Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 74

June Long Beach Coin Auction

$20 Gold

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 1740		1850 $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-53. CAC Approved. Nice light toning. A well struck and lustrous example of this first year issue. Always popular as with any first-year date since collectors find it challenging to complete even a US gold Type Set including only first-year coins (PCGS # 8902) . Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,200. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $5,290
Lot 1741		1850 $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-53. Untoned. Production of the new $20 denomination commenced to help relieve the pressure from vast amounts of gold bullion that was flowing in from the California gold fields. Most gold that reached the East Coast arrived by a circuitous route, down the West Coast of California, Baja, and Central America to Panama, where it was transported by wagon (and later by railroad) across the Isthmus to be loaded onto a (usually) paddlewheel steamboat for transporting the metal and passengers up to the Mid-Atlantic ports as well as New Orleans at the mouth of the Mississippi River (PCGS # 8902) . Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,200. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $4,945
Lot 1742		1851 $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-53. CAC Approved. A nice untoned example with excellent fields and devices, particularly a smooth, unmarred cheek on Liberty. If one were to pick out any individual mark, there is a light chattermark within the circle of stars on the reverse, but well below the norm for these usually well-abraded big coins. In short, a very attractive offering (PCGS # 8904) . Estimated Value $2,000 - 2,100. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,680
Lot 1743		1851-O $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-58. Untoned with reflective surfaces. The 1851-O Double Eagle is one of the more available issues among the popular New Orleans Mint Double Eagles. Examples can be found without little difficulty until the low-AU threshold is reached. Higher AU examples, such as this lovely AU58 are legitimately scarce. Allowing for a few resubmissions, it is doubtful that more than a three score survive at this level. The soft smooth luster displays excellent sharpness in all areas and are golden colored hues. Abrasions are relatively minimal for the assigned grade, including one on the chin and another in the field by Liberty's nose. Outstanding visual presence on this example. Pop 57; 19 finer (PCGS # 8905) . Estimated Value $8,000 - 9,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $15,525
Lot 1744		1852 $20 Liberty. PCGS graded AU-55. Plenty of mint luster remains on this early Type 1 double eagle. There is a shallow mark on the cheek, and another equality inconsequential below the date; both sides very attractive considering that many Type 1 twenties show extensive abrasion (PCGS # 8906) . Estimated Value $2,100 - 2,200. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,565
Lot 1745		1852 $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-55. CAC Approved. Some natural tone rests within the devices, the surface is much cleaner and free of abrasion than on most examples of this Type. Smooth, fine luster (PCGS # 8906) . Estimated Value $2,100 - 2,200. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,565
Lot 1746		1852 $20 Liberty. PCGS graded AU-53. Lightly toned (PCGS # 8906) . Estimated Value $1,700 - 1,800. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,990
Lot 1747		1852-O $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-55. A hint of light gold tone with reflective surfaces. We note a small mark on the bridge of the nose, another by star 8, and a slight metal flake (as made) by star 12. The reverse has only the lightest, well spaced circulation signs on this handsome, and bold, '52-O Type 1 Double Eagle. Substantial detail to the highpoints on this fine example include complete (if not quite razor-sharp) obverse stars, all the shield lines present, as are the eagle�s feathers. Pop 124; 103 finer (PCGS # 8907) . Events of 1852: In South Bend, Indiana, in 1852, the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company was established and would evolve into the world's largest maker of carriages and wagons. In the twentieth century it would make automobiles. Also in 1852, among technological innovations, coal oil, as a petroleum derivative was called, began to be used in lamps, but whale oil was still the main fuel for illumination. In New York, Elisha G. Otis invented the safety elevator this year, which used ratchets to prevent free fall. Discouraged by the lack of customers, Otis resolved to head for the California gold fields, but was deterred from doing so when two orders arrived at the last minute. Estimated Value $4,500 - 5,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $11,069
