I have posted updates to the 201 piece basic set of Liberty Half Eagles several times this year. We have seen this to be one of Mr. Hansen’s most active sets. I think one reason may be the addition of the Pogue 1854-S in March. To complete the set and top it off with this ultra-rarity, have to be a great motivator. There are really no known registry competitors in this series. It will be interesting to see when the Hall of Fame awards are given out later this month how this set will fare. I find it difficult to understand how this set would fall short on anyone’s list. PCGS describes the set as: There is no other set of coins that features specimens from seven U. S. Mints—Philadelphia, Charlotte, Dahlonega, Carson City, Denver, New Orleans and San Francisco. This long-lived set includes one of the greatest rarities in numismatics, the 1854-S $5 gold piece. How many has PCGS graded? Zero! There are many sets-within-sets in this series, as most collectors focus on the coins from one particular Mint. It’s a long and challenging collection to complete, but it’s a tremendous achievement if you can do it.. So, Mr. Hansen stepped up and crossed the finish line on this “tremendous achievement”, so now let’s see if PCGS Registry will step up and award the set the PCGS Hall of Fame.
With this update, the 201 coin set has 31 PCGS POP 1/0 specimens (15.4%). There 33 other coins that are tied for finest certified by PCGS (16.4%). Therefore, 31.8% of this set is PCGS finest coins that they have to offer. Only four coins are graded less than AU50. They are 1866-S (F12), 1870-CC (F12), 1847-0 (VF25) and the 1860-S (XF45). On the other end of the spectrum, the collection has one MS68, 1908 Liberty. Two other coins are graded MS67+ with several graded MS67. We have seen more than 25 upgrades in this set since January 1, 2020. The set still have room for more upgrades like the one that you will see today.
1875-S Liberty Head Half Eagle PCGS MS64
As of a few months ago, The Hansen Collection had the finest PCGS certified 1875-S, AU58+ POP 1/0, Cert #82415165. The coin lost its POP 1/0 status recently when a NGC MS64 PL certified coin was crossed and became the present day PCGS Pop 1/0 specimen. In the crossover, PCGS dropped the PL, but maintained the MS64 grading. In the PCGS Condition Census report, the coin was previously recognized as the finest coin and had a MS63 PCGS estimated grade. PCGS Rarity and Survival Estimates indicated there are 85 known, and only one MS60 or better. That would be the new Hansen coin. There is one other mint state coin in the NGC Census report, MS60. The MS60 NGC coin last sold in American Numismatic Rarities 2006 sale. I have seen reports that referred to the MS60 NGC coin as defective. I am not saying the MS60 coin sold in the ANA sale is defective. I have the catalog of the Glode M. Reque Collection and there is no mention of the coin being defective. I did a lookup on the image of the coin and it looks fine by my untrained eyes. I thought this MS60 NGC and Hansen’s AU58+ PCGS Specimen could be the same coin, but the images do not match.
Expert David Akers commented on this coin: Overall the 1875-S is comparable to the 1874-S in rarity but is less rare than the 1876-S that follows. The mintmark is very small but it is usually somewhat sharper than on other S Mint Half Eagles of the period. The bottom part of the ribbon above the eagle, especially below WE TRUST, is always weak or missing. With this purchase, the Hansen collection now has the top two PCGS certified coins: AU58+ POP 1/1 and the MS64 POP 1/0 specimen. The AU58+ POP 1/1 coin has been moved to Hansen’s #2 set which is 87.06% completed. Interesting thought, if Hansen had kept the first 1854-S that he purchased, he could have two completed sets!
This coin has a lot going for it. The coin may be the only mint state and the only Choice GEM for sure. Also, the pedigree is not bad. The coin can be traced to the James A. Stack, Sr. Collection. In 2017, Ron Guth wrote this about Mr. Stack: James A. Stack, Sr. was a collector of substantial means and discrimination who was active in numismatics from the late 1930s until his death in 1951. He acquired many rarities and “finest known” coins by taking full advantage of the opportunities presented to him as great collections came onto the market. He owned an 1894-S Dime, a 1798 Small Eagle $5, an 1870-S Silver Dollar, an 1838-O Half Dollar, and hundreds of other U.S. coins including condition-rarities, pattern coins, early Proof coins, and Pioneer gold. Portions of his collection were sold over a 20 year period beginning in 1975. Had his collection been sold as a single unit, it would have been one of the landmark auctions of the 20th century. Nonetheless, the James A. Stack pedigree signifies importance, rarity, and quality. Stacks Auction sold the coin in 1994 and the coin realized an Auction Record of $46,750. I cannot be 100% certain; but the winning bidder may have been Harry W. Bass, Jr. He is well known for jumping on rare coins that don’t come of the market often. The auction record still stands 25 years later. According to Mr. Stacks, the coin may be from the Belden Roach Collection. His collection was sold by Max Mehl in the mid-1940s.
As seen, this coin has an impressive early history. Bowers & Merena Auctions sold the coin in 1999 as part of the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection sale. The coin realized a disappointing $27,600. I believe at the time, the coin was a PCGS MS63. The coin became a dumpster fire after the disappointing Bass sale. The coin was crossed to a MS64 NGC and experienced a couple quick sales. The coin sold in a 2000 Heritage auction for $21,850. The coin was marketed as the Finest Certified 1875-S Liberty Half Eagle, but interesting there was no mention of being from the Bass Collection. A year later, the coin sold in a 2001 Heritage Signature Sale in Atlanta, GA. This time the coin was pedigreed to be from the Richard Genaitis Collection of 1875 Coinage. Again, no reference to Mr. Bass or Mr. Stack and the coin realized dismal $18,400.
After three auctions in three years, the coin took a well needed breather. The coin did not resurface again until the 2020 ANA National Money Show when the coin was offered in a Kragin’s Auction. This time the coin was described as 1875-S MS-64 PL NGC. The coin was contributed to the Stack Collection and the Genaitis Collection, but Mr. Bass was slighted once again. I am not sure why, was it because of the disappointing 1999 sale? Do you know? Anyway, the auctioneer described the coin as: Brightly lustrous yellow gold with frosty motifs and mirrorlike fields – the reverse contrast is especially eye-catching. From heavily polished dies; on the obverse certain stars are thin and spindly in appearance, and on the reverse, there are vertical die polish lines present throughout with a severely diminished ribbon above the eagle the end result. About as rare a half eagle date as you’ll find in Mint State grades, despite a somewhat generous mintage of 9,000 pieces. The hustle and bustle of San Francisco commerce often made short work of the Mint’s products; the typical grade for this date runs VG or so to an occasional EF or AU. The present coin is one of just two Mint State examples of the date registered at NGC, and is the finer of the two by four grading points! For comparison, PCGS has not certified a Mint State example of this unsung rarity, and they suggest a known population of 100 or so pieces in all grades. We imagine this particular 1875-S half eagle is the finest extant, though we can’t attest to that with any surety. We can, however, state that it is, far and away, the finest certified specimen in a third-party holder. Don’t be left out when the bidding begins on this lot, or you will have a long wait for another. The statement PCGS has not certified a Mint State example of this unsung rarity is not totally true. This coin they were offering in auction was once a PCGS MS63 when it was sold in 1999 Bass sale.
Now, the coin has found the prefect home for a long time. How did that happened, I don’t know. One possibility is that someone purchased the coin, crossed it to PCGS and sold the PCGS coin to Mr. Hansen. The other possibility would be that Mr. Hansen purchased the coin in Kagin’s Auction and crossed the coin himself. Either way, this is a fantastic coin and now resides in one of the Greatest Collections ever assembled.
1875-S Half Eagle PCGS MS64 PCGS POP 1/0, Finest by at least 4 points Certification #39111350, PCGS #8338 PCGS Value Guide: $40,000 (MS63) / Unknown Provenance: Belden Roach (per the James A. Stack catalog); James A. Stack, Sr. Collection, (Stack's 10/1994) lot #1208, realized $46,750; Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection (Bowers & Merena 10/1999) lot 1204, realized $27,600; Philadelphia 2000 (Heritage 8/2000) lot #7259, $21,850; Richard Genaitis Collection (Heritage 8/2001) lot #7817, realized $18,400; 2020 ANA National Money Show (Kagin’s 3/2020), lot #1238, realized $34,800; D. L. Hansen Collection
Finest by 4 points and sold for $34,800 (albeit in a NGC holder at the time)-----seems like a bargain to me.
@Currin said: 1875-S Liberty Head Half Eagle PCGS MS64
As of a few months ago, The Hansen Collection had the finest PCGS certified 1875-S, AU58+ POP 1/0, Cert #82415165. The coin lost its POP 1/0 status recently when a NGC MS64 PL certified coin was crossed and became the present day PCGS Pop 1/0 specimen. In the crossover, PCGS dropped the PL, but maintained the MS64 grading. In the PCGS Condition Census report, the coin was previously recognized as the finest coin and had a MS63 PCGS estimated grade. PCGS Rarity and Survival Estimates indicated there are 85 known, and only one MS60 or better. That would be the new Hansen coin.
[...]
1875-S Half Eagle PCGS MS64 PCGS POP 1/0, Finest by at least 4 points Certification #39111350, PCGS #8338 PCGS Value Guide: $40,000 (MS63) / Unknown Provenance: Belden Roach (per the James A. Stack catalog); James A. Stack, Sr. Collection, (Stack's 10/1994) lot #1208, realized $46,750; Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection (Bowers & Merena 10/1999) lot 1204, realized $27,600; Philadelphia 2000 (Heritage 8/2000) lot #7259, $21,850; Richard Genaitis Collection (Heritage 8/2001) lot #7817, realized $18,400; 2020 ANA National Money Show (Kagin’s 3/2020), lot #1238, realized $34,800; D. L. Hansen Collection
So Hansen has the 2 top coins, the top being a NGC cross?
Very well done!
Of note, this is still listed in the NGC census with the next highest being a single MS60.
Gems like this is part of what makes following Hansen's collection so amazing.
If this has not been mentioned before I have a suggestion. This quest as described in this thread would make for an interesting read if condensed in some form of a book . Or soft bound. And to contain the inclusion of the various photos of the acquired pieces. If/when the collection is deemed the greatest ever, the reading material would be a nice compliment. Especially if the collection becomes more publicly known thereby creating general public interest. The public may want to read how/why it came about. May be a good hobby interest generator.
Successful transactions:Tookybandit. "Everyone is equal, some are more equal than others".
@BLUEJAYWAY I like your thought, but I think for the general public, the content would need to be dumbed down to a child's level since the historical auction info, peer coin comparisons, etc. would quickly put them to sleep.
Now if the book briefly described a historical event for the year/location to correspond with each coin, that might raise more interest.
Seated Half Society member #38 "Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
Along with any of the drama in the acquisition of the various parts of the collection. There have to be some stories associated with so many great coins.
@OldIndianNutKase said:
I think that it will be interesting if Hansen acquires any of Simpson's patterns. Hansen's collection plus Simpson's pattern collection is way beyond the Eliasberg set, or for that matter, the Smithsonian Collection. And if he falls a few coins short of the Eliasberg set, the patterns would put him over the top to claim the greatest US coin collection of all time.
OINK
I agree that would be very interesting. When Hansen started, acquiring such patterns probably seemed unobtainable if Simpson didn't sell, but now that he is, there is an opening.
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It will be interesting to watch to see which of the opportunities that Mr. Hansen will pop on.
According to Laura Sperber, there will be about $100,000,000 in coins that will be hitting the market the next few months. There are the patterns and there are lots of great coins that could improve the Hansen sets. How much will Mr. Hansen spend? What will he buy? All of these are great questions.
There are some opportunities this week that will be interesting to watch. We have seen Mr. Hansen purchasing some great coins the last few weeks. It does not appear he is saving up to buy anything special or ultra-expensive. I will remind everyone that he can be unpredictable.
Last point, if we believe what we have read in past, it going to hard for Mr. Hansen or anyone to buy the Simpson patterns because Big Black Cat has been waiting for this opportunity to pounce. He already has over 200 patterns. I don’t expect to see Mr. Hansen getting into a bidding war over patterns. Evidently, the patterns were not available for private sale because Black Cat would purchase all of Mr. Simpson’s available patterns. That is what we have been told.
@wondercoin said:
“Evidently, the patterns were not available for private sale because Black Cat would purchase all of Mr. Simpson’s available patterns.”
I do not understand what you saying here? Can you explain further.
Wondercoin
If Mr. Simpson would have offered the patterns in a private transaction, "Black Cat" would have snapped them up. Since they are going to auction, they must not have been offered for purchase.
Collector and Researcher of Liberty Head Nickels. ANA LM-6053
@wondercoin said:
“Evidently, the patterns were not available for private sale because Black Cat would purchase all of Mr. Simpson’s available patterns.”
I do not understand what you saying here? Can you explain further.
Wondercoin
If Mr. Simpson would have offered the patterns in a private transaction, "Black Cat" would have snapped them up. Since they are going to auction, they must not have been offered for purchase.
That was using pre-COVID assumptions a while back. Perhaps, they were offered but Black Cat may not be in a position to buy them now. Situations change.
I mention this upgrade a couple weeks ago. I intended to post an update on this coin, but due to success in the BigMo Civil War sale, I postponed the coin until today. The coin may not reach my definition of greatness, but this was a really nice upgrade, and I did not want it to get away. At the rate that Mr. Hansen upgrades, it would be a tough undertaking to post all of them. So, it requires a little pick and choosing. This is an upgrade to one of my favorite sets. I got to view this set in Mr. Hansen’s vault. It is breath taking to see a box with 50 high grade gold coins dating from 1795 to about 1825. The coin missing was the 1822. If I remember correctly, it was the 47th slot in the box. If the Pogue coin ends up in the box, I certainly would love to see the box with all the slots filled!
It appears Mr. Hansen is collecting the Early Half Eagles by Mayor Varieties. According my count (not the same as PCGS Registry) the set requires 75 coins. If you disregard the two uncollectable coins, he has exactly a dozen coins left. One reason I save this coin until today, the Heritage 2020 US Coins Signature Auction is being held tonight. As some you may know, there are 24 coins from the McCoy Family Collection of Capped Head Half Eagles that will be offered tonight. In this offering, there are six coins that could fill slots in Mr. Hansen Early Half Eagle box. There six others that could upgrade his collection. The remainder 12 coins do not help the Hansen Collection. There are so many opportunities coming up in the next couple months, it will be interesting to see if Mr. Hansen make successful bids on any of the McCoy coins.
Can this coin be described as common? Let’s hear what expert David Akers have to say: Although just slightly more common overall than the 1811 Tall 5, the auction data clearly shows that the 1811 Small 5 is much more common in uncirculated condition having appeared 36 times in mint state in my 337 catalogue survey compared to only 17 times for the Large 5. Each variety of the 1811 is more rare than the 1807, 1809/8, 1810 Large Date, Large 5 and 1812 and despite being more often available than the Large 5 variety, choice uncirculated examples of the 1811 Small 5 are harder to locate than either the mintage or most cataloguers would lead one to believe.
In a recent Heritage sale, this specimen was described as: Bass-Dannreuther Die State d/a, the obverse always in a late die state following the earlier production of the BD-1 die pairing. There are no reverse clash marks evident on this beautiful piece. The two 1811 half eagle varieties, the Tall 5 BD-1, and the Small 5 BD-1, are frequently encountered, with this Small 5 variety seen slightly more often. Perhaps 350 of these survive in all grades, compared to about 250 of the BD-1. However, both varieties are rare in high grades, and the present piece is tied with three other PCGS MS64+ examples as the finest graded of the date. A powerful strike is evident with trivial marks scattered over both surfaces of this near-Gem half eagle. The listing does not contribute any pedigree information to the coin.
In the Heritage June 7th 2020 Long Beach Expo U.S. Coins Signature Auction, the coin was listed as 1811 $5 Small 5, BD-2, R.3, MS64+ PCGS, CAC. The D.L. Hansen Collection already had a pretty nice specimen in the set, MS63+ POP 2/22, Cert #28151827. This coin is pedigreed to Hansen and I believe this was the 1811 coin I viewed in his set last fall. It was a dynamite of a coin. Mr. Hansen purchased the coin in 2016 in a David Lawrence Rare Coins Auction for $30,500. I am not sure if Mr. Hansen will attempt to assemble a duplicate set of Early Half Eagles. I do like the duplicate MS63+ coin and not sure if he is planning on keeping it.
It appears the MS64+ PCGS coin may have been purchased at the June Heritage sale by a dealer. The coin realized only $40,800. The coin was offered on National Coin Wholesalers website in late June to early July. The coin was listed as 1811 $5 Small 5 PCGS Secure PCGS Plus 64 PCGS. There was no mention being CAC approved, but the image of the coin in the holder shows the little green sticker. The coin was offered at $48,755. It is valued at $57,500 by the PCGS Value Guide. I think the PCGS POP 7/0 may be depressing the value a little. That is kind of sad because I am not sure how accurate the POP numbers being reported are. It appears Hansen could have save a few bucks if he had purchase the coin directly in the Heritage auction. I don’t recall Heritage June 7th 2020 Long Beach Expo U.S. Coins Signature Auction as being a big sale for Mr. Hansen. You win some and lose some, but you hope you win more that you lose. The auction record for a MS64 is $64,625 in 2013.
1811 Capped Bust Left Half Eagle “Small 5” MS64+ PCGS POP 7/0, CAC Approved Certification #38973744, PCGS #8109 PCGS Value Guide: $57,500 (MS63) / Unknown Provenance: Long Beach Expo U.S. Coins Signature (Heritage 6/2020), Lot #3199, realized $40,800; D.L. Hansen Collection
Regarding patterns, if I was in DL's position, I might focus on picking up some of Bruce's coins which are the core of DL's collection than patterns which are not currently a focus.
Though if there's enough budget, I might try to get a few 40-50% off bargains.
@Zoins said:
Regarding patterns, if I was in DL's position, I might focus on picking up some of Bruce's coins which are the core of DL's collection than patterns which are not currently a focus.
Though if there's enough budget, I might try to get a few 40-50% off bargains.
I’m sure Laura et al will be bidding killing the opportunity for potential bargains. I’d focus on the set and not worry about patterns.
@Zoins said:
Regarding patterns, if I was in DL's position, I might focus on picking up some of Bruce's coins which are the core of DL's collection than patterns which are not currently a focus.
Though if there's enough budget, I might try to get a few 40-50% off bargains.
I’m sure Laura et al will be bidding killing the opportunity for potential bargains. I’d focus on the set and not worry about patterns.
There were a number of bargains in the Pogue sale so you never know.
I will be interested to see what happens to the Hansen collection once the main chase is completed. So many sets are built and then when the thrill of the chase is no longer there, they are sold. Will upgrading satisfy him?
@Boosibri said:
I will be interested to see what happens to the Hansen collection once the main chase is completed. So many sets are built and then when the thrill of the chase is no longer there, they are sold. Will upgrading satisfy him?
Since he's including moderns, he'll always have something new to buy each year.
@Perfection said:
I believe that DLH will not buy any patterns. If he does it will be a handful. I would also think that BC will only buy a select few of the best ones.
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I tend to agree with Mr. Perfection’s comments. The Hansen Collection presently has about 30 patterns. I can see collection growing a little. I do not foresee Mr. Hansen making patterns his priority and growing a large collection. Louis Eliasberg Collection contained about 200 pattern pieces. As the Hansen Collection continue to grow over the coming years, I could see that many in the Hansen Collection. It appears the coins that Mr. Hansen really desire; Mr. Simpson is not making available.
If I recall around 2015, Mr. Simpson abandoned his attempt to collect as many patterns as possible. I recall reading that he had purchased all his “desirable pieces” and lost interest in purchasing more. I know of a few that he wanted but could not obtain. That can certainly be demotivating. He had reached almost 60%. I doubt we will see anyone attempting to achieve that level again. It is unfortunate that Mr. Simpson was not able to display the collection before it was broken up. It would have made an amazing display.
With that said, Black Cat’s intentions are an unknown. If he has the will and resources, he could accomplish level that Mr. Simpson did and more. He was once promoted as being the new Legend’s pattern hero. As Zions stated here, situations change and that may not be the case today.
@Zoins said:
Regarding patterns, if I was in DL's position, I might focus on picking up some of Bruce's coins which are the core of DL's collection than patterns which are not currently a focus.
Though if there's enough budget, I might try to get a few 40-50% off bargains.
I’m sure Laura et al will be bidding killing the opportunity for potential bargains. I’d focus on the set and not worry about patterns.
No need to worry about them, just place some bids and forget about them. Then see what happens. I've won a few pieces like this recently.
Pattern are of little interest at this time. The Major Varieties are a real challenge and a lot are in the market recently
Heritage’s Auction had some great $5 early Gold from the McCoy Collection. Had good results in this area from the auction
A very difficult set that I have pursued for four years. The 1819 was my primary goal. A real joy to have now aquired Hurray!
I thank Currin for helping analyze the Collection needs and milestones. A very kind and diligent man that motivates my efforts
Congrats on the 1819! That is a great coin. Love it. ☺☺ The best.
A few of the other CAC Half Eagles were wonderful as well.
I would think that most of the patterns are going to go cheap as there is not much demand. Time will tell.
Many are truly amazing, but again, few people buy them. I love many/most of the Simpson coins. I have always been an eye appeal person which are the majority of the Simpson coins.
