Hi Currin, here's what I show for the pedigree on the 1908 $5 39100313:
Heritage 11/2013:3869 (as PCGS PR66 25384006), $55,813.00 - HFW² Collection - Heritage 1/2020:4439 (as PCGS PR66 25348980), $52,800.00 - D.L. Hansen Collection (as PCGS PR66 39100313)
It seems just yesterday that I was posting the 1873-S Half Eagle PCGS MS61 CAC Approved, Sole Finest Certified from the Fairmont Collection. Today, you will see another upgrade to the PCGS registry #1 - Liberty Head $5 Gold Basic Circulation Strikes (1839-1908) Set. The set is 100% complete and contains the World Renown 1854-S Half Eagle AU58+ from the Brett Pogue Collection. This multi-million dollar center piece has a two hundred piece supporting cast including a least a half dozen other six figure coins. If this was to be the last upgrade to this fantastic set of Liberty Head Half Eagles, the set would stand as a world class set for many years to come. We know this is not the last upgrade. Mr. Hansen has stated that he may never finish upgrading his collection.
The 201 piece set is described 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. I agree, this is a little outdated.
As you can see, The D.L. Hansen Collection hold first and fifth place spots on the PCGS all-times list. The other great collections are the Harry W. Bass, Louis Eliasberg and our own National Numismatic Collection in the Smithsonian Institute. The Hansen set is sneaking up on the solid 60.0 grade point average. This would be a significant milestone for this set. The Half Eagle Liberty Head Collection has 33 PCGS POP1/0 Specimens, sole finest certified by PCGS. Another 32 are tied for PCGS finest. There are 152 (slightly more than 75%) of the set is PCGS Certified Condition Census Top Five.
1887-S Half Eagle PCGS MS66, Sole Finest Certified
The new coin replaces an 1887-S MS64+, Certification #82618399, POP 5/6. David Akers describes the coin as: The 1887-S is one of the common dates of the series and it is easily obtained in any condition including choice uncirculated. For PCGS certified, MS64 is the tipping point. There are 66 entries graded this condition but only 11 graded higher. PCGS estimate only five survived in GEM condition or better. PCGS POP report (with possible resubmissions) has six at GEM or better: four MS565, one MS65+ and the new Hansen specimen MS66. I believe the MS65+ and the MS66 specimens are fairly recent upgrades with no recorded auction appearances, except a Great Collections to be discussed later in this posting.
The coin made its first appearance in a Stacks Bowers August 2020 Auction in a MS65 PCGS holder with an old certification number 05618458, which is still active. In this sale, SBG states PCGS Population: 4; none finer. This leads to a couple conclusion and possibilities. First, there may not be four graded MS65 any longer (I am confident of at least one). Also, is it possible the MS65+ and MS66 are the same coin with back to back submissions? In the MS65 sale, the coin was CAC Approved, but now it is not. SBG describes the condition rarity as: Survivors from a generous mintage of 1,912,000 pieces are available in grades through MS-63, but any finer and the 1887-S becomes a noteworthy condition rarity. Tied for highest graded at the leading third-party certification services, this premium quality Gem is sure to see spirited bidding from gold enthusiasts. Approval by CAC emphasizes the high quality and surely contributes to the desirability.
In the August 2020 SBG Auction, the coin appearance was described as: Peach and pinkish suggestions dominate the complexion, accented by traces of patina at the obverse border. Intensely lustrous with a uniformly satiny texture across all elements. The surfaces remain incredibly untroubled beneath magnification, lacking all but the most trivial ticks. Beautiful to examine in-hand. The coin realized and currently holds the Coin Facts Auction Record of $15,600.
The coin made the big jump to MS66 POP 1/0 and showed up October 2020 in a Great Collections Auction. It had a new certification number 40309223, and was described as Single finest graded. The coin sold on Oct 18, 2020 and realized a new Auction Record of $22,557.38 with Buyer’s Fees. Being PCGS does not record Great Collections results, I image the previous action record from the SBG Auction will stand for now. It appears the Hansen Team passed to coin in the Great Collections Auction.
In December, the coin was offered on the Paradime Coins website. The coin was described as: ParadimeCoins is proud to offer the single finest 1887-S $5 Liberty Eagle. From a mintage of 1.912 Million Half Eagles minted, only 6,000 are known in all grades, a survival rate of 0.31%. In MS65 - 3 or 4 unique examples are known with PCGS showing 5 pop report. Nonetheless, only 1 single MS-66 is known for this incredibly tough conditional rarity. This example simply put is destined for the finest collection. In MS65 the most recent examples sold for $15,600 and $12,000. We see no reason why this pop 1 ms66 should not sell for 4 or 5 times this multiple. Beyond the number this coin is one of the most attractive $5 Libs with salmon pink hues enveloping both the obverse and reverse, we see no ticks or mark worth mentioning and the strike is incredibly well struck. There was no mention the coin sold in auction a few months earlier for $22,557. On their eBay webpage, the ask price was $30,000. The coin was not purchased thru the website, rather the coin was remove with message: This listing was ended by the seller because the item is no longer available. The listing end 10:42PM on Dec 25, 2020. This may be a little early Black Friday shopping.
August 2020 U.S. Coins, (Stacks Bowers 8/2020), lot 1265 (as PCGS MS65 05618458), realized $15,600; (Great Collections 10/2020), Item ID: 892209 (as PCGS MS66 40309223), realized $22,557.38; Purchased in Private Transaction (Paradime Coins 12/2020).
1887-S Half Eagle PCGS MS66 PCGS POP 1/0, Sole Finest by PCGS Certification # 40309223, PCGS # 8371 PCGS Value Guide: $22,500 / unknown
My last update was for the Half Eagle Set. Today’s is for the Eagle Set. As with the Liberty Head Half Eagles, the D.L. Hansen Collection has the PCGS registry #1 - Liberty Head $10 Gold Basic Circulation Strikes (1839-1908) Set. The set is 100% complete and features the 1839/8, Type of 1838, MS66 PCGS from the Gold Rush Collection. This near million dollar masterpiece has a 178 piece supporting cast including a least a half dozen other six figure coins. This is an extremely great set of Liberty Head Eagles while being the number one spot in the PCGS registry, but I would have to agree to the fact at this point in time, the Hansen set may not be the finest currently assembled. To my knowledge, the Hansen and Tyrant Sets have not been evaluated side-by-side. At this time, I would give a slight edge to the Tyrant Collection.
The 179 piece set is described as: This long, long series stretches from the time when Abe Lincoln was less than 30 years old to the years when Teddy Roosevelt was in power. The set is filled with rarities, but there are no so-called "impossible" coins as are seen in many other series. The classic rarity is the famed 1875. This set involves three distinct types: the No Motto Covered Ear, the No Motto and the With Motto. A complete date set in any condition is a major numismatic accomplishment. Mr. Hansen has a PCGS Condition Census famed 1875 Eagle that is second only to his PCGS POP 1/0 1839/8 Specimen.
You can see with the eagles as with the half eagles, The D.L. Hansen Collection holds first and fifth place spots on the PCGS all-time list. The other collections are ranked a little differently. Besides Mr. Hansen, the only other collector that made the top five for both half eagles and eagles was the Harry W. Bass. For eagle sets, the other top shelf collections were Bob Simpson and Ellen D. Collection (David Hall). With Louis Eliasberg dropping to number six, National Numismatic Collection could only muster eighth spot Liberty Head Eagles.
The Hansen set will still have work to do before it can reach grade point average of 60.0. The set currently is setting at 59.12. The Hansen Liberty Head Eagle Collection has 13 PCGS POP1/0 Specimens, sole finest certified by PCGS. Another 31 coins are tied for PCGS finest. There are 134 (slightly less than 75%) of the set is PCGS Certified Condition Census Top Five. The quality of Mr. Hansen Liberty Head Half Eagle and Eagle sets are very comparable. The big difference is there are more PCGS POP 1/0 Specimens in the Half Eagle Set.
1879-O Eagle PCGS MS60
The new coin replaces an 1879-O AU58 Certification #81875414, POP 7/2. Doug Winter describes the coin as: The 1879-O has the second lowest mintage figure of any New Orleans eagle and the second lowest mintage figure for any gold coin struck at this mint. It is the third rarest New Orleans eagle in terms of overall rarity, trailing the 1883-O and the 1859-O. There was just a single example of this date in the Bass collection and many of the great gold sales of the past either lacked an 1879-O eagle or were represented by an off-quality piece. The 1879-O is the third rarest New Orleans eagle. Only four to five dozen are known from an original mintage figure of 1,500. About eighty percent of the survivors grade VF to EF and are characterized by densely abraded surfaces. A properly graded AU50 to AU53 is rare and an AU55 to AU58 is very rare. In Uncirculated, the 1879-O eagle is unique. In the TPG world of today, the coin is no longer unique. In PCGS Population Reports, there are a MS60 and MS61. In the NGC report, there are a MS60 and a pair of MS61. It must be stated when looking at these reports; there are resubmissions and crossovers that could inflate the numbers. It is generally considered that the NGC MS61 in the Tyrant Collection is the top specimen. The Ex: Morgan Collection of Branch Mint Gold is described in a Tyrant account as: A review of the photographs of the top known examples will confirm how head and shoulders the present coin (Tyrant) is in terms of quality and appeal, over any other known example. Simply stunning! The finest certified by PCGS is the Auction Record coin that appeared in Heritage Auction on 6/2014, lot 4868, realizing $88,125. On face value, this would place the Hansen Specimen somewhere in the top five and maybe as high as number three on the 1879-O eagle roster.
The Hansen coin made its first appearance in a Stacks Bowers March 2017 Auction in an AU-58 PCGS holder with an old certification number 06584131, which is still active. In this sale, SBG states PCGS Population: 7; one finer. The appearance of the coin is described as: Handsome prooflike fields and frosty devices greet the viewer of this delightful near-Mint State example. The surfaces are primarily orange-gold with lighter yellow towards the peripheries, intermingled with pale blue highlights. The original mintage of 1,500 pieces was greatly reduced by time and attrition to perhaps 75 to 100 known today. This is one of the best to survive and is tied with six others at PCGS behind a single coin that has earned the grade of MS-61. One of the classic key dates to this challenging series and an important New Orleans Mint eagle. The coin realized $51,700.
At some point, the coin was upgrade to MS60 POP 1/1 with a new certification number 34631147. Question to the community, is there a chart that matches certification numbers with the year? Moving on, the coin was recently purchased from New York Gold Mint in a private transaction. We don’t know the negotiate price, but we do know PCGS Price Guide values a coin in this grade at $80,000. I am not fond of MS60 coins, but coins of this rarity in higher grades place limits on what choices are available. I took a peek in the Hansen #2 set, and he has an AU58, CAC Approved Specimen. I wonder if that coin could be the best of the three. The top three 1879-O Eagles currently listed in the Hansen sets are:
PCGS #1 Basic + MV Set – MS60, Certification #34631147
PCGS #1 Basic Set - AU58, Certification #81875414
PCGS #2 Basic Set - AU58, CAC Approved, Certification #05928644
There could be lower graded specimens, but these three are the only ones that I could find listed in the Hansen sets. A couple days ago, I showed you the Liberty Head Half Eagle set. Today, you saw the Eagle set. The two sets require 380 coins. Also, you saw the Hansen #2 sets were All-Time Top Five in both series. Then you saw at least one coin was not two coins deep but three. I am careful not to speculate on just how many Liberty Head Eagles and Half Eagles in this private inventory. If I did, I would start with a number of 500 and go up from there. Amazing!
Provenance: Rarities Night, (Stacks Bowers 3/2017), Lot 3119, (as PCGS AU58 PCGS 06584131), realized $51,700; Purchased in Private Transaction (New York Gold Mark, 1/2021).
1879-O Eagle PCGS MS60 PCGS POP 1/1 Certification #34631147, PCGS #8685 PCGS Value Guide: $80,000 / unknown
Well, if you didn’t like the last update, this one should be different. There are several great things going for this update. For one, it is a Proof Eagle, and very eye catching. Also, it is the finest known for date! If that’s not enough, the coin is from a great cabinet known for assembling a world class gold proof collection. If that still is not enough, then consider the specimen as being close to mid six-figures. Lastly you can top the coin off as being needed for the Civil War with Proof Gold (1861-1865) Set. That’s right. Was anyone really collecting proofs coins doing the Civil War? Well, must have because the Union Mint in Philadelphia continued to produce them. PCGS describes the set as: This challenging set represents four years of our country's most trying times, the Civil War. It is a sampling of all denominations including the very tough proof gold issues which are rare in nearly all denominations. Completing this set will be an accomplishment as well also an historic representation of a difficult war that took place over 150 years ago.
With this update, The D.L. Hansen Collection is down to needing only twelve gold proofs remaining in the Civil War era. The Collection has been complete with the non-gold portion for some time now. In fact, the Hansen Collection has two complete 43-piece sets of non-gold proofs. As for the Civil War with Proof Gold, there is no one competing in that set except for Mr. Hansen. I guess that speaks for itself on the difficulty of assembling the set. As for Mr. Hansen final twelve coins, the year 1861 still needs the $2.5, $3, $10 and $20. For 1862, still needs $2.5, $3, $20. For the 1863, still needs the $5, $10, $20. For 1865, still needs the $10 and $20. Amazingly, the 1864 is completed!
The Hansen 69-piece top set has nine PCGS sole finest POP 1/0 specimens, with four of them being gold coins. There are another eight tied for finest certified by PCGS. I am sure we will see more to come with this set.
1862 Liberty Head, PR65DCAM, Ex: Dr. Robert J. Loewinger
Expert Ron Guth Comment: In the early years of the Civil War, Americans had more on their minds than numismatics. Nonetheless, there were a few visionary collectors who avidly pursued the newest Mint issues, including the various Proof coins issued each year. Proof gold coins could be purchased for a small premium over their face value, but because of the high intrinsic value of their metal content, sales were low. In the case of the 1862 Eagle, the mintage of Proof examples has been estimated at fifty pieces, yet only a dozen or so examples have been accounted for. This low survival rate suggests that not all of the Proof 1862 Eagles were sold by the mint and that the excess supply was melted. Alternatively, there could be additional examples hidden away in collections, but it is doubtful that the overall population will expand much more beyond its present level. Most of the known Proof 1862 Eagles present a cameo contrast, sometimes to a strong degree. Most, if not all, of the non-Cameos listed in the PCGS Population Report were graded before PCGS began recognizing Cameo and Deep Cameo designations; this will be corrected as the pieces return for reexamination. The current finest example of a Proof 1862 $10 appears to be the former Dr. Robert Loewinger example, not in a PCGS PR65DCAM holder. Not surprisingly, it holds the price record for this date in Proof -- $152,750. The Dr. Robert Loewinger is now in a PCGS holder and as of this past week, is now in the D.L. Hansen Collection.
With the help of a Heritage description, I made an attempt to put a roster showing the known dozen specimens of the coin. This matches the survival estimate given by Coin Factors. That is not to say that this roster is prefect, but I think it to fairly good. Also according to the Coin Facts Rarity and Survival Estimates, the number of GEM specimens is one, and that one is at the top of this roster.
1 –Hansen Specimen, PR65 Deep Cameo PCGS, T. Harrison Garrett; Robert Garrett; John Work Garrett; Johns Hopkins University (Stack's, 3/1976), lot 399, as part of a complete six-piece proof set offered individually; Lisa L. Collection; Dr. Robert J. Loewinger Collection / FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2007), lot 3136, realized $115,000; Baltimore Auction (Stack's, 3/2012), lot 4335, realized $109,250; Rosemont Signature (Heritage, 8/2013), lot 5884 (as PR65 Ultra Cameo NGC), realized $152,750 (Auction Record); Purchased in Private Transaction from Heritage Wholesale through David Lawrence as PR65DCAM PCGS, D.L. Hansen Collection.
2 – Olson Specimen, PR64 Ultra Cameo NGC, Dr. James Olson; FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2013), lot 5908.
3 - Smithsonian #1 Specimen, PR64 Deep Cameo, National Numismatic Collection, Smithsonian Institution. Grade per Garrett and Guth.
4 - Smithsonian #2 Specimen, PR64 Deep Cameo, National Numismatic Collection, Smithsonian Institution. Grade per Garrett and Guth.
