Lot 1231
1836 $2.50 Classic Head. Script 8. NGC graded MS-64. One of a small group that has been graded this high, as prescious few were saved from the ravages of time and circulation. Critical examination will note a few scattered hairlines, but virtually no signs on handling on the soft gold surfaces. Experienced collectors know how unusual this state of affairs is, as virtually every gold coin from the 1830s is heavily abraided, even if the devices show little or no wear, the coins are almost always nicked and bagmarked. Not so here, the surfaces are pristine and show satiny mint frost throughout. As to the strike, it is full and complete, with every tiny radial line crisp on each star, and the design elements are perfectly presented. A fine die crack extends through the sixth star through Liberty down to the rim between the last two stars, and another fine crack extends down her cheek from above her ear into the field below her jaw. The 3 was cut into the die a bit low, and the 6 used in the date was too large, and extends well above the other digits. As to the rarity, the recent NGC Population Report shows just 19 graded this high, with a single coin graded higher.
Estimated Value $8,000 - 10,000.
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| Realized $9,200 |
