Lot 4426
1848-C $5 Liberty. PCGS graded MS-64 PQ. CAC Approved. Housed in PCGS holder 03523043. Untoned and well struck. Lots of mint luster still evident. This handsome coin is superior to the famed Elrod Collection specimen in MS64 sold by Heritage in March of 2005. The mintage for the year topped out at 64,472 pieces, making it one of the more abundant Charlotte Mint dates. However, only three or four are believed to be known in Mint State out of a possible census of 150. The coin is well struck and displays original brilliance with a light greenish gold color. What matters is that this is the finest reported by PCGS. (The Elrod specimen, in an NGC holder, has some strike weakness in the centers.) With detail far surpassing anything one might expect for an 1840s decade C-mint half eagle, there is much to say about this outstanding coin. It boasts extremely beautiful, graceful surfaces which are lightly prooflike with contrasting frosted devices. The mint luster seems to glow with unusual intensity. We count 13 full stars, and unlike many others of this year and mint where roundness and flat details occur all the time, the eagle and Liberty's hair above the brow are commendable for their boldness. A case study in Charlotte Mint quality, therefore; check out the photographs to see if we aren't telling it to you straight. Collectors often read their monthly sale catalogs assiduously in the hope of finding a few top-end early gold rarities. Even a cataloger's lightest touch cannot turn a lesser coin into this one, however. If we say a piece is gorgeous, then it is. This coin is gorgeous. Generally it takes a number of bids for such a piece to reach its final auction price, and a couple of rounds around the auction room to do it, but it cannot escape the record books once the final price is hammered down. We expect the price realized to set a record. Pop 1; none finer at PCGS (PCGS # 8237) .
Estimated Value $50,000 - 55,000.
Ohringer Family Trust Holdings.
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| Realized $71,875 |