@DLHansen said:
Pattern are of little interest at this time. The Major Varieties are a real challenge and a lot are in the market recently
Heritage’s Auction had some great $5 early Gold from the McCoy Collection. Had good results in this area from the auction
A very difficult set that I have pursued for four years. The 1819 was my primary goal. A real joy to have now aquired Hurray!
I thank Currin for helping analyze the Collection needs and milestones. A very kind and diligent man that motivates my efforts
@DLHansen - It’s nice to see you post from time to time. I look forward to seeing you collection continue to progress. Wishing you and @Currin the best!
Thanks Mr. Hansen for the comments. It is certainly a joy watching the amazing collection grow. I have committed that you have been very active in the collection lately. I know you suggested the market is producing some opportunities. You are certainly taking advantages as you did last night. The 1819 half eagle is a great coin and I have been waiting on writing something up on it for a long time.
I know in the current environment for professional sports is not really good. I am sure you normally would be spending a lot of time with that passion. It certainly good to see you are using the spare time to buy great early half eagles. I hope one day I will be able the see that half eagle box again. Hopefully you will have the 1822 slot filled!
In the past couple months, the Hansen team has pulled the trigger purchasing three early Draped Bust Dimes valued by PCGS in six figures each. Does Mr. Hansen now have a laser focus on this 52 coin set? The last two coins were purchased from the same firm, Rare Coin Wholesalers. We don’t know if the first coin came from the same source. We don’t know the price paid, but the PCGS value for the three coins is $225K, $195K, and $120K. According to my smart phone, the total value of the three dimes is $540,000. I am going to share the link to this set (the 1801 has not been updated)
This is the JR-1 version of the 1801 Dime. Our expert Ron Guth had to say: JR-1 is one of two different die varieties of 1801 Dimes. Both varieties are scarce to rare, with the JR-1 being the more common of the two. When Davis et al wrote about this variety in 1984, they noted that it was scarce in VF30 or better and they described it as "Of [the] highest rarity in MS-60 (not more than two known)." Not much has changed in the intervening years. We now know of three Mint State examples, the finest of which is the NGC MS65 formerly in the Norweb and Gardner Collection and which sold in 2014 for $111,625. The second finest example, ex Waldo Bolen, was last seen in 1995 -- it is the plate coin in “Early United States Dimes, 1796-1837”. This variety shows a spine (or raised die line) on the reverse running up into the field from the upper right tip of the shield. This anomaly can be seen even on low-grade examples and is diagnostic of the variety. As noted by Mr. Guth, this coin is known as the second finest. The finest being the Norweb/Gardner Specimen. The finest known coin was sold earlier this year in Heritage 2020 Central States US Coins Signature Auction. The coin that once sold for auction record of $111,625 in 2014, realized a very disappointing $81,000. It makes you wonder what the real value of these dimes is now. Is Mr. Hansen recognizing this is a buyer’s market for early US Dimes?
1801 Draped Bust Dime “JR-1” MS63
I am not sure how many of Mr. Hansen’s coins can be traced to William Cutter Atwater. This would make a good research project. He made an early attempt to complete the US Issues Collection (As Hansen is attempting to do today). He can close. B. Max Mehl, cataloger and seller, described Cutter’s attempt as: comprising of each date and branch mint coins minted in gold, silver, copper from the first year of mintage in 1793 to 1920 (with only three of four exceptions) including the celebrated Stickney 1804 Dollar and the Idler 1804 Dollar, Second Variety (first time in numismatic history when both varieties of this great coin are offered in one sale). The sale was held June 11th, 1946. The grand total of this celebrated sale was $153,514.60. This is the largest sum ever realized for a Coin Collection ever sold at auction in the United Sates. And as far as I know in the world. (B. Max Mehl).
Mr. Hansen’s 1801 Draped Bust Dime can be traced to this famous collection. I have a copy of the 1946 sale. This is what was written in the catalog: Variety with last 1 in date high. Uncirculated with full frosty mint surface. Extremely rare so choice. Seldom obtained better than good. A similar specimen sold at auction last year for $90.00 The coin beat the last year coin and sold for $120! It has been noted by pedigree sources that the coin is possibly from DeWitt Smith and H.O. Granberg Collections. Those two collections sold in the 1908 to 1913 timeframe.
In mid-1960s, the coin was in Lester Merkin Collections, then over a period of about 15 years (1980-1995) the coin sold in three auctions with ties to Stacks. One of the notable sales was the Lovejoy Collection in Stack's Auction that was held in 1990. When the Waldo E. "Pat" Bolen, Jr. Collection went on sale in 1995, the coin realized $11,275. The coin finish the century in the Jim O'Donnell Collection.
The coin appeared in auction twice in the last dozen years. The auction record sale for this MS63 coin is $46,000 when the Ed Price Collection was sold by Heritage in 2008. The coin was auctioned again by Heritage in the Twin Leaf Collection sale in 2009. This time the coin had disappointing results as sold for only $29,900. The coin has not been seen publicly since that sale.
This coin replaced one of Mr. Hansen’s AU58 coins. The duplicate coin is valued at $30,000 in AU58 condition, Cert # 50184373. It carries the Hansen pedigree and is a POP 3/5. The new purchased MS63 coin is valued now at $120,000! At the Atwater sale, the coin brought $120! Those three little extra zeros mean a lot. As stated, the coin has not appeared in auction since 2009 where it brought slightly under $30,000. We do not know how many times the coin has been offered privately to the Hansen Team. I did not ask John Brush about this coin, but I bet he would say the coin has been offered to him several times the past 2-3 years.
The last Heritage sale in 2009, the auctioneer described the coin as: The date is closely spaced with both 1's separated from the device. Stars 1 and 7 are equally distant from the curl and L, star 8 is very close to the Y, and star 13 is close to the drapery. All stars are widely spaced with none touching. LIB are closely spaced with BERTY widely spaced. The R was first entered too low, and corrected. A vertical spine from the curl tip nearly reaches the left base of the E. Star 12 is solidly joined to the eagle's beak, diagnostic. AME are joined with all other letters separated. Stars 1 through 4 and star 6 all touch the clouds; star 5 just misses. A leaf tip touches the right base of I, and another is below the space between C and A. The outer arrow tip is below the right curve of U. Considerable die rust exists on both sides. Dotted lines of die rust in the lower right obverse field are characteristic of the variety. While the obverse die rust is primarily limited to the fields, the reverse die rust encroaches upon the devices. The 1801 dimes were coined from two obverse dies and one reverse die. While the reverse of JR-1 has extensive die rust, it is less advanced than found on JR-2. They are part of the interconnected group of dime and quarter eagle varieties struck from 1798 to 1801. Also, a comparison was made with the other finer NGC specimen: Although listed as finest seen in the dime book, Ed Price said he had seen one that is finer, so we call this the second finest known. This is a stunning Mint State example with satiny silver luster on the obverse and reverse, enhanced by considerable rose toning on both sides. As usual, the central obverse and reverse are weak, with most other details sharp. Only the stars at the right obverse are flat. A few trivial hairlines and other microscopic blemishes are of little concern.
The coin appeared on the website of Rare Coin Wholesales in mid-May. The coin was offered for $125,000. The same firm had the coin post on eBay for several weeks with a price of $131,300. The coin became unavailable on or about 6/29. We don’t know the negotiated price John Brush was able settle on to purchase the coin. Being a finer CAC approved specimen sold a couple months ago for only $81,000, I would think that sale results can really help the negotiations for the buyer. It is not finest coin, but the coin is a PCGS POP 1/0 specimen from the famous Hall of Fame Atwater Collection.
1801 Draped Bust Dime “JR-1” MS63 PCGS POP 1/0, Gold Shield Certification #36659297, PCGS #38756 PCGS Value Guide: $120,000) / Unknown Provenance: Possibly from DeWitt Smith and H.O. Granberg; William Cutler Atwater (B. Max Mehl, 6/1946), lot 893, realized $120; Lester Merkin (4/1966), lot 93; Stack's (6/1980), lot 293; Lovejoy Collection (Stack's, 10/1990), lot 16; Waldo E. "Pat" Bolen, Jr. Collection, Numisma '95 (Akers, Stack's, RARCOA, Superior, 11/1995), lot #2014, realized $11,275; Jim O'Donnell (4/1998); Ed Price Collection (Heritage 7/2008), lot #1424, realized $46,000; Twin Leaf Collection (Heritage 4/2209), lot #2216, realized $29,900; The D.L. Hansen Collection
The last countdown for the major varieties was reported about a month ago with the addition of Pogue’s 1798/7 Capped Bust Dime “13-Star Reverse MS63”. For the next few weeks, the countdown will get fast and furious. You are going to witness nine half eagles major varieties and six early large cents including three of the four large cent ultra-rarities. Eight of the nine half eagles were picked up from the McCoy Family Collection of Capped Head Half Eagles sale held by Heritage on Tuesday night. If you read my pre-auction posting, I said there were six coins that could fill slots in Mr. Hansen Early Half Eagle box. Actually he purchased eight for empty slots, because he obtained both varieties of the 1830 and 1831 issues. Technically, he did not need both, but the PCGS set requires both varieties and the basic coin. Go figure. So, he how have three coins for each date. We will discuss the confusion a little more in detail in a future posting.
The six Large Cents came from Peter Miller’s ESM Collection of Large Cents. Mr. Hansen wanted the 1793 “Strawberry Leaf” coin. It is considered the finest known. He got the number one coin that he wanted, but the number two coin got away. The 1795 “Jefferson Lettered Edge” VF30 is currently the only coin left that Mr. Hansen will need to finish the Large Cents. The coin ran up to and sold for $405,000. The coin realized more than the PCGS value guide of $250,000. This shows that even Mr. Hansen has limits, because I know he would like to have completed the set. PCGS POP report indicates only five are known, with only three coins certified. The finest is this VF30 coin, a F15, and a really low graded FR2. The coin is similar in rarity with the “Strawberry Leaf” variety, but not as legendary. I don’t know who bought the coin, but my first guess would be High Dessert. He has the PCGS FR2, and he currently have the only completed registry set. This is just a guess, but I could see where he would want to upgrade his current coin. No one else comes to mind that would be willing to pay up for the coin. Do you know?
The fifteen countdown coins that we will see in the next few weeks ranged in price realized from $49,000 to $660,000. I would estimate the total realized for just the 15 coins would be approx. $2,500,000. I am not talking about the additional upgrades and other coins purchased in the auctions this week. Just looking at the upgrades posted in the half eagle set, I know two coins were replaced that realized over the six figure mark. What impressive auction results. There are more to come with Legend’s offering of the Morelan coins and the five part Simpson Collection being offered by Heritage. Who was it that said Mr. Hansen was slowing down?
The Major Varieties Set is an expansion of the PCGS Basic Set in The D. L. Hansen Collection. To complete, this set would require the 2821 basic coins plus an additional 439 Major Varieties Coins. With this addition, there are 38 remaining coins in this quest. The first two coins are not collectable, so the completion of this set would be 99.94%. PCGS describes this set as: Every classic U.S. coin in Circulation Strike from 1792 through 1964, every date, every Mintmark, every major variety, this set is the ultimate challenge. A collection of this size could take decades to assemble in high grade.
Top 10
1797 Half Eagle "Large Eagle, 15 Stars" (1 Known – Permanently in Smithsonian) Uncollectable
1797 Half Eagle "Large Eagle, 16 Stars" (1 Known – Permanently in Smithsonian) Uncollectable
1861 Double Eagle "Paquet" (2 Known)
1804 Eagle "Plain 4 Proof" (3 Known)
1849-C Gold Dollar "Open Wreath" (4 Known w/ one defective)
1958 Small Cent "Doubled Die Obverse” (3 Known) 1793 Wreath Large Cent "Strawberry Leaf" (4 Known w/ VG Finest Known)
1795 Large Cent "Jefferson, Lettered Edge" (5 Known w/ VF Finest Known)
1810 Half Eagle "Large Date, Small 5" (5 Known w/ AU Finest Known) 1795 Large Cent "Reeded Edge" (8 Known w/ VG Finest Known)
Next 10
1842 Half Dollar "Small Date, Rev of 1839" (Survival est. 10 w/ 1 Mint State)
1804 Quarter Eagle "13 Star Reverse" (Survival est. 11 w/ AU Finest Known) 1831 Half Eagle "Large 5D" (Survival est. 22 all varieties w/ 1 Mint State)
1797 Half Cent "Gripped Edge" (Survival est. 13 w/ VG Finest Known) 1831 Half Eagle "Small 5D" (Survival est. 22 all varieties w/ 3 Mint State) 1853-D Half Eagle "Medium D" (Survival est. 15 w/ AU Finest Known) 1830 Half Eagle "Large 5D" (Survival est. 27 all varieties w/ 5 Mint State) 1830 Half Eagle "Small 5D" (Survival est. 27 all varieties w/ 5 Mint State) 1828 Half Eagle "Normal Date" (Survival est. 14 w/ 5 Mint State) 1793 Chain Large Cent "Periods" (118 PCGS Certified w/ 3 Mint State)
Last 18
1797 Half Eagle "Small Eagle, 15 Stars" (Survival est. 20 w/ 1 Mint State)
1820 Half Eagle "Curl Base 2, Sm Letters" (Survival est. 14 w/ 8 Mint State) 1819 Half Eagle "5D/50" (Survival est. 17 w/ 8 Mint State)
1800 Dollar "Wide Date, Low 8, AMERICAI" (Survival est. 25 w/ AU Finest Known)
1840-D Half Eagle "Small D" (Survival est. 25 w/ AU Finest Known)
1798/7 Eagle "7X6 Stars" (Survival est. 25 w/ 3 Mint State)
1812/1 Half Dollar "Large 8" (Survival est. 35 w/ AU Finest Known) 1795 Large Cent "Jefferson, Plain Edge" (Survival est. 45 w/ VF Finest Known)
1820 Half Eagle "Curl Base 2, Large Letters" (Survival est. 32 w/ 20 Mint State)
1839 Half Dollar "Receeded Edge, Small Letters” (Survival est. 50 w/ 4 Mint State) 1833 Half Eagle "Large Date" (Survival est. 37 w/ 19 Mint State) 1834 Half Eagle "Capped Bust, Plain 4" (Survival est. 37 w/ 19 Mint State)
1798 Quarter Eagle "Wide Date" (Survival est. 50 w/ 8 Mint State) 1794 Large Cent "Starred Reverse" (Survival est. 60 w/ AU Finest Known) 1807/6 Large Cent "Small 7" (Survival est. 100 w/ AU Finest Known)
1798 Dollar "Large Eagle, Knob 9, 4 Lines" (Survival est. 125 w/ 2 Mint State)
1795 Half Dollar "Small Head" (Survival est. 450 w/ 1 Mint State)
1887/6 Three Cent CN (Survival est. 800 w/ 750 Mint State)
CONGRATULATIONS Dell Loy those were iconic copper coins that you added to your set. I thought the Strawberry Leaf Cent was amazing in hand. Really nice jump forward in key early copper for one days work. Not many days like that in a lifetime.
James McCartney, Senior Numismatist and Consignment Director at StacksBowers made this announcement about a month ago: Stack’s Bowers Galleries is thrilled to offer the finest known example of the 1793 Strawberry Leaf Cent in their August 2020 Las Vegas Auction, presented as part of the ESM Collection of United States Large Cents. First purchased for $77.50 in 1877, this early cent could bring more than $500,000 in the Rarities Night Session, to be held on the evening of August 6. Among the 348 die varieties of early U.S. large cents numbered by specialist Dr. William Sheldon, no variety captures the imagination of specialists so much as the 1793 Strawberry Leaf cent. Only four specimens are known, all of which are well worn, a fact that contributes to the mystery and desirability that surrounds them.
This coin is not found any condition higher than VG10 PCGS. At one point, the coin was graded F12 by NGC. There are two other PCGS certified coins, a G4 PCGS that last appeared in Heritage’s January 2014 FUN Signature Auction. The other is a very low condition FR2 PCGS (Unique NC-2 variety) that also last appeared in Heritage’s January 2014 FUN Signature Auction. The pair was from the Adam Mervis Collection. The fourth and final specimen is a AG3 estimated grade coin located at the American Numismatic Society. The Smithsonian is missing an example of this coin. Below are the only four known specimens and their long history. The finest VG10 is now residing in the D.L. Hansen Collection.
1) Hansen/ Parmelee Specimen (NC-3 variety), PCGS VG-10 (formerly NGC F12 insert #1827897-001): First identified by David U. Proskey. Ex J.W. Scott & Co.'s sale of October 1877, lot 201, where it realized $77.50; purchased on the floor by H.G. Sampson, acting for Lorin G. Parmelee, outbidding Joseph N.T. Levick's $75 commission for Sylvester S. Crosby; New York Stamp and Coin Co.'s sale of the Lorin G. Parmelee Collection, June 1890, lot 671, where it realized $79; purchased by Charles Steigerwalt and resold to Dr. Thomas Hall in October 1890 for $90; sold as part of the intact Hall Collection to Virgil Brand on September 7, 1909; Brand estate; consigned by Armin Brand to Burdette G. Johnson along with 16 other important 1793 cents on February 7, 1941; James Kelly, May 1941, for $2,500; Roscoe E. Staples, for $2,750; Staples family; our (American Numismatic Rarities') Frog Run Farm Collection sale, December 2004, lot 130, realized $414,000; our (Stack's) Orlando Sale of January 2009, lot 51, realized $862,500 (Auction Record): Peter Miller ESM Collection, StacksBowers 8/2020, lot 1006, realized $660,000; D.L. Hansen Collection
2) Star/Holmes Specimen (NC-3 variety), PCGS Good-4: Ex William Rabin, who discovered the coin in Philadelphia and offered it for sale in the September 1941 issue of The Numismatist, page 736; James Kelly's sale of May 1949, lot 1044; Floyd Tallmadge Starr; our (Stack's) sale of the Floyd T. Starr Collection of United States Large Cents and Half Cents, June 1984, lot 7; Isaac Tatnall Starr, June 12, 1989; R.E. "Ted" Naftzger, Jr., February 23, 1992; Eric Streiner; Jay Parrino, October 7, 1995; Anthony Terranova, October 16, 1994; Dan Holmes; Ira & Larry Goldberg's sale of the Dan Holmes Collection, Part I, September 2009, lot 8; Adam Mervis; Heritage's sale of the Adam Mervis Large Cent Collection, January 2014 FUN Signature Auction, lot 2420.
3) Chapman/ANS Specimen (NC-3 variety) About Good (3): Ex George W. Merritt; Ed Frossard's sale of January 1879, lot 90; Ferguson Haines; W. Elliott Woodward's Sale #32, October 1880, lot 189; H.G. Sampson; Ferguson Haines; S.H. and H. Chapman's sale of October 1888, lot 846, withdrawn; Ferguson Haines; Ed Frossard's Sale #130, December 1894, lot 700; J. Sanford Saltus, May 16, 1906; American Numismatic Society Collection.
4) Bland/Starr Specimen (NC-2 unique variety) PCGS Fair-2: Ex John Meader, who acquired the coin from circulation in 1845 (according to Del Bland in his census published in Walter Breen's large cent encyclopedia), December 1868; Richard B. Winsor; S.H. & H. Chapman's sale of the Richard B. Winsor Collection, December 1895, lot 823; Sylvester S. Crosby, April 1896; Dr. Thomas Hall, September 7, 1909; Virgil Brand; Brand estate, February 7, 1941; Burdette G. Johnson, September 12, 1941; James Kelly, 1941; Numismatic Gallery's sale of the Charles M. Williams Collection, November 1950, lot 6; Floyd Tallmadge Starr; our (Stack's) sale of the Floyd T. Starr Collection of United States Large Cents and Half Cents, June 1984, lot 6; R.E. "Ted" Naftzger, Jr., February 23, 1992; Eric Streiner; Jay Parrino, October 7, 1995; Anthony Terranova, October 16, 1995; Dan Holmes; Ira & Larry Goldberg's sale of the Dan Holmes Collection, Part I, October 2009, lot 7; Adam Mervis; Heritage's sale of the Adam Mervis Large Cent Collection; January 2014 FUN Signature Auction, lot 2419; High Desert (Registry Set)
As you can see all four of these legendary coins have rich history. This finest of the four is now in a strong collection and may not be offered for sell in most of our lifetimes. The coin went off the market for about sixty years and I could see that happening again. Stack's Orlando Sale in January 2009 sale is where the coin smashed the auction record when it realized $862,500. The coin has resided as the center piece in Peter Miller’s PCGS Registry ESM Collection. The set was #1 in registry from 2007 to 2012.
This coin has a long rich pedigree. I will include the story why the coin was off the market for more than a half century as shared by Mr. McCartney: In May 1941 it quietly sold to a nearly unknown collector from Maine, Roscoe E. Staples, for $2,750. Roscoe Staples, a successful businessman, joined the Maine National Guard in 1934 and embarked for the Pacific theater in fall 1942. While his troops were actively engaged in taking the Munda airfield from the remaining Japanese forces in 1943, then-Major Staples was shot and killed by a Japanese sniper. Staples was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for bravery, and he was noted for being "a brilliant officer who had the respect of his men and his superiors." After Staples' death, the coin remained with his family until sold in the Stack’s Bowers Galleries 2004 Frog Run Farm Collection sale.
