Star Designation. Untoned silvery centers are accentuated by crescents of dazzling reddish-gold and electric-blue toning. I’m not exactly certain why this coin didn’t grade MS66 other than the fact that it has a few really tiny scrapes on the cheekbone of Liberty. Fresh, lovely, totally original and the ONLY MS65 1892 Barber Quarter to be awarded the star designation by NGC.

Overton-121, Rarity 4. Robinson Brown Collection Pedigree. Overton-121, Rarity-4 This variety is quickly identifiable by having the Y in LIBERTY punched over a star. Housed in an old NGC “fatty” holder and from the famous Robbie Brown collection. This coin was graded around two decades ago and by the standards of that time I think it was overgraded. But by today’s market standards I think it is “spot on” for the grade with handsome dark grey color accentuated by splashes of bluish-green iridescence at the border. With the exception of some old marks in the upper right obverse field, the surfaces are immaculate and the detail is excellent with sharp hair and feathers. There are no traces of the obverse die crack found on the O-121a subvariety but there are noticeable clashmarks in the right obverse field which are unusual for the variety. This exceptional 1795 half dollar combines nice quality for the grade with a good pedigree and an interesting variety in one package.

Closed Wreath variety. I have always liked this issue for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it has a lot of numismatic significance as the first gold dollar from this mint. Secondly, it is the only collectible 1849-C gold dollar as the Open Wreath is, of course, exceedingly rare. In spite of lurking in the shadows cast by the Closed Wreath, the Open Wreath is a scarce coin in its own right and a very rare issue in Uncirculated with fewer than a dozen accurately graded pieces known. This example is among the finest that I have seen or owned. It has lovely natural straw-gold color that deepens at the right obverse and much of the reverse periphery. The luster is a hybrid of mint frost and prooflike reflectiveness and, as always seen on this variety, the obverse appears convex while the reverse is concave. There are just a few light scuffs in the fields but I like this coin more than an NGC MS63 I was recently offered at over $20,000. This is a strong Condition Census example.

Star Designation, Ultra Cameo. This is one of the most incredible Proof gold dollars that I have ever seen. While I have certainly not had the chance to view every Proof 1876 gold dollar, it seems unlikely to me that a finer example exists and certainly not one with a more knockout “black and white” appearance. A total of 45 Proofs were produced and around half are known today with most in the PR63-PR64 range. The typical example is hairlined, slightly dull and sometimes hard to distinguish from an early prooflike example produced for circulation. This piece has an unfinished area to the right of the value as on all known Proofs and the date slants slightly up to the right (on business strikes it is even). I’m guessing that the NGC graders gave this coin serious consideration at the PR66 level and if it were not for a few really tiny hairlines in the upper left obverse field I think it would have graded 66. This coin has the type of eye appeal that literally stops a viewer in his tracks and it has the deepest, strongest contrast that I have seen on any Proof dollar of this date. If you collect Proof gold and you want to own the finest 1876 dollar in existence, here is your coin!

Here is a textbook Choice AU 1849-D gold dollar with good detail, very choice surfaces and attractive natural medium green-gold color. This piece appears to have never been scrubbed or processed and there is dirt in the reverse lettering to attest to this claim. A small spot at 8:00 on the obverse appears to be a minor impurity in the planchet and it does not detract. The 1849-D remains the ideal Dahlonega gold dollar for the beginning collector who is just starting to dabble in the delights of the gold dollars from this mint. It is by no means a rare coin but it is affordable and nice, problem-free examples like this are not as easy to locate as one might expect.

The 1860-S is one of just five Type Three gold dollars from San Francisco and it is among the scarcest in higher grades. I estimate that there are around 15-20 known in Uncirculated but the majority are low end MS60 to MS61 pieces that aren’t unanimously viewed as “new.” In MS63, the 1860-S is very rare and it is extremely rare above this. I have either seen or owned four of the six graded MS63 by PCGS and the present example is easily the best of these. It is well struck and extremely frosty with nice rich orange-gold color at the borders. A few light marks in the left obverse field narrowly preclude a higher grade but this coin is nice enough that I did try it at PCGS more than once in an attempt to get it in a 64 holder. After 20+ years of grading, PCGS has only graded three examples better than this: a pair of MS64’s (including one that sold two different at auction in 2005 for $10,350) and a single MS65. This coin is clearly a Condition Census example and I think it ranks as one of the better values in the gold dollar series that I have offered in some time.