5 - Melish/Norweb Specimen, PR64 Cameo NGC, Thomas G. Melish Collection (Kosoff, 4/1956), lot 2449; Ben Stack; Norweb Collection, Part II (Bowers and Merena, 3/1988), lot 2185, realized $11,000;
Dennis Mendelson Sale (Superior, 8/1990), lot 1348, realized $15,950; Public Auction Sale (Stack's, 12/1991), lot 2283, realized $30,800; ANA Signature (Heritage, 8/2015), lot 4423, Lot Passed; FUN U.S. Coins Signature (Heritage, 1/2016, Lot 5626, Lot Passed Rarities Night, (Stack's, 8/2017), lot 2202, realized $94,000.
6 – Bass Specimen, PR64 Cameo PCGS, ANA Sale (Stack's, 8/1976), lot 3089; Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, Part II (Bowers and Merena, 10/1999), lot 1487.
7 – Kaufman/ Mendelson Specimen PR64 Cameo PCGS, N.M. Kaufman Collection (RARCOA, 8/1978), lot 877; Dennis Mendelson Collection (Superior, 2/1991), lot 2859; Baltimore '93 Auction (Superior, 7/1993), lot 900; Medio Collection (Stack's/ANR, 6/2004), lot 1471; Chicago Signature (Heritage, 8/2011), lot 7619.
8 – Tyrant Specimen, PR64 Cameo PCGS, Dr. Richard Ariagno Collection (Goldberg, 5/1999), lot 791; Pre-Long Beach (Goldberg, 9/2003), lot 1183; Internet Sale (Heritage, 12/2003), lot 14377; Pre-Long Beach (Goldberg, 5-6/2005), lot 985; Eagles of the Tyrant Collection.
9 – Trompeter Specimen, PR64 PCGS, Possibly acquired directly from the Mint by George Davis; Davis-Graves Collection (Stack's, 4/1954), lot 873, as part of a complete six-piece proof set offered individually; Harold S. Bareford Collection (Stack's, 12/1978), lot 219, as part of a complete six-piece proof set offered individually; Jascha Heifetz Collection (Superior, 10/1989), lot 4751; Ed Trompeter.
10 – Eliasberg Specimen, PR64 NGC, James Ten Eyck Collection (B. Max Mehl, 5/1922), lot 316; John H. Clapp; Clapp Estate to Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. (1942); Louis Eliasberg, Sr. Collection (Bowers and Ruddy, 10/1982), lot 716; Amon G. Carter Collection (Stack's, 1/1984), lot 763; Auction '85 (RARCOA, 7/1985), lot 456; Charles Kramer Collection (Stack's, 11-12/1988), lot 592; Auction '89 (Superior, 7/1989), lot 917.
11 – Dines/Hardan Specimen, PR64 PCGS, Charles Jay Collection (Stack's, 10/1967), lot 318; James Dines (Stack's, 3/1969), lot 826; 55th Anniversary Sale (Stack's, 10/1990), lot 1690; James E. Haldan Collection (Sotheby's, 6/1996), lot 115.
12 – Morgan/ANS Specimen, Proof, R.C.H. Brock; J.P. Morgan; American Numismatic Society; Exhibited at the American Numismatic Society Exhibition (1914).
At the FUN Show in 2007, Heritage hosted the sale of Dr. Robert Loewinger Collection. The 1862 Liberty Head Eagle was just one of 66 Loewinger pieces sold in the sale. Heritiage pre-sale description: Dr. Robert Loewinger has assembled an almost unbelievable collection of American proof gold coins," noted Heritage President Greg Rohan. "This is a sensational collection of coins, many of which are the finest known as certified by NGC and PCGS. Among the highlights are his complete six-piece 1862 Gold Proof Set (plus other denominations), mostly certified PR65 Deep Cameo; a complete (1908-1915) set of Indian quarter eagle proofs, certified PR65 to PR68; and a complete (1908-1914) set of Indian half eagle proofs, all certified PR67. His early gold proofs are also extraordinary. This is a collection worthy of the highest praise and the most delightful inspection. The top coin was an Extremely Rare PR66 Deep Cameo 1855 Type Two Gold Dollar, Ex: Pittman that realized $316,250 in 2007. The second place coin was 1836 Classic Quarter Eagle, NGC PR66 Ultra Cameo realizing $253,000.
The new Hansen 1862 $20 PR65 Deep Cameo PCGS was eleventh highest in the sale realizing $115,000. The coin the sale was described as: On the reverse of this piece a few of the horizontal shield lines are thinner on their right (facing) sides because of die lapping, and the last three sets of vertical shield lines are also thinner due to lapping. This spectacular example has that most elusive of coin criteria, eye appeal, in spades, and despite the Gem Deep Cameo assessment from PCGS, appears quite conservatively graded. The deeply contrasting, "gold-on-black" appearance so coveted in proof gold is quite evident here, with profoundly mirrored fields and thickly frosted devices. The mint frost is extremely deep on the obverse, but is even thicker on the reverse. Although the pristine quality of the piece does not provide much in the way of distinctive pedigree markers, we can point to a small unfrosted patch on Liberty's neck, near the juncture with the lowest curl.
In a 2016 Heritage sale, an earlier provenance is traced to the T. Harrison Garrett Collection. Stacks, sold the coin in 1976, lot 399, as part of a complete six-piece proof set offered individually. Also, it is attributed to the Lisa L. Collection. I don’t know anything about this collection. Is there anyone in the community that can share any information? I am not sure why, but as the coin changed hands over the past thirteen years, the TPG holder changed back and forth. In the Loewinger Sale, the coin was an 1862 $20 PR65 Deep Cameo PCGS, with certification number 10165412. The next appearance of the specimen was in the Stacks Bowers - The March 2012 Baltimore Auction. This time the coin was listed as Proof-65 Ultra Cameo (NGC). There was no pedigree mention.
The coin was described as: One of the few Proof 1862 eagles available for private ownership, this piece exhibits warm, even, medium-gold color to both sides. Field to device contrast is sharp and pronounced, the former areas nicely mirrored and the latter with a bold satin texture. Fully struck and free of significant handling marks, an extremely faint planchet flaw (as made) in the obverse field above the digits 86 in the date is the most useful pedigree marker. Easily among the rarest gold coins in this sale, and a piece that represents a fleeting buying opportunity for the advanced collector. This coin is the finer of only two Ultra Cameo Proof 1862 eagles listed at NGC. There are no CAM or DCAM examples certified by PCGS, and no coins graded higher than Proof-65 in any category at that service. Q. David Bowers added “Numismatic Reflections”: Offered is a magnificent Gem, a great rarity with superb eye appeal. Here again the opportunity is more important than the price paid. If you capture this with your bid you will be the proud owner while most others will lack a Proof of this year. This piece is deserving of the highest praise.
Heritage offered the coin in August the following year at US Coins Signature Auction. Still in a NGC holder, this time the coin was contributed to Dr. Robert Loewinger again. The main description was contributed to being “Single Finest Certified Example”. It is this sale the coin achieves the Auction Record of $152,750. The coin currently still holds that record, but most certainly it would be shattered if the coin appeared today. The coin was recently listed for sale on the LCR Coin website. The coin currently is listed as “OUT OF STOCK”. The ask price on the coin was $297,000. PCGS Price Guide has a current value of $285,000. This is an all-around great addition to the Hansen Collection. It is truly gorgeous.
Provenance: See #1 above.
1862 Liberty Head, PR65DCAM, Ex: Garrett/ Loewinger PCGS POP 1/0, Sole Finest Example Certification #40745705, PCGS #98798 PCGS Coin Guide Value: $285,000 / Ask $297,000
With having duplicate sets, Hansen acts as a vacuum cleaner on the high end market. This makes me wonder if it has a depressing effect on fellow whales.
1 –Hansen Specimen, PR65 Deep Cameo PCGS, T. Harrison Garrett; Robert Garrett; John Work Garrett; Johns Hopkins University (Stack's, 3/1976), lot 399, as part of a complete six-piece proof set offered individually; Lisa L. Collection; Dr. Robert J. Loewinger Collection / FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2007), lot 3136, realized $115,000; Baltimore Auction (Stack's, 3/2012), lot 4335, realized $109,250; Rosemont Signature (Heritage, 8/2013), lot 5884 (as PR65 Ultra Cameo NGC), realized $152,750 (Auction Record); Purchased in Private Transaction (LCR Coin 1/2021, as PR65DCAM PCGS), D.L. Hansen Collection
Hi Ronnie,
Unfortunately the pedigree is incorrect.
It was brokered from Heritage Wholesale through DLRC to Mr. Hansen's collection...
Thanks!
John Brush President of David Lawrence Rare Coins www.davidlawrence.com email: John@davidlawrence.com 2022 ANA Dealer of the Year, Past Chair of NCBA (formerly ICTA), PNG Treasurer, Instructor at Witter Coin University, former Instructor/YN Chaperone ANA Summer Seminar, Coin World Most Influential, Curator of the D.L. Hansen Collection
@Catbert said:
With having duplicate sets, Hansen acts as a vacuum cleaner on the high end market. This makes me wonder if it has a depressing effect on fellow whales.
.
Very good question. I discussed this at some point in past, but the question does present a little different twist. I agree Mr. Hansen is a vacuum cleaner on the high end market. But I would add, the high end market is really huge. At no point in time will all the high end coins be available, so market may not seem as big as it really is.
I believe very high end coins are the condition census top five specimens, not just the POP 1/0. Mr. Hansen is not buying all of them. Most of his duplicates are not top five specimens. There are a few coins that he has two top five specimens, but overall not that many. Also, there are many specimens that are non-PCGS certified, and he is not buying at all. As I have said before, I think the high end market could support 3-4 more big whales that could attempt assembling a similar collection. I don’t know we will see one. Logistically, to duplicate what Hansen Collection has accomplished in 4.5 years would be hard without a great team of people.
There may be other approaches to take. One could be the silent approach. Or the 25 year approach. How do we know that is not happening today? There are a lot of great coins that are out of sight, and have been for decades. I will close by saying, there are a few series that have the top coins all sucked up. It is not by Mr. Hansen alone, because in some cases he is just 3-4 in the current PCGS Registry. When this becomes wide spread in all the series, the high end market will then be vacuumed up by a group collectors.
Personally, I don’t think that will happen as long as there are dealers and collectors assembling top end sets for the sole purpose to market. I think there will always be top end coins available, but may not be in the series that you collect. The advantage that Mr. Hansen has, he can just move on to opportunities in other series.
Tidbit,
I took a quick look at Mr. Hansen Mega-Set. For the 6278 coins, there are 1742 coins (28%) that either he does not have a top five specimen or no coin at all.
@OldIndianNutKase said:
I really do not see why that coin is not in a 66 or 67 holder........ Great candidate for a regrade.
Except the upgrade % fee could be significant money. I am sure PCGS would love to upgrade that coin.
OINK
As gorgeous as it looks, the coin almost certainly has grade-limiting hairlines, which aren’t apparent in the images. That’s frequently the case with Proofs, which are virtually impossible to grade, based on images.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
As gorgeous as it looks, the coin almost certainly has grade-limiting hairlines, which aren’t apparent in the images. That’s frequently the case with Proofs, which are virtually impossible to grade, based on images.
The CoinFacts image of this coin shows them very well:
I have been working on and off for several weeks on this posting. It started with the plan to post a new proof purchase from a Great Collection Sale (PR62 PCGS specimen). When I looked at the date, I discovery a good coin story could be told on the two proof types for the coin. The more I looked at the date; I felt that I remembered Mr. Hansen already had another specimen. I had difficulty confirming the second coin with my online research, so I reached out to John Brush. He replied: The 1859 is in the Hansen Collection as I sold it to him. The coin that he is confirming is a PF65DCAM PCGS Type II Specimen.
Coin Facts information for this coin is confusing and incomplete at the best. This is one of the better descriptions that I could find. The 1859 is the first Proof Liberty quarter eagle for which the mintage was recorded by Mint personnel. It is also the highest mintage Proof quarter eagle produced up until that time. Both these facts are the result of Mint Director James Ross Snowden's decision to begin marketing Proof sets to the general public on a large scale, a plan put into practice beginning in 1858. The late 1850s saw the first major boom in coin collecting in the United States, and Snowden's efforts were undoubtedly intended to capitalize on that upswing in the hobby. In anticipation of records sales for the era, the Mint struck 80 Proofs of each of the gold denominations current in 1859, from the gold dollar through the double eagle. Such expectations proved wildly optimistic, however, and numismatic scholars agree that only a small percentage of these coins were actually distributed to contemporary collectors. The balance of the mintages were either destroyed through melting or (more likely) released into circulation. The net distribution of the Proof 1859 quarter eagle will probably never be known, but through research into the historic numismatic auction record and other sources, we are able to establish the total number of coins known today with reasonable accuracy. Interestingly, the survivors include examples of both known reverse hub types that the Philadelphia Mint used to strike circulation strike quarter eagles in 1859. The Type I Reverse (a.k.a. Old Reverse) is identifiable by large arrowheads that are close to the letters ICA in AMERICA, with the top two arrowheads touching. Conversely, the Type II Reverse (a.k.a. New Reverse) displays small, fully separated arrowheads that are distant from the letters ICA. The Type II Reverse is attributed to Chief Engraver James Barton Longacre, and by 1862 it had completely replaced the Type I Reverse for Philadelphia Mint quarter eagles. Information provided by Stacks Bowers Auction 8/2015
Stated in a Stacks Bowers Auction, there are no more than 11 Proof 1859 quarter eagles of both reverse hub types extant. Three are impounded in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution, American Numismatic Society and the Royal Mint in London and, thus, are not available for private ownership. Of the 11 known specimens, only three are the Type II Reverse, including the ANS specimen. By compiling some online research from past auctions, I made an attempt to create a complete roster. I found sixteen documented auctions from the Eliasberg Sale in 1992 to present. As more information comes available, there could be some additional certainly to the specimens that are questionable.
Type I – Old Reverse
1) Trompeter – Bass Specimen, PR66CAM PCGS, F. C. C. Boyd; World's Greatest Collection Sale (Numismatic Gallery, 1/46), lot 127; Memorable Sale (Numismatic Gallery, 3/48), lot 118; Wolfson Sale (Stack's, 10/62), lot 179; Spring Sale (Stack's, 4/78), lot 805; Ed Trompeter; Ed Trompeter Collection Sale (Superior, 2/92), lot 39, realized $48,400; Orlando Sale (Superior, 8/92), lot 562; Baltimore Sale (Superior, 8/92), lot 851; Harry W. Bass, Jr. III Sale, (Bowers & Merena 5/2000), Lot 191, realized $48,300; The Kennywood Collection, (ANR 1/2005), lot 865, realized $75,900; ANA05 Platinum Night, Heritage 7/2005), 10323, realized $80,500.
2) 1993-1996 Auction Specimen(s), PCGS PR66 Baltimore '93 Auction, (Superior Galleries 7/1993), lot 851, realized $41,800, FUN95 (Commodore Perry) Sale, (Bowers & Merena 1/1995), lot 1166, realized $30,800, ANA96 Sale, (Heritage, 8/1996), lot 8212, realized $36,300. Note: I cannot confirm the provenance of this coin or coins. It is very possible the specimen is the Trompeter – Bass Specimen.
3) Smithsonian Specimen, PR64DCAM (est.), United States Mint; National Numismatic Collection in the Smithsonian Institute.
4) Eliasberg Specimen, PR64 NGC, David S. Wilson Sale (S. H. Chapman, 3/07); John H. Clapp; Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr.; Louis E. Eliasberg, Jr.; United States Gold Coin Collection Sale (Bowers & Ruddy, 10/82), lot 186, realized $15,400, ; Dr. Jerry Buss Collection Sale (Superior, 1/85), lot 1714; H. W. Blevins Estate and George Bodway Collections Sale (Superior, 6/88), lot 6624, where it realized $19,800; (CSNS) Signature Sale, (Heritage 4/2002), lot 6894, realized $36,800.
5) Pittman Specimen, John Jay Pittman; John Jay Pittman Collection Sale (Akers, 10/97), lot 834, as part of an 1859 proof set.
6) The Royal Mint Museum Specimen, (Morton & Eden Ltd 3/2013), lot 609, realized $93,854 (Auction Record).
7) Hansen Specimen, PR62 PCGS, Stanley Kesselman, sold privately on 4/5/1971, Harry W. Bass, Jr. II Sale, (Bowers & Merena 10/1999) lot 503, as PCGS PR62, realized $10,925; PCGS Set Registry/Yellowstone Collection of U.S. Gold Coins(Great Collections 10/2020), GC Item ID: 889792, as PCGS PR62CAM 40406024, realized $32,650, D.L. Hansen Collection
1) Hansen Specimen, PF65DCAM PCGS, William Cutler Atwater Sale (B. Max Mehl, 6/46), lot 1963, realized $70; Amon Carter Collection Sale (Stack's, 1/84), lot 553, realized $13,750; ANA U.S. Coins Sale, (Stack's Bowers 8/2015), lot 10212, realized $64,625; Purchased in Private Transaction (David Lawrence Rare Coins 11/2018).
