As a date, the 1851-D is the second most available Type One dollar from this mint but it is at least two to three times more scarce than the 1849-D. There were only 9,982 produced and this issue tended to see rather heavy circulation with examples usually in the EF40 to AU50 range. Choice AU 1851-D dollars are scarce and examples with natural color and surfaces are quite rare. This piece has some of the most attractive color that I can recall having seen on an 1851-D dollar with both the obverse and reverse showing very deep rich green-gold hues with contrasting shades of russet in the fields. The strike is sharp for the issue with fewer of the usual clashmarks and strong detail seen on the hair, date and mintmark. Below the color, there appears to be a considerable amount of luster and there seems to be no real wear, just a touch of friction on the high spots. This is a superb coin which deserves a strong premium on account of its coloration and it would make a great addition to a Dahlonega set that emphasized eye appeal.

This numismatically significant issue represents the very first quarter eagle struck with the new Liberty Head design at the Philadelphia mint. The 1840 was not saved in any quantity and it is seldom seen above EF45 to AU50. In fact, until the discovery of a small group of MS63 to MS64 examples in the mid-1990′s, the 1840 quarter eagle was essentially unavailable in Uncirculated (with the exception of the Bass-Garrett example which is now in a PCGS MS64 holder). The present example is fresh and would grade at least a point or two higher if it were not for some weakness of strike which is fairly pronounced at the centers. The surfaces are slightly scuffy but have warm, rich golden-orange and greenish color which are indicative of this piece never having been dipped or lightened. It would be an interesting to combine this coin with a high grade 1840 half eagle and eagle and assemble a three piece “first year of issue” Liberty Head gold trio.

Most of the 1844-D quarter eagles that exist in higher grade are not well struck and the present example, despite being produced from clashed and slightly rusted dies, is very sharply impressed with nearly full centers. The color on this piece is excellent with rich yellow gold color in a concentric ring around lighter centers. A small reeding mark on Liberty’s chin, from contact with another coin, is all that keeps this piece from a higher grade. There are an estimated dozen or so 1844-D quarter eagles in Uncirculated and I have never seen one better than MS63. Since 1999, five auction appearances for PCGS MS62 examples of this issue have occured and the prices realized have ranged from a low of $10,350 to a high of $17,250. The coin offered here, which is housed in an older pre-barcode holder, is the only 1844-D quarter eagle in MS62 that has been approved by CAC and none finer have received this coveted seal of approval. An important coin for the advanced Dahlonega specialist.

Before the U.S. Mint began producing Proof gold coins in any sort of quantity in 1858, a limited number of proofs were struck in certain years. In 1846, it is belived that around four or five gold proof sets were made and today there are four 1846 quarter eagles known including two that are impounded in museums (Smithsonian and ANS). The other known example is the Trompeter/Eliasberg coin that appears to be graded PR65 by PCGS; it last sold in the 2/91 Superior sale for $52,800. The current coin, from the famous Pittman collection, has a pedigree going back well over a century and it is sourced from an original 1846 proof set that has been broken up. It has the look of a Gem with superb rich amber color over very reflective surfaces that are nearly free of hairlines. An old scratch on the obverse between stars nine and ten removes this from a higher grade and serves as immediate identification. With the exception of the 1841, Proof quarter eagles from the 1840′s and early 1850′s are virtually unknown and tend to be come available at major auctions. This is a remarkable opportunity for the collector or investor to own a truly monumental piece of American numismatics and it is a remarkable combination of rarity, beauty and provenance.

Ex Heritage 1/11: 5335 ($106,375), earlier part of an 1846 Proof set in the Pittman sale (lot 1712) that brought $522,500; obtained by Pittman from Numismatic Gallery in 1949 and before this part of an original 1846 gold proof set that was in Ed Frossard’s November 1892 sale.

If you pay attention to these things, you’ll note that the availability of nice, original Dahlonega gold coins of any date or denomination has really dried up in the last year or two. I have a very hard time finding any coins that I like enough to offer to collectors. But it was never easy finding coins like this 1847-D quarter eagle. I have noted in the past that this issue comes with good color more than any other quarter eagle from this mint and this specific example is choice and original with pleasing medium green-gold color. The surfaces are choice and show even wear with plenty of dirt in the recesses attesting to its originality. If you have been looking for a nice, affordable Dahlonega quarter eagle, this piece would be hard to better at less than $3,000.

There are a trio of very rare quarter eagles made at the Philadelphia mint during the Civil War. The foremost is the Proof-only 1863 with a mintage of 30 and just behind this is the 1864. But the 1865 is almost as rare, despite being less heralded, with an original mintage of only 1,520. Clearly, less than three dozen survive and the 1865 is actually as rare as the 1864 in terms of high(er) grade specimens. There are exactly three 1864 quarter eagles in Uncirculated but just one 1865 (a PCGS MS63) and the two dates are reasonably similar in terms of rarity in the AU grades with around ten or so known. The present example is appealing for the date and grade with an especially choice obverse that shows nice peripheral color and fewer marks than normal; the reverse is mostly untoned with a few more marks seen in the fields. I was recently offered an AU55 of this date (for just a shade less than $20,000) which I think was vastly inferior to this coin and the piece offered here is, in fact, one of the nicer examples of this date that I have seen or owned. In the last decade, there have been ten auction records for the 1865 quarter eagle in AU58 ranging in price from a low of $17,250 to a high of $25,875. This date has really not gone up all that much in price while the 1863 and 1864 have shown strong gains of late. In my opinion, the 1865 is very undervalued and as Civil War rarities become more appreciated, I think it has good potential to appreciate in price.