Lot 1748		1852-O $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-50. Lightly toned. A satiny example with luster protected by the designs. For an early O-mint issue, it ranks high; a pleasing example of the date, not fully struck, however since some of the stars as well as the date itself are lightly impressed by the dies, but with enough detail in the portrait and eagle areas that bidders will be competing to own this specimen (PCGS # 8907) . Estimated Value $2,800 - 3,000. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $5,750
Lot 1749		1853 $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-58. Toned. Popular Type I Double Eagle. Extensive frosty luster graces satiny and lively golden surfaces. Varying hues of gold mingle broadly with rich gold iridescence. An attractive coin that wears its bold strike proudly. Several typical bagmarks include one on the upper face by the eye, another on the eyelid, a small chattermark before the nose and a minor scuff by the first star (PCGS # 8908) . Estimated Value $2,200 - 2,300. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $4,370
Lot 1750		1853 $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-55. Well struck and delicately toned. An early No Motto issue. Though much gold was mined in California during the gold rush, few realize it that not all of this bullion made its way to the mint in San Francisco in 1854-on. Returning gold miners took their bullion bars with them back home with them. The Mints at Philadelphia, New Orleans, Dahlonega, and Charlotte reported increases in coinage made from these sources in the years following the initial Gold Rush of 1849. At the same time, in Australia in the Southern Hemissphere, an almost identical wild rush to gold happened in the 1850s! For more than a decade, the world's markets were awash in the precious yellow metal until the gold fields were played out (PCGS # 8908) . Estimated Value $2,000 - 2,200. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,335
Lot 1751		1853 $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-55. Untoned. A popular type I Double Eagle. Some light scuffs and abrasions that are tyically found on Type 1 double eagles of the period. Much luster remains. Devices well struck (PCGS # 8908) . Estimated Value $2,000 - 2,200. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,335
Lot 1752		1853-O $20 Liberty. NGC graded EF-45. The wear is evenly spread. Only 71,000 struck of the 1853-O a coin which switches the earlier high production numbers of 1850-O to 1852-O to a much lower energy level. Fewer bullion deposits were coming in to the New Orleans Mint. This decline would continue right through 1854 to 1861 before minting ceased shortly after the beginning of the Civil War in April 1861. Pop 48 (PCGS # 8910) . Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,300. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $6,325
Lot 1753		1854. Small Date. NGC graded AU-53. Popular Type I Double Eagle, two date punch sizes were incorporated in strikiing this year's Double Eagles, with the Small Date being noticeably scarcer. Luster on both sides. The obvese is slightly smoother than the reverse where a few more abrasions are found (PCGS # 8911) . Estimated Value $1,800 - 1,900. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,105
Lot 1754		1854. Large Date. PCGS graded AU-58. CAC Approved. Lightly toned. A definitely frosty and highly desirable About Uncirculated example with approximately 60% remaining luster; a benchmark for other examples that share this grade. While the strike is bold and crisp, it is not quite full on the hair curl below the ear, yet certainly few of the head details and reverse design are left to the viewer's imagination. The Philadelphia Mint in this era reliably coined bold gold coins. Pop 14; 1 finer in 64 (PCGS # 98911) . Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $21,850
Lot 1755		1856-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-53. Untoned. Higher grade survivors like this attractive AU53 specimen are seen with less frequency as more and more of the limited supply go into collections. Not rare, but history from its very nature with the source material, the gold bullion, being a part of the vast California Gold Rush treasure dug out of the Sierra Nevada mountains (PCGS # 8919) . Estimated Value $1,800 - 1,900. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,875
Lot 1756		1856-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-53. Untoned with natural luster appearing within the main devices and partway into the field on both sides. Well struck as is the case for most of San Francisco's gold coinage in this period (PCGS # 8919) . Estimated Value $1,800 - 1,900. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,875
Lot 1757		1856-S NGC graded XF Details. Improperly cleaned (PCGS # 8919) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,550. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,783