2) Reed Specimen, PR64 CAM NGC, Byron Reed; Omaha City Library; Byron Reed Collection Sale (Spink America, 10/96), lot 55, realized $35,300; Long Beach Expo US Coins Signature Auction (Heritage's 6/2015), lot 4202.
3) ANS specimen J. P. Morgan; American Numismatic Society.
At one point in time, the Reed Specimen was believed to be unique for a Proof 1859 quarter eagle of the Type II Reverse. (See the listing for this issue on page 120 of the 2008 reference Encyclopedia of U.S. Gold Coins: 1795-1933 by Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth.). As of today, there are three that are currently recognized and Mr. Hansen has the finest known of three. With the recent purchase from Great Collections, the D.L. Hansen Collection now has both types.
1859 Proof Quarter Eagle, Type 1 - Old Rev., PR62CAM, Ex: Harry Bass Duplicate Specimen
Bad news, the coin is at the bottom of the condition census roster, but good news, the roster is very short. I confirmed with help from Ron Guth, the coin is a Harry Bass duplicate that was offered in his Bass II sale in 1999.
The appeared in a Great Collections Auction. In a press release, they described the sale as: GreatCollections is pleased to announce the auction of the Yellowstone Collection of U.S. Gold Coins scheduled for Sunday, October 4. The collection comprises over 100 certified coins and were mostly acquired from 2000 to 2008. The collection includes many rarities, some of which are universally known, including a key-date 1929 Indian Half Eagle, graded PCGS MS65. But some are much rarer and less recognized, such as the 1859 Liberty Quarter Eagle, graded PCGS PR62CAM. The whole collection is being auctioned unreserved, with bidding to commence at $1. GreatCollections has estimated the total value of the collection at well over $1 million.
There was no other description given by Great Collection for the 1859 Proof Quarter Eagle. There was no mention of any connection to the Bass Collection. The Coin Facts information stated the PR62 PCGS grade specimen is pedigreed to Stanley Kesselman, sold privately on 4/5/1971 - Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection - Bowers & Merena 10/1999:503, $10,925. The POP report has one PR62 and one PR62CAM specimen listed. I believe the two coins are the same. The coin realized $32,650 in the Great Collections sale. PCGS price guide does not give a value for the PR62 specimen.
1859 Proof Quarter Eagle, Type II – New Rev., PF65DCAM PCGS, Ex: Atwater/Carter Specimen
The rare of the two types is the Type II – New Reverse. This coin has been in the D.L. Hansen Collection for about two years, but has been living below the radar. It will not anymore. The issue with this coin is the coin number 534180 cannot be use in any of the registry sets. It appears to me, there is not a set that requires the Type II coin. The coin remains in inventory, but Mr, Hansen cannot do anything with it. At some point, I hope he can get this corrected by PCGS.
For the community that has been following the thread, you know that William Cutter Atwater is one of my favorite early completest. Naturally, I was eager to see another one of his coins coming into the Hansen Collection. For Quarter Eagles, his collection started in 1859 and appears to be a complete proof run to 1915. In the B. Max Mehl description, he wrote or the 1862 Quarter Eagle: Extremely rare in proof. Recent record $75.00, but in my humble opinion these beautiful gold coins in brilliant proof condition are almost priceless and worth more than their present market. Priceless in 1946 resulted in $70.00!
The next traceable appearance was the Amon Carter Sale in 1984. After this appearance, the coin will go about 35 years before it appears in auction again. At the ANA U.S. Coins Sale in August 2015, the coin was offered by Stack's Bowers Auctions. The coin was headlined as a Significant Type II Reverse, Exceedingly Rare Proof 1859 Liberty Quarter Eagle. It was described as: This exquisite coin is noteworthy for both its rarity and phenomenal eye appeal. Deeply mirrored fields support satin-textured devices with profound cameo contrast, as suggested by the DCAM designation from PCGS. Full, razor sharp definition characterizes the devices. Light golden-orange color is evenly distributed throughout and the surfaces readily uphold the coveted Gem grade. This is a lovely specimen, a coin whose technical and aesthetic qualities would elicit strong bids from specialists even if it were one of the more readily obtainable Proof Liberty quarter eagles. That it is an exceedingly rare 1859 is simply incredible, making it one of the most important Proof quarter eagles of any type that we have ever offered. The coin realized $64,625, Auction Record for Type Two. This is a big difference from 1946 when the coin realized $70 in the Atwater Sale. In 2018, the coin was purchased in a private transaction with David Lawrence Rare Coins. Presently, there is not a PCGS registry set that you can see the pair together, so I will show you the coins as a pair.
1859 Proof Quarter Eagle, Type 1 - Old Rev., PR62CAM, Ex: Harry Bass Duplicate Specimen PR62CAM CERTIFICATION #40406024, PCGS #87885, PCGS POP 1/3
1859 Proof Quarter Eagle, Type II – New Rev., PF65DCAM PCGS, Ex: Atwater/Carter Specimen PR65DCAM CERTIFICATION #28586097, PCGS #534180, PCGS POP 1/0
After spending this past couple weeks posting proof gold, I think it is a good time to switch up a little and post an old gold piece from a branch mint. What better branch mint is there for quarter eagles with that little “o”. When you have a mega-collection as the D.L. Hansen Collection, there are hundreds and maybe thousands of subsets. We will take a closer look at one of those subsets today. New Orleans Gold $2-1/2 Basic Circulation Strikes (1839-1857) set only requires 13 coins. The Hansen Collection has two complete sets. Let’s break down the top set.
The top set has condition grade from AU58 to MS65. The two AUs are nice candidates for upgrades, although the 1845-O will not be an easy undertaking. Also, there are three coins outside the top five PCGS certified. The “worst” coin is the 1854-O MS61, POP 12/15. David Akers describes the coin as: This is a fairly common date, but most available specimens are well worn. Mr. Hansen should be able to find a nice top five replacement. The next coin that is one up from the bottom is the 1840-O AU58, POP 14/11. The coin is CAC Approved, but I am sure a better grade and appearance coin can be found. The third and last is a borderline top five at POP 9/5. The 1843-O MS63 “Large Date Variety” is the sole finest, there are five better specimens for the “Small Date Variety”. In fact, there is at least one GEM can be found in “Small Date Variety”. Hansen’s current “Small Date” is a MS61 which is not represented in the set below.
The 13-piece set has four PCGS sole finest specimens, POP 1/0. Also, there is one other coin tied for finest. We discussed there are three coins not in top five, so that translate to 10 of the 13 dates are PCGS Top Five (77%). This is a truly beautiful little New Orleans Branch Mint set of Quarter Eagles.
1851-O Quarter Eagle MS64, Sole Finest Certified by PCGS
The new coin replaces an 1851-O, MS62 Certification #81690088, POP 8/5. David Akers describes the coin as: This date is not particularly scarce in lower grades but is very difficult to obtain in full mint state. One interesting variety of this date has a double date. The first date was punched sloping down to the right and then was only partially effaced before the date was punched into the proper position. To the best of my knowledge, The Hansen Collection has two mint state specimens, MS62 and MS64. Doug Winter commented: The mintage figure for this date is the second highest of any New Orleans quarter eagle. It is a much scarcer coin than the lower mintage 1845-O and is comparable to dates such as the 1850-O and 1852-O in high grades. The 1851-O is among the more common New Orleans quarter eagles, although it is scarcer than its relatively high mintage suggests. It is most easily found in VF and EF grades. It becomes scarce in the higher AU grades and is rare in Uncirculated. There are perhaps four or five Choice to Very Choice pieces known and a single Gem. I am not able to find out any additional information on the single GEM.
The coin’s first appearance that I can trace was May 2007 Heritage sale. In PCGS auction history, this is the only appearance for a MS64 graded coin. According to the NGC POP report, there is one coin graded MS65 (also noted by Doug Winter), but it has never shown up in auction. There are no NGC graded MS64 specimens. There have been four times that an MS63 specimen have appeared in auction from 1993 to 2000. Two of the coins were from the Harry Bass Collection. Yes, he had two in his collection. I can rule one of them out by images. I cannot rule out the other Bass Specimen or coins in the other two auctions. Maybe one day, there may be an earlier trace for this coin.
In the Heritage (CSNS) Signature Coin, the coin appeared as Near-Gem 1851-O Quarter Eagle Rarity, MS64 PCGS, Breen-6214, Doubled Date. Heritage described the date as: The date was first entered out of position, with remnants of a 51 below and left of the final position. While a common coin by O-mint standards, the 1851-O is an elusive issue in mint condition. There was mentioned of the GEM specimen: In fact, this appears to be the second finest coin known with only one piece certified higher, an NGC MS65. It is the finest certified by PCGS, and the only one at this grade level (4/07). The coin has stood the test of time for being PCGS sole finest for at least 14 years. It realized an Auction Record of $20,700. The record has also withstood the test of time, until a couple months ago.
Heritage described the coin’s appearance as: The surfaces display the bright, satiny mint luster one would expect of an O-mint quarter eagle from this period--the obverse is brighter yellow-gold in color and the reverse is more subdued green-gold. The design details display the usual softness that is inherent to this issue with weak definition, especially on the eagle. The peripheral details, though, are surprisingly strong. There are no mentionable surface defects on either side of this exceptional Condition Census quarter eagle. I do not believe the coin has a CAC sticker.
I discovered this coin when I was researching the Yellowstone Collection offered in October 2020 by Great Collection. I wrote on the collection a few days ago. The Hansen 1859 Proof Quarter Eagle was from this great collection. The 1851-O Quarter Eagle realized $27,690.75 with buyer fees (New Auction Record). This is a nice specimen that upgrades a very nice little collection of New Orleans Quarter Eagles. More to come I am sure.
Provenance: CSNS Signature Coin Auction (Heritage 5/2007), Lot 2230, realized $20,700; Yellowstone Collection of U.S. Gold Coins (Great Collections 10/2020), GC Item ID: 889744, realized $27,690.75 (Auction Record), The D.L. Hansen Collection.
1851-O Quarter Eagle MS64 PCGS POP 1/0, Sole Finest by PCGS Certification #02735358, PCGS #7762 PCGS Value Guide: $27,500 / Realized $27,690.75
@cameonut2011 said:
I wish him the best with his formidable goal.
I am out of the loop - what is the goal?
.
One suggestion is to look back on my postings from 12/31/20 and 1/1/21 (one page back), and there is a pretty good description what drives this mega collection. For more details, there was a great article in Coin Review, Nov/Dec 1999. It is a good read if you what to learn more about history in the making.
PCGS Prooflike (PL) coins. Do you like them? They are a sort of a weird species. They are not exactly a hybrid. They definitely are not a proof, although they are confused for them quite often. Before the TPG days, they were commonly confused for proofs. They are business strikes by birth, but were born with some special qualities. For a very long time, a few series have been recognized for this special birth mark, for example Morgan Dollars. About 18 months ago, PCGS expanded the designation to all coins. This is the press release: Now, all qualifying mint state U.S. and world coins, tokens and medals can be PCGS-certified as PL - (Santa Ana, California) – Any and all qualifying mint state United States and world coins, as well as tokens and medals submitted to Professional Coin Grading Service (www.PCGS.com), are now eligible to receive the desirable designation, Prooflike (PL). The formal announcement about the expansion of PL eligibility is yet another positive opportunity for collectors and dealers to showcase their PCGS-certified coins. According to PCGS standards, a coin’s surface is Prooflike when there is a clear reflection in the fields on both sides as viewed from two to four inches away. A cloudy effect or striations may impede the reflectivity. The PL designation was available first for qualifying Morgan silver dollars when PCGS opened for business in February 1986. Since then, additional U.S. coin denominations and types have been added, such as California fractional gold and world coins, in the past year.
Since this first announcement, we have seen a few of the special coins added to the D.L. Hansen Collection. In the registry, these coins are considered the same a business strike and no additional points are given for the PL designation. When the coin is a PCGS sole finest certified, have the PL designation, and is CAC Approved, then that is the making of a very special coin. The new Hansen coin has the first two attributes.
I made an attempt to list all the Hansen PL coins that I could find. I did not include Morgan Dollars. As you can see, the list has grown pretty good the past 18 months.
1863 Three Cent Silver MS67PL
1868 Three Cent Silver1 MS64+ PL, CAC Approved
1870 Half Dime MS68PL
1884-S Dime MS66PL
1883 Quarter Dollar MS67PL, CAC Approved
1886 Quarter Dollar MS62PL
1894 Quarter Dollar MS67+ PL
1878-S Half Dollar MS64PL CAC, Ex: Eugene Gardener
1900-O Half Dollar MS66PL, CAC Approved
1900-S Half Dollar MS65PL
1872 Gold Dollar MS63PL
1831 Quarter Eagle MS66+ PL
1883 Quarter Eagle MS60PL, CAC Approved
1891 Quarter Eagle MS64PL
1867 Three Dollar MS67+ PL, CAC Approved
1870 Three Dollar 1 MS65+ PL CAC Approved
1877 Three Dollar 1 MS63PL
1886 Three Dollar MS65PL
1877 Half Eagle MS61PL
1868 Eagle MS61PL
1886 Double Eagle MS63+ PL
1894 Barber Quarter Dollar, MS67+ PL, Sole Finest by PCS
I believed this to be the first Barber PL specimen to join the collection. The collection does have two Seated Liberty Quarter Dollars. There are two Barber Half Dollars, but I could not find a Barber Dime with the PL designation. This coin replaces pair of CAC Appoved 1894 Barber Quarter Dollar, MS66+, certification #50138461 & 36829876, POP 6/1. The Hansen Collection has two of the six MS66+ specimens. Jaime Hernandez describes the coin as: The 1894 Barber Quarter is one of the more common dates in the series, as many examples were struck for this date. In uncirculated condition they are scarce in all grades. Especially in MS65 condition or higher. MS66 examples are even harder to find. Anything grading higher than MS66 is very rare. The Hansen Collection now has three specimens grading higher than MS66.
The coin’s first appearance that I can trace was January 2020 Heritage sale. The provenance given is from The Watermark Collection. I did try to trace an early provenance using the Coin Fact and Past Auction images available online. I could not come up with any matches. The coin has the look of a Eugene Gardener coin, but I verified the coin in his collection did not match. Maybe one day, there may be an earlier trace for this coin.
In the Heritage FUN US Coins Signature Auction in Orlando, it appeared as 1894 Quarter, Toned MS67+ Prooflike, The Only Coin So Designated at PCGS. Heritage described the coin as: At first glance this coin really looks like a proof. It takes close examination to convince yourself it is not. The most telling aspect is the lack of high-point definition on the feathers of the eagle on the reverse. Prooflike circulation strikes can often be differentiated from actual proofs by the presence of numerous tiny marks the coin picked up while it was bagged and jostled around with other pieces, but even that is not helpful when examining this coin. The coin displays unfathomably deep mirrors on each side, and the blue-green and rose toning is brightened considerably by the depth of reflectivity seen in the fields. Prooflike designation is still a relatively new area of speciality for collectors of PCGS coins. Certainly in the years to come other Prooflike 1894 quarters will surface, but we doubt any will exceed this piece in terms of technical grade as well as sheer aesthetic appeal. To date (11/19), this is the only Prooflike 1894 quarter certified by PCGS. There is also only one NGC-certified example of this issue, and that piece grades MS65. The coin realized $17,400, Auction Record.
In just a few months, the coin appeared again in a June 2020 Stacks Bowers Auction. The second round was not quite the charm. The coin realized $14,400 in this auction. There was no pedigree offered in the sale. The coin was described as: This gorgeous and pristine example displays vibrant colorful iridescence in the fields. A blend of magenta, turquoise, violet, and gold color frames dove-grey across the devices. The fields are remarkably reflective, contrasting with the more satiny texture of the design elements. Sharply struck and entirely free of notable marks. As a Prooflike Superb Gem, this is a decided condition rarity that will be a highlight in any cabinet. It ranks as the sole finest 1894 quarter graded by PCGS or NGC in any category. It is also the only example with a PL designation from PCGS. NGC has certified just a single PL coin at MS-65 PL.
