Lot 2150
1849-D $2.50 Liberty. NGC graded MS-62. Boldly struck. Honey color gold with only a few stray marks. A satiny impression from well made dies leaving behind some of the most advantageous detail on one of these for a collector to admire. Its high degree of broad-spinning luster pulses beneath rich greenish gold and pale tawny highlights. Nicely struck, too, without the usual small amount of weakness at the usual Achilles' heel on the eagle. Only some of the rim dentils on the reverse might be crisper, but this is a small detail in the overall sweep of things. Only 10,945 minted. Pop 7; none finer.
The Dahlonega Mint struck quarter eagles of the Gobrecht design annually through 1859, with the sole exception of 1858. Mintages were always small, especially in comparison to the output of the Philadelphia Mint. The largest quarter eagle coinage recorded for the Dahlonega Mint was in 1843, when 36,209 pieces were struck. This was the exception, however, and the smallest mintage of just 874 occurs in 1856-D revealing how rare these coins really are. (Half eagle mintages were typically larger, year-for-year, ranging from a high of 98,452 in 1843 to a mere 1,597 pieces in 1861, the final year of production.).
Estimated Value $20,000 - 22,000.
Ex: Pittman.
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| Realized $18,975 |
