Question about a 1847-O $2.50 gold coin

cwazzy

Please forgive me if this is a dumb question. I've been interested in coins most of my life but usually stick to looking through pocket change. Over the weekend I inherited a couple gold coins that belonged to my late grandmother (an 1855-O $1, 1847-O $2.50, 1929 $2.50, and an 1899 $10). There is nothing of huge value in these but they are sentimentally very valuable to me. My question is in regards to the 1847-O. While looking at the coin I noticed that the reverse of the coin isn't oriented like normal US coins. The front and back are oriented like a Canadian coin. In other words the back seems to be rotated 180 degrees. Is this common for this year and mint? Is it considered a mint error and worth more because of it? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

BillJones

A picture of the coin would help. Although it has been in your family for a long time, the possibility exists that the coin could be a counterfeit.

Having said that rotated dies are not that unusual on 19th century coins. I don't have my reference books handy, but I'm fairly sure that they would not help me in this area. If the dies are rotated and the coin is genunine, it is a kind of mint error, but it's not one that brings a big premium from most collectors.

Congratuations upon getting a intereting group of gold coins!

DaveG

Doug Winter, in his 2nd edition of Gold Coins of the New Orleans Mint, doesn't make any mention of 1847-O quarter eagles with rotated dies.

I collect New Orleans gold, but I agree with BillJones, it is a mint error, but not one for which most collectors would be interested in paying a premium.

cwazzy

Sorry for the REALLY crappy photos. The memory chip to our camera is full so I had to resort to using my phone. LOL Here are the pics of the 1847-O as well as the others.

MrEureka

All four coins are authentic.

stealer

<< <i>All four coins are authentic. >>


Looks like the OP is in luck!

mkman123

The 1899 $10 looks to be in MS if it grades and I like the 1847o as it has a nice circulated look to it

PerryHall

Nice group of coins. They all appear to be authentic and original. Suggest getting them slabbed if for no other reason than to provide them with the protection that slabs provide.

cwazzy

Thanks for the information everybody. I do plan on having them graded at some point. Just have to pony up the money for a PCGS membership so I can.

BillJones

The 1899 $10 looks to be a very nice coin - at least a MS-63 if not an MS-64. The others are nice circulated coins that many collectors would like to own. It looks like you inerited a nice group of coins with more than a little collector interest because two of them are New Orleans mint pieces.

cwazzy

The $10 looks awesome in hand. But I do think it's probably a high end AU. There is a just a touch of wear on the tips of the eagle's wings and the tip of the tiara. But then again I don't have a lot of experience with grading coins so it could just be weakly struck. I would LOVE for it to be a 63 or 64.

FredWeinberg

The 1847-O $2.5 Lib. is known
with that rotation....nice find....

cwazzy

<< <i>The 1847-O $2.5 Lib. is known
with that rotation....nice find.... >>



Does that mean that there would be a premium for it? Or, like was said earlier, still not much of a premium because it's relatively common and not widely collected? Sorry for the dumb questions.