In the Stack’s Bowers Galleries 2004 Frog Run Farm Collection sale, the coin realized an astonishing $414,000. That would be followed up by an auction record when it realized $862,500 in 2009. In talking with John Brush, he indicated that he thought the coin would realize $700K - $900K. He did not tell me their limited, but would think Mr. Hansen is thrill to have won the coin for less than $700K. Stack’s auctioneer describes the coin as: Both sides are finely and evenly granular, the devices and peripheries a medium shade of brown that contrasts with the deeper dark brown toning present in the fields. Some scattered microscopic pits are visible on Liberty's cheek, but for the most part the devices are smooth and pleasing. Careful examination of the obverse reveals some light blemishes, commensurate with the amount of wear on the coin. Each acts as an identifier that links this coin with its past and future provenance: a tiny nick on the border at 10 o'clock, a nick at the juncture of the hair and the high forehead, a nick under the lowest point of the lowest lock, a nick just inside the border near 3 o'clock, and a few other tiny marks or abrasions. For the reverse we note a shallow edge bruise over the letter M in AMERICA, as well as a few old vertical scratches near the left ribbon end which are long since toned over.
Mr. Hansen has placed a lot of resources in making his core collection the finest that has ever been assembled. We have seen amazing upgrades continuing to pour into the collection. We may be seeing a slight shift in his goals and priorities. Mr. Hansen reached out to us Thursday morning and said: The Major Varieties are a real challenge and a lot are in the market recently Heritage’s Auction had some great $5 early Gold from the McCoy Collection. Had good results in this area from the auction. A very difficult set that I have pursued for four years. The 1819 was my primary goal. He followed up those comments a few hours later by adding this legendary coin to this collection. What a remarkable week has been. This is just the first coin that you will get to see.
.
. The Major Varieties Set is an expansion of the PCGS Basic Set in The D. L. Hansen Collection. To complete, this set would require the 2821 basic coins plus an additional 439 Major Varieties Coins. With this addition, there are 37 remaining coins in this quest. The first two coins are not collectable, so the completion of this set would be 99.94%. PCGS describes this set as: Every classic U.S. coin in Circulation Strike from 1792 through 1964, every date, every Mintmark, every major variety, this set is the ultimate challenge. A collection of this size could take decades to assemble in high grade.
Top 10
1797 Half Eagle "Large Eagle, 15 Stars" (1 Known – Permanently in Smithsonian) Uncollectable
1797 Half Eagle "Large Eagle, 16 Stars" (1 Known – Permanently in Smithsonian) Uncollectable
1861 Double Eagle "Paquet" (2 Known)
1804 Eagle "Plain 4 Proof" (3 Known)
1849-C Gold Dollar "Open Wreath" (4 Known w/ one defective)
1958 Small Cent "Doubled Die Obverse” (3 Known)
1795 Large Cent "Jefferson, Lettered Edge" (5 Known w/ VF Finest Known)
1810 Half Eagle "Large Date, Small 5" (5 Known w/ AU Finest Known)
1795 Large Cent "Reeded Edge" (8 Known w/ VG Finest Known)
1842 Half Dollar "Small Date, Rev of 1839" (Survival est. 10 w/ 1 Mint State)
Next 10
1804 Quarter Eagle "13 Star Reverse" (Survival est. 11 w/ AU Finest Known)
1831 Half Eagle "Large 5D" (Survival est. 22 all varieties w/ 1 Mint State)
1797 Half Cent "Gripped Edge" (Survival est. 13 w/ VG Finest Known)
1831 Half Eagle "Small 5D" (Survival est. 22 all varieties w/ 3 Mint State)
1853-D Half Eagle "Medium D" (Survival est. 15 w/ AU Finest Known)
1830 Half Eagle "Large 5D" (Survival est. 27 all varieties w/ 5 Mint State)
1830 Half Eagle "Small 5D" (Survival est. 27 all varieties w/ 5 Mint State)
1828 Half Eagle "Normal Date" (Survival est. 14 w/ 5 Mint State)
1793 Chain Large Cent "Periods" (118 PCGS Certified w/ 3 Mint State)
1797 Half Eagle "Small Eagle, 15 Stars" (Survival est. 20 w/ 1 Mint State)
Last 17
1820 Half Eagle "Curl Base 2, Sm Letters" (Survival est. 14 w/ 8 Mint State)
1819 Half Eagle "5D/50" (Survival est. 17 w/ 8 Mint State)
1800 Dollar "Wide Date, Low 8, AMERICAI" (Survival est. 25 w/ AU Finest Known)
1840-D Half Eagle "Small D" (Survival est. 25 w/ AU Finest Known)
1798/7 Eagle "7X6 Stars" (Survival est. 25 w/ 3 Mint State)
1812/1 Half Dollar "Large 8" (Survival est. 35 w/ AU Finest Known)
1795 Large Cent "Jefferson, Plain Edge" (Survival est. 45 w/ VF Finest Known)
1820 Half Eagle "Curl Base 2, Large Letters" (Survival est. 32 w/ 20 Mint State)
1839 Half Dollar "Receeded Edge, Small Letters” (Survival est. 50 w/ 4 Mint State)
1833 Half Eagle "Large Date" (Survival est. 37 w/ 19 Mint State)
1834 Half Eagle "Capped Bust, Plain 4" (Survival est. 37 w/ 19 Mint State)
1798 Quarter Eagle "Wide Date" (Survival est. 50 w/ 8 Mint State)
1794 Large Cent "Starred Reverse" (Survival est. 60 w/ AU Finest Known)
1807/6 Large Cent "Small 7" (Survival est. 100 w/ AU Finest Known)
1798 Dollar "Large Eagle, Knob 9, 4 Lines" (Survival est. 125 w/ 2 Mint State)
1795 Half Dollar "Small Head" (Survival est. 450 w/ 1 Mint State)
1887/6 Three Cent CN (Survival est. 800 w/ 750 Mint State)
@RedCopper said:
Currin - you forgot to mention that
DelLoy acquired the Eliasberg
1796 Liberty Cap which is one of the finest known regardless of grade !
.
.
Thanks Mr. Blay for the prompt. I think I would have missed this great coin. I believe the coin was purchased from David Lawrence Rare Coins. This is what I found.
1796 1c PCGS/CAC MS64 BN (Liberty Cap) ex: Eliasberg - Amazing Early Large Cent
On occasion there's just a coin that comes across our desk that can't be described by a word other than "Wow"! This piece is a truly amazing survivor that has not been on the auction block as a graded coin EVER. In fact, it was last seen in 1996 as part of the Eliasberg auction when the coin was uncertified. In fact, on the PCGS CoinFacts, the grade of the coin is estimated as a MS65RB. Regardless of the grade, the coin is indeed a special offering and while there is plenty of reddish-rose tint remaining, the smooth, chocolate surfaces are absolutely pristine.
I spoke to John Albanese, President of CAC, about this coin when he saw it and he stated "it's not your typical oily-looking uncirculated Large Cent. This coin is absolutely special and is absolutely amazing. I don't do much in copper, but I love this coin!"
As far as the coin goes, the obverse displays an absolutely beautiful luster beneath the light brown skin. The top of the obverse displays a pleasant bluish-pink tint that accentuates LIBERTY and just draws your eye into the color. The reverse is a solid milk chocolate brown with the luster especially noticeable around the rim of the coin. We're proud to offer this absolutely amazing specimen and whether it's part of a large collection that this coin is just another highlight or possibly the only coin that a collector owns, this piece is sure to bring joy when held and viewed in-hand. CAC approved for quality.
Ask Price: $182,000
In the Eliasberg set the coin is listed as PCGS MS64BN Ex: Stickney; Jenks; Clapp to LE (1942). Sold by Bowers & Merena May '96 price realized $20,900. Lot #503. Pedigreed 3/22/02. The POP for the coin is not that great, as Mr. Blay implied. In the Eliasberg set, the coin is listed as 1796 1C S-84. For S-84, the MS64BN may be at least tied for finest. Nice coin with a nice price.
1796 Large Cent Liberty Cap, BN MS64BN (S-84?) PCGS, POP 6/6, CAC Approved Certification #50004171, PCGS #1392 (possibly 35759) PCGV: $135,000 / ask $182,000 Ex: Atwater/Eliasberg
That is a beautiful 1796. The only one I have seen that is better is Oliver Jung's 1796 graded 66 or 66+RB that sold for something like 600K-absolutely astonishing coin.
TomT-1794
Check out some of my 1794 Large Cents on www.coingallery.org
The Finest Known 1819 Half Eagle Wide Date Variant
The Major Varieties registry set only required two 1819 varieties. They are the 1819 Wide Date and the 1819 Close Date. Expert David Akers describes the 1819 Half Eagle as: 1819 Half Eagles are represented by two distinct die varieties: 1819 (Close Date, Normal Reverse) and 1819 5D/50. Both varieties are rare, but the Close Date is definitely the rarer of the two (none have appeared at auction in the past decade). The 5D/50 variety includes five to six Mint State examples, the finest of which is a single PCGS MS65. The rarity of 1819 Half Eagles resulted from the destruction of large quantities of early U.S. gold coins whenever their gold value exceeded their face value in the 1800s. Were it not for coin collectors, the destruction would have been more widespread.
I previously discussed the 1819 half eagle is a trifecta of varieties. The first two are the well-known major varieties as described by David Akers, and the third a more recent discovered, die state variety. All three varieties are now recognized by John Dannreuther and he confirmed the new variety on March 19, 2014. Let’s take a quick look at them.
Bass-Dannreuther 1. 1819 Wide Date, 5D over 50
By most accounts, the number of known specimens is between 17-19. There are two, maybe three coins that could be graded gems. First, the MS65 PCGS graded Garrett-Pogue Specimen. There is an ungraded specimen in Harry W. Bass Jr. Foundation Collection that may be a MS65. There could be a third, the Virgil Brand specimen sold by Bowers and Merena in 1983. Mr. Hansen purchased the MS65 PCGS CAC Approved Garrett-Pogue specimen in the Heritage 2020 US Coins Signature Auction. This is coin was from The McCoy Family Collection of Capped Head Half Eagles. The Pogue specimen sold in 2016 for record breaking $423,000. The coin realized $444,000 in the 2020 Heritage Auction.
Bass-Dannreuther 2. 1819 Close Date, Normal Reverse
Some accounts give seven as number of known specimens. That may be a stretch. In the Pogue sale, the listing indicated “perhaps” only four known. Whether the number is four or seven, the variety coin is pretty rare. The Pogue-Hansen Specimen purchase by Mr. Hansen last September in a private sale may be the finest. The source of the private sale was not release until we saw this information provided in the 2020 Heritage sale for the above coin: The variety for (BD-2) has a close date with a normal reverse. The coin is rarer and the McCoy Family Collection contained a PCGS MS61 example that was sold via private treaty to über-collector D.L. Hansen in 2019. The only specimen that may come close to this coin is the King Farouk / Harry W. Bass, Jr. Foundation Specimen. The coin is normally considered and referenced as an AU58, but you know how grades go. Both of Hansen’s 1819 BD-1 and BD-2 specimens are from The McCoy Family Collection of Capped Head Half Eagles.
Bass-Dannreuther 3. 1819 Wide Date, Normal Reverse (1 Known)
This is an impaired unique coin. The coin sold in Heritage’s 2014 ANA US Coins Signature Auction. The coin has AU details, but listed by NGC as plugged and whizzed. This is the description given for this unique coin: Recently, in March 2014, a new third variety was discovered by Mark Borckardt, or perhaps it is the old third variety noted in the Adams notebook. This new variety combines the Wide Date obverse of BD-1, with an entirely new and previously unreported reverse die. NGC has described the coin as plugged and whizzed, although the damage is not obvious. The reverse die makes no other appearances in the entire half eagle series, and is known only on this unique 1819 half eagle that is now called BD-3. John Dannreuther examined images and confirmed the new variety on March 19, 2014. This example has light greenish-yellow surfaces with hints of orange toning about the peripheries. The surfaces are lightly polished, but lack the distinctive appearance of whizzing. Minor marks are noted on each side, including disturbances at the upper obverse and lower reverse that NCS describes with the "plugged" label. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I did mention this unique coin with Mr. Hansen last fall. At that time, he had no desire for the coin. The overall appearance of the coin is very good. As we know, Mr. Hansen does not reject coins because they may be impaired. Also, he needs the Bass impaired 1870-S Gold Three Dollar to complete the quest.
This purchase compete the 1819 Half Eagle Mayor Variety requirements. Both are finest certified by PCGS. Also, the Hansen collection has two of the three Bass-Dannreuther die varieties. Mr. Hansen described obtaining the recent coin as: The 1819 was my primary goal. A real joy to have now acquired Hurray!
I am not sure how anyone that appreciates coins would not give a like (or thumbs up) to this coin. Many of you are like me would never be able to afford a Capped Bust Half Eagle in any grade. The coin is beyond amazing, but all high grade Capped Bust Half Eagles are. Not only does this coin have a stunning appearance, the rarity of the coin is equally impressive. Our Expert Ron Guth comment this way on the coin: This is an unusual variety caused when the engraver mistakenly punched a 0 into the die where the D (of DOLLAR) was supposed to go. Rather thad discard the die and start anew, the engraver simply punched a D over the 0. Actually, this error occured in 1818, then the die was reused in 1819. Based on the dramatic shift of the 5 to the left, it is possible the engraver was confused and thought he was working on a Half Dollar die, but this is purely speculation. The 1819 $5 5D/50 is a rare variety -- Dannreuther wrote that less than 20 were known. The finest example is a single PCGS MS65 from the Garrett Collection.
This is not the first description that we have seen written several years ago by Ron and other experts that comment on the finest coins that are now in Mr. Hansen Collection. I am not to saying Mr. Hansen goal is to buy all the coins that Ron Guth mentioned specifically, but it occurring more often than we would think. The coin has a rich history dating back to Joseph J. Mickley in 1867. Then the coin had long stays in the Garrett Family and Pogue Collections. The coin ended in a brief stay in the McCoy Family Collection where it was described as clearly a highlight of the McCoy Family Collection. It is one of the most important early gold coins that will be available to advanced collectors in 2020.
This coin really speaks for itself and does not require a description, but I will provide this one from the Heritage sale: This piece has superb eye appeal and it is a pristine Gem with lovely light to medium yellow-gold contrasted by deeper orange hues at the right obverse and across much of the reverse. The strike is sharp with just a bit of weakness on the high spots in the centers. Both sides are heavily frosted and there are no detracting marks; two small ticks on the cheek are trivial. Regarding its overall eye appeal, this is a truly exceptional coin. In the Pogue sale the description was more pronounce: Aglow with dense orange toning gathered while at rest in some of the most famous cabinets the world of American numismatics has ever known, this is the single finest known specimen of this date. The obverse is bright, somewhat reflective around the portrait, highly lustrous and ideally toned in medium yellow gold. The right side of the obverse has developed a wealth of attractive coppery toning. The reverse is a storm of satiny luster, deeply toned with mingled shades of dark yellow and bright orange, a visceral aesthetic delight. The strike is complete, bold everywhere and perfectly sharp on even the sometimes soft centers.
As Mr. Hansen continues toward completing the major variety set, he did not stop at second best for the 1819 coins. This is the best pair for 1819 half eagle specimens that you will find anywhere, including the Bass Foundation. The pair found there may be just as nice, but it would hard press to say definitely they are better. Nice addition Mr. Hansen.
Provenance: Joseph J. Mickley, purchased before 1867; William Sumner Appleton Collection, sold en bloc via W. Elliot Woodward, 1867; John Schayer; W. Elliot Woodward, sold privately 1/23/1883; T. Harrison Garrett; Johns Hopkins University; Garrett Collection, Part I (Bowers & Ruddy, 11/1979), lot 462, where it realized $85,000; Stanley Kesselman; R.E. "Ted" Naftzger, Jr. Collection; Paramount Fixed Price List of the Naftzger Collection, sold privately 10/1981; D. Brent Pogue Collection, Part III (Stack's/Bowers, 2/2016), lot 3153, where it brought $423,000; Douglas Winter Numismatics as agent for The McCoy Family Collection; US Coins Signature Auction (Heritage 5/2020), lot 3991, realized $444,000 (Auction Record), D.L. Hansen Collection.
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. The Major Varieties Set is an expansion of the PCGS Basic Set in The D. L. Hansen Collection. To complete, this set would require the 2821 basic coins plus an additional 439 Major Varieties Coins. With this addition, there are 36 remaining coins in this quest. The first two coins are not collectable, so the completion of this set would be 99.94%. PCGS describes this set as: Every classic U.S. coin in Circulation Strike from 1792 through 1964, every date, every Mintmark, every major variety, this set is the ultimate challenge. A collection of this size could take decades to assemble in high grade.
Top 10
1797 Half Eagle "Large Eagle, 15 Stars" (1 Known – Permanently in Smithsonian) Uncollectable
1797 Half Eagle "Large Eagle, 16 Stars" (1 Known – Permanently in Smithsonian) Uncollectable
1861 Double Eagle "Paquet" (2 Known)
1804 Eagle "Plain 4 Proof" (3 Known)
1849-C Gold Dollar "Open Wreath" (4 Known w/ one defective)
1958 Small Cent "Doubled Die Obverse” (3 Known)
1795 Large Cent "Jefferson, Lettered Edge" (5 Known w/ VF Finest Known)
1810 Half Eagle "Large Date, Small 5" (5 Known w/ AU Finest Known)
1795 Large Cent "Reeded Edge" (8 Known w/ VG Finest Known)
1842 Half Dollar "Small Date, Rev of 1839" (Survival est. 10 w/ 1 Mint State)
Next 10
1804 Quarter Eagle "13 Star Reverse" (Survival est. 11 w/ AU Finest Known)
1831 Half Eagle "Large 5D" (Survival est. 22 all varieties w/ 1 Mint State)
1797 Half Cent "Gripped Edge" (Survival est. 13 w/ VG Finest Known)
1831 Half Eagle "Small 5D" (Survival est. 22 all varieties w/ 3 Mint State)
1853-D Half Eagle "Medium D" (Survival est. 15 w/ AU Finest Known)
1830 Half Eagle "Large 5D" (Survival est. 27 all varieties w/ 5 Mint State)
1830 Half Eagle "Small 5D" (Survival est. 27 all varieties w/ 5 Mint State)
1828 Half Eagle "Normal Date" (Survival est. 14 w/ 5 Mint State)
1793 Chain Large Cent "Periods" (118 PCGS Certified w/ 3 Mint State)
1797 Half Eagle "Small Eagle, 15 Stars" (Survival est. 20 w/ 1 Mint State)
Last 16
1820 Half Eagle "Curl Base 2, Sm Letters" (Survival est. 14 w/ 8 Mint State)
1800 Dollar "Wide Date, Low 8, AMERICAI" (Survival est. 25 w/ AU Finest Known)
1840-D Half Eagle "Small D" (Survival est. 25 w/ AU Finest Known)
1798/7 Eagle "7X6 Stars" (Survival est. 25 w/ 3 Mint State)
1812/1 Half Dollar "Large 8" (Survival est. 35 w/ AU Finest Known)
1795 Large Cent "Jefferson, Plain Edge" (Survival est. 45 w/ VF Finest Known)
1820 Half Eagle "Curl Base 2, Large Letters" (Survival est. 32 w/ 20 Mint State)
1839 Half Dollar "Receeded Edge, Small Letters” (Survival est. 50 w/ 4 Mint State)
1833 Half Eagle "Large Date" (Survival est. 37 w/ 19 Mint State)
1834 Half Eagle "Capped Bust, Plain 4" (Survival est. 37 w/ 19 Mint State)
1798 Quarter Eagle "Wide Date" (Survival est. 50 w/ 8 Mint State)
1794 Large Cent "Starred Reverse" (Survival est. 60 w/ AU Finest Known)
1807/6 Large Cent "Small 7" (Survival est. 100 w/ AU Finest Known)
1798 Dollar "Large Eagle, Knob 9, 4 Lines" (Survival est. 125 w/ 2 Mint State)
1795 Half Dollar "Small Head" (Survival est. 450 w/ 1 Mint State)
1887/6 Three Cent CN (Survival est. 800 w/ 750 Mint State
@GoBust said:
CONGRATULATIONS Dell Loy those were iconic copper coins that you added to your set. I thought the Strawberry Leaf Cent was amazing in hand. Really nice jump forward in key early copper for one days work. Not many days like that in a lifetime.
You know you're dealing with a RARE coin when the finest known is a VG10!
I continue to be amazed at DLH's focus on the highest of quality coins, when many here on this forum only a few years ago were accusing him of bottom feeding........ I am glad to hear of all of his success and the detractors have been quieted. But Dell Loy hired the best mentor/coach when he made an arrangement with John Brush who is now the premier dealer in our universe. Hats off to John Brush as well. John and his staff are very instrumental at not only finding these great rarities, but helping to acquire at a reasonable price.
The 1919 DDO Merc finest known is XF45 and was offered to DLH via DLRC and the offer was turned down. DLH has settled for an AG3 example. It will be interesting to see if he is ever able to significantly upgrade his AG3. Maybe he will cherrypick one himself at small 20 table show someday?
"If it's not fun, it's not worth it." - KeyMan64 Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
I think he's smart enough to know more will be found and the market on these will tame down.
@keyman64 said:
The 1919 DDO Merc finest known is XF45 and was offered to DLH via DLRC and the offer was turned down. DLH has settled for an AG3 example. It will be interesting to see if he is ever able to significantly upgrade his AG3. Maybe he will cherrypick one himself at small 20 table show someday?