Mr. Hansen did not pop in either of the two auction opportunities. I have no knowledge if he bided on the coins or not. This coin turned out to be another post auction opportunity. It was purchased in a private transaction from Harry Laibstain Rare Coins last fall. I found the offering in an outdated price list. As some of you may know, HLRC produces Premium Inventory List and post at HLRC.com. In one of the posting, the coin was offered for $24,000. As ways, we have no idea of the negotiated price in the private transaction. This is a nice prooflike upgrade.
Provenance: The Watermark Collection / FUN US Coins Signature Auction (Heritage 1/2020), Lot 4168, realized $17,400 (Auction Record); Numismatic Americana and Early American Coins (Stacks Bowers 6/2020). Lot 467, realized $14,400; Purchased in Private Transaction (HLRC Coin 9/2020), D.L. Hansen Collection
1894 Barber Quarter Dollar, MS67+ PL PCGS POP 1/0, Sole Finest by PCGS Certification #38475132, PCGS #779043 PCGS Value Guide: unknown / Realized $17,400 (1/2020)
The 1886 Double Eagle MS63+ PL is a special coin. It is the finest of 3 graded by PCGS in mint state and the only PL example. It was previously in the impressive AWA collection.
1 –Hansen Specimen, PR65 Deep Cameo PCGS, T. Harrison Garrett; Robert Garrett; John Work Garrett; Johns Hopkins University (Stack's, 3/1976), lot 399, as part of a complete six-piece proof set offered individually; Lisa L. Collection; Dr. Robert J. Loewinger Collection / FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2007), lot 3136, realized $115,000; Baltimore Auction (Stack's, 3/2012), lot 4335, realized $109,250; Rosemont Signature (Heritage, 8/2013), lot 5884 (as PR65 Ultra Cameo NGC), realized $152,750 (Auction Record); Purchased in Private Transaction (LCR Coin 1/2021, as PR65DCAM PCGS), D.L. Hansen Collection
Hi Ronnie,
Unfortunately the pedigree is incorrect.
It was brokered from Heritage Wholesale through DLRC to Mr. Hansen's collection...
We have seen a lot of activity in the proof gold recently. I asked John Brush if this was a new focus. He said, no not really a change in focus. He continued by saying the Hansen Basic set is getting to a point that upgrade opportunities are diminishing. This has opened up an opportunity to look harder at some other coins. I think we are seeing that with the gold proofs.
In the past weeks, I have often spoken on what I call the collector set of gold proofs (1859-1915). In researching the complete set of this makeup, I have not found a collection or collector that has achieved this difficult feat. I am not saying there is not one from the past or present, and I will continue to look. Just at this point, I have not turned one up. Even the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian institute comes up short. The Collection have an amazing compete set of Liberty Head Double Eagles, but only 93.55% complete for the One dollar gold. Ed Trompeter , Hall of Fame for his Gold Proof, was complete for the eight of the sets that I show below, including the Four Dollar Stellas, but it appear he may not have been complete for three of the Liberty Head Sets, including Half Eagles, Eagles, and Double Eagles. I need more research to confirm. Louis Eliasberg had one of the greatest sets of proof gold, but the collection was mixed with proof and mint strikes. It appears the ratio of the mix was about 85% proof to 15% Mint strike. Harry W. Bass, another Hall of Fame Collection known for Gold did not have a compete run of proof gold from 1859-1915. I took a look of William Cutter Atwater’s catalog. He had very nice runs of Proof Gold starting in 1859, but there were a few pieces here and there that were mint strikes. For example, the Liberty Head Double Eagles were complete proof, except for 1862 in fine condition, 1877 and 1878 brilliant uncirculated condition.
So to sum up, PCGS does not have a set to represent this 294 piece proof set. I think it would make a beautiful display if Hansen or someone else completes the 294 piece set someday. It would be nice if PCGS would create registry set. So, with not set available in PCGS, and Mr. Hansen has not focused on the set, then how is he doing? In thinking of a cool way to visualize the set, I created the chart below from Registry sets.
So, as you can see, The D.L. Hansen Collection is well on the way for completing this set. Currently at 70.4%, this is below the percentage’s I think you will find in the sets that I mention above. For the Bass, Eliasberg, Atwater collection, I think you will find them to be 85-90%. The current number of coins that is needed by Mr. Hansen is 87. I think all of them are collectable. This will make an interesting watch in weeks and months to come.
1895 Liberty Head Eagle, PR64DCAM, CAC Approved, Ex: Pittman
OK, now for the addition, 1895 Liberty Head Proof Eagle, The official mintage give for this coin is 56. CoinFacts gives the Rarity and Survival Estimates at 35 for all grades. So, there should be plenty to satisfy the collecting community right? Wrong! Since the Eliasberg sale in 1982, the coin has appeared in auction only 27 times. By my math, that is less than once per year as an average. Since 2012, there were only six appearances. There was a 5-year gap from 2012 -2017 with no appearances.
Before this weekend, the new Hansen coin appeared only once in auction that I can find. The John Jay Pittman II Sale hosted by David Akers in 1998. I don’t know much about the auction except the provenance is given to Kosoff (1962). I think that would be Abe Kosoff. The coin realized $44,000, but not much more information is given.
The coin appeared in a Great Collections auction this past Sunday. The coin was part a complete proof gold 1895 set. The set produced some discussion on another thread in our community site. Ian Russel from Great Collections commented: These were hand-picked by an advanced collector over the past 30 years. Now, this does not specifically tell us that the 1895 Proof Eagle has been in this collection for 30 years. We know it was not, because the coin was auctioned 22 years ago. It is very possible and maybe likely, the advanced collector purchased the coin 22 years ago. It’s a little amazing the coin did not appreciate in 22 years. The current PCGS price guide values that coin at only $37,500. We saw when the Hansen team did comps on the coin, they valued it much more and paid up. The coin realized $48,937.50 with buyer’s fees.
In reviewing the bid history, it appears Mr. Hansen placed the winning bid around 3:37 pm Sunday afternoon and walked away. The bid held up. He also needed the Double Eagle. It appear by bid history, he may have placed (cannot confirm) a walk-a-way bid of $140,000 (plus fees) on the Double Eagle at 3:26 pm. He did not bid again. This coin had three other bidders battling up to end of the auction. The winning bid was $177,500 ($199,687.50 with buyer fees). The 1895 Double Eagle Proof will have to wait for another day.
Provenance: Abe Kosoff (1962); John Jay Pittman II, (David Akers 5/1998), lot 1979, realized $44,000; Well-known advance collector (Great Collections 1/2021), GC Item ID: 930278, realized $48,937.50.
1895 Liberty Head Eagle, PR64DCAM, Ex: Pittman PCGS POP 2/5, CAC Approved Certification #50021190, PCGS #98835 PCGS Coin Guide Value: $37,500 / Ask $48,937.50 Ex: Kosoff / Pittman
When I posted something about the 4 Gold Proof 1895 coins up for auction last week I wondered if Hansen would go after any of them. That question was answered. All 4 ($2.5, $5, $10, $20) were amazing coins.
The 1895 was cheap. Nice coin. I would have purchased it as I love CAC Tens but I have the other one. I thought the 20 was cheap. If you look at records I believe that only 13 PR 65 Dcams
CAC have ever sold. EVER. That is hard to fathom. Of course you could count the PR 66 Dcams non CAc as they are really 65's!
1 –Hansen Specimen, PR65 Deep Cameo PCGS, T. Harrison Garrett; Robert Garrett; John Work Garrett; Johns Hopkins University (Stack's, 3/1976), lot 399, as part of a complete six-piece proof set offered individually; Lisa L. Collection; Dr. Robert J. Loewinger Collection / FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2007), lot 3136, realized $115,000; Baltimore Auction (Stack's, 3/2012), lot 4335, realized $109,250; Rosemont Signature (Heritage, 8/2013), lot 5884 (as PR65 Ultra Cameo NGC), realized $152,750 (Auction Record); Purchased in Private Transaction (LCR Coin 1/2021, as PR65DCAM PCGS), D.L. Hansen Collection
Hi Ronnie,
Unfortunately the pedigree is incorrect.
It was brokered from Heritage Wholesale through DLRC to Mr. Hansen's collection...
Thanks!
Umm does not Hansen own DLRC?
He's my partner in the business.
John Brush President of David Lawrence Rare Coins www.davidlawrence.com email: John@davidlawrence.com 2022 ANA Dealer of the Year, Past Chair of NCBA (formerly ICTA), PNG Treasurer, Instructor at Witter Coin University, former Instructor/YN Chaperone ANA Summer Seminar, Coin World Most Influential, Curator of the D.L. Hansen Collection
"The most awesome large cent I've ever seen." Denis Loring, Penny-Wise, January 1981
After 40 years, the statement is still true today. Are these coins still getting the love they deserve? I was reading a thread posted by @rays titled: Heritage early half cents sold today reveal major EAC market weakness. He continued to say, Three major early US half cent rarities sold today by Heritage revealed weakness in the EAC market. In my estimation, the top of the US coin market was the FUN show January 2014. I cannot argue his point. Later in the thread, @tradedollarnut posted a comment: Not just half cents, and referenced this new D.L. Hansen purchase. There is no question in my mind; the Early American Cooper has lost some of its mojo. In the registry, the interest still seems to be there. There still is HOF Jim McGuigan that ranks on top with Half Cents and High Desert on top for Large Cents. There is D. L. Hansen Collection in distance second in both series. It appear most of the other collectors may be pursuing circulated condition specimens. Not knowing the EAC collections outside the registry, the registry does not appear to have a “weakness” of collectors.
I will say that I have not seen Mr. Hansen having a keen interest of EAC series until recently. I saw a peeked interest of the sale of ESM coppers. Now with this pickup, I am wondering if Mr. Hansen sees this as a great opportunity to jump into the pool. I know Donald G. Partrick EAC Collection is scheduled for Heritage Platinum Night in April. The collection has a 1797 NGC VG8 “Gripper Edge” Half Cent. This is the last coin in which the D.L. Hansen Set needs to complete the Half Cent Circulating Strike Collection. I heard rumor of another copper sale coming, but have not seen an announce yet. It will be interesting to watch and see what happens.
The coin was purchase this week in the Heritage FUN US Coins Signature Auction. It is from The Oliver Jung Collection. We know him on the forum as @privaterarecoincollector. If you don’t know, Mr. Jung assembled the all-time finest US Type Set. Still today, the 133 piece set stands alone at the top of the registry. The 1811 Large Cent MS65RD was one of the 133 coins in Mr. Jung’s great set. As with many coins, there are opinions that the best coin may not always be the best grade. Here is the way Heritage addressed the coin: It will surprise no one that this MS65 Red representative ranks atop the Condition Census. There is one other coin certified numerically finer -- an MS66 Red and Brown (Ex: Miller-Sloss-Helfenstein-Holmes-ESM) -- but it does not show anywhere near the degree of original mint-red color that this Gem does. With the finest S-286 coin being an MS63 Brown piece, this example has a legitimate, if not indisputable, claim to being the single finest 1811 Classic Head cent known to collectors. Can it be much clearer? This was stated by Stacks Bowers in the Pogue sale: There are remarkably few survivors of this date with significant remaining mint color. The Helfenstein-Holmes example of this die marriage, graded PCGS MS-66 RB, is the only 1811 graded higher than this one, but its proportion of mint red pales in comparison. That coin is one of just four RB entries for this date on the PCGS Population Report. This piece is not only the sole 1811 certified as RD by PCGS, it is the only cent of the entire design type with the designation. For fans of original color, there is no more important 1811 cent.
There is no question the coin is remarkable, if it was not, we would not have found it from the Pogue/ Jung Collections. Not only does the coin have remarkable appearance and color, but the coin has a very strong pedigree dating back to Dr. Henry W. Beckwith. Stacks Bowers Comment: Dr. Henry W. Beckwith, who Breen famously called "the first perfectionist," had a soft spot for cents with abundant mint color and unusual stories of discovery. He acquired an 1801 S-223 and an 1807 S-271, both ex Bement, that had been found together in a trunk in Rhode Island, as well as the 1807 S-273 that had been passed down among the descendants of Col. Joshua Pierce since the year it was struck, Pierce's birth year. His 1794 Sheldon-29 was discovered among the property of an old Philadelphia family in 1914. There are many stories of individual high grade cents that had been lost, and then found. One of the finest known 1801 S-216 cents was found inside an old desk at the Essex Institute in the 1930s, and still-red 1821 cents were found within a Boston cornerstone about 1979. The nine 1809 cents found inside another cornerstone, that of the Mansion House Hotel in Philadelphia, are less well known, but Montroville W. Dickeson reported in 1859 that "the most perfect specimens known" come from there. In more recent years, two high grade cents dated 1793 and 1794 were discovered in the cornerstone of the Massachusetts State House in Boston, examined, publicized, and then put back. Unfortunately, neither had survived the ravages of time and humanity well. According to Mr. Jung’s comments: This coin found in an old desk in New Haven, 1915”. Very fitting don’t you think.
In the Heritage sale this week, the coin was described as: This spectacular Gem is struck from an early state of the dies without any evidence of clashing or bulging. The first coins off the press were struck from slightly misaligned dies, resulting in consistent softness on the left-side stars, as here. The centers are pale coppery gold with lighter silvery rose accents around and within the hidden areas of the design. Steel-blue, almost teal patina occurs around the peripheries. Seemingly, the only grade-limiting tick is a microscopic one left of the first 1 in the date. Exceptionally preserved and attractive, this Gem undoubtedly competes with the finest Classic Head cents, being the only one in the entire series (1808-1814) certified in the Red color category at PCGS (11/20). Our EAC grade MS65. The coin had a PCGS Price Guide value of $500,000. I say “had”, because I think at some point we may see this price drop, due to the coin only realized $198,000. This was quite a bargain I would say.
Provenance: Dr. Henry W. Beckwith Collection (S. Hudson Chapman, 4/1923), lot 45; S. Hudson Chapman; Rev. William H. Owen, Jr. Collection; Yale University, before 1944; stolen in a May 29, 1965 robbery and subsequently recovered, but declined by the university following a successful insurance claim payment; William H. Foster; John Rowe III and Q. David Bowers; Lester Merkin (c. 1971); Richard Picker; C. Douglas Smith Collection; L.A. Collection of U.S. Type Coins, by sale via Stack's; 55th Anniversary Sale (Stack's, 10/1990), lot 1594; Anthony Terranova, Martin Paul, and Silvano DiGenova; Chicago Sale (Superior Galleries, 8/1991), lot 361; Steven L. Contursi; Worrell Collection (Superior Galleries, 9/1993), lot 119; Rarities Sale (Bowers and Merena, 7/ 2005), lot 16, via Anthony Terranova, realized $138,000;D. Brent Pogue Collection, Part V (Stack's Bowers, 3/2017), lot 5135, realized $493,500; The Oliver Jung Collection (Heritage 1/2021), lot 3986, realized $198,000, D.L. Hansen Collection.
1811 Large Cent “S-287”, MS65RD PCGS PCGS, POP 1/0, CAC Approved, Sole Red Certified by PCGS Certification #32709096, PCGS #36498 PCGSPG: $500,000 / realized $198,000 Ex: Pogue / Jung
All right I have no Idea who this Hansen guy is - I get it I was out of the loop for a decade+ and just jumped back in. I have a bunch of coins he needs/wants and what I wonder is that why I get calls from Heritage and emails all the time? - it is annoying - Why does he just not call? It is weird IMO. Most of mine are not for sale (I don't need the money) - but trades are possible - I also have on some moderns - all/most/some of the top POPS for certain coins but only publish 1. I also have some POP1's that are not important and not in sets - I just like to have them and would trade.
@Clackamas1 said:
All right I have no Idea who this Hansen guy is - I get it I was out of the loop for a decade+ and just jumped back in. I have a bunch of coins he needs/wants and what I wonder is that why I get calls from Heritage and emails all the time? - it is annoying - Why does he just not call? It is weird IMO. Most of mine are not for sale (I don't need the money) - but trades are possible - I also have on some moderns - all/most/some of the top POPS for certain coins but only publish 1. I also have some POP1's that are not important and not in sets - I just like to have them and would trade.
@Clackamas1 said:
All right I have no Idea who this Hansen guy is - I get it I was out of the loop for a decade+ and just jumped back in. I have a bunch of coins he needs/wants and what I wonder is that why I get calls from Heritage and emails all the time? - it is annoying - Why does he just not call? It is weird IMO. Most of mine are not for sale (I don't need the money) - but trades are possible - I also have on some moderns - all/most/some of the top POPS for certain coins but only publish 1. I also have some POP1's that are not important and not in sets - I just like to have them and would trade.
