Lot 2038
1879-S. NGC graded MS-63. Nice original antique toning. Strikingly brilliant throughout with only modest abrasions present, none to sidetrack your enjoyment of the smooth surface and bold relief. And unlike many gold Eagles in the 1870s which are not quite fully struck, this marvel of precision minting shows all regions crisply detailed including the centers.
The U.S. Mint was reopened to the free mintage of gold after the hiatus of the Civil War and Reconstruction, on January 2, 1879. In celebrating the event General James A. Garfield (later President) stated in an address delivered in Chicago:
"We shall hear echoes of the old conflict, such as the ‘barbarism and cowardice of gold and silver’ and the ‘virtues of fiat money’. The theories which gave them birth will linger among us like belated ghosts, but soon will find rest in the political grave of dead issues."
Garfield warned that the ‘periodic craze’ of fiat paper money might sweep over the country from time to time. Pop 3; none finer.
Estimated Value $4,500 - 5,000.
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