@amwldcoin said:
I think he's smart enough to know more will be found and the market on these will tame down.
@keyman64 said:
The 1919 DDO Merc finest known is XF45 and was offered to DLH via DLRC and the offer was turned down. DLH has settled for an AG3 example. It will be interesting to see if he is ever able to significantly upgrade his AG3. Maybe he will cherrypick one himself at small 20 table show someday?
Patience is certainly a virtue. I've had many coins offered to me recently that I have passed on while I gamble with patience so I know the game well within my specialty. I'm the one that found the very first mint state example of the 1941 DDO and current top pop, which DLH now owns. When I found it, people had been searching for 15-20 years. A few more have been found in MS since but this is NOT a common coin by any stretch of the imagination. You would think there would be rolls of the 1941 DDO out there but there just aren't. There's been enough people looking for a very long time now. Several years have passed by (6 maybe?) and the best 1919 DDO found so far is XF45 but certainly, time will tell. This is going to be a tougher nut to crack than the 1941. There are a ton more people looking for the 1919 now, with the Red Book inclusion, than the number of people that looked for the 1941. Maybe that will end up helping the 1919 situation? Then there is supposed to be another book published this month that should also help in raising the awareness.
"If it's not fun, it's not worth it." - KeyMan64 Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
Collection of varieties to many of us would seem to be somewhat insignificant for a collector like Hansen whose primary focus is on all business strike coins produced by the US Mint. That Hansen collects varieties can be also an indication that he likes some series more than others, and nothing less. Or it can also mean that he will have collected more varieties than Eliasberg.
I think his collection of proof coins is much more significant than varieties.
@OldIndianNutKase said:
Collection of varieties to many of us would seem to be somewhat insignificant for a collector like Hansen whose primary focus is on all business strike coins produced by the US Mint. That Hansen collects varieties can be also an indication that he likes some series more than others, and nothing less. Or it can also mean that he will have collected more varieties than Eliasberg.
I think his collection of proof coins is much more significant than varieties.
OINK
I can agree with this and that is why it is annoying to real variety collectors that he is participating in the Mercury Dime Complete Variety Set and taking up a top 5 spot, instead of just sticking with the Major Varieties like is stated over and over and over and over in this thread. Thankfully the LEGEND Merc Sets bumped him when it comes to all of the other Merc sets.
"If it's not fun, it's not worth it." - KeyMan64 Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
I think his collection of proof coins is much more significant than varieties.
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NutKase, I incline to agree. At the end of the day, the proofs coins in this collection will be more substantial than the 539 Major Varieties, much less for the minor issues. Mr. Hansen has shown time again that he can walk and chew gum at the same time. The opportunities for the major varieties have been abundant recently. The sale of both the ESM half and large cents is a prime example. The recent sale of McCoy Half Eagles is another. In these opportunities, Mr. Hansen seized the opportunity to expand his collection with some amazing new additions. In a recent posting, I highlighted about 15 new coins that were purchased in last couple weeks. In several series, he has only one coin left. For collectors, searching for that last coin is a great thrill.
As for the proofs, the most recent incredible addition was the 1855 Type II Gold Dollar that I reported on a few days ago. The complete pre-1964 proof set requires 1145 expensive coins. The set is now slightly greater that 75% complete.
When looking at this set, I conceptually divide the set in two parts. Part-A is coins prior to 1858 and Part-B is 1858 coins and later. The pre 1858 coins are not collectible for some requirements in the registry set, actually for quite a few. I think Mr. Hansen will eventually collect as many of these as possible, as we saw with the very rare mid six figure 1855 Type II Gold Dollar.
As for the post 1857 (Part-B,) Mr. Hansen is complete for non-gold. This includes coins like the 1884, 1885 Trade Dollars. He needs slightly less than 100 post 1857 gold coins, with a majority of them being Eagles and Double Eagles. For those watching proofs, we know these coins are just not available at this time, especially in the quality that Mr. Hansen desire. I don’t know yet the opportunity the Simpson sale will offer. Allegedly, he has a nice set of gold proofs in these desirable dates. I hear some specimens may be NGC certified coins. If so, they are not as desirable for Mr. Hansen, but overall, this could be an opportunity that Mr. Hansen has been waiting for. Time will tell. Mr. Hansen already has a great collection of proofs (check out his three Trade Dollar sets). As he completes the proofs sets (and the varieties sets) the collection will be even more amazing. If that is possible.
The Major Varieties registry set requires two 1828 varieties. They are the 1828 “Normal” Date and the 1828/7 Overdate. Expert David Akers describes the 1828 Half Eagle as: The 1828 with the so-called "normal" or "perfect" date is a classic U.S. gold coin rarity. In my opinion, it is slightly less rare than the 1828/7, and comparable to the legendary 1815. It is definitely more rare than the 1819, a date that has received more attention and notoriety over the years than the two varieties of 1828. I would estimate that approximately 12-15 specimens exist including 2 or 3 proofs. Of the non-proofs, most are uncirculated and several are gems. One specimen I have seen is an EF with initials removed from the field. The 1828 Half Eagles I have examined, including the gem that brought $92,500 at Paramount's Davies-Niewoehner Sale in 1975, have all been weakly struck on the hair curls around Liberty's face and the eagle's right wing.
According to the information compiled by John W. Dannreuther in the book, Early U.S. Gold Coin Varieties, there are four die varieties. There are two dies varieties for each of the two major varieties. All varieties are rare, major or die varieties. The most common variety has 12 known specimens down to one variety is unique. Let’s take a quick look at them.
Bass-Dannreuther 1. 1828/7 Reverse of 1826
According to Mr. Dannreuther reference book, the number of known specimens is three to five. The estimated survival for this coin is only five coins. Mr. Hansen has one of two finest certified by PCGS. He has the Eliasberg/Pogue MS63 specimen. Also, the coin is from the Lorin G. Parmelee Collection. I don’t exactly know where or when Mr. Hansen obtained this coin, but we do know it was added prior to March 2019. There are two or three other MS63 coins that are equally as fine as the Hansen coin. One is the King Farouk of Egypt specimen now in the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Foundation Collection. The other one is a Reed/Suros/Jacobson specimen. The coin set the auction record when sold for $632,500 in 2012. The Hansen specimen was purchased privately and last sold in the Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection by Bowers & Ruddy in 1982 for $44,000.
Bass-Dannreuther 2. 1828/7 Reverse of 1828 (Unique)
This is a unique variety that Mr. Dannreuther believes is a lone survivor. Harry Bass was not able to obtain this coin for his collection. The coin can be pedigreed back to when Col. James W. Flanagan purchased it from Stack's in January 1940 for $845. Mr. Dannreuther gives credit for the variety discovery to W. Pollock III. We know the coin was in the J.F. Bell Collection, The Dupont Collection, Farish Baldenhofer Collection, and Samuel W. Wolfson Collection. When the collections were sold, the coin was called the BD-1 variety of the 1828/7. According to Mr. Dannreuther, the coin was sold 1996 in the Superior Keston sale as more common variety. Lastly, the coin sold by Goldberg’s in 1999 where the coin realized $159,500. After 20 years of sight unseen, if the coin comes available, I am not sure what Mr. Hansen interest would be. It would demand a large amount. I think Mr. Hansen and John Brush would at least have an interesting discussion about this coin.
Bass-Dannreuther 3. 1828 Wide Date, High Date
The number of known specimens is three, maybe four. The estimated survival for this coin is only four coins. PCGS has not certified an 1828 BD-3 variety. The whereabouts of the three to four known specimens are a little fuzzy. The one that we know for certain is a coin in The Harry Bass Foundation Collection catalog number HBCC 3153. The description given by HBCC: This example was acquired by Harry Bass in a private transaction in 1989. No previous pedigree was recorded. However, this example matches the plate in Auction ’81, Lot 442, with an earlier pedigree to Rarcoa’s 1963 sale of the J.F. Bell Collection. This is an extremely rare variety with possibly only two or three examples surviving. Walter Breen recorded just two examples in his 1966 monograph, with the Dunham Collection coin sold by B. Max Mehl in 1941 no longer tracked, although the plate in that catalogue has similarities to this example. Without revealing details, Mr. Dannreuther indicates that he confirmed two other specimens, and a third may be a coin sold in the Kreisberg April 4, 1967 sale. If one of these coins would come out of hiding, it would be interesting to watch.
Bass-Dannreuther 4. 1828 Close, Centered Date
The number of known specimens is around 12. The estimated survival for this coin is 15. This is the common coin for 1828. If you need a date for a collection, this is probably the coin you will seek. Mr. Hansen purchased his example in the Heritage 2020 US Coins Signature Auction. The coin was from The McCoy Family Collection of Capped Head Half Eagles. In the PCGS POP report, the Hansen MS62 coin is POP 1/2. A pair of PCGS coins is finer. One is the Dupont/ Keston PCGS MS64 specimen last sold in 2013 for $499,375. The other is the Pogue coin. The MS65+ specimen sold in 2016 for $458,250. The Hansen MS62 coin realized $222,000 in last week’s Heritage Sale.
This purchase compete the 1828 Half Eagle Mayor Variety requirements. The Hansen collection has two of the four Bass-Dannreuther die varieties. At this time, Mr. Hansen has indicated purchasing Early Half Eagles die varieties is not a priority. His first priority is completing the Major Varieties. But the two remaining die varieties are so rare, if one come available; it will be interesting to watch.
1828 Capped Bust Half Eagle, BD-4 Close, Centered Date (AKA Normal Date) MS62
This coin is not the finest known, but certainly the coin is ranked #3 and is a solid condition census specimen. The coin is the common coin for the date, but get real. Calling this a common coin is far from the truth. David Akers described the coin as: The 1828 with the so-called "normal" or "perfect" date is a classic U.S. gold coin rarity. In my opinion, it is slightly less rare than the 1828/7, and comparable to the legendary 1815. It is definitely more rare than the 1819, a date that has received more attention and notoriety over the years than the two varieties of 1828. I would estimate that approximately 12-15 specimens exist including 2 or 3 proofs. Of the non-proofs, most are uncirculated and several are gems. One specimen I have seen is an EF with initials removed from the field. The 1828 Half Eagles I have examined, including the gem that brought $92,500 at Paramount's Davies-Niewoehner Sale in 1975, have all been weakly struck on the hair curls around Liberty's face and the eagle's right wing.
The coin is from the Harry Bass Collection. The coin was offered in the 1999 Bowers & Merena sale of the Harry Bass Collection. In the sale, they reference the coin to being an ex-Garrett and Hesslein coin. The coin realized $55,200. In a more recent 2017 Heritage sale, more names were associated with the coin including Joseph J. Mickley, W. Elliot Woodward, William Sumner Appleton, and John C. Schayer to name a few. So, there is no question the coin is from great breeding stock. In the 2017 Heritage Auction, they described the coin as: An attractive MS62 specimen, the third or fourth finest known, this coin exhibits well-detailed design elements, with just a touch of the softness on Liberty's hair and the vertical stripes in the shield seen on all examples of this issue. A faint die crack is evident connecting the 5 and D in the denomination. The vivid yellow and rose-gold surfaces show a scattering of minor contact marks and retain much original mint luster, with a few hints of prooflike reflectivity in sheltered areas. A most attractive specimen, combining absolute rarity, strong visual appeal and an illustrious pedigree, it may be years before a comparable example becomes available.
In August 2020, the coin is offered by Heritage again, this time from The McCoy Family Collection of Capped Head Half Eagles. The coin realized $222,000 in this sale. PCGS values the coin a $200,000. This sale is the first time this MS62 coin has realized more than $200,000. Sometimes for Hansen new coins, I will say that the coin has found a nice home for a long time. I don’t think I will say that this time. I would not be surprise if Mr. Hansen doesn’t replace this coin if one of the top two coins comes available. Let’s watch and see.
Provenance: Joseph J. Mickley; W. Elliot Woodward; William Sumner Appleton; John C. Schayer; Woodward again; T. Harrison Garrett; Robert Garrett; John Work Garrett; Johns Hopkins University; Garrett Collection Part I (Bowers and Ruddy, 11/1979), lot 470; Harry W. Bass, Jr.; Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection (Bowers and Merena, 10/1999), lot 819; Hutchinson Collection / FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2017), lot 5878; The McCoy Family Collection (Heritage 8/9/2020), lot 4001, realized $222,000, D.L. Hansen Collection.
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. The Major Varieties Set is an expansion of the PCGS Basic Set in The D. L. Hansen Collection. To complete, this set would require the 2821 basic coins plus an additional 439 Major Varieties Coins. With this addition, there are 35 remaining coins in this quest. The first two coins are not collectable, so the completion of this set would be 99.94%. PCGS describes this set as: Every classic U.S. coin in Circulation Strike from 1792 through 1964, every date, every Mintmark, every major variety, this set is the ultimate challenge. A collection of this size could take decades to assemble in high grade.
Top 10
1797 Half Eagle "Large Eagle, 15 Stars" (1 Known – Permanently in Smithsonian) Uncollectable
1797 Half Eagle "Large Eagle, 16 Stars" (1 Known – Permanently in Smithsonian) Uncollectable
1861 Double Eagle "Paquet" (2 Known)
1804 Eagle "Plain 4 Proof" (3 Known)
1849-C Gold Dollar "Open Wreath" (4 Known w/ one defective)
1958 Small Cent "Doubled Die Obverse” (3 Known)
1795 Large Cent "Jefferson, Lettered Edge" (5 Known w/ VF Finest Known)
1810 Half Eagle "Large Date, Small 5" (5 Known w/ AU Finest Known)
1795 Large Cent "Reeded Edge" (8 Known w/ VG Finest Known)
1842 Half Dollar "Small Date, Rev of 1839" (Survival est. 10 w/ 1 Mint State)
Next 10
1804 Quarter Eagle "13 Star Reverse" (Survival est. 11 w/ AU Finest Known)
1831 Half Eagle "Large 5D" (Survival est. 22 all varieties w/ 1 Mint State)
1797 Half Cent "Gripped Edge" (Survival est. 13 w/ VG Finest Known)
1831 Half Eagle "Small 5D" (Survival est. 22 all varieties w/ 3 Mint State)
1853-D Half Eagle "Medium D" (Survival est. 15 w/ AU Finest Known)
1830 Half Eagle "Large 5D" (Survival est. 27 all varieties w/ 5 Mint State)
1830 Half Eagle "Small 5D" (Survival est. 27 all varieties w/ 5 Mint State)
1793 Chain Large Cent "Periods" (118 PCGS Certified w/ 3 Mint State)
1797 Half Eagle "Small Eagle, 15 Stars" (Survival est. 20 w/ 1 Mint State)
1820 Half Eagle "Curl Base 2, Sm Letters" (Survival est. 14 w/ 8 Mint State)
Last 15
1800 Dollar "Wide Date, Low 8, AMERICAI" (Survival est. 25 w/ AU Finest Known)
1840-D Half Eagle "Small D" (Survival est. 25 w/ AU Finest Known)
1798/7 Eagle "7X6 Stars" (Survival est. 25 w/ 3 Mint State)
1812/1 Half Dollar "Large 8" (Survival est. 35 w/ AU Finest Known)
1795 Large Cent "Jefferson, Plain Edge" (Survival est. 45 w/ VF Finest Known)
1820 Half Eagle "Curl Base 2, Large Letters" (Survival est. 32 w/ 20 Mint State)
1839 Half Dollar "Receeded Edge, Small Letters” (Survival est. 50 w/ 4 Mint State)
1833 Half Eagle "Large Date" (Survival est. 37 w/ 19 Mint State)
1834 Half Eagle "Capped Bust, Plain 4" (Survival est. 37 w/ 19 Mint State)
1798 Quarter Eagle "Wide Date" (Survival est. 50 w/ 8 Mint State)
1794 Large Cent "Starred Reverse" (Survival est. 60 w/ AU Finest Known)
1807/6 Large Cent "Small 7" (Survival est. 100 w/ AU Finest Known)
1798 Dollar "Large Eagle, Knob 9, 4 Lines" (Survival est. 125 w/ 2 Mint State)
1795 Half Dollar "Small Head" (Survival est. 450 w/ 1 Mint State)
1887/6 Three Cent CN (Survival est. 800 w/ 750 Mint State)
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I registered for event. It will interesting to hear what John Brush has to say. He is doing a really great job with the Hansen Collection and his fast growing company. It don’t appear that COVID will cause any impact on the either the collection or business. John is a really busy man, and it great to see that he still can take time to present at a symposium. I will be watching
I plan to watch John Dannreuther too. It should be a great John and John show.
A few days ago we saw the 1793 Strawberry Leaf Large Cent added to the D.L. Hansen Collection. The 1793 Strawberry Leaf is one of four coins that PCGS recognizes as “Ultra Rarities”. In fact, PCGS offers two Major Varieties sets for large cents. One is the 143 piece set, and the other is a 147 piece set that included the “Ultra Rarities”. PCGS Registry describes the set as: This is the fantastic complete 1793 to 1857 large cent series, plus the four ultra-rarities of the series. The 1793 Strawberry Leaf (4 known), 1795 Reeded Edge (7 known), 1795 Jefferson Head Lettered Edge (5 known), and the 1795 Jefferson Head Plain Edge (about 30 known) are prohibitively rare, so much so that we have two versions of the Large Cents with Major Varieties, Circulation Strikes (1793-1857) set, one without the four ultra-rarities, and one with.
As indicated in the last update, Mr. Hansen snagged three of the four ultra-rarities from Stack’s Bowers Galleries sale of the ESM Collection of United States Large Cents. The one that got away was the Jefferson Head, Lettered Edge. The three that Mr. Hansen purchased had a combine auction realize value of $888,000. The best grade in the trio is a VF20. If and when he adds the fourth coin, it will be pretty certain that the total investment the four ultra-rarities will be in excess of seven figures.
The 1795 Reeded Edge is described by expert P. Scott Rubin as: 1795 Reeded Edge large cent is the first U.S. copper coin to reach the million dollar figure at auction. This coin is graded only Very Good-10 by PCGS and is the finest known. The reason this coin is so valuable can trace its desirability to the book Early American Cents 1793-1814 by William Sheldon. Dr. Sheldon numbered coins in his book in two categories the first group were coins that could be found by collectors and the second group coins that were so rare that they were called Non-Collectables or NC’s. So it was possible to collect all the regular numbered coins and finish the collection yet still not have every know variety. PCGS registry may be using a similar concept, but they call the non-collectables, ultra-rarities. The Hansen-ESM specimen is not the million dollar VG-10 coin mentioned by Mr. Rubin. The VG-10 coin did sell in a 2009 Goldberg’s Auction realizing $1,265,000. When the coin was later sold in 2014 Heritage - Adam Mervis Large Cent Collection FUN Signature sale, it realized only $646,250. The coin is currently in the High Desert Registry Set.
1795 Jefferson Head Plain Edge example has a very interesting story. This coin is described by expert Ron Guth: The Jefferson Head Cents are sample coins produced outside the mint by independent businessman John Harper, then a saw-maker by trade, who proposed to supply coinage to the Mint under contract. Initially, Harper approached the Mint with suggestions for improvements to their machinery, but he was treated poorly, so he decided to make his own press and dies to prove his methods. The "Jefferson Heads" are the result. Though they were made outside the Mint, collectors prize the Jefferson Cents highly and have included them among the regular cents. The finest specimen of this variety is XF40BN. The coin is also owned by High Desert.
Mr. Hansen owns the finest 1793 Strawberry Leaf. As stated, High Desert owns the finest 1795 Reeded Edge and 1795 Jefferson Head, Plain Edge specimens. The finest 1795 Jefferson Head, Lettered Edge coin was sold in the SBG sale of the ESM Collection. I can not confirmed, but High Desert did update his closed set today. I thought High Desert won the coin to replace his FR-2, and that appear to be true. If confirmed, High Desert will own three of the four finest known top pop specimens for the four ultra-rarities. Now, back to Mr. Hansen, his 1795 1C Reeded Edge is graded G4BN, but it is the second finest graded by PCGS! This will be the feature coin for this posting.
Exceedingly Rare 1795 1C Reeded Edge, BN G4BN, Tied for PCGS Second Finest Certified
This is not prettiest coin the Hansen Collection, but when you need one of these rare pieces, you can’t be but so picky. A finer specimen is not available. This coin is known as the he Newcomb-Hines-ESM Specimen. The coin’s surface was described by the SBG auctioneer as: Both sides exhibit intermingled steel and tan-brown patina over surfaces that are universally rough and pitted due to moderate corrosion. There are few marks of note, however. The reverse has a single shallow scuff to the right of the ribbon knot and a tiny edge nick outside the letter D in UNITED that serve as useful identifiers. I find the corrosion is a distraction in my view. I would like to hold the coin in hand, because in the images, the corrosion appear to be more the just moderate. Anyone seen this coin in hand that can add any comments?
The coin details and history were further described as: Interestingly for such a rare variety, four of the 10 confirmed examples have entered the numismatic market during the last two decades. The ESM specimen offered here, however, has been known since the early 20th century when it was discovered in a large lot of old coins by Henry Chapman, who placed it in his June 1916 George W. Lewis Collection sale as lot 634. Only six specimens were positively confirmed as of the 2000 Bland census, in which this coin was listed as CC#4 with an EAC grade of Good-5, "Sharpness of VG-10 but pitted." The 2007 Noyes census (of five coins) says G5(VF20) Scudzy and CC#3. The complete census of 10 known examples published by Heritage in their January 2016 FUN Signature Auction catalog lists this coin as CC#5 with an EAC grade of Good-5. When offered as part of that firm's January 2011 FUN Signature Auction, cataloger Mark Borckardt assigned a sharpness grade of Fine-15, net grade of Good-6.
