Lot 1930
1879 $4 Gold. Flowing hair. . J-1636. NGC graded Proof 63. The Charles Barber flowing hair design. This is an extremely rare pattern issue, only a few were struck, some of which were coated in gold or "gilt". On the obverse we see hazy yellow gold toning splashed on the obverse around the face, and similar toning on the reverse around the star. Well struck by the dies, with the curls on Liberty all present and bold, and similar sharpness on the reverse star and design legends. No signs of handling marks, just a few faint hairlines account for the grade. The wire edge or "fin" is bold on both the obverse and reverse and can be seen up against the white plastic insert in the NGC holder. NGC in their Population Report shows just 2 coins graded, this one and a coin as PF-64 above.
All Proof $4 patterns are rare and seldom offered. They are certainly the cream of numismatics, as gold coinage is always the most expensive and elusive, especially as pattern issues. The popularity of the $4.00 coins remains very strong today, and their rarity and stories are part of the great legends of numismatics. Tracing this specimen can likely be accomplished by taking the time to track down the sales listed in the excellent Pollock reference work.
Estimated Value $5,000 - 7,500.
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