@Clackamas1 said:
All right I have no Idea who this Hansen guy is - I get it I was out of the loop for a decade+ and just jumped back in. I have a bunch of coins he needs/wants and what I wonder is that why I get calls from Heritage and emails all the time? - it is annoying - Why does he just not call? It is weird IMO. Most of mine are not for sale (I don't need the money) - but trades are possible - I also have on some moderns - all/most/some of the top POPS for certain coins but only publish 1. I also have some POP1's that are not important and not in sets - I just like to have them and would trade.
Curious if you could list some of the coins you feel he needs. I believe Mr Hansen reads this thread and certainly John Brush does too.
Comments
Hi Currin, here's what I show for the pedigree on the 1908 $5 39100313:
Heritage 11/2013:3869 (as PCGS PR66 25384006), $55,813.00 - HFW² Collection - Heritage 1/2020:4439 (as PCGS PR66 25348980), $52,800.00 - D.L. Hansen Collection (as PCGS PR66 39100313)
Ron Guth, Chief Investigator
The Numismatic Detective Agency
Liberty Head Half Eagle Upgrade
It seems just yesterday that I was posting the 1873-S Half Eagle PCGS MS61 CAC Approved, Sole Finest Certified from the Fairmont Collection. Today, you will see another upgrade to the PCGS registry #1 - Liberty Head $5 Gold Basic Circulation Strikes (1839-1908) Set. The set is 100% complete and contains the World Renown 1854-S Half Eagle AU58+ from the Brett Pogue Collection. This multi-million dollar center piece has a two hundred piece supporting cast including a least a half dozen other six figure coins. If this was to be the last upgrade to this fantastic set of Liberty Head Half Eagles, the set would stand as a world class set for many years to come. We know this is not the last upgrade. Mr. Hansen has stated that he may never finish upgrading his collection.
The 201 piece set is described 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. I agree, this is a little outdated.
As you can see, The D.L. Hansen Collection hold first and fifth place spots on the PCGS all-times list. The other great collections are the Harry W. Bass, Louis Eliasberg and our own National Numismatic Collection in the Smithsonian Institute. The Hansen set is sneaking up on the solid 60.0 grade point average. This would be a significant milestone for this set. The Half Eagle Liberty Head Collection has 33 PCGS POP1/0 Specimens, sole finest certified by PCGS. Another 32 are tied for PCGS finest. There are 152 (slightly more than 75%) of the set is PCGS Certified Condition Census Top Five.
1887-S Half Eagle PCGS MS66, Sole Finest Certified
The new coin replaces an 1887-S MS64+, Certification #82618399, POP 5/6. David Akers describes the coin as: The 1887-S is one of the common dates of the series and it is easily obtained in any condition including choice uncirculated. For PCGS certified, MS64 is the tipping point. There are 66 entries graded this condition but only 11 graded higher. PCGS estimate only five survived in GEM condition or better. PCGS POP report (with possible resubmissions) has six at GEM or better: four MS565, one MS65+ and the new Hansen specimen MS66. I believe the MS65+ and the MS66 specimens are fairly recent upgrades with no recorded auction appearances, except a Great Collections to be discussed later in this posting.
The coin made its first appearance in a Stacks Bowers August 2020 Auction in a MS65 PCGS holder with an old certification number 05618458, which is still active. In this sale, SBG states PCGS Population: 4; none finer. This leads to a couple conclusion and possibilities. First, there may not be four graded MS65 any longer (I am confident of at least one). Also, is it possible the MS65+ and MS66 are the same coin with back to back submissions? In the MS65 sale, the coin was CAC Approved, but now it is not. SBG describes the condition rarity as: Survivors from a generous mintage of 1,912,000 pieces are available in grades through MS-63, but any finer and the 1887-S becomes a noteworthy condition rarity. Tied for highest graded at the leading third-party certification services, this premium quality Gem is sure to see spirited bidding from gold enthusiasts. Approval by CAC emphasizes the high quality and surely contributes to the desirability.
In the August 2020 SBG Auction, the coin appearance was described as: Peach and pinkish suggestions dominate the complexion, accented by traces of patina at the obverse border. Intensely lustrous with a uniformly satiny texture across all elements. The surfaces remain incredibly untroubled beneath magnification, lacking all but the most trivial ticks. Beautiful to examine in-hand. The coin realized and currently holds the Coin Facts Auction Record of $15,600.
The coin made the big jump to MS66 POP 1/0 and showed up October 2020 in a Great Collections Auction. It had a new certification number 40309223, and was described as Single finest graded. The coin sold on Oct 18, 2020 and realized a new Auction Record of $22,557.38 with Buyer’s Fees. Being PCGS does not record Great Collections results, I image the previous action record from the SBG Auction will stand for now. It appears the Hansen Team passed to coin in the Great Collections Auction.
In December, the coin was offered on the Paradime Coins website. The coin was described as: ParadimeCoins is proud to offer the single finest 1887-S $5 Liberty Eagle. From a mintage of 1.912 Million Half Eagles minted, only 6,000 are known in all grades, a survival rate of 0.31%. In MS65 - 3 or 4 unique examples are known with PCGS showing 5 pop report. Nonetheless, only 1 single MS-66 is known for this incredibly tough conditional rarity. This example simply put is destined for the finest collection. In MS65 the most recent examples sold for $15,600 and $12,000. We see no reason why this pop 1 ms66 should not sell for 4 or 5 times this multiple. Beyond the number this coin is one of the most attractive $5 Libs with salmon pink hues enveloping both the obverse and reverse, we see no ticks or mark worth mentioning and the strike is incredibly well struck. There was no mention the coin sold in auction a few months earlier for $22,557. On their eBay webpage, the ask price was $30,000. The coin was not purchased thru the website, rather the coin was remove with message: This listing was ended by the seller because the item is no longer available. The listing end 10:42PM on Dec 25, 2020. This may be a little early Black Friday shopping.
August 2020 U.S. Coins, (Stacks Bowers 8/2020), lot 1265 (as PCGS MS65 05618458), realized $15,600; (Great Collections 10/2020), Item ID: 892209 (as PCGS MS66 40309223), realized $22,557.38; Purchased in Private Transaction (Paradime Coins 12/2020).
1887-S Half Eagle PCGS MS66
PCGS POP 1/0, Sole Finest by PCGS
Certification # 40309223, PCGS # 8371
PCGS Value Guide: $22,500 / unknown
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
Liberty Head Eagle Upgrade
My last update was for the Half Eagle Set. Today’s is for the Eagle Set. As with the Liberty Head Half Eagles, the D.L. Hansen Collection has the PCGS registry #1 - Liberty Head $10 Gold Basic Circulation Strikes (1839-1908) Set. The set is 100% complete and features the 1839/8, Type of 1838, MS66 PCGS from the Gold Rush Collection. This near million dollar masterpiece has a 178 piece supporting cast including a least a half dozen other six figure coins. This is an extremely great set of Liberty Head Eagles while being the number one spot in the PCGS registry, but I would have to agree to the fact at this point in time, the Hansen set may not be the finest currently assembled. To my knowledge, the Hansen and Tyrant Sets have not been evaluated side-by-side. At this time, I would give a slight edge to the Tyrant Collection.
The 179 piece set is described as: This long, long series stretches from the time when Abe Lincoln was less than 30 years old to the years when Teddy Roosevelt was in power. The set is filled with rarities, but there are no so-called "impossible" coins as are seen in many other series. The classic rarity is the famed 1875. This set involves three distinct types: the No Motto Covered Ear, the No Motto and the With Motto. A complete date set in any condition is a major numismatic accomplishment. Mr. Hansen has a PCGS Condition Census famed 1875 Eagle that is second only to his PCGS POP 1/0 1839/8 Specimen.
You can see with the eagles as with the half eagles, The D.L. Hansen Collection holds first and fifth place spots on the PCGS all-time list. The other collections are ranked a little differently. Besides Mr. Hansen, the only other collector that made the top five for both half eagles and eagles was the Harry W. Bass. For eagle sets, the other top shelf collections were Bob Simpson and Ellen D. Collection (David Hall). With Louis Eliasberg dropping to number six, National Numismatic Collection could only muster eighth spot Liberty Head Eagles.
The Hansen set will still have work to do before it can reach grade point average of 60.0. The set currently is setting at 59.12. The Hansen Liberty Head Eagle Collection has 13 PCGS POP1/0 Specimens, sole finest certified by PCGS. Another 31 coins are tied for PCGS finest. There are 134 (slightly less than 75%) of the set is PCGS Certified Condition Census Top Five. The quality of Mr. Hansen Liberty Head Half Eagle and Eagle sets are very comparable. The big difference is there are more PCGS POP 1/0 Specimens in the Half Eagle Set.
1879-O Eagle PCGS MS60
The new coin replaces an 1879-O AU58 Certification #81875414, POP 7/2. Doug Winter describes the coin as: The 1879-O has the second lowest mintage figure of any New Orleans eagle and the second lowest mintage figure for any gold coin struck at this mint. It is the third rarest New Orleans eagle in terms of overall rarity, trailing the 1883-O and the 1859-O. There was just a single example of this date in the Bass collection and many of the great gold sales of the past either lacked an 1879-O eagle or were represented by an off-quality piece. The 1879-O is the third rarest New Orleans eagle. Only four to five dozen are known from an original mintage figure of 1,500. About eighty percent of the survivors grade VF to EF and are characterized by densely abraded surfaces. A properly graded AU50 to AU53 is rare and an AU55 to AU58 is very rare. In Uncirculated, the 1879-O eagle is unique. In the TPG world of today, the coin is no longer unique. In PCGS Population Reports, there are a MS60 and MS61. In the NGC report, there are a MS60 and a pair of MS61. It must be stated when looking at these reports; there are resubmissions and crossovers that could inflate the numbers. It is generally considered that the NGC MS61 in the Tyrant Collection is the top specimen. The Ex: Morgan Collection of Branch Mint Gold is described in a Tyrant account as: A review of the photographs of the top known examples will confirm how head and shoulders the present coin (Tyrant) is in terms of quality and appeal, over any other known example. Simply stunning! The finest certified by PCGS is the Auction Record coin that appeared in Heritage Auction on 6/2014, lot 4868, realizing $88,125. On face value, this would place the Hansen Specimen somewhere in the top five and maybe as high as number three on the 1879-O eagle roster.
The Hansen coin made its first appearance in a Stacks Bowers March 2017 Auction in an AU-58 PCGS holder with an old certification number 06584131, which is still active. In this sale, SBG states PCGS Population: 7; one finer. The appearance of the coin is described as: Handsome prooflike fields and frosty devices greet the viewer of this delightful near-Mint State example. The surfaces are primarily orange-gold with lighter yellow towards the peripheries, intermingled with pale blue highlights. The original mintage of 1,500 pieces was greatly reduced by time and attrition to perhaps 75 to 100 known today. This is one of the best to survive and is tied with six others at PCGS behind a single coin that has earned the grade of MS-61. One of the classic key dates to this challenging series and an important New Orleans Mint eagle. The coin realized $51,700.
At some point, the coin was upgrade to MS60 POP 1/1 with a new certification number 34631147. Question to the community, is there a chart that matches certification numbers with the year? Moving on, the coin was recently purchased from New York Gold Mint in a private transaction. We don’t know the negotiate price, but we do know PCGS Price Guide values a coin in this grade at $80,000. I am not fond of MS60 coins, but coins of this rarity in higher grades place limits on what choices are available. I took a peek in the Hansen #2 set, and he has an AU58, CAC Approved Specimen. I wonder if that coin could be the best of the three. The top three 1879-O Eagles currently listed in the Hansen sets are:
PCGS #1 Basic + MV Set – MS60, Certification #34631147
PCGS #1 Basic Set - AU58, Certification #81875414
PCGS #2 Basic Set - AU58, CAC Approved, Certification #05928644
There could be lower graded specimens, but these three are the only ones that I could find listed in the Hansen sets. A couple days ago, I showed you the Liberty Head Half Eagle set. Today, you saw the Eagle set. The two sets require 380 coins. Also, you saw the Hansen #2 sets were All-Time Top Five in both series. Then you saw at least one coin was not two coins deep but three. I am careful not to speculate on just how many Liberty Head Eagles and Half Eagles in this private inventory. If I did, I would start with a number of 500 and go up from there. Amazing!
Provenance: Rarities Night, (Stacks Bowers 3/2017), Lot 3119, (as PCGS AU58 PCGS 06584131), realized $51,700; Purchased in Private Transaction (New York Gold Mark, 1/2021).
1879-O Eagle PCGS MS60
PCGS POP 1/1
Certification #34631147, PCGS #8685
PCGS Value Guide: $80,000 / unknown
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
Proof Eagle Addition
Well, if you didn’t like the last update, this one should be different. There are several great things going for this update. For one, it is a Proof Eagle, and very eye catching. Also, it is the finest known for date! If that’s not enough, the coin is from a great cabinet known for assembling a world class gold proof collection. If that still is not enough, then consider the specimen as being close to mid six-figures. Lastly you can top the coin off as being needed for the Civil War with Proof Gold (1861-1865) Set. That’s right. Was anyone really collecting proofs coins doing the Civil War? Well, must have because the Union Mint in Philadelphia continued to produce them. PCGS describes the set as: This challenging set represents four years of our country's most trying times, the Civil War. It is a sampling of all denominations including the very tough proof gold issues which are rare in nearly all denominations. Completing this set will be an accomplishment as well also an historic representation of a difficult war that took place over 150 years ago.
With this update, The D.L. Hansen Collection is down to needing only twelve gold proofs remaining in the Civil War era. The Collection has been complete with the non-gold portion for some time now. In fact, the Hansen Collection has two complete 43-piece sets of non-gold proofs. As for the Civil War with Proof Gold, there is no one competing in that set except for Mr. Hansen. I guess that speaks for itself on the difficulty of assembling the set. As for Mr. Hansen final twelve coins, the year 1861 still needs the $2.5, $3, $10 and $20. For 1862, still needs $2.5, $3, $20. For the 1863, still needs the $5, $10, $20. For 1865, still needs the $10 and $20. Amazingly, the 1864 is completed!
The Hansen 69-piece top set has nine PCGS sole finest POP 1/0 specimens, with four of them being gold coins. There are another eight tied for finest certified by PCGS. I am sure we will see more to come with this set.
1862 Liberty Head, PR65DCAM, Ex: Dr. Robert J. Loewinger
Expert Ron Guth Comment: In the early years of the Civil War, Americans had more on their minds than numismatics. Nonetheless, there were a few visionary collectors who avidly pursued the newest Mint issues, including the various Proof coins issued each year. Proof gold coins could be purchased for a small premium over their face value, but because of the high intrinsic value of their metal content, sales were low. In the case of the 1862 Eagle, the mintage of Proof examples has been estimated at fifty pieces, yet only a dozen or so examples have been accounted for. This low survival rate suggests that not all of the Proof 1862 Eagles were sold by the mint and that the excess supply was melted. Alternatively, there could be additional examples hidden away in collections, but it is doubtful that the overall population will expand much more beyond its present level. Most of the known Proof 1862 Eagles present a cameo contrast, sometimes to a strong degree. Most, if not all, of the non-Cameos listed in the PCGS Population Report were graded before PCGS began recognizing Cameo and Deep Cameo designations; this will be corrected as the pieces return for reexamination. The current finest example of a Proof 1862 $10 appears to be the former Dr. Robert Loewinger example, not in a PCGS PR65DCAM holder. Not surprisingly, it holds the price record for this date in Proof -- $152,750. The Dr. Robert Loewinger is now in a PCGS holder and as of this past week, is now in the D.L. Hansen Collection.
With the help of a Heritage description, I made an attempt to put a roster showing the known dozen specimens of the coin. This matches the survival estimate given by Coin Factors. That is not to say that this roster is prefect, but I think it to fairly good. Also according to the Coin Facts Rarity and Survival Estimates, the number of GEM specimens is one, and that one is at the top of this roster.
1 –Hansen Specimen, PR65 Deep Cameo PCGS, T. Harrison Garrett; Robert Garrett; John Work Garrett; Johns Hopkins University (Stack's, 3/1976), lot 399, as part of a complete six-piece proof set offered individually; Lisa L. Collection; Dr. Robert J. Loewinger Collection / FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2007), lot 3136, realized $115,000; Baltimore Auction (Stack's, 3/2012), lot 4335, realized $109,250; Rosemont Signature (Heritage, 8/2013), lot 5884 (as PR65 Ultra Cameo NGC), realized $152,750 (Auction Record); Purchased in Private Transaction from Heritage Wholesale through David Lawrence as PR65DCAM PCGS, D.L. Hansen Collection.