The 2011 Heritage sale mentioned above, the coin was offered as 1795 1C Reeded Edge-Corrosion-NGC Fine Details. The coin realized $431,250. The same coin was offered a few weeks ago in a PCGS G4BN holder, and the coin realized $132,000. It is obvious the way the ultra-rarities are viewed have changed. You can be the judge if change is good or bad? Anyway, I believe Mr. Hansen is very pleased he was able to obtain this PCGS graded example for this price. If a better specimen comes available, it will be interesting to see if Mr. Hansen upgrades this coin.
Provenance: Henry Chapman, discovered in a large lot of old coins; Henry Chapman (6/1916), lot 634; Henry Chapman (3/1917), lot 549; Howard R. Newcomb (2/1939); Henry C. Hines (1945); Dr. William H. Sheldon; Dorothy Paschal (1/1974); Denis W. Loring (5/1974); Dr. Robert J. Shalowitz; George Korsing; American Auction Association (1/1975), lot 908; George Korsing; Hap Seiders; Ronald Cooper; NASCA (11/1977), lot 96; Tampa FUN Signature & Platinum Night US Coin Auction (Heritage,1/ 2011),Lot #5422, realized $431,250; ESM Collection (SBG, 8/2020), lot 1015, realized $132,000; D.L. Hansen Collection
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. The Major Varieties Set is an expansion of the PCGS Basic Set in The D. L. Hansen Collection. To complete, this set would require the 2821 basic coins plus an additional 439 Major Varieties Coins. With this addition, there are 33 remaining coins in this quest. The first two coins are not collectable, so the completion of this set would be 99.94%. PCGS describes this set as: Every classic U.S. coin in Circulation Strike from 1792 through 1964, every date, every Mintmark, every major variety, this set is the ultimate challenge. A collection of this size could take decades to assemble in high grade.
Top 10
1797 Half Eagle "Large Eagle, 15 Stars" (1 Known – Permanently in Smithsonian) Uncollectable
1797 Half Eagle "Large Eagle, 16 Stars" (1 Known – Permanently in Smithsonian) Uncollectable
1861 Double Eagle "Paquet" (2 Known)
1804 Eagle "Plain 4 Proof" (3 Known)
1849-C Gold Dollar "Open Wreath" (4 Known w/ one defective)
1958 Small Cent "Doubled Die Obverse” (3 Known)
1795 Large Cent "Jefferson, Lettered Edge" (5 Known w/ VF Finest Known)
1810 Half Eagle "Large Date, Small 5" (5 Known w/ AU Finest Known)
1842 Half Dollar "Small Date, Rev of 1839" (Survival est. 10 w/ 1 Mint State)
1804 Quarter Eagle "13 Star Reverse" (Survival est. 11 w/ AU Finest Known)
Next 10
1831 Half Eagle "Large 5D" (Survival est. 22 all varieties w/ 1 Mint State)
1797 Half Cent "Gripped Edge" (Survival est. 13 w/ VG Finest Known)
1831 Half Eagle "Small 5D" (Survival est. 22 all varieties w/ 3 Mint State)
1853-D Half Eagle "Medium D" (Survival est. 15 w/ AU Finest Known)
1830 Half Eagle "Large 5D" (Survival est. 27 all varieties w/ 5 Mint State)
1830 Half Eagle "Small 5D" (Survival est. 27 all varieties w/ 5 Mint State)
1793 Chain Large Cent "Periods" (118 PCGS Certified w/ 3 Mint State)
1797 Half Eagle "Small Eagle, 15 Stars" (Survival est. 20 w/ 1 Mint State)
1820 Half Eagle "Curl Base 2, Sm Letters" (Survival est. 14 w/ 8 Mint State)
1800 Dollar "Wide Date, Low 8, AMERICAI" (Survival est. 25 w/ AU Finest Known)
Last 13
1840-D Half Eagle "Small D" (Survival est. 25 w/ AU Finest Known)
1798/7 Eagle "7X6 Stars" (Survival est. 25 w/ 3 Mint State)
1812/1 Half Dollar "Large 8" (Survival est. 35 w/ AU Finest Known)
1820 Half Eagle "Curl Base 2, Large Letters" (Survival est. 32 w/ 20 Mint State)
1839 Half Dollar "Receeded Edge, Small Letters” (Survival est. 50 w/ 4 Mint State)
1833 Half Eagle "Large Date" (Survival est. 37 w/ 19 Mint State)
1834 Half Eagle "Capped Bust, Plain 4" (Survival est. 37 w/ 19 Mint State)
1798 Quarter Eagle "Wide Date" (Survival est. 50 w/ 8 Mint State)
1794 Large Cent "Starred Reverse" (Survival est. 60 w/ AU Finest Known)
1807/6 Large Cent "Small 7" (Survival est. 100 w/ AU Finest Known)
1798 Dollar "Large Eagle, Knob 9, 4 Lines" (Survival est. 125 w/ 2 Mint State)
1795 Half Dollar "Small Head" (Survival est. 450 w/ 1 Mint State)
1887/6 Three Cent CN (Survival est. 800 w/ 750 Mint State)
Comments
Finest by 4 points and sold for $34,800 (albeit in a NGC holder at the time)-----seems like a bargain to me.
So Hansen has the 2 top coins, the top being a NGC cross?
Very well done!
Of note, this is still listed in the NGC census with the next highest being a single MS60.
Gems like this is part of what makes following Hansen's collection so amazing.
If this has not been mentioned before I have a suggestion. This quest as described in this thread would make for an interesting read if condensed in some form of a book . Or soft bound. And to contain the inclusion of the various photos of the acquired pieces. If/when the collection is deemed the greatest ever, the reading material would be a nice compliment. Especially if the collection becomes more publicly known thereby creating general public interest. The public may want to read how/why it came about. May be a good hobby interest generator.
@BLUEJAYWAY I like your thought, but I think for the general public, the content would need to be dumbed down to a child's level since the historical auction info, peer coin comparisons, etc. would quickly put them to sleep.
Now if the book briefly described a historical event for the year/location to correspond with each coin, that might raise more interest.
"Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
Along with any of the drama in the acquisition of the various parts of the collection. There have to be some stories associated with so many great coins.
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It will be interesting to watch to see which of the opportunities that Mr. Hansen will pop on.
According to Laura Sperber, there will be about $100,000,000 in coins that will be hitting the market the next few months. There are the patterns and there are lots of great coins that could improve the Hansen sets. How much will Mr. Hansen spend? What will he buy? All of these are great questions.
There are some opportunities this week that will be interesting to watch. We have seen Mr. Hansen purchasing some great coins the last few weeks. It does not appear he is saving up to buy anything special or ultra-expensive. I will remind everyone that he can be unpredictable.
Last point, if we believe what we have read in past, it going to hard for Mr. Hansen or anyone to buy the Simpson patterns because Big Black Cat has been waiting for this opportunity to pounce. He already has over 200 patterns. I don’t expect to see Mr. Hansen getting into a bidding war over patterns. Evidently, the patterns were not available for private sale because Black Cat would purchase all of Mr. Simpson’s available patterns. That is what we have been told.
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
“Evidently, the patterns were not available for private sale because Black Cat would purchase all of Mr. Simpson’s available patterns.”
I do not understand what you saying here? Can you explain further.
Wondercoin
If Mr. Simpson would have offered the patterns in a private transaction, "Black Cat" would have snapped them up. Since they are going to auction, they must not have been offered for purchase.
That was using pre-COVID assumptions a while back. Perhaps, they were offered but Black Cat may not be in a position to buy them now. Situations change.
How do you rank Hansen's modern collections with others?
Mr. Hansen has wonderful modern collections and is #1 or #2 in a great many modern coin series.
Wondercoin
I believe that DLH will not buy any patterns. If he does it will be a handful. I would also think that BC will only buy a select few of the best ones.
Early Half Eagle Update
I mention this upgrade a couple weeks ago. I intended to post an update on this coin, but due to success in the BigMo Civil War sale, I postponed the coin until today. The coin may not reach my definition of greatness, but this was a really nice upgrade, and I did not want it to get away. At the rate that Mr. Hansen upgrades, it would be a tough undertaking to post all of them. So, it requires a little pick and choosing. This is an upgrade to one of my favorite sets. I got to view this set in Mr. Hansen’s vault. It is breath taking to see a box with 50 high grade gold coins dating from 1795 to about 1825. The coin missing was the 1822. If I remember correctly, it was the 47th slot in the box. If the Pogue coin ends up in the box, I certainly would love to see the box with all the slots filled!
It appears Mr. Hansen is collecting the Early Half Eagles by Mayor Varieties. According my count (not the same as PCGS Registry) the set requires 75 coins. If you disregard the two uncollectable coins, he has exactly a dozen coins left. One reason I save this coin until today, the Heritage 2020 US Coins Signature Auction is being held tonight. As some you may know, there are 24 coins from the McCoy Family Collection of Capped Head Half Eagles that will be offered tonight. In this offering, there are six coins that could fill slots in Mr. Hansen Early Half Eagle box. There six others that could upgrade his collection. The remainder 12 coins do not help the Hansen Collection. There are so many opportunities coming up in the next couple months, it will be interesting to see if Mr. Hansen make successful bids on any of the McCoy coins.
1811 Capped Bust Left Half Eagle “Small 5” MS64+, CAC Approved
Can this coin be described as common? Let’s hear what expert David Akers have to say: Although just slightly more common overall than the 1811 Tall 5, the auction data clearly shows that the 1811 Small 5 is much more common in uncirculated condition having appeared 36 times in mint state in my 337 catalogue survey compared to only 17 times for the Large 5. Each variety of the 1811 is more rare than the 1807, 1809/8, 1810 Large Date, Large 5 and 1812 and despite being more often available than the Large 5 variety, choice uncirculated examples of the 1811 Small 5 are harder to locate than either the mintage or most cataloguers would lead one to believe.
In a recent Heritage sale, this specimen was described as: Bass-Dannreuther Die State d/a, the obverse always in a late die state following the earlier production of the BD-1 die pairing. There are no reverse clash marks evident on this beautiful piece. The two 1811 half eagle varieties, the Tall 5 BD-1, and the Small 5 BD-1, are frequently encountered, with this Small 5 variety seen slightly more often. Perhaps 350 of these survive in all grades, compared to about 250 of the BD-1. However, both varieties are rare in high grades, and the present piece is tied with three other PCGS MS64+ examples as the finest graded of the date. A powerful strike is evident with trivial marks scattered over both surfaces of this near-Gem half eagle. The listing does not contribute any pedigree information to the coin.
In the Heritage June 7th 2020 Long Beach Expo U.S. Coins Signature Auction, the coin was listed as 1811 $5 Small 5, BD-2, R.3, MS64+ PCGS, CAC. The D.L. Hansen Collection already had a pretty nice specimen in the set, MS63+ POP 2/22, Cert #28151827. This coin is pedigreed to Hansen and I believe this was the 1811 coin I viewed in his set last fall. It was a dynamite of a coin. Mr. Hansen purchased the coin in 2016 in a David Lawrence Rare Coins Auction for $30,500. I am not sure if Mr. Hansen will attempt to assemble a duplicate set of Early Half Eagles. I do like the duplicate MS63+ coin and not sure if he is planning on keeping it.
It appears the MS64+ PCGS coin may have been purchased at the June Heritage sale by a dealer. The coin realized only $40,800. The coin was offered on National Coin Wholesalers website in late June to early July. The coin was listed as 1811 $5 Small 5 PCGS Secure PCGS Plus 64 PCGS. There was no mention being CAC approved, but the image of the coin in the holder shows the little green sticker. The coin was offered at $48,755. It is valued at $57,500 by the PCGS Value Guide. I think the PCGS POP 7/0 may be depressing the value a little. That is kind of sad because I am not sure how accurate the POP numbers being reported are. It appears Hansen could have save a few bucks if he had purchase the coin directly in the Heritage auction. I don’t recall Heritage June 7th 2020 Long Beach Expo U.S. Coins Signature Auction as being a big sale for Mr. Hansen. You win some and lose some, but you hope you win more that you lose. The auction record for a MS64 is $64,625 in 2013.
1811 Capped Bust Left Half Eagle “Small 5” MS64+
PCGS POP 7/0, CAC Approved
Certification #38973744, PCGS #8109
PCGS Value Guide: $57,500 (MS63) / Unknown
Provenance: Long Beach Expo U.S. Coins Signature (Heritage 6/2020), Lot #3199, realized $40,800; D.L. Hansen Collection
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
Regarding patterns, if I was in DL's position, I might focus on picking up some of Bruce's coins which are the core of DL's collection than patterns which are not currently a focus.
Though if there's enough budget, I might try to get a few 40-50% off bargains.
I’m sure Laura et al will be bidding killing the opportunity for potential bargains. I’d focus on the set and not worry about patterns.
I love seeing coins like this in this thread.
There are a lot of coins out there but coins like this just really aren't posted often on these forums for some reason.
There were a number of bargains in the Pogue sale so you never know.
I will be interested to see what happens to the Hansen collection once the main chase is completed. So many sets are built and then when the thrill of the chase is no longer there, they are sold. Will upgrading satisfy him?
Latin American Collection
Since he's including moderns, he'll always have something new to buy each year.
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I tend to agree with Mr. Perfection’s comments. The Hansen Collection presently has about 30 patterns. I can see collection growing a little. I do not foresee Mr. Hansen making patterns his priority and growing a large collection. Louis Eliasberg Collection contained about 200 pattern pieces. As the Hansen Collection continue to grow over the coming years, I could see that many in the Hansen Collection. It appears the coins that Mr. Hansen really desire; Mr. Simpson is not making available.
If I recall around 2015, Mr. Simpson abandoned his attempt to collect as many patterns as possible. I recall reading that he had purchased all his “desirable pieces” and lost interest in purchasing more. I know of a few that he wanted but could not obtain. That can certainly be demotivating. He had reached almost 60%. I doubt we will see anyone attempting to achieve that level again. It is unfortunate that Mr. Simpson was not able to display the collection before it was broken up. It would have made an amazing display.
With that said, Black Cat’s intentions are an unknown. If he has the will and resources, he could accomplish level that Mr. Simpson did and more. He was once promoted as being the new Legend’s pattern hero. As Zions stated here, situations change and that may not be the case today.
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
No need to worry about them, just place some bids and forget about them. Then see what happens. I've won a few pieces like this recently.
Pattern are of little interest at this time. The Major Varieties are a real challenge and a lot are in the market recently
Heritage’s Auction had some great $5 early Gold from the McCoy Collection. Had good results in this area from the auction
A very difficult set that I have pursued for four years. The 1819 was my primary goal. A real joy to have now aquired Hurray!
I thank Currin for helping analyze the Collection needs and milestones. A very kind and diligent man that motivates my efforts
Congrats on the 1819! That is a great coin. Love it. ☺☺ The best.
A few of the other CAC Half Eagles were wonderful as well.
I would think that most of the patterns are going to go cheap as there is not much demand. Time will tell.
Many are truly amazing, but again, few people buy them. I love many/most of the Simpson coins. I have always been an eye appeal person which are the majority of the Simpson coins.
I would think that most of the patterns are going to go cheap as there is not much demand.
I hope you're right - I've got quite a few on my want list already.
Member ANA, SPMC, SCNA, FUN, CONECA
I can only speak for myself, when I am looking at the Hansen Collection, whether or not it contains patterns does not move the needle for me.
@DLHansen - It’s nice to see you post from time to time. I look forward to seeing you collection continue to progress. Wishing you and @Currin the best!
@cccoins
Thanks Mr. Hansen for the comments. It is certainly a joy watching the amazing collection grow. I have committed that you have been very active in the collection lately. I know you suggested the market is producing some opportunities. You are certainly taking advantages as you did last night. The 1819 half eagle is a great coin and I have been waiting on writing something up on it for a long time.
I know in the current environment for professional sports is not really good. I am sure you normally would be spending a lot of time with that passion. It certainly good to see you are using the spare time to buy great early half eagles. I hope one day I will be able the see that half eagle box again. Hopefully you will have the 1822 slot filled!
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
Early Dime Upgrade
In the past couple months, the Hansen team has pulled the trigger purchasing three early Draped Bust Dimes valued by PCGS in six figures each. Does Mr. Hansen now have a laser focus on this 52 coin set? The last two coins were purchased from the same firm, Rare Coin Wholesalers. We don’t know if the first coin came from the same source. We don’t know the price paid, but the PCGS value for the three coins is $225K, $195K, and $120K. According to my smart phone, the total value of the three dimes is $540,000. I am going to share the link to this set (the 1801 has not been updated)
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/half-dimes/early-dimes-major-sets/early-dimes-major-varieties-circulation-strikes-1796-1837/alltimeset/168515
This is the JR-1 version of the 1801 Dime. Our expert Ron Guth had to say: JR-1 is one of two different die varieties of 1801 Dimes. Both varieties are scarce to rare, with the JR-1 being the more common of the two. When Davis et al wrote about this variety in 1984, they noted that it was scarce in VF30 or better and they described it as "Of [the] highest rarity in MS-60 (not more than two known)." Not much has changed in the intervening years. We now know of three Mint State examples, the finest of which is the NGC MS65 formerly in the Norweb and Gardner Collection and which sold in 2014 for $111,625. The second finest example, ex Waldo Bolen, was last seen in 1995 -- it is the plate coin in “Early United States Dimes, 1796-1837”. This variety shows a spine (or raised die line) on the reverse running up into the field from the upper right tip of the shield. This anomaly can be seen even on low-grade examples and is diagnostic of the variety. As noted by Mr. Guth, this coin is known as the second finest. The finest being the Norweb/Gardner Specimen. The finest known coin was sold earlier this year in Heritage 2020 Central States US Coins Signature Auction. The coin that once sold for auction record of $111,625 in 2014, realized a very disappointing $81,000. It makes you wonder what the real value of these dimes is now. Is Mr. Hansen recognizing this is a buyer’s market for early US Dimes?
1801 Draped Bust Dime “JR-1” MS63
I am not sure how many of Mr. Hansen’s coins can be traced to William Cutter Atwater. This would make a good research project. He made an early attempt to complete the US Issues Collection (As Hansen is attempting to do today). He can close. B. Max Mehl, cataloger and seller, described Cutter’s attempt as: comprising of each date and branch mint coins minted in gold, silver, copper from the first year of mintage in 1793 to 1920 (with only three of four exceptions) including the celebrated Stickney 1804 Dollar and the Idler 1804 Dollar, Second Variety (first time in numismatic history when both varieties of this great coin are offered in one sale). The sale was held June 11th, 1946. The grand total of this celebrated sale was $153,514.60. This is the largest sum ever realized for a Coin Collection ever sold at auction in the United Sates. And as far as I know in the world. (B. Max Mehl).
Mr. Hansen’s 1801 Draped Bust Dime can be traced to this famous collection. I have a copy of the 1946 sale. This is what was written in the catalog: Variety with last 1 in date high. Uncirculated with full frosty mint surface. Extremely rare so choice. Seldom obtained better than good. A similar specimen sold at auction last year for $90.00 The coin beat the last year coin and sold for $120! It has been noted by pedigree sources that the coin is possibly from DeWitt Smith and H.O. Granberg Collections. Those two collections sold in the 1908 to 1913 timeframe.
In mid-1960s, the coin was in Lester Merkin Collections, then over a period of about 15 years (1980-1995) the coin sold in three auctions with ties to Stacks. One of the notable sales was the Lovejoy Collection in Stack's Auction that was held in 1990. When the Waldo E. "Pat" Bolen, Jr. Collection went on sale in 1995, the coin realized $11,275. The coin finish the century in the Jim O'Donnell Collection.
The coin appeared in auction twice in the last dozen years. The auction record sale for this MS63 coin is $46,000 when the Ed Price Collection was sold by Heritage in 2008. The coin was auctioned again by Heritage in the Twin Leaf Collection sale in 2009. This time the coin had disappointing results as sold for only $29,900. The coin has not been seen publicly since that sale.
This coin replaced one of Mr. Hansen’s AU58 coins. The duplicate coin is valued at $30,000 in AU58 condition, Cert # 50184373. It carries the Hansen pedigree and is a POP 3/5. The new purchased MS63 coin is valued now at $120,000! At the Atwater sale, the coin brought $120! Those three little extra zeros mean a lot. As stated, the coin has not appeared in auction since 2009 where it brought slightly under $30,000. We do not know how many times the coin has been offered privately to the Hansen Team. I did not ask John Brush about this coin, but I bet he would say the coin has been offered to him several times the past 2-3 years.
