Douglas Winter Numismatics recently sold two very rare and very beautiful Proof gold dollars from the Civil War era. These were an 1862 graded Proof-64 Deep Cameo by PCGS, and an 1864 graded Proof-66 Deep Cameo by PCGS. Both coins had also been approved by CAC. I’d like to share some information about these pieces with you and discuss very rare but comparatively affordable Proof gold from this era as well.   
read more »

One of only 35 Proofs struck. It is likely that as few as 14-16 examples are known in Proof and this date rivals a number of other better-known, higher-priced issues in this series. This is a wonderfully choice example for the grade with bright, highly reflective fields and full cameo contrast. Both sides are superbly toned in deep natural orange-gold hues and there are just a few wispy hairlines (not from cleaning) seen on both sides.   
read more »

One of 80 Proofs struck; most were unsold and later melted. Today there are probably no more than twenty or so known known and this is clearly among the finest of the survivors. This superb fresh-to-the-market Gem has an amazing amount of contrast between the frosted devices and the reflective fields. This contrast gives the coin a full “black and white” appearance that is very impressive to say the least.   
read more »

The presence of a number of important Type Three Proof Liberty Head double eagles in the upcoming 2011 FUN auction got me to thinking about Proof-only United States gold coins. What are these coins, why are they important and do they deserve the market premiums they enjoy? A Proof-only coin is an issue that exists only in a Proof-only format where business strikes could have been produced as well.   
read more »

As I have mentioned before, certified population figures can be helpful but they can also be confusing. Take, for instance, the 1875 gold dollar in Proof. This is a coin with a reported original mintage of 20. But it has a combined PCGS/NGC population of 24 (twelve at each service). Something is obviously not right here. But, for once, the fault does not lie with the population reports.   
read more »