Population 2

Desert Moon · September 12, 2014 9:51AM

I bought this coin at ANA and sent it off for consideration by CAC. The advantage of learning about your series and learning how to grade it, the nuances of surface, strike, luster, originality, etc., and what is good and what is not is that you get to a point where 'you know'. This coin, for the grade was simply the real deal, and to me it was obvious as soon I as saw in hand, within 10 seconds I knew, and thus whatever the price was, really did not matter. I suppose that TPG graders can do this as well, for some reason the one series I have proficiency in in liberty quarter eagles.

And it is rare to boot. However, given how picky (word on the street) JA et al. is, about gold you just never know. Nevertheless, it CACed. Two 1857-D QEs have CACed FWIW. Doug Winter estimates that 120-130 are extant. Doug also notes that the 57-D's are 'better' in overall strike than the 56-D, but the planchets are 'poor' and the eye appeal is not good, and the luster is not generally good. Perhaps this is why only 2 have CACed, both 58's(?). Don't know but this one is obvious in quality, so much so that the images you see were not modified in Photoshop at all and are as I took them.

Best, SH