Lot 1758		1857 $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-58. Nicely toned. Beaming choice luster spreads energetically like a golden fire storm across the satiny, largely brilliant surfaces of this near-Mint State Type 1 Double Eagle. A flicker of light gold highlights the uppermost hair on Liberty�s likeness, with comparable splashes throughout the reverse. Normal light field abrasions consistent with these large soft gold coins. The obverse stars, which mostly complete, stand out in shallow relief against the frost surroundings. However, sharp centers on both sides. Pop 110; 41 finer (PCGS # 8920) . Estimated Value $2,900 - 3,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $5,290
Lot 1759		1857-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded MS-64 PQ CAC Approved. A lovely frosty coin. A hint of light gold tone. Dancing cartwheel luster careens off the satiny, matte-like surfaces of this attractively original Type 1 Double Eagle from the famed shipwreck. A blend of shades can be seen on both sides. The strike is altogether bold on the reverse as well as everywhere on the obverse including the stars, with the design elements as impressive looking as the scintillating luster. An incredible coin if you have never seen one of these stunning 1857-S $20 gold pieces! 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. Those 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 double eagles are found circulated (often heavily so) and only rarely in fresh mint condition. The Mint State 64 offered here is quite naturally among the finest in existence. Perhaps only a few thousand frosty original coins exist out of the original mintage. These trace to the shipwreck of the passenger liner S. S. 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 (PCGS # 8922) . Estimated Value $8,000 - 8,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $9,775
Lot 1760		1857-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-55. Well struck and nicely toned. We note some marks on the cheek (PCGS # 8922) . Estimated Value $1,800 - 1,900. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,990
Lot 1761		1857-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-50. Untoned. Partial luster remains around devices and legends on this early San Francisco mint release. The Mint in California opened its doors in 1854 to coin the vast bullion deposits into coins. The chief method of doing this was to strike the largest denomination, the Double Eagle. Most such coins were immediately "exported" to the Eastern part of the country by way of the Panama Canal since there was no railroad connection with parts East until the 1870s (PCGS # 8922) . Estimated Value $1,600 - 1,650. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,530
Lot 1762		1857-S PCGS graded Genuine AU Details. Scratch. Mostly untoned and some luster retained in the fields (PCGS # 8922) . Estimated Value $1,550 - 1,600. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,070
Lot 1763		1858-O $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-55. Lovely golden toning with traces of luster adhering to the devices. Only 35,250 struck. Smooth, attractive surface throughout, this piece displays its greatest vibrancy when observed with the aid of a strong light. The color is a rich, even, honey-gold shade, and the surfaces present as uncommonly smooth for the grade with no noticeable abrasions impinging on the coin�s desirability. A sharp strike is also a praiseworthy attribute, which never suffers--and insignificantly--only on any of the obverse stars, all are complete with full radials. While not in the same club as the great rarities 1854-O and 1856-O, the 1858-O is an elusive issue in all grades that ranks among the rarer Double Eagles from the New Orleans Mint. According to Doug Winter in the 2006 edition of the book Gold Coins of the New Orleans Mint: 1839-1909, survivors of this 35,250-piece issue number only 150-175 coins in all grades. Uncs are particularly rare and number fewer than seven or eight examples, hence the convenience of this more affordable (and immediately accessible) AU55 specimen. Pop 23; 23 in 58, 2 in 61, 2 in 62, 1 in 63 (PCGS # 8924) . Estimated Value $12,000 - 14,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $24,150
Lot 1764		1861 $20 Liberty. NGC graded MS-61. Well struck and glittering with intense mint luster. Marketed by Odyssey Marine Exploration. Includes a booklet and housed in a magnificent mahogany and brass box with an ivory-like inlay; all, in a leatherette case. Pop 92; 82 finer. Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,500. From the S.S. Republic recovered treasure; The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $8,913
Lot 1765		1861 NGC graded Authentic Shipwreck Specie S.S. Republic. Our grade is MS60+. Bright and lustrous. Faint hairlines from cleaning (PCGS # 8932) . Estimated Value $2,500 - 3,000. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $5,290
Lot 1766		1861 $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-58. Frosty mint luster remains with a normal assortment of contact marks for the grade (PCGS # 8932) . Estimated Value $2,400 - 2,500. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,450