The last Heritage sale in 2009, the auctioneer described the coin as: The date is closely spaced with both 1's separated from the device. Stars 1 and 7 are equally distant from the curl and L, star 8 is very close to the Y, and star 13 is close to the drapery. All stars are widely spaced with none touching. LIB are closely spaced with BERTY widely spaced. The R was first entered too low, and corrected. A vertical spine from the curl tip nearly reaches the left base of the E. Star 12 is solidly joined to the eagle's beak, diagnostic. AME are joined with all other letters separated. Stars 1 through 4 and star 6 all touch the clouds; star 5 just misses. A leaf tip touches the right base of I, and another is below the space between C and A. The outer arrow tip is below the right curve of U. Considerable die rust exists on both sides. Dotted lines of die rust in the lower right obverse field are characteristic of the variety. While the obverse die rust is primarily limited to the fields, the reverse die rust encroaches upon the devices. The 1801 dimes were coined from two obverse dies and one reverse die. While the reverse of JR-1 has extensive die rust, it is less advanced than found on JR-2. They are part of the interconnected group of dime and quarter eagle varieties struck from 1798 to 1801. Also, a comparison was made with the other finer NGC specimen: Although listed as finest seen in the dime book, Ed Price said he had seen one that is finer, so we call this the second finest known. This is a stunning Mint State example with satiny silver luster on the obverse and reverse, enhanced by considerable rose toning on both sides. As usual, the central obverse and reverse are weak, with most other details sharp. Only the stars at the right obverse are flat. A few trivial hairlines and other microscopic blemishes are of little concern.
The coin appeared on the website of Rare Coin Wholesales in mid-May. The coin was offered for $125,000. The same firm had the coin post on eBay for several weeks with a price of $131,300. The coin became unavailable on or about 6/29. We don’t know the negotiated price John Brush was able settle on to purchase the coin. Being a finer CAC approved specimen sold a couple months ago for only $81,000, I would think that sale results can really help the negotiations for the buyer. It is not finest coin, but the coin is a PCGS POP 1/0 specimen from the famous Hall of Fame Atwater Collection.
1801 Draped Bust Dime “JR-1” MS63
PCGS POP 1/0, Gold Shield
Certification #36659297, PCGS #38756
PCGS Value Guide: $120,000) / Unknown
Provenance: Possibly from DeWitt Smith and H.O. Granberg; William Cutler Atwater (B. Max Mehl, 6/1946), lot 893, realized $120; Lester Merkin (4/1966), lot 93; Stack's (6/1980), lot 293; Lovejoy Collection (Stack's, 10/1990), lot 16; Waldo E. "Pat" Bolen, Jr. Collection, Numisma '95 (Akers, Stack's, RARCOA, Superior, 11/1995), lot #2014, realized $11,275; Jim O'Donnell (4/1998); Ed Price Collection (Heritage 7/2008), lot #1424, realized $46,000; Twin Leaf Collection (Heritage 4/2209), lot #2216, realized $29,900; The D.L. Hansen Collection
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
Major Varieties – Countdown Continues
The last countdown for the major varieties was reported about a month ago with the addition of Pogue’s 1798/7 Capped Bust Dime “13-Star Reverse MS63”. For the next few weeks, the countdown will get fast and furious. You are going to witness nine half eagles major varieties and six early large cents including three of the four large cent ultra-rarities. Eight of the nine half eagles were picked up from the McCoy Family Collection of Capped Head Half Eagles sale held by Heritage on Tuesday night. If you read my pre-auction posting, I said there were six coins that could fill slots in Mr. Hansen Early Half Eagle box. Actually he purchased eight for empty slots, because he obtained both varieties of the 1830 and 1831 issues. Technically, he did not need both, but the PCGS set requires both varieties and the basic coin. Go figure. So, he how have three coins for each date. We will discuss the confusion a little more in detail in a future posting.
The six Large Cents came from Peter Miller’s ESM Collection of Large Cents. Mr. Hansen wanted the 1793 “Strawberry Leaf” coin. It is considered the finest known. He got the number one coin that he wanted, but the number two coin got away. The 1795 “Jefferson Lettered Edge” VF30 is currently the only coin left that Mr. Hansen will need to finish the Large Cents. The coin ran up to and sold for $405,000. The coin realized more than the PCGS value guide of $250,000. This shows that even Mr. Hansen has limits, because I know he would like to have completed the set. PCGS POP report indicates only five are known, with only three coins certified. The finest is this VF30 coin, a F15, and a really low graded FR2. The coin is similar in rarity with the “Strawberry Leaf” variety, but not as legendary. I don’t know who bought the coin, but my first guess would be High Dessert. He has the PCGS FR2, and he currently have the only completed registry set. This is just a guess, but I could see where he would want to upgrade his current coin. No one else comes to mind that would be willing to pay up for the coin. Do you know?
The fifteen countdown coins that we will see in the next few weeks ranged in price realized from $49,000 to $660,000. I would estimate the total realized for just the 15 coins would be approx. $2,500,000. I am not talking about the additional upgrades and other coins purchased in the auctions this week. Just looking at the upgrades posted in the half eagle set, I know two coins were replaced that realized over the six figure mark. What impressive auction results. There are more to come with Legend’s offering of the Morelan coins and the five part Simpson Collection being offered by Heritage. Who was it that said Mr. Hansen was slowing down?
The Major Varieties Set is an expansion of the PCGS Basic Set in The D. L. Hansen Collection. To complete, this set would require the 2821 basic coins plus an additional 439 Major Varieties Coins. With this addition, there are 38 remaining coins in this quest. The first two coins are not collectable, so the completion of this set would be 99.94%. PCGS describes this set as: Every classic U.S. coin in Circulation Strike from 1792 through 1964, every date, every Mintmark, every major variety, this set is the ultimate challenge. A collection of this size could take decades to assemble in high grade.
Top 10
1797 Half Eagle "Large Eagle, 15 Stars" (1 Known – Permanently in Smithsonian) Uncollectable
1797 Half Eagle "Large Eagle, 16 Stars" (1 Known – Permanently in Smithsonian) Uncollectable
1861 Double Eagle "Paquet" (2 Known)
1804 Eagle "Plain 4 Proof" (3 Known)
1849-C Gold Dollar "Open Wreath" (4 Known w/ one defective)
1958 Small Cent "Doubled Die Obverse” (3 Known)
1793 Wreath Large Cent "Strawberry Leaf" (4 Known w/ VG Finest Known)
1795 Large Cent "Jefferson, Lettered Edge" (5 Known w/ VF Finest Known)
1810 Half Eagle "Large Date, Small 5" (5 Known w/ AU Finest Known)
1795 Large Cent "Reeded Edge" (8 Known w/ VG Finest Known)
Next 10
1842 Half Dollar "Small Date, Rev of 1839" (Survival est. 10 w/ 1 Mint State)
1804 Quarter Eagle "13 Star Reverse" (Survival est. 11 w/ AU Finest Known)
1831 Half Eagle "Large 5D" (Survival est. 22 all varieties w/ 1 Mint State)
1797 Half Cent "Gripped Edge" (Survival est. 13 w/ VG Finest Known)
1831 Half Eagle "Small 5D" (Survival est. 22 all varieties w/ 3 Mint State)
1853-D Half Eagle "Medium D" (Survival est. 15 w/ AU Finest Known)
1830 Half Eagle "Large 5D" (Survival est. 27 all varieties w/ 5 Mint State)
1830 Half Eagle "Small 5D" (Survival est. 27 all varieties w/ 5 Mint State)
1828 Half Eagle "Normal Date" (Survival est. 14 w/ 5 Mint State)
1793 Chain Large Cent "Periods" (118 PCGS Certified w/ 3 Mint State)
Last 18
1797 Half Eagle "Small Eagle, 15 Stars" (Survival est. 20 w/ 1 Mint State)
1820 Half Eagle "Curl Base 2, Sm Letters" (Survival est. 14 w/ 8 Mint State)
1819 Half Eagle "5D/50" (Survival est. 17 w/ 8 Mint State)
1800 Dollar "Wide Date, Low 8, AMERICAI" (Survival est. 25 w/ AU Finest Known)
1840-D Half Eagle "Small D" (Survival est. 25 w/ AU Finest Known)
1798/7 Eagle "7X6 Stars" (Survival est. 25 w/ 3 Mint State)
1812/1 Half Dollar "Large 8" (Survival est. 35 w/ AU Finest Known)
1795 Large Cent "Jefferson, Plain Edge" (Survival est. 45 w/ VF Finest Known)
1820 Half Eagle "Curl Base 2, Large Letters" (Survival est. 32 w/ 20 Mint State)
1839 Half Dollar "Receeded Edge, Small Letters” (Survival est. 50 w/ 4 Mint State)
1833 Half Eagle "Large Date" (Survival est. 37 w/ 19 Mint State)
1834 Half Eagle "Capped Bust, Plain 4" (Survival est. 37 w/ 19 Mint State)
1798 Quarter Eagle "Wide Date" (Survival est. 50 w/ 8 Mint State)
1794 Large Cent "Starred Reverse" (Survival est. 60 w/ AU Finest Known)
1807/6 Large Cent "Small 7" (Survival est. 100 w/ AU Finest Known)
1798 Dollar "Large Eagle, Knob 9, 4 Lines" (Survival est. 125 w/ 2 Mint State)
1795 Half Dollar "Small Head" (Survival est. 450 w/ 1 Mint State)
1887/6 Three Cent CN (Survival est. 800 w/ 750 Mint State)
Bold Coins were recent purchase.
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
CONGRATULATIONS Dell Loy those were iconic copper coins that you added to your set. I thought the Strawberry Leaf Cent was amazing in hand. Really nice jump forward in key early copper for one days work. Not many days like that in a lifetime.
Major Varieties – Countdown 37
The Legendary 1793 Strawberry Leaf
James McCartney, Senior Numismatist and Consignment Director at StacksBowers made this announcement about a month ago: Stack’s Bowers Galleries is thrilled to offer the finest known example of the 1793 Strawberry Leaf Cent in their August 2020 Las Vegas Auction, presented as part of the ESM Collection of United States Large Cents. First purchased for $77.50 in 1877, this early cent could bring more than $500,000 in the Rarities Night Session, to be held on the evening of August 6. Among the 348 die varieties of early U.S. large cents numbered by specialist Dr. William Sheldon, no variety captures the imagination of specialists so much as the 1793 Strawberry Leaf cent. Only four specimens are known, all of which are well worn, a fact that contributes to the mystery and desirability that surrounds them.
This coin is not found any condition higher than VG10 PCGS. At one point, the coin was graded F12 by NGC. There are two other PCGS certified coins, a G4 PCGS that last appeared in Heritage’s January 2014 FUN Signature Auction. The other is a very low condition FR2 PCGS (Unique NC-2 variety) that also last appeared in Heritage’s January 2014 FUN Signature Auction. The pair was from the Adam Mervis Collection. The fourth and final specimen is a AG3 estimated grade coin located at the American Numismatic Society. The Smithsonian is missing an example of this coin. Below are the only four known specimens and their long history. The finest VG10 is now residing in the D.L. Hansen Collection.
1) Hansen/ Parmelee Specimen (NC-3 variety), PCGS VG-10 (formerly NGC F12 insert #1827897-001): First identified by David U. Proskey. Ex J.W. Scott & Co.'s sale of October 1877, lot 201, where it realized $77.50; purchased on the floor by H.G. Sampson, acting for Lorin G. Parmelee, outbidding Joseph N.T. Levick's $75 commission for Sylvester S. Crosby; New York Stamp and Coin Co.'s sale of the Lorin G. Parmelee Collection, June 1890, lot 671, where it realized $79; purchased by Charles Steigerwalt and resold to Dr. Thomas Hall in October 1890 for $90; sold as part of the intact Hall Collection to Virgil Brand on September 7, 1909; Brand estate; consigned by Armin Brand to Burdette G. Johnson along with 16 other important 1793 cents on February 7, 1941; James Kelly, May 1941, for $2,500; Roscoe E. Staples, for $2,750; Staples family; our (American Numismatic Rarities') Frog Run Farm Collection sale, December 2004, lot 130, realized $414,000; our (Stack's) Orlando Sale of January 2009, lot 51, realized $862,500 (Auction Record): Peter Miller ESM Collection, StacksBowers 8/2020, lot 1006, realized $660,000; D.L. Hansen Collection
2) Star/Holmes Specimen (NC-3 variety), PCGS Good-4: Ex William Rabin, who discovered the coin in Philadelphia and offered it for sale in the September 1941 issue of The Numismatist, page 736; James Kelly's sale of May 1949, lot 1044; Floyd Tallmadge Starr; our (Stack's) sale of the Floyd T. Starr Collection of United States Large Cents and Half Cents, June 1984, lot 7; Isaac Tatnall Starr, June 12, 1989; R.E. "Ted" Naftzger, Jr., February 23, 1992; Eric Streiner; Jay Parrino, October 7, 1995; Anthony Terranova, October 16, 1994; Dan Holmes; Ira & Larry Goldberg's sale of the Dan Holmes Collection, Part I, September 2009, lot 8; Adam Mervis; Heritage's sale of the Adam Mervis Large Cent Collection, January 2014 FUN Signature Auction, lot 2420.
3) Chapman/ANS Specimen (NC-3 variety) About Good (3): Ex George W. Merritt; Ed Frossard's sale of January 1879, lot 90; Ferguson Haines; W. Elliott Woodward's Sale #32, October 1880, lot 189; H.G. Sampson; Ferguson Haines; S.H. and H. Chapman's sale of October 1888, lot 846, withdrawn; Ferguson Haines; Ed Frossard's Sale #130, December 1894, lot 700; J. Sanford Saltus, May 16, 1906; American Numismatic Society Collection.
4) Bland/Starr Specimen (NC-2 unique variety) PCGS Fair-2: Ex John Meader, who acquired the coin from circulation in 1845 (according to Del Bland in his census published in Walter Breen's large cent encyclopedia), December 1868; Richard B. Winsor; S.H. & H. Chapman's sale of the Richard B. Winsor Collection, December 1895, lot 823; Sylvester S. Crosby, April 1896; Dr. Thomas Hall, September 7, 1909; Virgil Brand; Brand estate, February 7, 1941; Burdette G. Johnson, September 12, 1941; James Kelly, 1941; Numismatic Gallery's sale of the Charles M. Williams Collection, November 1950, lot 6; Floyd Tallmadge Starr; our (Stack's) sale of the Floyd T. Starr Collection of United States Large Cents and Half Cents, June 1984, lot 6; R.E. "Ted" Naftzger, Jr., February 23, 1992; Eric Streiner; Jay Parrino, October 7, 1995; Anthony Terranova, October 16, 1995; Dan Holmes; Ira & Larry Goldberg's sale of the Dan Holmes Collection, Part I, October 2009, lot 7; Adam Mervis; Heritage's sale of the Adam Mervis Large Cent Collection; January 2014 FUN Signature Auction, lot 2419; High Desert (Registry Set)
As you can see all four of these legendary coins have rich history. This finest of the four is now in a strong collection and may not be offered for sell in most of our lifetimes. The coin went off the market for about sixty years and I could see that happening again. Stack's Orlando Sale in January 2009 sale is where the coin smashed the auction record when it realized $862,500. The coin has resided as the center piece in Peter Miller’s PCGS Registry ESM Collection. The set was #1 in registry from 2007 to 2012.
1793 Flowing Hair Cent, Wreath Reverse. NC-3. Rarity-8-. Strawberry Leaf. VG-10 (PCGS)
This coin has a long rich pedigree. I will include the story why the coin was off the market for more than a half century as shared by Mr. McCartney: In May 1941 it quietly sold to a nearly unknown collector from Maine, Roscoe E. Staples, for $2,750. Roscoe Staples, a successful businessman, joined the Maine National Guard in 1934 and embarked for the Pacific theater in fall 1942. While his troops were actively engaged in taking the Munda airfield from the remaining Japanese forces in 1943, then-Major Staples was shot and killed by a Japanese sniper. Staples was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for bravery, and he was noted for being "a brilliant officer who had the respect of his men and his superiors." After Staples' death, the coin remained with his family until sold in the Stack’s Bowers Galleries 2004 Frog Run Farm Collection sale.
In the Stack’s Bowers Galleries 2004 Frog Run Farm Collection sale, the coin realized an astonishing $414,000. That would be followed up by an auction record when it realized $862,500 in 2009. In talking with John Brush, he indicated that he thought the coin would realize $700K - $900K. He did not tell me their limited, but would think Mr. Hansen is thrill to have won the coin for less than $700K. Stack’s auctioneer describes the coin as: Both sides are finely and evenly granular, the devices and peripheries a medium shade of brown that contrasts with the deeper dark brown toning present in the fields. Some scattered microscopic pits are visible on Liberty's cheek, but for the most part the devices are smooth and pleasing. Careful examination of the obverse reveals some light blemishes, commensurate with the amount of wear on the coin. Each acts as an identifier that links this coin with its past and future provenance: a tiny nick on the border at 10 o'clock, a nick at the juncture of the hair and the high forehead, a nick under the lowest point of the lowest lock, a nick just inside the border near 3 o'clock, and a few other tiny marks or abrasions. For the reverse we note a shallow edge bruise over the letter M in AMERICA, as well as a few old vertical scratches near the left ribbon end which are long since toned over.
Mr. Hansen has placed a lot of resources in making his core collection the finest that has ever been assembled. We have seen amazing upgrades continuing to pour into the collection. We may be seeing a slight shift in his goals and priorities. Mr. Hansen reached out to us Thursday morning and said: The Major Varieties are a real challenge and a lot are in the market recently Heritage’s Auction had some great $5 early Gold from the McCoy Collection. Had good results in this area from the auction. A very difficult set that I have pursued for four years. The 1819 was my primary goal. He followed up those comments a few hours later by adding this legendary coin to this collection. What a remarkable week has been. This is just the first coin that you will get to see.
1793 Flowing Hair Cent, “Strawberry Leaf”, VG-10BN
PCGS, POP 1/0, Ex: Parmelle Collection (Finest Known)
Certification #12952855, PCGS 35483 (Variety of: 1353)
PCGSVG: $800,000 / realized $660,000
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The Major Varieties Set is an expansion of the PCGS Basic Set in The D. L. Hansen Collection. To complete, this set would require the 2821 basic coins plus an additional 439 Major Varieties Coins. With this addition, there are 37 remaining coins in this quest. The first two coins are not collectable, so the completion of this set would be 99.94%. PCGS describes this set as: Every classic U.S. coin in Circulation Strike from 1792 through 1964, every date, every Mintmark, every major variety, this set is the ultimate challenge. A collection of this size could take decades to assemble in high grade.
Top 10
1797 Half Eagle "Large Eagle, 15 Stars" (1 Known – Permanently in Smithsonian) Uncollectable
1797 Half Eagle "Large Eagle, 16 Stars" (1 Known – Permanently in Smithsonian) Uncollectable
1861 Double Eagle "Paquet" (2 Known)
1804 Eagle "Plain 4 Proof" (3 Known)
1849-C Gold Dollar "Open Wreath" (4 Known w/ one defective)
1958 Small Cent "Doubled Die Obverse” (3 Known)
1795 Large Cent "Jefferson, Lettered Edge" (5 Known w/ VF Finest Known)
1810 Half Eagle "Large Date, Small 5" (5 Known w/ AU Finest Known)
1795 Large Cent "Reeded Edge" (8 Known w/ VG Finest Known)
1842 Half Dollar "Small Date, Rev of 1839" (Survival est. 10 w/ 1 Mint State)
Next 10
1804 Quarter Eagle "13 Star Reverse" (Survival est. 11 w/ AU Finest Known)
1831 Half Eagle "Large 5D" (Survival est. 22 all varieties w/ 1 Mint State)
1797 Half Cent "Gripped Edge" (Survival est. 13 w/ VG Finest Known)
1831 Half Eagle "Small 5D" (Survival est. 22 all varieties w/ 3 Mint State)
1853-D Half Eagle "Medium D" (Survival est. 15 w/ AU Finest Known)
1830 Half Eagle "Large 5D" (Survival est. 27 all varieties w/ 5 Mint State)
1830 Half Eagle "Small 5D" (Survival est. 27 all varieties w/ 5 Mint State)
1828 Half Eagle "Normal Date" (Survival est. 14 w/ 5 Mint State)
1793 Chain Large Cent "Periods" (118 PCGS Certified w/ 3 Mint State)
1797 Half Eagle "Small Eagle, 15 Stars" (Survival est. 20 w/ 1 Mint State)
Last 17
1820 Half Eagle "Curl Base 2, Sm Letters" (Survival est. 14 w/ 8 Mint State)
1819 Half Eagle "5D/50" (Survival est. 17 w/ 8 Mint State)
1800 Dollar "Wide Date, Low 8, AMERICAI" (Survival est. 25 w/ AU Finest Known)
1840-D Half Eagle "Small D" (Survival est. 25 w/ AU Finest Known)
1798/7 Eagle "7X6 Stars" (Survival est. 25 w/ 3 Mint State)
1812/1 Half Dollar "Large 8" (Survival est. 35 w/ AU Finest Known)
1795 Large Cent "Jefferson, Plain Edge" (Survival est. 45 w/ VF Finest Known)
1820 Half Eagle "Curl Base 2, Large Letters" (Survival est. 32 w/ 20 Mint State)
1839 Half Dollar "Receeded Edge, Small Letters” (Survival est. 50 w/ 4 Mint State)
1833 Half Eagle "Large Date" (Survival est. 37 w/ 19 Mint State)
1834 Half Eagle "Capped Bust, Plain 4" (Survival est. 37 w/ 19 Mint State)
1798 Quarter Eagle "Wide Date" (Survival est. 50 w/ 8 Mint State)
1794 Large Cent "Starred Reverse" (Survival est. 60 w/ AU Finest Known)
1807/6 Large Cent "Small 7" (Survival est. 100 w/ AU Finest Known)
1798 Dollar "Large Eagle, Knob 9, 4 Lines" (Survival est. 125 w/ 2 Mint State)
1795 Half Dollar "Small Head" (Survival est. 450 w/ 1 Mint State)
1887/6 Three Cent CN (Survival est. 800 w/ 750 Mint State)
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
Currin - you forgot to mention that
DelLoy acquired the Eliasberg
1796 Liberty Cap which is one of the finest known regardless of grade !
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Thanks Mr. Blay for the prompt. I think I would have missed this great coin. I believe the coin was purchased from David Lawrence Rare Coins. This is what I found.
