Saturday, January 24, 2015

1843 gold quarter eagle featured in Long Beach auction

A 1843 gold quarter eagle, graded Proof-63 Cameo by NGC will be featured at Heritage's January 29-February 1 official auctions of the Long Beach Coin and Collectibles Expo. The Premier session, featuring the finest offerings in this auction, is scheduled to open the auction on the evening of January 29.

quarter eagle

Only five examples of 1843 quarter eagle have been traced as proof strikes, a number which should not be surprising when you realize that proofs of all dates were struck infrequently at best before 1858. Needless to say, these coins appear rarely at auction, and this one is believed not to have been offered since 1950.

A 1869 double eagle graded Proof-65 Ultra Cameo is easily in the condition census for the date and one of only about twelve examples known. Only 25 proofs were struck, one of the lowest mintage figures for any post-1858 issue. Like the previous coin, we believe this piece has been off the market for decades, and we have not been able to trace another auction appearance.

The proof 1908 double eagle in this auction is particularly intriguing. Most 1908 proofs have a matte finish, but this piece features the bright orange-gold, semi-reflective surfaces common to the Roman finish proofs made in 1909-1910. It remains an open question whether other 1908 proof double eagles were made with this finish. This coin has been graded Proof-65 by NGC.

Just a few of the other highlights of this auction, obviously not limited to proof gold, include:

  • 1908 $20 Motto PR65 NGC. Roman Finish Proof 1908 $20 Motto PR65 NGC. Roman Finish Proof
  • 1905 1C Cent -- Struck on a $2 1/2 Gold Planchet -- MS64 PCGS 1905 1C Cent -- Struck on a $2 1/2 Gold Planchet -- MS64 PCGS
  • 1905 1C Cent -- Struck on a $2 1/2 Gold Planchet -- MS64 PCGS
  • 1858 3CS PR68 NGC
  • 1858 25C PR67 NGC. Briggs 5-E
  • 1807 50C Draped Bust, O-110, R.2, MS66 NGC
  • 1803 $1 Large 3, B-6, BB-255, MS63 NGC
  • 1861-D G$1 MS61 PCGS. Variety 12-Q
  • 1796 $2 1/2 No Stars on Obverse, BD-2, R.4, XF40 NGC
  • 1885 $5 PR66 Ultra Cameo NGC. CAC
  • 1920-S $20 MS64 PCGS
  • 1905 G$1 Lewis and Clark MS67 PCGS

This auction is open for bidding now at HA.com/Coins.