2 – Olson Specimen, PR64 Ultra Cameo NGC, Dr. James Olson; FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2013), lot 5908.
3 - Smithsonian #1 Specimen, PR64 Deep Cameo, National Numismatic Collection, Smithsonian Institution. Grade per Garrett and Guth.
4 - Smithsonian #2 Specimen, PR64 Deep Cameo, National Numismatic Collection, Smithsonian Institution. Grade per Garrett and Guth.
5 - Melish/Norweb Specimen, PR64 Cameo NGC, Thomas G. Melish Collection (Kosoff, 4/1956), lot 2449; Ben Stack; Norweb Collection, Part II (Bowers and Merena, 3/1988), lot 2185, realized $11,000;
Dennis Mendelson Sale (Superior, 8/1990), lot 1348, realized $15,950; Public Auction Sale (Stack's, 12/1991), lot 2283, realized $30,800; ANA Signature (Heritage, 8/2015), lot 4423, Lot Passed; FUN U.S. Coins Signature (Heritage, 1/2016, Lot 5626, Lot Passed Rarities Night, (Stack's, 8/2017), lot 2202, realized $94,000.
6 – Bass Specimen, PR64 Cameo PCGS, ANA Sale (Stack's, 8/1976), lot 3089; Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, Part II (Bowers and Merena, 10/1999), lot 1487.
7 – Kaufman/ Mendelson Specimen PR64 Cameo PCGS, N.M. Kaufman Collection (RARCOA, 8/1978), lot 877; Dennis Mendelson Collection (Superior, 2/1991), lot 2859; Baltimore '93 Auction (Superior, 7/1993), lot 900; Medio Collection (Stack's/ANR, 6/2004), lot 1471; Chicago Signature (Heritage, 8/2011), lot 7619.
8 – Tyrant Specimen, PR64 Cameo PCGS, Dr. Richard Ariagno Collection (Goldberg, 5/1999), lot 791; Pre-Long Beach (Goldberg, 9/2003), lot 1183; Internet Sale (Heritage, 12/2003), lot 14377; Pre-Long Beach (Goldberg, 5-6/2005), lot 985; Eagles of the Tyrant Collection.
9 – Trompeter Specimen, PR64 PCGS, Possibly acquired directly from the Mint by George Davis; Davis-Graves Collection (Stack's, 4/1954), lot 873, as part of a complete six-piece proof set offered individually; Harold S. Bareford Collection (Stack's, 12/1978), lot 219, as part of a complete six-piece proof set offered individually; Jascha Heifetz Collection (Superior, 10/1989), lot 4751; Ed Trompeter.
10 – Eliasberg Specimen, PR64 NGC, James Ten Eyck Collection (B. Max Mehl, 5/1922), lot 316; John H. Clapp; Clapp Estate to Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. (1942); Louis Eliasberg, Sr. Collection (Bowers and Ruddy, 10/1982), lot 716; Amon G. Carter Collection (Stack's, 1/1984), lot 763; Auction '85 (RARCOA, 7/1985), lot 456; Charles Kramer Collection (Stack's, 11-12/1988), lot 592; Auction '89 (Superior, 7/1989), lot 917.
11 – Dines/Hardan Specimen, PR64 PCGS, Charles Jay Collection (Stack's, 10/1967), lot 318; James Dines (Stack's, 3/1969), lot 826; 55th Anniversary Sale (Stack's, 10/1990), lot 1690; James E. Haldan Collection (Sotheby's, 6/1996), lot 115.
12 – Morgan/ANS Specimen, Proof, R.C.H. Brock; J.P. Morgan; American Numismatic Society; Exhibited at the American Numismatic Society Exhibition (1914).
At the FUN Show in 2007, Heritage hosted the sale of Dr. Robert Loewinger Collection. The 1862 Liberty Head Eagle was just one of 66 Loewinger pieces sold in the sale. Heritiage pre-sale description: Dr. Robert Loewinger has assembled an almost unbelievable collection of American proof gold coins," noted Heritage President Greg Rohan. "This is a sensational collection of coins, many of which are the finest known as certified by NGC and PCGS. Among the highlights are his complete six-piece 1862 Gold Proof Set (plus other denominations), mostly certified PR65 Deep Cameo; a complete (1908-1915) set of Indian quarter eagle proofs, certified PR65 to PR68; and a complete (1908-1914) set of Indian half eagle proofs, all certified PR67. His early gold proofs are also extraordinary. This is a collection worthy of the highest praise and the most delightful inspection. The top coin was an Extremely Rare PR66 Deep Cameo 1855 Type Two Gold Dollar, Ex: Pittman that realized $316,250 in 2007. The second place coin was 1836 Classic Quarter Eagle, NGC PR66 Ultra Cameo realizing $253,000.
The new Hansen 1862 $20 PR65 Deep Cameo PCGS was eleventh highest in the sale realizing $115,000. The coin the sale was described as: On the reverse of this piece a few of the horizontal shield lines are thinner on their right (facing) sides because of die lapping, and the last three sets of vertical shield lines are also thinner due to lapping. This spectacular example has that most elusive of coin criteria, eye appeal, in spades, and despite the Gem Deep Cameo assessment from PCGS, appears quite conservatively graded. The deeply contrasting, "gold-on-black" appearance so coveted in proof gold is quite evident here, with profoundly mirrored fields and thickly frosted devices. The mint frost is extremely deep on the obverse, but is even thicker on the reverse. Although the pristine quality of the piece does not provide much in the way of distinctive pedigree markers, we can point to a small unfrosted patch on Liberty's neck, near the juncture with the lowest curl.
In a 2016 Heritage sale, an earlier provenance is traced to the T. Harrison Garrett Collection. Stacks, sold the coin in 1976, lot 399, as part of a complete six-piece proof set offered individually. Also, it is attributed to the Lisa L. Collection. I don’t know anything about this collection. Is there anyone in the community that can share any information? I am not sure why, but as the coin changed hands over the past thirteen years, the TPG holder changed back and forth. In the Loewinger Sale, the coin was an 1862 $20 PR65 Deep Cameo PCGS, with certification number 10165412. The next appearance of the specimen was in the Stacks Bowers - The March 2012 Baltimore Auction. This time the coin was listed as Proof-65 Ultra Cameo (NGC). There was no pedigree mention.
The coin was described as: One of the few Proof 1862 eagles available for private ownership, this piece exhibits warm, even, medium-gold color to both sides. Field to device contrast is sharp and pronounced, the former areas nicely mirrored and the latter with a bold satin texture. Fully struck and free of significant handling marks, an extremely faint planchet flaw (as made) in the obverse field above the digits 86 in the date is the most useful pedigree marker. Easily among the rarest gold coins in this sale, and a piece that represents a fleeting buying opportunity for the advanced collector. This coin is the finer of only two Ultra Cameo Proof 1862 eagles listed at NGC. There are no CAM or DCAM examples certified by PCGS, and no coins graded higher than Proof-65 in any category at that service. Q. David Bowers added “Numismatic Reflections”: Offered is a magnificent Gem, a great rarity with superb eye appeal. Here again the opportunity is more important than the price paid. If you capture this with your bid you will be the proud owner while most others will lack a Proof of this year. This piece is deserving of the highest praise.
Heritage offered the coin in August the following year at US Coins Signature Auction. Still in a NGC holder, this time the coin was contributed to Dr. Robert Loewinger again. The main description was contributed to being “Single Finest Certified Example”. It is this sale the coin achieves the Auction Record of $152,750. The coin currently still holds that record, but most certainly it would be shattered if the coin appeared today. The coin was recently listed for sale on the LCR Coin website. The coin currently is listed as “OUT OF STOCK”. The ask price on the coin was $297,000. PCGS Price Guide has a current value of $285,000. This is an all-around great addition to the Hansen Collection. It is truly gorgeous.
Provenance: See #1 above.
1862 Liberty Head, PR65DCAM, Ex: Garrett/ Loewinger
PCGS POP 1/0, Sole Finest Example
Certification #40745705, PCGS #98798
PCGS Coin Guide Value: $285,000 / Ask $297,000
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
Just wow!
I really do not see why that coin is not in a 66 or 67 holder........ Great candidate for a regrade.
Except the upgrade % fee could be significant money. I am sure PCGS would love to upgrade that coin.
OINK
That's killer!
Sunshine Rare Coins
sunshinecoins.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html
With having duplicate sets, Hansen acts as a vacuum cleaner on the high end market. This makes me wonder if it has a depressing effect on fellow whales.
Hi Ronnie,
Unfortunately the pedigree is incorrect.
It was brokered from Heritage Wholesale through DLRC to Mr. Hansen's collection...
Thanks!
President of David Lawrence Rare Coins www.davidlawrence.com
email: John@davidlawrence.com
2022 ANA Dealer of the Year, Past Chair of NCBA (formerly ICTA), PNG Treasurer, Instructor at Witter Coin University, former Instructor/YN Chaperone ANA Summer Seminar, Coin World Most Influential, Curator of the D.L. Hansen Collection
.
Very good question. I discussed this at some point in past, but the question does present a little different twist. I agree Mr. Hansen is a vacuum cleaner on the high end market. But I would add, the high end market is really huge. At no point in time will all the high end coins be available, so market may not seem as big as it really is.
I believe very high end coins are the condition census top five specimens, not just the POP 1/0. Mr. Hansen is not buying all of them. Most of his duplicates are not top five specimens. There are a few coins that he has two top five specimens, but overall not that many. Also, there are many specimens that are non-PCGS certified, and he is not buying at all. As I have said before, I think the high end market could support 3-4 more big whales that could attempt assembling a similar collection. I don’t know we will see one. Logistically, to duplicate what Hansen Collection has accomplished in 4.5 years would be hard without a great team of people.
There may be other approaches to take. One could be the silent approach. Or the 25 year approach. How do we know that is not happening today? There are a lot of great coins that are out of sight, and have been for decades. I will close by saying, there are a few series that have the top coins all sucked up. It is not by Mr. Hansen alone, because in some cases he is just 3-4 in the current PCGS Registry. When this becomes wide spread in all the series, the high end market will then be vacuumed up by a group collectors.
Personally, I don’t think that will happen as long as there are dealers and collectors assembling top end sets for the sole purpose to market. I think there will always be top end coins available, but may not be in the series that you collect. The advantage that Mr. Hansen has, he can just move on to opportunities in other series.
Tidbit,
I took a quick look at Mr. Hansen Mega-Set. For the 6278 coins, there are 1742 coins (28%) that either he does not have a top five specimen or no coin at all.
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
As gorgeous as it looks, the coin almost certainly has grade-limiting hairlines, which aren’t apparent in the images. That’s frequently the case with Proofs, which are virtually impossible to grade, based on images.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Mark, you were spot on regarding the hairlines.
The CoinFacts image of this coin shows them very well:
A TrueView can show hairlines........sometimes.
OINK
I so prefer when proofs are imaged like this:
Compared to this:
For a number of reasons.
Fortunately you can have both types of photos!
There are Two Types of 1859 Proof Quarter Eagles
I have been working on and off for several weeks on this posting. It started with the plan to post a new proof purchase from a Great Collection Sale (PR62 PCGS specimen). When I looked at the date, I discovery a good coin story could be told on the two proof types for the coin. The more I looked at the date; I felt that I remembered Mr. Hansen already had another specimen. I had difficulty confirming the second coin with my online research, so I reached out to John Brush. He replied: The 1859 is in the Hansen Collection as I sold it to him. The coin that he is confirming is a PF65DCAM PCGS Type II Specimen.
Coin Facts information for this coin is confusing and incomplete at the best. This is one of the better descriptions that I could find. The 1859 is the first Proof Liberty quarter eagle for which the mintage was recorded by Mint personnel. It is also the highest mintage Proof quarter eagle produced up until that time. Both these facts are the result of Mint Director James Ross Snowden's decision to begin marketing Proof sets to the general public on a large scale, a plan put into practice beginning in 1858. The late 1850s saw the first major boom in coin collecting in the United States, and Snowden's efforts were undoubtedly intended to capitalize on that upswing in the hobby. In anticipation of records sales for the era, the Mint struck 80 Proofs of each of the gold denominations current in 1859, from the gold dollar through the double eagle. Such expectations proved wildly optimistic, however, and numismatic scholars agree that only a small percentage of these coins were actually distributed to contemporary collectors. The balance of the mintages were either destroyed through melting or (more likely) released into circulation. The net distribution of the Proof 1859 quarter eagle will probably never be known, but through research into the historic numismatic auction record and other sources, we are able to establish the total number of coins known today with reasonable accuracy. Interestingly, the survivors include examples of both known reverse hub types that the Philadelphia Mint used to strike circulation strike quarter eagles in 1859. The Type I Reverse (a.k.a. Old Reverse) is identifiable by large arrowheads that are close to the letters ICA in AMERICA, with the top two arrowheads touching. Conversely, the Type II Reverse (a.k.a. New Reverse) displays small, fully separated arrowheads that are distant from the letters ICA. The Type II Reverse is attributed to Chief Engraver James Barton Longacre, and by 1862 it had completely replaced the Type I Reverse for Philadelphia Mint quarter eagles. Information provided by Stacks Bowers Auction 8/2015
Stated in a Stacks Bowers Auction, there are no more than 11 Proof 1859 quarter eagles of both reverse hub types extant. Three are impounded in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution, American Numismatic Society and the Royal Mint in London and, thus, are not available for private ownership. Of the 11 known specimens, only three are the Type II Reverse, including the ANS specimen. By compiling some online research from past auctions, I made an attempt to create a complete roster. I found sixteen documented auctions from the Eliasberg Sale in 1992 to present. As more information comes available, there could be some additional certainly to the specimens that are questionable.
Type I – Old Reverse
1) Trompeter – Bass Specimen, PR66CAM PCGS, F. C. C. Boyd; World's Greatest Collection Sale (Numismatic Gallery, 1/46), lot 127; Memorable Sale (Numismatic Gallery, 3/48), lot 118; Wolfson Sale (Stack's, 10/62), lot 179; Spring Sale (Stack's, 4/78), lot 805; Ed Trompeter; Ed Trompeter Collection Sale (Superior, 2/92), lot 39, realized $48,400; Orlando Sale (Superior, 8/92), lot 562; Baltimore Sale (Superior, 8/92), lot 851; Harry W. Bass, Jr. III Sale, (Bowers & Merena 5/2000), Lot 191, realized $48,300; The Kennywood Collection, (ANR 1/2005), lot 865, realized $75,900; ANA05 Platinum Night, Heritage 7/2005), 10323, realized $80,500.
2) 1993-1996 Auction Specimen(s), PCGS PR66 Baltimore '93 Auction, (Superior Galleries 7/1993), lot 851, realized $41,800, FUN95 (Commodore Perry) Sale, (Bowers & Merena 1/1995), lot 1166, realized $30,800, ANA96 Sale, (Heritage, 8/1996), lot 8212, realized $36,300. Note: I cannot confirm the provenance of this coin or coins. It is very possible the specimen is the Trompeter – Bass Specimen.
3) Smithsonian Specimen, PR64DCAM (est.), United States Mint; National Numismatic Collection in the Smithsonian Institute.
4) Eliasberg Specimen, PR64 NGC, David S. Wilson Sale (S. H. Chapman, 3/07); John H. Clapp; Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr.; Louis E. Eliasberg, Jr.; United States Gold Coin Collection Sale (Bowers & Ruddy, 10/82), lot 186, realized $15,400, ; Dr. Jerry Buss Collection Sale (Superior, 1/85), lot 1714; H. W. Blevins Estate and George Bodway Collections Sale (Superior, 6/88), lot 6624, where it realized $19,800; (CSNS) Signature Sale, (Heritage 4/2002), lot 6894, realized $36,800.
5) Pittman Specimen, John Jay Pittman; John Jay Pittman Collection Sale (Akers, 10/97), lot 834, as part of an 1859 proof set.
6) The Royal Mint Museum Specimen, (Morton & Eden Ltd 3/2013), lot 609, realized $93,854 (Auction Record).