Lot 1767		1861 $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-55. A lustrous, untoned example. Popular Civil War issue. With the advent of paper money Greenbacks by the Federal Government in 1862, prices of paper money fell against gold. Most gold in those days was stored in bank vaults against as reserves or was used to pay for imports in international transactions. The exporters had to "bid up" the gold price by supplying more of the depreciating greenbacks. At one point three years into theWar, it required $264 in greenbacks to purchase $100 face value in gold coins, a 164% premium over the usual par price of $100 paper for $100 gold. Life continued under these stressful conditions as markets adjusted to the disruption. We see the same thing today when it takes $1500+ in Federal Reserve greenbacks or digital currency to acquire an ounce of gold money, yet markets adjust and move along (PCGS # 8932) . Estimated Value $1,900 - 2,000. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,990
Lot 1768		1861 $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-53. A touch of light rose tone rests within the devices. Popular Type I Double Eagle (PCGS # 8932) . Estimated Value $1,800 - 1,900. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,645
Lot 1769		1861 $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-53. Lightly toned, lustrous. Pinkish golden luster abounds with nothing untoward in the way of marks other than for a small chattermark below the bust tip, which scarcely matters in an otherwise very choice surface (PCGS # 8932) . Estimated Value $1,800 - 1,900. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,703
Lot 1770		1861-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-53. Mostly untoned. Much choicer than average with luster around the stars, in the protected design areas. A couple of light hairlines in the field above Liberty's forehead; otherwise much freer of abrasion than normally found on an early S-mint Type One $20. Problem-free planchet; enticing golden color (PCGS # 8935) . Estimated Value $2,000 - 2,100. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,680
Lot 1771		1862-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-55. Frosty and untoned with extensive luster over both sides, suggesting this did light duty in circulation but was mainly stored in bank vaults to back paper money and deposits. In those days, a well-run, properly audited bank (and there were many back then that fit the description) were required to house up to 40% backinig in specie (metal bars and coins, in other words) for their deposits and currency issues. Gold was the money; the other, promised-money or IOU claims on the gold, as it were. In 21st Century style, we've reversed the theory, for now the paper and deposits, once IOUs, are the money itself. An odd turn of events (PCGS # 8938) . Estimated Value $2,500 - 2,600. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $4,830
Lot 1772		1863-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-53. Lots of marks scattered about (PCGS # 8940) . Estimated Value $1,600 - 1,700. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,565
Lot 1773		1864-S $20 Liberty. PCGS graded MS-62. A nice frosty coin. Mostly untoned. Rich pinkish gold luster with a hint of orange around the edge, and noticeable below the date, very attractive. This is an ideally sharp example with frosty surfaces. Only a few very minor abrasions are noted, far below the norm for the grade, we must emphasize. While not an impossible rarity in general terms, this is truly the definition of Condition Rarity. Only 12 examples has been certified as MS62 by PCGS. The S.S. Brother Jonathan treasure, which was sold in 1999, contained a fair number 1864-S double eagles. Unfortunately, most suffered from environmental damage. (The majority of coins discovered within the Brother Jonathan treasure were San Francisco Mint double eagles dated 1865.) A scarce offering in such choice Mint State quality. Pop 12; 3 finer in 63 (PCGS # 8942) . Estimated Value $11,000 - 12,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $20,700
Lot 1774		1865-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded EF-45. A hint of gold tone, a large and impressive Type 1 Double Eagle struck at the San Francisco Mint. We note a small mark at B of LIBERTY and other, typical abrasions this denomination received in circulation (PCGS # 8944) . Estimated Value $1,800 - 1,850. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,415
Lot 1775		1865-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded EF-40. Lightly toned. Marginally weak on some obverse stars, with light field abrasions. While problems arose in the warring regions of the country in 1865, in the West, business and life went on pretty much as usual. Large gold coins such as this $20 1865-S circulated far and wide. The denomination was used in international payments as well (PCGS # 8944) . Estimated Value $1,600 - 1,650. The Arden Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,415
Lot 1776		1865-S PCGS graded Genuine AU Details. Scratch. Lightly toned (PCGS # 8944) . Estimated Value $1,600 - 1,650. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,840