This date is seen with one of two “looks.” Many 1842-O quarter eagles are very weakly struck and I have seen pieces with minimal wear that appeared highly circulated due to very soft central detail. A small number are very well impressed and this example certainly qualifies as one of the better struck 1842-O quarter eagles that I have seen. The obverse has the sort of detail one would expect to see on a Philadelphia coin of this era; the reverse is just a bit less sharp due to some die rust and a network of extensive die cracks that begin at 1:00 and extend, through the lettering, to 6:00. Both sides are very frosty and show rich orange-gold color; the surfaces are clean with just a few small ticks visible under light magnification. In my book on New Orleans gold I estimated that around six to eight Uncirculated 1842-O quarter eagles are known. This estimate may be just a hair on the low side but there is no question that this is a very rare date in Mint State and that it is the second rarest New Orleans quarter eagle in high grades. I know of just two examples better than this (an NGC MS64 and a PCGS MS63) and both are off the market in tightly-held collections.

Small Date. A quick summary of this coin: it’s probably the nicest circulated example I’ve ever seen of the rarest Charlotte quarter eagle. I’m not certain where this coin has been for the past few decades but it has the look of a piece from an old-time collection with fully original and very attractive deep natural orange-gold and lemon colors on the obverse and reverse. The obverse shows a good deal of prooflike reflectiveness while the reverse is more frosty in texture. There is a bulge in the lower left obverse field as seen on many late die state 1843-C Small Date quarter eagles and this piece also has a noticeable crack from the bust point into the rim at 7:00. This is the sort of coin that until recently often ended up in an MS61 holder as it doesn’t really have any real wear but there is probably just a bit too much rub on the high spots and luster breaks in the fields to accurately grade it Uncirculated. In addition, some marks in the left obverse field and on the cheek are visible but I think that this coin has absolutely enormous eye appeal and I vastly prefer it to all but a handful of the 1843-C Small Dates that I’ve seen in MS60 and MS61 holders. A very important and truly lovely coin.

Man, is this a nice coin for the grade! In fact, I’ve been chasing this 1846-O quarter eagle for the last three or four coin shows. The dealer who previously owned it always had it priced at a high PQ level and, finally, when he lowered the price to a number that I thought was realistic, I bought it. This coin is virgin original with lovely deep green-gold color accentuated by some reddish-gold tinges in the fields. I don’t see any actual wear and I believe the reason it was graded AU58 and not MS61 (or better) is because it has a typical flat strike on the reverse with weakness noted on the eagle’s neck, legs and wings. If I were a collector of New Orleans quarter eagles I would personally rather have this gorgeous original slider at a touch over $3,000 than a dipped-out coin in an MS61 holder at over double the price.

Most non-specialists are unaware of the fact that the 1848-C quarter eagle is one of the rarest Charlotte issues of this denomination in higher grades. I regard it as the tenth rarest Charlotte quarter eagle in higher grades (AU50 and better) but in properly graded AU58 it is a very rare issue. I am aware of just two to four coins that have been graded Uncirculated and I have never seen an 1848-C that I unequivocally regarded as Mint State. The present example is the best 1848-C quarter eagle that I have seen or owned in a number of years. It is an early die state with a very strong strike noted at the centers. The obverse is a light orange-gold hue while the reverse is a bit deeper with a few splashes of red-gold in the fields. There is minor wear on the high spots only and the surfaces are exceptional for the issue with a near-total lack of the marks that typically plague this issue. What appears to be a long scratch on the obverse is, in fact, on the holder. This is an important Charlotte quarter eagle for the knowledgeable specialist.

The 1848-D is among the better produced and more available quarter eagles from this mint, making it an ideal choice for the collector seeking a single appealing Dahlonega issue of this type. This particular coin is very wholesome and attractive for the grade with much of its original color seen atop satiny, lightly marked surfaces. There are a few minor scuffs in the left obverse field that do not detract while the reverse shows some lightness of strike on the neck and the wing tips. It is far more difficult to locate nice Dahlonega quarter eagles in this grade and price range than gold dollars or half eagles.

The 1855-S is the first branch mint three dollar gold piece from San Francisco and it is the rarest collectible date from this facility. Only 6,600 were produced and it seems miraculous to me that any survived at all, let alone a piece such as the present example which is virtually Uncirculated. This coin is lightly worn with flashes of prooflike reflectiveness in the protected areas. It is somewhat weakly struck on the high spots of the obverse as is typical for the issue; the reverse is well detailed and choice. Both sides show just a few moderate ticks but are clean for the date. A small scrape on the base of Liberty’s jaw is hard to see without tilting the coin. This date is essentially unavailable in Uncirculated (I have handled exactly two of them in over two decades of specializing in this series!) and very rare in the higher AU grades.