1796 1c PCGS/CAC MS64 BN (Liberty Cap) ex: Eliasberg - Amazing Early Large Cent
On occasion there's just a coin that comes across our desk that can't be described by a word other than "Wow"! This piece is a truly amazing survivor that has not been on the auction block as a graded coin EVER. In fact, it was last seen in 1996 as part of the Eliasberg auction when the coin was uncertified. In fact, on the PCGS CoinFacts, the grade of the coin is estimated as a MS65RB. Regardless of the grade, the coin is indeed a special offering and while there is plenty of reddish-rose tint remaining, the smooth, chocolate surfaces are absolutely pristine.
I spoke to John Albanese, President of CAC, about this coin when he saw it and he stated "it's not your typical oily-looking uncirculated Large Cent. This coin is absolutely special and is absolutely amazing. I don't do much in copper, but I love this coin!"
As far as the coin goes, the obverse displays an absolutely beautiful luster beneath the light brown skin. The top of the obverse displays a pleasant bluish-pink tint that accentuates LIBERTY and just draws your eye into the color. The reverse is a solid milk chocolate brown with the luster especially noticeable around the rim of the coin. We're proud to offer this absolutely amazing specimen and whether it's part of a large collection that this coin is just another highlight or possibly the only coin that a collector owns, this piece is sure to bring joy when held and viewed in-hand. CAC approved for quality.
Ask Price: $182,000
In the Eliasberg set the coin is listed as PCGS MS64BN Ex: Stickney; Jenks; Clapp to LE (1942). Sold by Bowers & Merena May '96 price realized $20,900. Lot #503. Pedigreed 3/22/02. The POP for the coin is not that great, as Mr. Blay implied. In the Eliasberg set, the coin is listed as 1796 1C S-84. For S-84, the MS64BN may be at least tied for finest. Nice coin with a nice price.
1796 Large Cent Liberty Cap, BN MS64BN (S-84?)
PCGS, POP 6/6, CAC Approved
Certification #50004171, PCGS #1392 (possibly 35759)
PCGV: $135,000 / ask $182,000
Ex: Atwater/Eliasberg
I wonder if this coin is due for a regrade?
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
That is a beautiful 1796. The only one I have seen that is better is Oliver Jung's 1796 graded 66 or 66+RB that sold for something like 600K-absolutely astonishing coin.
Check out some of my 1794 Large Cents on www.coingallery.org
@BigMoose being a 3 star rated poster makes a mockery to the software rating scheme!
"Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
Major Varieties – Countdown 36
The Finest Known 1819 Half Eagle Wide Date Variant
The Major Varieties registry set only required two 1819 varieties. They are the 1819 Wide Date and the 1819 Close Date. Expert David Akers describes the 1819 Half Eagle as: 1819 Half Eagles are represented by two distinct die varieties: 1819 (Close Date, Normal Reverse) and 1819 5D/50. Both varieties are rare, but the Close Date is definitely the rarer of the two (none have appeared at auction in the past decade). The 5D/50 variety includes five to six Mint State examples, the finest of which is a single PCGS MS65. The rarity of 1819 Half Eagles resulted from the destruction of large quantities of early U.S. gold coins whenever their gold value exceeded their face value in the 1800s. Were it not for coin collectors, the destruction would have been more widespread.
I previously discussed the 1819 half eagle is a trifecta of varieties. The first two are the well-known major varieties as described by David Akers, and the third a more recent discovered, die state variety. All three varieties are now recognized by John Dannreuther and he confirmed the new variety on March 19, 2014. Let’s take a quick look at them.
Bass-Dannreuther 1. 1819 Wide Date, 5D over 50
By most accounts, the number of known specimens is between 17-19. There are two, maybe three coins that could be graded gems. First, the MS65 PCGS graded Garrett-Pogue Specimen. There is an ungraded specimen in Harry W. Bass Jr. Foundation Collection that may be a MS65. There could be a third, the Virgil Brand specimen sold by Bowers and Merena in 1983. Mr. Hansen purchased the MS65 PCGS CAC Approved Garrett-Pogue specimen in the Heritage 2020 US Coins Signature Auction. This is coin was from The McCoy Family Collection of Capped Head Half Eagles. The Pogue specimen sold in 2016 for record breaking $423,000. The coin realized $444,000 in the 2020 Heritage Auction.
Bass-Dannreuther 2. 1819 Close Date, Normal Reverse
Some accounts give seven as number of known specimens. That may be a stretch. In the Pogue sale, the listing indicated “perhaps” only four known. Whether the number is four or seven, the variety coin is pretty rare. The Pogue-Hansen Specimen purchase by Mr. Hansen last September in a private sale may be the finest. The source of the private sale was not release until we saw this information provided in the 2020 Heritage sale for the above coin: The variety for (BD-2) has a close date with a normal reverse. The coin is rarer and the McCoy Family Collection contained a PCGS MS61 example that was sold via private treaty to über-collector D.L. Hansen in 2019. The only specimen that may come close to this coin is the King Farouk / Harry W. Bass, Jr. Foundation Specimen. The coin is normally considered and referenced as an AU58, but you know how grades go. Both of Hansen’s 1819 BD-1 and BD-2 specimens are from The McCoy Family Collection of Capped Head Half Eagles.
Bass-Dannreuther 3. 1819 Wide Date, Normal Reverse (1 Known)
This is an impaired unique coin. The coin sold in Heritage’s 2014 ANA US Coins Signature Auction. The coin has AU details, but listed by NGC as plugged and whizzed. This is the description given for this unique coin: Recently, in March 2014, a new third variety was discovered by Mark Borckardt, or perhaps it is the old third variety noted in the Adams notebook. This new variety combines the Wide Date obverse of BD-1, with an entirely new and previously unreported reverse die. NGC has described the coin as plugged and whizzed, although the damage is not obvious. The reverse die makes no other appearances in the entire half eagle series, and is known only on this unique 1819 half eagle that is now called BD-3. John Dannreuther examined images and confirmed the new variety on March 19, 2014. This example has light greenish-yellow surfaces with hints of orange toning about the peripheries. The surfaces are lightly polished, but lack the distinctive appearance of whizzing. Minor marks are noted on each side, including disturbances at the upper obverse and lower reverse that NCS describes with the "plugged" label. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I did mention this unique coin with Mr. Hansen last fall. At that time, he had no desire for the coin. The overall appearance of the coin is very good. As we know, Mr. Hansen does not reject coins because they may be impaired. Also, he needs the Bass impaired 1870-S Gold Three Dollar to complete the quest.
This purchase compete the 1819 Half Eagle Mayor Variety requirements. Both are finest certified by PCGS. Also, the Hansen collection has two of the three Bass-Dannreuther die varieties. Mr. Hansen described obtaining the recent coin as: The 1819 was my primary goal. A real joy to have now acquired Hurray!
1819 Capped Bust Half Eagle “BD-1, 5D/50”, MS65, CAC, Ex: Garrett/Pogue
I am not sure how anyone that appreciates coins would not give a like (or thumbs up) to this coin. Many of you are like me would never be able to afford a Capped Bust Half Eagle in any grade. The coin is beyond amazing, but all high grade Capped Bust Half Eagles are. Not only does this coin have a stunning appearance, the rarity of the coin is equally impressive. Our Expert Ron Guth comment this way on the coin: This is an unusual variety caused when the engraver mistakenly punched a 0 into the die where the D (of DOLLAR) was supposed to go. Rather thad discard the die and start anew, the engraver simply punched a D over the 0. Actually, this error occured in 1818, then the die was reused in 1819. Based on the dramatic shift of the 5 to the left, it is possible the engraver was confused and thought he was working on a Half Dollar die, but this is purely speculation. The 1819 $5 5D/50 is a rare variety -- Dannreuther wrote that less than 20 were known. The finest example is a single PCGS MS65 from the Garrett Collection.
This is not the first description that we have seen written several years ago by Ron and other experts that comment on the finest coins that are now in Mr. Hansen Collection. I am not to saying Mr. Hansen goal is to buy all the coins that Ron Guth mentioned specifically, but it occurring more often than we would think. The coin has a rich history dating back to Joseph J. Mickley in 1867. Then the coin had long stays in the Garrett Family and Pogue Collections. The coin ended in a brief stay in the McCoy Family Collection where it was described as clearly a highlight of the McCoy Family Collection. It is one of the most important early gold coins that will be available to advanced collectors in 2020.
This coin really speaks for itself and does not require a description, but I will provide this one from the Heritage sale: This piece has superb eye appeal and it is a pristine Gem with lovely light to medium yellow-gold contrasted by deeper orange hues at the right obverse and across much of the reverse. The strike is sharp with just a bit of weakness on the high spots in the centers. Both sides are heavily frosted and there are no detracting marks; two small ticks on the cheek are trivial. Regarding its overall eye appeal, this is a truly exceptional coin. In the Pogue sale the description was more pronounce: Aglow with dense orange toning gathered while at rest in some of the most famous cabinets the world of American numismatics has ever known, this is the single finest known specimen of this date. The obverse is bright, somewhat reflective around the portrait, highly lustrous and ideally toned in medium yellow gold. The right side of the obverse has developed a wealth of attractive coppery toning. The reverse is a storm of satiny luster, deeply toned with mingled shades of dark yellow and bright orange, a visceral aesthetic delight. The strike is complete, bold everywhere and perfectly sharp on even the sometimes soft centers.
As Mr. Hansen continues toward completing the major variety set, he did not stop at second best for the 1819 coins. This is the best pair for 1819 half eagle specimens that you will find anywhere, including the Bass Foundation. The pair found there may be just as nice, but it would hard press to say definitely they are better. Nice addition Mr. Hansen.
Provenance: Joseph J. Mickley, purchased before 1867; William Sumner Appleton Collection, sold en bloc via W. Elliot Woodward, 1867; John Schayer; W. Elliot Woodward, sold privately 1/23/1883; T. Harrison Garrett; Johns Hopkins University; Garrett Collection, Part I (Bowers & Ruddy, 11/1979), lot 462, where it realized $85,000; Stanley Kesselman; R.E. "Ted" Naftzger, Jr. Collection; Paramount Fixed Price List of the Naftzger Collection, sold privately 10/1981; D. Brent Pogue Collection, Part III (Stack's/Bowers, 2/2016), lot 3153, where it brought $423,000; Douglas Winter Numismatics as agent for The McCoy Family Collection; US Coins Signature Auction (Heritage 5/2020), lot 3991, realized $444,000 (Auction Record), D.L. Hansen Collection.
1819 Capped Bust Half Eagle, “BD-1, 5D/50”, MS65
PCGS, POP 1/0, CAC Approved
Certification #32189879, PCGS #45655 (Variety of: 8124)
PCGSVG: $425,000 / realized $$444,000 (Auction Recorded)
Ex: Mickley/Garrett/Naftzger/Pogue/McCoy
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The Major Varieties Set is an expansion of the PCGS Basic Set in The D. L. Hansen Collection. To complete, this set would require the 2821 basic coins plus an additional 439 Major Varieties Coins. With this addition, there are 36 remaining coins in this quest. The first two coins are not collectable, so the completion of this set would be 99.94%. PCGS describes this set as: Every classic U.S. coin in Circulation Strike from 1792 through 1964, every date, every Mintmark, every major variety, this set is the ultimate challenge. A collection of this size could take decades to assemble in high grade.
Top 10
1797 Half Eagle "Large Eagle, 15 Stars" (1 Known – Permanently in Smithsonian) Uncollectable
1797 Half Eagle "Large Eagle, 16 Stars" (1 Known – Permanently in Smithsonian) Uncollectable
1861 Double Eagle "Paquet" (2 Known)
1804 Eagle "Plain 4 Proof" (3 Known)
1849-C Gold Dollar "Open Wreath" (4 Known w/ one defective)
1958 Small Cent "Doubled Die Obverse” (3 Known)
1795 Large Cent "Jefferson, Lettered Edge" (5 Known w/ VF Finest Known)
1810 Half Eagle "Large Date, Small 5" (5 Known w/ AU Finest Known)
1795 Large Cent "Reeded Edge" (8 Known w/ VG Finest Known)
1842 Half Dollar "Small Date, Rev of 1839" (Survival est. 10 w/ 1 Mint State)
Next 10
1804 Quarter Eagle "13 Star Reverse" (Survival est. 11 w/ AU Finest Known)
1831 Half Eagle "Large 5D" (Survival est. 22 all varieties w/ 1 Mint State)
1797 Half Cent "Gripped Edge" (Survival est. 13 w/ VG Finest Known)
1831 Half Eagle "Small 5D" (Survival est. 22 all varieties w/ 3 Mint State)
1853-D Half Eagle "Medium D" (Survival est. 15 w/ AU Finest Known)
1830 Half Eagle "Large 5D" (Survival est. 27 all varieties w/ 5 Mint State)
1830 Half Eagle "Small 5D" (Survival est. 27 all varieties w/ 5 Mint State)
1828 Half Eagle "Normal Date" (Survival est. 14 w/ 5 Mint State)
1793 Chain Large Cent "Periods" (118 PCGS Certified w/ 3 Mint State)
1797 Half Eagle "Small Eagle, 15 Stars" (Survival est. 20 w/ 1 Mint State)
Last 16
1820 Half Eagle "Curl Base 2, Sm Letters" (Survival est. 14 w/ 8 Mint State)
1800 Dollar "Wide Date, Low 8, AMERICAI" (Survival est. 25 w/ AU Finest Known)
1840-D Half Eagle "Small D" (Survival est. 25 w/ AU Finest Known)
1798/7 Eagle "7X6 Stars" (Survival est. 25 w/ 3 Mint State)
1812/1 Half Dollar "Large 8" (Survival est. 35 w/ AU Finest Known)
1795 Large Cent "Jefferson, Plain Edge" (Survival est. 45 w/ VF Finest Known)
1820 Half Eagle "Curl Base 2, Large Letters" (Survival est. 32 w/ 20 Mint State)
1839 Half Dollar "Receeded Edge, Small Letters” (Survival est. 50 w/ 4 Mint State)
1833 Half Eagle "Large Date" (Survival est. 37 w/ 19 Mint State)
1834 Half Eagle "Capped Bust, Plain 4" (Survival est. 37 w/ 19 Mint State)
1798 Quarter Eagle "Wide Date" (Survival est. 50 w/ 8 Mint State)
1794 Large Cent "Starred Reverse" (Survival est. 60 w/ AU Finest Known)
1807/6 Large Cent "Small 7" (Survival est. 100 w/ AU Finest Known)
1798 Dollar "Large Eagle, Knob 9, 4 Lines" (Survival est. 125 w/ 2 Mint State)
1795 Half Dollar "Small Head" (Survival est. 450 w/ 1 Mint State)
1887/6 Three Cent CN (Survival est. 800 w/ 750 Mint State
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
Love the glow of the reverse!
"Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
You know you're dealing with a RARE coin when the finest known is a VG10!
I continue to be amazed at DLH's focus on the highest of quality coins, when many here on this forum only a few years ago were accusing him of bottom feeding........ I am glad to hear of all of his success and the detractors have been quieted. But Dell Loy hired the best mentor/coach when he made an arrangement with John Brush who is now the premier dealer in our universe. Hats off to John Brush as well. John and his staff are very instrumental at not only finding these great rarities, but helping to acquire at a reasonable price.
The 1919 DDO Merc finest known is XF45 and was offered to DLH via DLRC and the offer was turned down. DLH has settled for an AG3 example. It will be interesting to see if he is ever able to significantly upgrade his AG3. Maybe he will cherrypick one himself at small 20 table show someday?
Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
I think he's smart enough to know more will be found and the market on these will tame down.
Patience is certainly a virtue. I've had many coins offered to me recently that I have passed on while I gamble with patience so I know the game well within my specialty. I'm the one that found the very first mint state example of the 1941 DDO and current top pop, which DLH now owns. When I found it, people had been searching for 15-20 years. A few more have been found in MS since but this is NOT a common coin by any stretch of the imagination. You would think there would be rolls of the 1941 DDO out there but there just aren't. There's been enough people looking for a very long time now. Several years have passed by (6 maybe?) and the best 1919 DDO found so far is XF45 but certainly, time will tell. This is going to be a tougher nut to crack than the 1941. There are a ton more people looking for the 1919 now, with the Red Book inclusion, than the number of people that looked for the 1941. Maybe that will end up helping the 1919 situation? Then there is supposed to be another book published this month that should also help in raising the awareness.
Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
Collection of varieties to many of us would seem to be somewhat insignificant for a collector like Hansen whose primary focus is on all business strike coins produced by the US Mint. That Hansen collects varieties can be also an indication that he likes some series more than others, and nothing less. Or it can also mean that he will have collected more varieties than Eliasberg.
I think his collection of proof coins is much more significant than varieties.
OINK
I can agree with this and that is why it is annoying to real variety collectors that he is participating in the Mercury Dime Complete Variety Set and taking up a top 5 spot, instead of just sticking with the Major Varieties like is stated over and over and over and over in this thread. Thankfully the LEGEND Merc Sets bumped him when it comes to all of the other Merc sets.
Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
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NutKase, I incline to agree. At the end of the day, the proofs coins in this collection will be more substantial than the 539 Major Varieties, much less for the minor issues. Mr. Hansen has shown time again that he can walk and chew gum at the same time. The opportunities for the major varieties have been abundant recently. The sale of both the ESM half and large cents is a prime example. The recent sale of McCoy Half Eagles is another. In these opportunities, Mr. Hansen seized the opportunity to expand his collection with some amazing new additions. In a recent posting, I highlighted about 15 new coins that were purchased in last couple weeks. In several series, he has only one coin left. For collectors, searching for that last coin is a great thrill.
As for the proofs, the most recent incredible addition was the 1855 Type II Gold Dollar that I reported on a few days ago. The complete pre-1964 proof set requires 1145 expensive coins. The set is now slightly greater that 75% complete.
When looking at this set, I conceptually divide the set in two parts. Part-A is coins prior to 1858 and Part-B is 1858 coins and later. The pre 1858 coins are not collectible for some requirements in the registry set, actually for quite a few. I think Mr. Hansen will eventually collect as many of these as possible, as we saw with the very rare mid six figure 1855 Type II Gold Dollar.
As for the post 1857 (Part-B,) Mr. Hansen is complete for non-gold. This includes coins like the 1884, 1885 Trade Dollars. He needs slightly less than 100 post 1857 gold coins, with a majority of them being Eagles and Double Eagles. For those watching proofs, we know these coins are just not available at this time, especially in the quality that Mr. Hansen desire. I don’t know yet the opportunity the Simpson sale will offer. Allegedly, he has a nice set of gold proofs in these desirable dates. I hear some specimens may be NGC certified coins. If so, they are not as desirable for Mr. Hansen, but overall, this could be an opportunity that Mr. Hansen has been waiting for. Time will tell. Mr. Hansen already has a great collection of proofs (check out his three Trade Dollar sets). As he completes the proofs sets (and the varieties sets) the collection will be even more amazing. If that is possible.
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
A big thanks to @JBatDavidLawrence for speaking at the Newman Portal Symposium:
Surpassing Eliasberg: The Story of D.L. Hansen and the Greatest US Coin Collection
Major Varieties – Countdown 35
Nice Normal Date 1828 Early Gold Rarity
The Major Varieties registry set requires two 1828 varieties. They are the 1828 “Normal” Date and the 1828/7 Overdate. Expert David Akers describes the 1828 Half Eagle as: The 1828 with the so-called "normal" or "perfect" date is a classic U.S. gold coin rarity. In my opinion, it is slightly less rare than the 1828/7, and comparable to the legendary 1815. It is definitely more rare than the 1819, a date that has received more attention and notoriety over the years than the two varieties of 1828. I would estimate that approximately 12-15 specimens exist including 2 or 3 proofs. Of the non-proofs, most are uncirculated and several are gems. One specimen I have seen is an EF with initials removed from the field. The 1828 Half Eagles I have examined, including the gem that brought $92,500 at Paramount's Davies-Niewoehner Sale in 1975, have all been weakly struck on the hair curls around Liberty's face and the eagle's right wing.
According to the information compiled by John W. Dannreuther in the book, Early U.S. Gold Coin Varieties, there are four die varieties. There are two dies varieties for each of the two major varieties. All varieties are rare, major or die varieties. The most common variety has 12 known specimens down to one variety is unique. Let’s take a quick look at them.
Bass-Dannreuther 1. 1828/7 Reverse of 1826
According to Mr. Dannreuther reference book, the number of known specimens is three to five. The estimated survival for this coin is only five coins. Mr. Hansen has one of two finest certified by PCGS. He has the Eliasberg/Pogue MS63 specimen. Also, the coin is from the Lorin G. Parmelee Collection. I don’t exactly know where or when Mr. Hansen obtained this coin, but we do know it was added prior to March 2019. There are two or three other MS63 coins that are equally as fine as the Hansen coin. One is the King Farouk of Egypt specimen now in the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Foundation Collection. The other one is a Reed/Suros/Jacobson specimen. The coin set the auction record when sold for $632,500 in 2012. The Hansen specimen was purchased privately and last sold in the Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection by Bowers & Ruddy in 1982 for $44,000.