7) Hansen Specimen, PR62 PCGS, Stanley Kesselman, sold privately on 4/5/1971, Harry W. Bass, Jr. II Sale, (Bowers & Merena 10/1999) lot 503, as PCGS PR62, realized $10,925; PCGS Set Registry/Yellowstone Collection of U.S. Gold Coins(Great Collections 10/2020), GC Item ID: 889792, as PCGS PR62CAM 40406024, realized $32,650, D.L. Hansen Collection
8) Private Collection Specimen (per Stacks Bowers)
Type II – New Reverse
1) Hansen Specimen, PF65DCAM PCGS, William Cutler Atwater Sale (B. Max Mehl, 6/46), lot 1963, realized $70; Amon Carter Collection Sale (Stack's, 1/84), lot 553, realized $13,750; ANA U.S. Coins Sale, (Stack's Bowers 8/2015), lot 10212, realized $64,625; Purchased in Private Transaction (David Lawrence Rare Coins 11/2018).
2) Reed Specimen, PR64 CAM NGC, Byron Reed; Omaha City Library; Byron Reed Collection Sale (Spink America, 10/96), lot 55, realized $35,300; Long Beach Expo US Coins Signature Auction (Heritage's 6/2015), lot 4202.
3) ANS specimen J. P. Morgan; American Numismatic Society.
At one point in time, the Reed Specimen was believed to be unique for a Proof 1859 quarter eagle of the Type II Reverse. (See the listing for this issue on page 120 of the 2008 reference Encyclopedia of U.S. Gold Coins: 1795-1933 by Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth.). As of today, there are three that are currently recognized and Mr. Hansen has the finest known of three. With the recent purchase from Great Collections, the D.L. Hansen Collection now has both types.
1859 Proof Quarter Eagle, Type 1 - Old Rev., PR62CAM, Ex: Harry Bass Duplicate Specimen
Bad news, the coin is at the bottom of the condition census roster, but good news, the roster is very short. I confirmed with help from Ron Guth, the coin is a Harry Bass duplicate that was offered in his Bass II sale in 1999.
The appeared in a Great Collections Auction. In a press release, they described the sale as: GreatCollections is pleased to announce the auction of the Yellowstone Collection of U.S. Gold Coins scheduled for Sunday, October 4. The collection comprises over 100 certified coins and were mostly acquired from 2000 to 2008. The collection includes many rarities, some of which are universally known, including a key-date 1929 Indian Half Eagle, graded PCGS MS65. But some are much rarer and less recognized, such as the 1859 Liberty Quarter Eagle, graded PCGS PR62CAM. The whole collection is being auctioned unreserved, with bidding to commence at $1. GreatCollections has estimated the total value of the collection at well over $1 million.
There was no other description given by Great Collection for the 1859 Proof Quarter Eagle. There was no mention of any connection to the Bass Collection. The Coin Facts information stated the PR62 PCGS grade specimen is pedigreed to Stanley Kesselman, sold privately on 4/5/1971 - Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection - Bowers & Merena 10/1999:503, $10,925. The POP report has one PR62 and one PR62CAM specimen listed. I believe the two coins are the same. The coin realized $32,650 in the Great Collections sale. PCGS price guide does not give a value for the PR62 specimen.
1859 Proof Quarter Eagle, Type II – New Rev., PF65DCAM PCGS, Ex: Atwater/Carter Specimen
The rare of the two types is the Type II – New Reverse. This coin has been in the D.L. Hansen Collection for about two years, but has been living below the radar. It will not anymore. The issue with this coin is the coin number 534180 cannot be use in any of the registry sets. It appears to me, there is not a set that requires the Type II coin. The coin remains in inventory, but Mr, Hansen cannot do anything with it. At some point, I hope he can get this corrected by PCGS.
For the community that has been following the thread, you know that William Cutter Atwater is one of my favorite early completest. Naturally, I was eager to see another one of his coins coming into the Hansen Collection. For Quarter Eagles, his collection started in 1859 and appears to be a complete proof run to 1915. In the B. Max Mehl description, he wrote or the 1862 Quarter Eagle: Extremely rare in proof. Recent record $75.00, but in my humble opinion these beautiful gold coins in brilliant proof condition are almost priceless and worth more than their present market. Priceless in 1946 resulted in $70.00!
The next traceable appearance was the Amon Carter Sale in 1984. After this appearance, the coin will go about 35 years before it appears in auction again. At the ANA U.S. Coins Sale in August 2015, the coin was offered by Stack's Bowers Auctions. The coin was headlined as a Significant Type II Reverse, Exceedingly Rare Proof 1859 Liberty Quarter Eagle. It was described as: This exquisite coin is noteworthy for both its rarity and phenomenal eye appeal. Deeply mirrored fields support satin-textured devices with profound cameo contrast, as suggested by the DCAM designation from PCGS. Full, razor sharp definition characterizes the devices. Light golden-orange color is evenly distributed throughout and the surfaces readily uphold the coveted Gem grade. This is a lovely specimen, a coin whose technical and aesthetic qualities would elicit strong bids from specialists even if it were one of the more readily obtainable Proof Liberty quarter eagles. That it is an exceedingly rare 1859 is simply incredible, making it one of the most important Proof quarter eagles of any type that we have ever offered. The coin realized $64,625, Auction Record for Type Two. This is a big difference from 1946 when the coin realized $70 in the Atwater Sale. In 2018, the coin was purchased in a private transaction with David Lawrence Rare Coins. Presently, there is not a PCGS registry set that you can see the pair together, so I will show you the coins as a pair.
1859 Proof Quarter Eagle, Type 1 - Old Rev., PR62CAM, Ex: Harry Bass Duplicate Specimen
PR62CAM CERTIFICATION #40406024, PCGS #87885, PCGS POP 1/3
1859 Proof Quarter Eagle, Type II – New Rev., PF65DCAM PCGS, Ex: Atwater/Carter Specimen
PR65DCAM CERTIFICATION #28586097, PCGS #534180, PCGS POP 1/0
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
Branch Mint Liberty Head Quarter Eagle Upgrade
After spending this past couple weeks posting proof gold, I think it is a good time to switch up a little and post an old gold piece from a branch mint. What better branch mint is there for quarter eagles with that little “o”. When you have a mega-collection as the D.L. Hansen Collection, there are hundreds and maybe thousands of subsets. We will take a closer look at one of those subsets today. New Orleans Gold $2-1/2 Basic Circulation Strikes (1839-1857) set only requires 13 coins. The Hansen Collection has two complete sets. Let’s break down the top set.
The top set has condition grade from AU58 to MS65. The two AUs are nice candidates for upgrades, although the 1845-O will not be an easy undertaking. Also, there are three coins outside the top five PCGS certified. The “worst” coin is the 1854-O MS61, POP 12/15. David Akers describes the coin as: This is a fairly common date, but most available specimens are well worn. Mr. Hansen should be able to find a nice top five replacement. The next coin that is one up from the bottom is the 1840-O AU58, POP 14/11. The coin is CAC Approved, but I am sure a better grade and appearance coin can be found. The third and last is a borderline top five at POP 9/5. The 1843-O MS63 “Large Date Variety” is the sole finest, there are five better specimens for the “Small Date Variety”. In fact, there is at least one GEM can be found in “Small Date Variety”. Hansen’s current “Small Date” is a MS61 which is not represented in the set below.
The 13-piece set has four PCGS sole finest specimens, POP 1/0. Also, there is one other coin tied for finest. We discussed there are three coins not in top five, so that translate to 10 of the 13 dates are PCGS Top Five (77%). This is a truly beautiful little New Orleans Branch Mint set of Quarter Eagles.
1851-O Quarter Eagle MS64, Sole Finest Certified by PCGS
The new coin replaces an 1851-O, MS62 Certification #81690088, POP 8/5. David Akers describes the coin as: This date is not particularly scarce in lower grades but is very difficult to obtain in full mint state. One interesting variety of this date has a double date. The first date was punched sloping down to the right and then was only partially effaced before the date was punched into the proper position. To the best of my knowledge, The Hansen Collection has two mint state specimens, MS62 and MS64. Doug Winter commented: The mintage figure for this date is the second highest of any New Orleans quarter eagle. It is a much scarcer coin than the lower mintage 1845-O and is comparable to dates such as the 1850-O and 1852-O in high grades. The 1851-O is among the more common New Orleans quarter eagles, although it is scarcer than its relatively high mintage suggests. It is most easily found in VF and EF grades. It becomes scarce in the higher AU grades and is rare in Uncirculated. There are perhaps four or five Choice to Very Choice pieces known and a single Gem. I am not able to find out any additional information on the single GEM.
The coin’s first appearance that I can trace was May 2007 Heritage sale. In PCGS auction history, this is the only appearance for a MS64 graded coin. According to the NGC POP report, there is one coin graded MS65 (also noted by Doug Winter), but it has never shown up in auction. There are no NGC graded MS64 specimens. There have been four times that an MS63 specimen have appeared in auction from 1993 to 2000. Two of the coins were from the Harry Bass Collection. Yes, he had two in his collection. I can rule one of them out by images. I cannot rule out the other Bass Specimen or coins in the other two auctions. Maybe one day, there may be an earlier trace for this coin.
In the Heritage (CSNS) Signature Coin, the coin appeared as Near-Gem 1851-O Quarter Eagle Rarity, MS64 PCGS, Breen-6214, Doubled Date. Heritage described the date as: The date was first entered out of position, with remnants of a 51 below and left of the final position. While a common coin by O-mint standards, the 1851-O is an elusive issue in mint condition. There was mentioned of the GEM specimen: In fact, this appears to be the second finest coin known with only one piece certified higher, an NGC MS65. It is the finest certified by PCGS, and the only one at this grade level (4/07). The coin has stood the test of time for being PCGS sole finest for at least 14 years. It realized an Auction Record of $20,700. The record has also withstood the test of time, until a couple months ago.
Heritage described the coin’s appearance as: The surfaces display the bright, satiny mint luster one would expect of an O-mint quarter eagle from this period--the obverse is brighter yellow-gold in color and the reverse is more subdued green-gold. The design details display the usual softness that is inherent to this issue with weak definition, especially on the eagle. The peripheral details, though, are surprisingly strong. There are no mentionable surface defects on either side of this exceptional Condition Census quarter eagle. I do not believe the coin has a CAC sticker.
I discovered this coin when I was researching the Yellowstone Collection offered in October 2020 by Great Collection. I wrote on the collection a few days ago. The Hansen 1859 Proof Quarter Eagle was from this great collection. The 1851-O Quarter Eagle realized $27,690.75 with buyer fees (New Auction Record). This is a nice specimen that upgrades a very nice little collection of New Orleans Quarter Eagles. More to come I am sure.
Provenance: CSNS Signature Coin Auction (Heritage 5/2007), Lot 2230, realized $20,700; Yellowstone Collection of U.S. Gold Coins (Great Collections 10/2020), GC Item ID: 889744, realized $27,690.75 (Auction Record), The D.L. Hansen Collection.
1851-O Quarter Eagle MS64
PCGS POP 1/0, Sole Finest by PCGS
Certification #02735358, PCGS #7762
PCGS Value Guide: $27,500 / Realized $27,690.75
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
I am out of the loop - what is the goal?
.
One suggestion is to look back on my postings from 12/31/20 and 1/1/21 (one page back), and there is a pretty good description what drives this mega collection. For more details, there was a great article in Coin Review, Nov/Dec 1999. It is a good read if you what to learn more about history in the making.
https://www.qgdigitalpublishing.com/publication/?i=629424
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
Thank you,
Proof like Quarter Dollar Upgrade
PCGS Prooflike (PL) coins. Do you like them? They are a sort of a weird species. They are not exactly a hybrid. They definitely are not a proof, although they are confused for them quite often. Before the TPG days, they were commonly confused for proofs. They are business strikes by birth, but were born with some special qualities. For a very long time, a few series have been recognized for this special birth mark, for example Morgan Dollars. About 18 months ago, PCGS expanded the designation to all coins. This is the press release: Now, all qualifying mint state U.S. and world coins, tokens and medals can be PCGS-certified as PL - (Santa Ana, California) – Any and all qualifying mint state United States and world coins, as well as tokens and medals submitted to Professional Coin Grading Service (www.PCGS.com), are now eligible to receive the desirable designation, Prooflike (PL). The formal announcement about the expansion of PL eligibility is yet another positive opportunity for collectors and dealers to showcase their PCGS-certified coins. According to PCGS standards, a coin’s surface is Prooflike when there is a clear reflection in the fields on both sides as viewed from two to four inches away. A cloudy effect or striations may impede the reflectivity. The PL designation was available first for qualifying Morgan silver dollars when PCGS opened for business in February 1986. Since then, additional U.S. coin denominations and types have been added, such as California fractional gold and world coins, in the past year.
Since this first announcement, we have seen a few of the special coins added to the D.L. Hansen Collection. In the registry, these coins are considered the same a business strike and no additional points are given for the PL designation. When the coin is a PCGS sole finest certified, have the PL designation, and is CAC Approved, then that is the making of a very special coin. The new Hansen coin has the first two attributes.
I made an attempt to list all the Hansen PL coins that I could find. I did not include Morgan Dollars. As you can see, the list has grown pretty good the past 18 months.
1863 Three Cent Silver MS67PL
1868 Three Cent Silver1 MS64+ PL, CAC Approved
1870 Half Dime MS68PL
1884-S Dime MS66PL
1883 Quarter Dollar MS67PL, CAC Approved
1886 Quarter Dollar MS62PL
1894 Quarter Dollar MS67+ PL
1878-S Half Dollar MS64PL CAC, Ex: Eugene Gardener
1900-O Half Dollar MS66PL, CAC Approved
1900-S Half Dollar MS65PL
1872 Gold Dollar MS63PL
1831 Quarter Eagle MS66+ PL
1883 Quarter Eagle MS60PL, CAC Approved
1891 Quarter Eagle MS64PL
1867 Three Dollar MS67+ PL, CAC Approved
1870 Three Dollar 1 MS65+ PL CAC Approved
1877 Three Dollar 1 MS63PL
1886 Three Dollar MS65PL
1877 Half Eagle MS61PL
1868 Eagle MS61PL
1886 Double Eagle MS63+ PL
1894 Barber Quarter Dollar, MS67+ PL, Sole Finest by PCS
I believed this to be the first Barber PL specimen to join the collection. The collection does have two Seated Liberty Quarter Dollars. There are two Barber Half Dollars, but I could not find a Barber Dime with the PL designation. This coin replaces pair of CAC Appoved 1894 Barber Quarter Dollar, MS66+, certification #50138461 & 36829876, POP 6/1. The Hansen Collection has two of the six MS66+ specimens. Jaime Hernandez describes the coin as: The 1894 Barber Quarter is one of the more common dates in the series, as many examples were struck for this date. In uncirculated condition they are scarce in all grades. Especially in MS65 condition or higher. MS66 examples are even harder to find. Anything grading higher than MS66 is very rare. The Hansen Collection now has three specimens grading higher than MS66.
The coin’s first appearance that I can trace was January 2020 Heritage sale. The provenance given is from The Watermark Collection. I did try to trace an early provenance using the Coin Fact and Past Auction images available online. I could not come up with any matches. The coin has the look of a Eugene Gardener coin, but I verified the coin in his collection did not match. Maybe one day, there may be an earlier trace for this coin.
In the Heritage FUN US Coins Signature Auction in Orlando, it appeared as 1894 Quarter, Toned MS67+ Prooflike, The Only Coin So Designated at PCGS. Heritage described the coin as: At first glance this coin really looks like a proof. It takes close examination to convince yourself it is not. The most telling aspect is the lack of high-point definition on the feathers of the eagle on the reverse. Prooflike circulation strikes can often be differentiated from actual proofs by the presence of numerous tiny marks the coin picked up while it was bagged and jostled around with other pieces, but even that is not helpful when examining this coin. The coin displays unfathomably deep mirrors on each side, and the blue-green and rose toning is brightened considerably by the depth of reflectivity seen in the fields. Prooflike designation is still a relatively new area of speciality for collectors of PCGS coins. Certainly in the years to come other Prooflike 1894 quarters will surface, but we doubt any will exceed this piece in terms of technical grade as well as sheer aesthetic appeal. To date (11/19), this is the only Prooflike 1894 quarter certified by PCGS. There is also only one NGC-certified example of this issue, and that piece grades MS65. The coin realized $17,400, Auction Record.
