If I were going to choose a date to employ as a Dahlonega quarter eagle type coin for a set it might well be the 1847-D. This date is among the very best made quarter eagles from this mint and it is a date that can be found with good color as well. The present example has a remarkable “hammered” strike with as much detail as you’d expect to see on a Philadelphia quarter eagle of this era. It shows medium even green-gold color with slight contrast on the relief details. There is no real wear noted, just a bit of friction. I just sold an NGC AU58+ example of this date for $5,000 and the only difference between that example and this is that the NGC coin had more intense color. CAC has approved nine 1847-D quarter eagles in this grade with none finer. The PCGS and NGC population figures for this date are both way inflated in AU58 and higher grades by resubmissions.

From the standpoint of remaining luster and skin, this piece grades at least a full AU50 but PCGS has been conservative on account of some weakness of strike on the reverse which is fairly common for this date. There is some very nice color visible on both the obverse and reverse with more of this honey-gold and russet hue seen on the obverse. Really a nice example for the date and grade and a good coin for the date collector who favors choice, original Dahlonega quarter eagles. CAC has approved just two in this grade with seven finer.

Beginning with this issue, the quarter eagles from the Dahlonega mint become rarer than the previous five years and much less well made. This original example has nice green-gold color with plenty of dirt in the recessed areas of the obverse and reverse. In higher grades, the 1850-D is almost never available and this pleasing piece is just about the best quality available to collectors.

Very fresh and lustrous with nice natural light yellow-gold color that deepens slightly at the borders. This is a late die state with evidence of die sinking as well as some heavy clashmarks that are not often seen on this date. This has given the coin a lack of detail at the centers but the body and appearance is suggestive of a higher grade. What appears to be a circular scratch below STATES on the reverse is a clashmark. The 1850-O remains a rare coin in properly graded Uncirculated, despite evidence of the contrary from third-party grading populations. I believe that under fifteen are known with almost all in the MS60 to MS62 range. In fact, I have only handled one example of this date in MS63 and none better. This coin seems like very good value to me at its current price level.

Elrod/Dingler Pedigree. The 1852-C is the seventh rarest of twenty quarter eagles struck at this mint. But this is misleading as it is an extremely rare coin in Uncirculated. To the best of my knowledge there are just two or three known in Uncirculated. The finest is the Bass coin (ex Bowers and Merena 10/99: 453) which is graded MS63 by PCGS and which sold for $26,450 well over a decade ago. The present example is the second best and it is clearly the best available. It is semi-prooflike and exceptionally well struck for the issue with far better detail than usual for the issue. Even more remarkable is this coin’s rich natural yellow-gold and greenish color and the lack of marks on the surfaces. I have owned this coin twice before and when I sold it to Paul Dingler back in the late 1990′s, it was in a PCGS MS62 holder. It was later cracked out in an attempt to upgrade it to an MS63 at NGC and it has valid claims to this level given its quality. This coin was originally owned by Stanley Elrod who owned the best set of Charlotte gold coins ever assembled. If you collect Charlotte quarter eagles or if you just want to own a great coin to salt away for a few years give this wonderful piece some serious consideration as it is an important and impressive example.

Only 1,123 examples were struck and the 1855-D is the second rarest Dahlonega quarter eagle, trailing only the 1856-D. This date is of the highest rarity in Uncirculated (I just bought the finest known, a PCGS MS63, for $86,250) and there are probably not more than a dozen or so known in properly graded About Uncirculated. When available–which is not often–the typical 1855-D grades EF or so and is characterized by faulty planchets and bright, problem-ridden surfaces. This piece was struck on a decent planchet and it has natural russet color on the upper obverse and the right reverse. The strike is irregular as usual with some weakness at the borders but the stars are full and have complete radial lines. There is a mint-made reverse defect on the reverse rim at 3:00 which I think actually adds a bit of character to the overall look and is not a negative given its position on the reverse. I can probably count on one hand the number of 1855-D quarter eagles that I have seen with color that was as appealing as this coin’s and this example would fit comfortably into even the finest set of Dahlonega quarter eagles.

Ex Heritage 4/11: 5332, where it sold for $14,950