Bass-Dannreuther 2. 1828/7 Reverse of 1828 (Unique)
This is a unique variety that Mr. Dannreuther believes is a lone survivor. Harry Bass was not able to obtain this coin for his collection. The coin can be pedigreed back to when Col. James W. Flanagan purchased it from Stack's in January 1940 for $845. Mr. Dannreuther gives credit for the variety discovery to W. Pollock III. We know the coin was in the J.F. Bell Collection, The Dupont Collection, Farish Baldenhofer Collection, and Samuel W. Wolfson Collection. When the collections were sold, the coin was called the BD-1 variety of the 1828/7. According to Mr. Dannreuther, the coin was sold 1996 in the Superior Keston sale as more common variety. Lastly, the coin sold by Goldberg’s in 1999 where the coin realized $159,500. After 20 years of sight unseen, if the coin comes available, I am not sure what Mr. Hansen interest would be. It would demand a large amount. I think Mr. Hansen and John Brush would at least have an interesting discussion about this coin.
Bass-Dannreuther 3. 1828 Wide Date, High Date
The number of known specimens is three, maybe four. The estimated survival for this coin is only four coins. PCGS has not certified an 1828 BD-3 variety. The whereabouts of the three to four known specimens are a little fuzzy. The one that we know for certain is a coin in The Harry Bass Foundation Collection catalog number HBCC 3153. The description given by HBCC: This example was acquired by Harry Bass in a private transaction in 1989. No previous pedigree was recorded. However, this example matches the plate in Auction ’81, Lot 442, with an earlier pedigree to Rarcoa’s 1963 sale of the J.F. Bell Collection. This is an extremely rare variety with possibly only two or three examples surviving. Walter Breen recorded just two examples in his 1966 monograph, with the Dunham Collection coin sold by B. Max Mehl in 1941 no longer tracked, although the plate in that catalogue has similarities to this example. Without revealing details, Mr. Dannreuther indicates that he confirmed two other specimens, and a third may be a coin sold in the Kreisberg April 4, 1967 sale. If one of these coins would come out of hiding, it would be interesting to watch.
Bass-Dannreuther 4. 1828 Close, Centered Date
The number of known specimens is around 12. The estimated survival for this coin is 15. This is the common coin for 1828. If you need a date for a collection, this is probably the coin you will seek. Mr. Hansen purchased his example in the Heritage 2020 US Coins Signature Auction. The coin was from The McCoy Family Collection of Capped Head Half Eagles. In the PCGS POP report, the Hansen MS62 coin is POP 1/2. A pair of PCGS coins is finer. One is the Dupont/ Keston PCGS MS64 specimen last sold in 2013 for $499,375. The other is the Pogue coin. The MS65+ specimen sold in 2016 for $458,250. The Hansen MS62 coin realized $222,000 in last week’s Heritage Sale.
This purchase compete the 1828 Half Eagle Mayor Variety requirements. The Hansen collection has two of the four Bass-Dannreuther die varieties. At this time, Mr. Hansen has indicated purchasing Early Half Eagles die varieties is not a priority. His first priority is completing the Major Varieties. But the two remaining die varieties are so rare, if one come available; it will be interesting to watch.
1828 Capped Bust Half Eagle, BD-4 Close, Centered Date (AKA Normal Date) MS62
This coin is not the finest known, but certainly the coin is ranked #3 and is a solid condition census specimen. The coin is the common coin for the date, but get real. Calling this a common coin is far from the truth. David Akers described the coin as: The 1828 with the so-called "normal" or "perfect" date is a classic U.S. gold coin rarity. In my opinion, it is slightly less rare than the 1828/7, and comparable to the legendary 1815. It is definitely more rare than the 1819, a date that has received more attention and notoriety over the years than the two varieties of 1828. I would estimate that approximately 12-15 specimens exist including 2 or 3 proofs. Of the non-proofs, most are uncirculated and several are gems. One specimen I have seen is an EF with initials removed from the field. The 1828 Half Eagles I have examined, including the gem that brought $92,500 at Paramount's Davies-Niewoehner Sale in 1975, have all been weakly struck on the hair curls around Liberty's face and the eagle's right wing.
The coin is from the Harry Bass Collection. The coin was offered in the 1999 Bowers & Merena sale of the Harry Bass Collection. In the sale, they reference the coin to being an ex-Garrett and Hesslein coin. The coin realized $55,200. In a more recent 2017 Heritage sale, more names were associated with the coin including Joseph J. Mickley, W. Elliot Woodward, William Sumner Appleton, and John C. Schayer to name a few. So, there is no question the coin is from great breeding stock. In the 2017 Heritage Auction, they described the coin as: An attractive MS62 specimen, the third or fourth finest known, this coin exhibits well-detailed design elements, with just a touch of the softness on Liberty's hair and the vertical stripes in the shield seen on all examples of this issue. A faint die crack is evident connecting the 5 and D in the denomination. The vivid yellow and rose-gold surfaces show a scattering of minor contact marks and retain much original mint luster, with a few hints of prooflike reflectivity in sheltered areas. A most attractive specimen, combining absolute rarity, strong visual appeal and an illustrious pedigree, it may be years before a comparable example becomes available.
In August 2020, the coin is offered by Heritage again, this time from The McCoy Family Collection of Capped Head Half Eagles. The coin realized $222,000 in this sale. PCGS values the coin a $200,000. This sale is the first time this MS62 coin has realized more than $200,000. Sometimes for Hansen new coins, I will say that the coin has found a nice home for a long time. I don’t think I will say that this time. I would not be surprise if Mr. Hansen doesn’t replace this coin if one of the top two coins comes available. Let’s watch and see.
Provenance: Joseph J. Mickley; W. Elliot Woodward; William Sumner Appleton; John C. Schayer; Woodward again; T. Harrison Garrett; Robert Garrett; John Work Garrett; Johns Hopkins University; Garrett Collection Part I (Bowers and Ruddy, 11/1979), lot 470; Harry W. Bass, Jr.; Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection (Bowers and Merena, 10/1999), lot 819; Hutchinson Collection / FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2017), lot 5878; The McCoy Family Collection (Heritage 8/9/2020), lot 4001, realized $222,000, D.L. Hansen Collection.
1828 Capped Bust Half Eagle, BD-4 (AKA Normal Date) MS62
PCGS, POP 1/2
Certification #05571942, PCGS #8137
PCGSVG: $200,000 / realized $222,000
Ex: Bass/McCoy
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The Major Varieties Set is an expansion of the PCGS Basic Set in The D. L. Hansen Collection. To complete, this set would require the 2821 basic coins plus an additional 439 Major Varieties Coins. With this addition, there are 35 remaining coins in this quest. The first two coins are not collectable, so the completion of this set would be 99.94%. PCGS describes this set as: Every classic U.S. coin in Circulation Strike from 1792 through 1964, every date, every Mintmark, every major variety, this set is the ultimate challenge. A collection of this size could take decades to assemble in high grade.
Top 10
1797 Half Eagle "Large Eagle, 15 Stars" (1 Known – Permanently in Smithsonian) Uncollectable
1797 Half Eagle "Large Eagle, 16 Stars" (1 Known – Permanently in Smithsonian) Uncollectable
1861 Double Eagle "Paquet" (2 Known)
1804 Eagle "Plain 4 Proof" (3 Known)
1849-C Gold Dollar "Open Wreath" (4 Known w/ one defective)
1958 Small Cent "Doubled Die Obverse” (3 Known)
1795 Large Cent "Jefferson, Lettered Edge" (5 Known w/ VF Finest Known)
1810 Half Eagle "Large Date, Small 5" (5 Known w/ AU Finest Known)
1795 Large Cent "Reeded Edge" (8 Known w/ VG Finest Known)
1842 Half Dollar "Small Date, Rev of 1839" (Survival est. 10 w/ 1 Mint State)
Next 10
1804 Quarter Eagle "13 Star Reverse" (Survival est. 11 w/ AU Finest Known)
1831 Half Eagle "Large 5D" (Survival est. 22 all varieties w/ 1 Mint State)
1797 Half Cent "Gripped Edge" (Survival est. 13 w/ VG Finest Known)
1831 Half Eagle "Small 5D" (Survival est. 22 all varieties w/ 3 Mint State)
1853-D Half Eagle "Medium D" (Survival est. 15 w/ AU Finest Known)
1830 Half Eagle "Large 5D" (Survival est. 27 all varieties w/ 5 Mint State)
1830 Half Eagle "Small 5D" (Survival est. 27 all varieties w/ 5 Mint State)
1793 Chain Large Cent "Periods" (118 PCGS Certified w/ 3 Mint State)
1797 Half Eagle "Small Eagle, 15 Stars" (Survival est. 20 w/ 1 Mint State)
1820 Half Eagle "Curl Base 2, Sm Letters" (Survival est. 14 w/ 8 Mint State)
Last 15
1800 Dollar "Wide Date, Low 8, AMERICAI" (Survival est. 25 w/ AU Finest Known)
1840-D Half Eagle "Small D" (Survival est. 25 w/ AU Finest Known)
1798/7 Eagle "7X6 Stars" (Survival est. 25 w/ 3 Mint State)
1812/1 Half Dollar "Large 8" (Survival est. 35 w/ AU Finest Known)
1795 Large Cent "Jefferson, Plain Edge" (Survival est. 45 w/ VF Finest Known)
1820 Half Eagle "Curl Base 2, Large Letters" (Survival est. 32 w/ 20 Mint State)
1839 Half Dollar "Receeded Edge, Small Letters” (Survival est. 50 w/ 4 Mint State)
1833 Half Eagle "Large Date" (Survival est. 37 w/ 19 Mint State)
1834 Half Eagle "Capped Bust, Plain 4" (Survival est. 37 w/ 19 Mint State)
1798 Quarter Eagle "Wide Date" (Survival est. 50 w/ 8 Mint State)
1794 Large Cent "Starred Reverse" (Survival est. 60 w/ AU Finest Known)
1807/6 Large Cent "Small 7" (Survival est. 100 w/ AU Finest Known)
1798 Dollar "Large Eagle, Knob 9, 4 Lines" (Survival est. 125 w/ 2 Mint State)
1795 Half Dollar "Small Head" (Survival est. 450 w/ 1 Mint State)
1887/6 Three Cent CN (Survival est. 800 w/ 750 Mint State)
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
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I registered for event. It will interesting to hear what John Brush has to say. He is doing a really great job with the Hansen Collection and his fast growing company. It don’t appear that COVID will cause any impact on the either the collection or business. John is a really busy man, and it great to see that he still can take time to present at a symposium. I will be watching
I plan to watch John Dannreuther too. It should be a great John and John show.
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
Major Varieties – Countdown 33 & 34
Two Ultra Rarities
A few days ago we saw the 1793 Strawberry Leaf Large Cent added to the D.L. Hansen Collection. The 1793 Strawberry Leaf is one of four coins that PCGS recognizes as “Ultra Rarities”. In fact, PCGS offers two Major Varieties sets for large cents. One is the 143 piece set, and the other is a 147 piece set that included the “Ultra Rarities”. PCGS Registry describes the set as: This is the fantastic complete 1793 to 1857 large cent series, plus the four ultra-rarities of the series. The 1793 Strawberry Leaf (4 known), 1795 Reeded Edge (7 known), 1795 Jefferson Head Lettered Edge (5 known), and the 1795 Jefferson Head Plain Edge (about 30 known) are prohibitively rare, so much so that we have two versions of the Large Cents with Major Varieties, Circulation Strikes (1793-1857) set, one without the four ultra-rarities, and one with.
As indicated in the last update, Mr. Hansen snagged three of the four ultra-rarities from Stack’s Bowers Galleries sale of the ESM Collection of United States Large Cents. The one that got away was the Jefferson Head, Lettered Edge. The three that Mr. Hansen purchased had a combine auction realize value of $888,000. The best grade in the trio is a VF20. If and when he adds the fourth coin, it will be pretty certain that the total investment the four ultra-rarities will be in excess of seven figures.
The 1795 Reeded Edge is described by expert P. Scott Rubin as: 1795 Reeded Edge large cent is the first U.S. copper coin to reach the million dollar figure at auction. This coin is graded only Very Good-10 by PCGS and is the finest known. The reason this coin is so valuable can trace its desirability to the book Early American Cents 1793-1814 by William Sheldon. Dr. Sheldon numbered coins in his book in two categories the first group were coins that could be found by collectors and the second group coins that were so rare that they were called Non-Collectables or NC’s. So it was possible to collect all the regular numbered coins and finish the collection yet still not have every know variety. PCGS registry may be using a similar concept, but they call the non-collectables, ultra-rarities. The Hansen-ESM specimen is not the million dollar VG-10 coin mentioned by Mr. Rubin. The VG-10 coin did sell in a 2009 Goldberg’s Auction realizing $1,265,000. When the coin was later sold in 2014 Heritage - Adam Mervis Large Cent Collection FUN Signature sale, it realized only $646,250. The coin is currently in the High Desert Registry Set.
1795 Jefferson Head Plain Edge example has a very interesting story. This coin is described by expert Ron Guth: The Jefferson Head Cents are sample coins produced outside the mint by independent businessman John Harper, then a saw-maker by trade, who proposed to supply coinage to the Mint under contract. Initially, Harper approached the Mint with suggestions for improvements to their machinery, but he was treated poorly, so he decided to make his own press and dies to prove his methods. The "Jefferson Heads" are the result. Though they were made outside the Mint, collectors prize the Jefferson Cents highly and have included them among the regular cents. The finest specimen of this variety is XF40BN. The coin is also owned by High Desert.
Mr. Hansen owns the finest 1793 Strawberry Leaf. As stated, High Desert owns the finest 1795 Reeded Edge and 1795 Jefferson Head, Plain Edge specimens. The finest 1795 Jefferson Head, Lettered Edge coin was sold in the SBG sale of the ESM Collection. I can not confirmed, but High Desert did update his closed set today. I thought High Desert won the coin to replace his FR-2, and that appear to be true. If confirmed, High Desert will own three of the four finest known top pop specimens for the four ultra-rarities. Now, back to Mr. Hansen, his 1795 1C Reeded Edge is graded G4BN, but it is the second finest graded by PCGS! This will be the feature coin for this posting.
Exceedingly Rare 1795 1C Reeded Edge, BN G4BN, Tied for PCGS Second Finest Certified
This is not prettiest coin the Hansen Collection, but when you need one of these rare pieces, you can’t be but so picky. A finer specimen is not available. This coin is known as the he Newcomb-Hines-ESM Specimen. The coin’s surface was described by the SBG auctioneer as: Both sides exhibit intermingled steel and tan-brown patina over surfaces that are universally rough and pitted due to moderate corrosion. There are few marks of note, however. The reverse has a single shallow scuff to the right of the ribbon knot and a tiny edge nick outside the letter D in UNITED that serve as useful identifiers. I find the corrosion is a distraction in my view. I would like to hold the coin in hand, because in the images, the corrosion appear to be more the just moderate. Anyone seen this coin in hand that can add any comments?
The coin details and history were further described as: Interestingly for such a rare variety, four of the 10 confirmed examples have entered the numismatic market during the last two decades. The ESM specimen offered here, however, has been known since the early 20th century when it was discovered in a large lot of old coins by Henry Chapman, who placed it in his June 1916 George W. Lewis Collection sale as lot 634. Only six specimens were positively confirmed as of the 2000 Bland census, in which this coin was listed as CC#4 with an EAC grade of Good-5, "Sharpness of VG-10 but pitted." The 2007 Noyes census (of five coins) says G5(VF20) Scudzy and CC#3. The complete census of 10 known examples published by Heritage in their January 2016 FUN Signature Auction catalog lists this coin as CC#5 with an EAC grade of Good-5. When offered as part of that firm's January 2011 FUN Signature Auction, cataloger Mark Borckardt assigned a sharpness grade of Fine-15, net grade of Good-6.
The 2011 Heritage sale mentioned above, the coin was offered as 1795 1C Reeded Edge-Corrosion-NGC Fine Details. The coin realized $431,250. The same coin was offered a few weeks ago in a PCGS G4BN holder, and the coin realized $132,000. It is obvious the way the ultra-rarities are viewed have changed. You can be the judge if change is good or bad? Anyway, I believe Mr. Hansen is very pleased he was able to obtain this PCGS graded example for this price. If a better specimen comes available, it will be interesting to see if Mr. Hansen upgrades this coin.
Provenance: Henry Chapman, discovered in a large lot of old coins; Henry Chapman (6/1916), lot 634; Henry Chapman (3/1917), lot 549; Howard R. Newcomb (2/1939); Henry C. Hines (1945); Dr. William H. Sheldon; Dorothy Paschal (1/1974); Denis W. Loring (5/1974); Dr. Robert J. Shalowitz; George Korsing; American Auction Association (1/1975), lot 908; George Korsing; Hap Seiders; Ronald Cooper; NASCA (11/1977), lot 96; Tampa FUN Signature & Platinum Night US Coin Auction (Heritage,1/ 2011),Lot #5422, realized $431,250; ESM Collection (SBG, 8/2020), lot 1015, realized $132,000; D.L. Hansen Collection
Countdown 34
1795 Reeded Edge, BN G4BN
PCGS, POP 2/1, Ex: Newcomb-Hines-ESM
Certification #19252679, PCGS #1383
PCGV: $325,000 / realized $132,000
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Countdown 33
1795 Jeff Head, Plain Edge, BN VF20BN
PCGS, POP 3/4, Ex: Cavalier-ESM
Certification #26341240, PCGS #1386
PCGV: $100,000 / realized $90,000
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The Major Varieties Set is an expansion of the PCGS Basic Set in The D. L. Hansen Collection. To complete, this set would require the 2821 basic coins plus an additional 439 Major Varieties Coins. With this addition, there are 33 remaining coins in this quest. The first two coins are not collectable, so the completion of this set would be 99.94%. PCGS describes this set as: Every classic U.S. coin in Circulation Strike from 1792 through 1964, every date, every Mintmark, every major variety, this set is the ultimate challenge. A collection of this size could take decades to assemble in high grade.
Top 10
1797 Half Eagle "Large Eagle, 15 Stars" (1 Known – Permanently in Smithsonian) Uncollectable
1797 Half Eagle "Large Eagle, 16 Stars" (1 Known – Permanently in Smithsonian) Uncollectable
1861 Double Eagle "Paquet" (2 Known)
1804 Eagle "Plain 4 Proof" (3 Known)
1849-C Gold Dollar "Open Wreath" (4 Known w/ one defective)
1958 Small Cent "Doubled Die Obverse” (3 Known)
1795 Large Cent "Jefferson, Lettered Edge" (5 Known w/ VF Finest Known)
1810 Half Eagle "Large Date, Small 5" (5 Known w/ AU Finest Known)
1842 Half Dollar "Small Date, Rev of 1839" (Survival est. 10 w/ 1 Mint State)
1804 Quarter Eagle "13 Star Reverse" (Survival est. 11 w/ AU Finest Known)
Next 10
1831 Half Eagle "Large 5D" (Survival est. 22 all varieties w/ 1 Mint State)
1797 Half Cent "Gripped Edge" (Survival est. 13 w/ VG Finest Known)
1831 Half Eagle "Small 5D" (Survival est. 22 all varieties w/ 3 Mint State)
1853-D Half Eagle "Medium D" (Survival est. 15 w/ AU Finest Known)
1830 Half Eagle "Large 5D" (Survival est. 27 all varieties w/ 5 Mint State)
1830 Half Eagle "Small 5D" (Survival est. 27 all varieties w/ 5 Mint State)
1793 Chain Large Cent "Periods" (118 PCGS Certified w/ 3 Mint State)
1797 Half Eagle "Small Eagle, 15 Stars" (Survival est. 20 w/ 1 Mint State)
1820 Half Eagle "Curl Base 2, Sm Letters" (Survival est. 14 w/ 8 Mint State)
1800 Dollar "Wide Date, Low 8, AMERICAI" (Survival est. 25 w/ AU Finest Known)
Last 13
1840-D Half Eagle "Small D" (Survival est. 25 w/ AU Finest Known)
1798/7 Eagle "7X6 Stars" (Survival est. 25 w/ 3 Mint State)
1812/1 Half Dollar "Large 8" (Survival est. 35 w/ AU Finest Known)
1820 Half Eagle "Curl Base 2, Large Letters" (Survival est. 32 w/ 20 Mint State)
1839 Half Dollar "Receeded Edge, Small Letters” (Survival est. 50 w/ 4 Mint State)
1833 Half Eagle "Large Date" (Survival est. 37 w/ 19 Mint State)
1834 Half Eagle "Capped Bust, Plain 4" (Survival est. 37 w/ 19 Mint State)
1798 Quarter Eagle "Wide Date" (Survival est. 50 w/ 8 Mint State)
1794 Large Cent "Starred Reverse" (Survival est. 60 w/ AU Finest Known)
1807/6 Large Cent "Small 7" (Survival est. 100 w/ AU Finest Known)
1798 Dollar "Large Eagle, Knob 9, 4 Lines" (Survival est. 125 w/ 2 Mint State)
1795 Half Dollar "Small Head" (Survival est. 450 w/ 1 Mint State)
1887/6 Three Cent CN (Survival est. 800 w/ 750 Mint State)
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004