condition rarity. Viewers of the present offering will agree that this specimen is correctly graded as MS63 and is many steps above "product" MS-61-62 coins. The surfaces are vibrant satiny gold, frosted from center to periphery and almost entirely free of bagmark contact. Shimmering luster is found across Liberty's cheek while the feathers of the eagle show their intricate detail. Anyone appreciating original gold will rejoice when viewing the attractive nature of this Choice specimen. No hairlines are found in the fields and the original skin of the coin in intact. While the 1893-CC may be a "Type" candidate for a Type III Carson City double eagle, do not be deceived into thinking that the present coin is anything other than rare! Pop 21; none finer at PCGS (PCGS # 9023) . Estimated Value $25,000 - 30,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $33,350
Lot 1849		1894. PCGS graded MS-62. Lightly toned (PCGS # 9025) . Estimated Value $1,600 - 1,650. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,840
Lot 1850		1894. PCGS graded MS-61. Frosty and toned (PCGS # 9025) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,550. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,840
Lot 1851		1895. NGC graded MS-62. Frosty and untoned (PCGS # 9027) . Estimated Value $1,600 - 1,650. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,869
Lot 1852		1895. PCGS graded MS-61. Lovely golden toning (PCGS # 9027) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,550. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,840
Lot 1853		1895. PCGS graded AU-58. Frosty, a well struck example of the popular Liberty Head double eagle (PCGS # 9027) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,550. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,783
Lot 1854		1895. PCGS graded AU-58 (PCGS # 9027) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,550. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,783
Lot 1855		1895-S. ANACS graded AU-55. Well struck (PCGS # 9028) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,550. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,783
Lot 1856		1896. NGC graded MS-62. Housed in an Old Holder. Very frosty (PCGS # 9029) . Estimated Value $1,750 - 1,800. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,863
Lot 1857		1896 Double Date Breen-7322. SEGS graded MS-60. Discovered by E. M. Seneca, all four digits show repunching at top, even to naked eye. Estimated Value $1,550 - 1,600. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,840
Lot 1858		1897. PCGS graded MS-62. CAC Approved. Frosty and choice with beaming luster throughout (PCGS # 9031) . Estimated Value $1,600 - 1,650. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,070
Lot 1859		1897-S. PCGS graded MS-62. Semi-reflective surfaces, a gleaming choice coin (PCGS # 9032) . Estimated Value $2,000 - 2,100. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1860		1898-S. Coins grade VF to XF . Lot of 2 coins. Estimated Value $2,800 - 2,900. View details	Realized $3,450
Lot 1861		1898 and 1901-S Both VF. Lot of 2 coins. Estimated Value $2,800 - 2,900. View details	Realized $3,393
Lot 1862		1898-S. PCGS graded AU-58. Mostly untoned (PCGS # 9034) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,550. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,783
Lot 1863		1898-S. NGC graded MS-61 (PCGS # 9034) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,550. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,926
Lot 1864		1899-S. PCGS graded EF-45 (PCGS # 9036) . Estimated Value $1,450 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,783
Lot 1865		1900-S and 1907-D. Coins grade VF to XF . Lot of 2 coins. Estimated Value $2,800 - 2,900. View details	Realized $3,450
Lot 1866		1900. Both coins grade VF and one example displays significant scratches. Lot of 2 coins. Estimated Value $2,700 - 2,750. View details	Realized $3,335
Lot 1867		1900. ANACS graded MS-64. Frosty and untoned (PCGS # 9037) . Estimated Value $1,700 - 1,750. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,415
Lot 1868		1900-S. NGC graded MS-61. A hint of light tone (PCGS # 9038) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,550. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,840
Lot 1869		1900-S. PCGS graded AU-58. Nice golden toning. In a 1st generation holder. Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,550. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $2,070

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