In just a few months, the coin appeared again in a June 2020 Stacks Bowers Auction. The second round was not quite the charm. The coin realized $14,400 in this auction. There was no pedigree offered in the sale. The coin was described as: This gorgeous and pristine example displays vibrant colorful iridescence in the fields. A blend of magenta, turquoise, violet, and gold color frames dove-grey across the devices. The fields are remarkably reflective, contrasting with the more satiny texture of the design elements. Sharply struck and entirely free of notable marks. As a Prooflike Superb Gem, this is a decided condition rarity that will be a highlight in any cabinet. It ranks as the sole finest 1894 quarter graded by PCGS or NGC in any category. It is also the only example with a PL designation from PCGS. NGC has certified just a single PL coin at MS-65 PL.
Mr. Hansen did not pop in either of the two auction opportunities. I have no knowledge if he bided on the coins or not. This coin turned out to be another post auction opportunity. It was purchased in a private transaction from Harry Laibstain Rare Coins last fall. I found the offering in an outdated price list. As some of you may know, HLRC produces Premium Inventory List and post at HLRC.com. In one of the posting, the coin was offered for $24,000. As ways, we have no idea of the negotiated price in the private transaction. This is a nice prooflike upgrade.
Provenance: The Watermark Collection / FUN US Coins Signature Auction (Heritage 1/2020), Lot 4168, realized $17,400 (Auction Record); Numismatic Americana and Early American Coins (Stacks Bowers 6/2020). Lot 467, realized $14,400; Purchased in Private Transaction (HLRC Coin 9/2020), D.L. Hansen Collection
1894 Barber Quarter Dollar, MS67+ PL
PCGS POP 1/0, Sole Finest by PCGS
Certification #38475132, PCGS #779043
PCGS Value Guide: unknown / Realized $17,400 (1/2020)
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
The 1886 Double Eagle MS63+ PL is a special coin. It is the finest of 3 graded by PCGS in mint state and the only PL example. It was previously in the impressive AWA collection.
Umm does not Hansen own DLRC?
Proof Eagle Addition
We have seen a lot of activity in the proof gold recently. I asked John Brush if this was a new focus. He said, no not really a change in focus. He continued by saying the Hansen Basic set is getting to a point that upgrade opportunities are diminishing. This has opened up an opportunity to look harder at some other coins. I think we are seeing that with the gold proofs.
In the past weeks, I have often spoken on what I call the collector set of gold proofs (1859-1915). In researching the complete set of this makeup, I have not found a collection or collector that has achieved this difficult feat. I am not saying there is not one from the past or present, and I will continue to look. Just at this point, I have not turned one up. Even the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian institute comes up short. The Collection have an amazing compete set of Liberty Head Double Eagles, but only 93.55% complete for the One dollar gold. Ed Trompeter , Hall of Fame for his Gold Proof, was complete for the eight of the sets that I show below, including the Four Dollar Stellas, but it appear he may not have been complete for three of the Liberty Head Sets, including Half Eagles, Eagles, and Double Eagles. I need more research to confirm. Louis Eliasberg had one of the greatest sets of proof gold, but the collection was mixed with proof and mint strikes. It appears the ratio of the mix was about 85% proof to 15% Mint strike. Harry W. Bass, another Hall of Fame Collection known for Gold did not have a compete run of proof gold from 1859-1915. I took a look of William Cutter Atwater’s catalog. He had very nice runs of Proof Gold starting in 1859, but there were a few pieces here and there that were mint strikes. For example, the Liberty Head Double Eagles were complete proof, except for 1862 in fine condition, 1877 and 1878 brilliant uncirculated condition.
So to sum up, PCGS does not have a set to represent this 294 piece proof set. I think it would make a beautiful display if Hansen or someone else completes the 294 piece set someday. It would be nice if PCGS would create registry set. So, with not set available in PCGS, and Mr. Hansen has not focused on the set, then how is he doing? In thinking of a cool way to visualize the set, I created the chart below from Registry sets.
So, as you can see, The D.L. Hansen Collection is well on the way for completing this set. Currently at 70.4%, this is below the percentage’s I think you will find in the sets that I mention above. For the Bass, Eliasberg, Atwater collection, I think you will find them to be 85-90%. The current number of coins that is needed by Mr. Hansen is 87. I think all of them are collectable. This will make an interesting watch in weeks and months to come.
1895 Liberty Head Eagle, PR64DCAM, CAC Approved, Ex: Pittman
OK, now for the addition, 1895 Liberty Head Proof Eagle, The official mintage give for this coin is 56. CoinFacts gives the Rarity and Survival Estimates at 35 for all grades. So, there should be plenty to satisfy the collecting community right? Wrong! Since the Eliasberg sale in 1982, the coin has appeared in auction only 27 times. By my math, that is less than once per year as an average. Since 2012, there were only six appearances. There was a 5-year gap from 2012 -2017 with no appearances.
Before this weekend, the new Hansen coin appeared only once in auction that I can find. The John Jay Pittman II Sale hosted by David Akers in 1998. I don’t know much about the auction except the provenance is given to Kosoff (1962). I think that would be Abe Kosoff. The coin realized $44,000, but not much more information is given.
The coin appeared in a Great Collections auction this past Sunday. The coin was part a complete proof gold 1895 set. The set produced some discussion on another thread in our community site. Ian Russel from Great Collections commented: These were hand-picked by an advanced collector over the past 30 years. Now, this does not specifically tell us that the 1895 Proof Eagle has been in this collection for 30 years. We know it was not, because the coin was auctioned 22 years ago. It is very possible and maybe likely, the advanced collector purchased the coin 22 years ago. It’s a little amazing the coin did not appreciate in 22 years. The current PCGS price guide values that coin at only $37,500. We saw when the Hansen team did comps on the coin, they valued it much more and paid up. The coin realized $48,937.50 with buyer’s fees.
In reviewing the bid history, it appears Mr. Hansen placed the winning bid around 3:37 pm Sunday afternoon and walked away. The bid held up. He also needed the Double Eagle. It appear by bid history, he may have placed (cannot confirm) a walk-a-way bid of $140,000 (plus fees) on the Double Eagle at 3:26 pm. He did not bid again. This coin had three other bidders battling up to end of the auction. The winning bid was $177,500 ($199,687.50 with buyer fees). The 1895 Double Eagle Proof will have to wait for another day.
Provenance: Abe Kosoff (1962); John Jay Pittman II, (David Akers 5/1998), lot 1979, realized $44,000; Well-known advance collector (Great Collections 1/2021), GC Item ID: 930278, realized $48,937.50.
1895 Liberty Head Eagle, PR64DCAM, Ex: Pittman
PCGS POP 2/5, CAC Approved
Certification #50021190, PCGS #98835
PCGS Coin Guide Value: $37,500 / Ask $48,937.50
Ex: Kosoff / Pittman
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
Speaking of proof eagles. Did DLH pickup the 1804 ?
When I posted something about the 4 Gold Proof 1895 coins up for auction last week I wondered if Hansen would go after any of them. That question was answered. All 4 ($2.5, $5, $10, $20) were amazing coins.
Successful BST with BustDMs , Pnies20, lkeigwin, pursuitofliberty, Bullsitter, felinfoel, SPalladino (CBH's - 37 Die Marriage's)
$5 Type Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/u-s-coins/type-sets/half-eagle-type-set-circulation-strikes-1795-1929/album/344192
CBH Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/everyman-collections/everyman-half-dollars/everyman-capped-bust-half-dollars-1807-1839/album/345572
The 1895 was cheap. Nice coin. I would have purchased it as I love CAC Tens but I have the other one. I thought the 20 was cheap. If you look at records I believe that only 13 PR 65 Dcams
CAC have ever sold. EVER. That is hard to fathom. Of course you could count the PR 66 Dcams non CAc as they are really 65's!
No
He's my partner in the business.
President of David Lawrence Rare Coins www.davidlawrence.com
email: John@davidlawrence.com
2022 ANA Dealer of the Year, Past Chair of NCBA (formerly ICTA), PNG Treasurer, Instructor at Witter Coin University, former Instructor/YN Chaperone ANA Summer Seminar, Coin World Most Influential, Curator of the D.L. Hansen Collection
I certainly hope it was you Bruce.
I was the underbidder. Oliver posted on Facebook that he bought it
Yes I bought it and now I know the feeling of being the underbidder (on the Brasher).
Well if you’d have gone one more bid I’d have nailed the price....
Very nice pick Oliver. What’s your plans? Reassembling the 1834 proof set would be cool. Congradulations
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
Yes you were close, not even I would have guessed that !
really no plans, just wanted the coin. Will do a box of three
1838$10 and 1804$10 What’s the 3rd?
Dont know yet !
Was supposed to be the Brasher Dabloon.
Anyone know who bought the Brasher?
Latin American Collection
Someone completely new to coins
A new big fish!
"The most awesome large cent I've ever seen." Denis Loring, Penny-Wise, January 1981
After 40 years, the statement is still true today. Are these coins still getting the love they deserve? I was reading a thread posted by @rays titled: Heritage early half cents sold today reveal major EAC market weakness. He continued to say, Three major early US half cent rarities sold today by Heritage revealed weakness in the EAC market. In my estimation, the top of the US coin market was the FUN show January 2014. I cannot argue his point. Later in the thread, @tradedollarnut posted a comment: Not just half cents, and referenced this new D.L. Hansen purchase. There is no question in my mind; the Early American Cooper has lost some of its mojo. In the registry, the interest still seems to be there. There still is HOF Jim McGuigan that ranks on top with Half Cents and High Desert on top for Large Cents. There is D. L. Hansen Collection in distance second in both series. It appear most of the other collectors may be pursuing circulated condition specimens. Not knowing the EAC collections outside the registry, the registry does not appear to have a “weakness” of collectors.
I will say that I have not seen Mr. Hansen having a keen interest of EAC series until recently. I saw a peeked interest of the sale of ESM coppers. Now with this pickup, I am wondering if Mr. Hansen sees this as a great opportunity to jump into the pool. I know Donald G. Partrick EAC Collection is scheduled for Heritage Platinum Night in April. The collection has a 1797 NGC VG8 “Gripper Edge” Half Cent. This is the last coin in which the D.L. Hansen Set needs to complete the Half Cent Circulating Strike Collection. I heard rumor of another copper sale coming, but have not seen an announce yet. It will be interesting to watch and see what happens.
1811 Large Cent “S-287”, MS65RD PCGS, CAC Approved, Ex: Pogue / Jung
The coin was purchase this week in the Heritage FUN US Coins Signature Auction. It is from The Oliver Jung Collection. We know him on the forum as @privaterarecoincollector. If you don’t know, Mr. Jung assembled the all-time finest US Type Set. Still today, the 133 piece set stands alone at the top of the registry. The 1811 Large Cent MS65RD was one of the 133 coins in Mr. Jung’s great set. As with many coins, there are opinions that the best coin may not always be the best grade. Here is the way Heritage addressed the coin: It will surprise no one that this MS65 Red representative ranks atop the Condition Census. There is one other coin certified numerically finer -- an MS66 Red and Brown (Ex: Miller-Sloss-Helfenstein-Holmes-ESM) -- but it does not show anywhere near the degree of original mint-red color that this Gem does. With the finest S-286 coin being an MS63 Brown piece, this example has a legitimate, if not indisputable, claim to being the single finest 1811 Classic Head cent known to collectors. Can it be much clearer? This was stated by Stacks Bowers in the Pogue sale: There are remarkably few survivors of this date with significant remaining mint color. The Helfenstein-Holmes example of this die marriage, graded PCGS MS-66 RB, is the only 1811 graded higher than this one, but its proportion of mint red pales in comparison. That coin is one of just four RB entries for this date on the PCGS Population Report. This piece is not only the sole 1811 certified as RD by PCGS, it is the only cent of the entire design type with the designation. For fans of original color, there is no more important 1811 cent.
There is no question the coin is remarkable, if it was not, we would not have found it from the Pogue/ Jung Collections. Not only does the coin have remarkable appearance and color, but the coin has a very strong pedigree dating back to Dr. Henry W. Beckwith. Stacks Bowers Comment: Dr. Henry W. Beckwith, who Breen famously called "the first perfectionist," had a soft spot for cents with abundant mint color and unusual stories of discovery. He acquired an 1801 S-223 and an 1807 S-271, both ex Bement, that had been found together in a trunk in Rhode Island, as well as the 1807 S-273 that had been passed down among the descendants of Col. Joshua Pierce since the year it was struck, Pierce's birth year. His 1794 Sheldon-29 was discovered among the property of an old Philadelphia family in 1914. There are many stories of individual high grade cents that had been lost, and then found. One of the finest known 1801 S-216 cents was found inside an old desk at the Essex Institute in the 1930s, and still-red 1821 cents were found within a Boston cornerstone about 1979. The nine 1809 cents found inside another cornerstone, that of the Mansion House Hotel in Philadelphia, are less well known, but Montroville W. Dickeson reported in 1859 that "the most perfect specimens known" come from there. In more recent years, two high grade cents dated 1793 and 1794 were discovered in the cornerstone of the Massachusetts State House in Boston, examined, publicized, and then put back. Unfortunately, neither had survived the ravages of time and humanity well. According to Mr. Jung’s comments: This coin found in an old desk in New Haven, 1915”. Very fitting don’t you think.
In the Heritage sale this week, the coin was described as: This spectacular Gem is struck from an early state of the dies without any evidence of clashing or bulging. The first coins off the press were struck from slightly misaligned dies, resulting in consistent softness on the left-side stars, as here. The centers are pale coppery gold with lighter silvery rose accents around and within the hidden areas of the design. Steel-blue, almost teal patina occurs around the peripheries. Seemingly, the only grade-limiting tick is a microscopic one left of the first 1 in the date. Exceptionally preserved and attractive, this Gem undoubtedly competes with the finest Classic Head cents, being the only one in the entire series (1808-1814) certified in the Red color category at PCGS (11/20). Our EAC grade MS65. The coin had a PCGS Price Guide value of $500,000. I say “had”, because I think at some point we may see this price drop, due to the coin only realized $198,000. This was quite a bargain I would say.
Provenance: Dr. Henry W. Beckwith Collection (S. Hudson Chapman, 4/1923), lot 45; S. Hudson Chapman; Rev. William H. Owen, Jr. Collection; Yale University, before 1944; stolen in a May 29, 1965 robbery and subsequently recovered, but declined by the university following a successful insurance claim payment; William H. Foster; John Rowe III and Q. David Bowers; Lester Merkin (c. 1971); Richard Picker; C. Douglas Smith Collection; L.A. Collection of U.S. Type Coins, by sale via Stack's; 55th Anniversary Sale (Stack's, 10/1990), lot 1594; Anthony Terranova, Martin Paul, and Silvano DiGenova; Chicago Sale (Superior Galleries, 8/1991), lot 361; Steven L. Contursi; Worrell Collection (Superior Galleries, 9/1993), lot 119; Rarities Sale (Bowers and Merena, 7/ 2005), lot 16, via Anthony Terranova, realized $138,000;D. Brent Pogue Collection, Part V (Stack's Bowers, 3/2017), lot 5135, realized $493,500; The Oliver Jung Collection (Heritage 1/2021), lot 3986, realized $198,000, D.L. Hansen Collection.
1811 Large Cent “S-287”, MS65RD PCGS
PCGS, POP 1/0, CAC Approved, Sole Red Certified by PCGS
Certification #32709096, PCGS #36498
PCGSPG: $500,000 / realized $198,000
Ex: Pogue / Jung
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
Nice for Dell Loy to get a great price on a great coin. Congratulations!
well done !
RD or RB? (Beautiful coin either way)
Smitten with DBLCs.
All right I have no Idea who this Hansen guy is - I get it I was out of the loop for a decade+ and just jumped back in. I have a bunch of coins he needs/wants and what I wonder is that why I get calls from Heritage and emails all the time? - it is annoying - Why does he just not call? It is weird IMO. Most of mine are not for sale (I don't need the money) - but trades are possible - I also have on some moderns - all/most/some of the top POPS for certain coins but only publish 1. I also have some POP1's that are not important and not in sets - I just like to have them and would trade.
Contact John Brush @ DLRC
@JBatDavidLawrence
Curious if you could list some of the coins you feel he needs. I believe Mr Hansen reads this thread and certainly John Brush does too.
I am also very curios and would love to see a list of coins.
Successful BST with BustDMs , Pnies20, lkeigwin, pursuitofliberty, Bullsitter, felinfoel, SPalladino (CBH's - 37 Die Marriage's)
$5 Type Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/u-s-coins/type-sets/half-eagle-type-set-circulation-strikes-1795-1929/album/344192
CBH Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/everyman-collections/everyman-half-dollars/everyman-capped-bust-half-dollars-1807-1839/album/345572