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1796 $2.50 Bust. No Stars PCGS AU58

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:100.00 USD Estimated At:100.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1796 $2.50 Bust. No Stars PCGS AU58
<b>1796 &#36;2.50 Capped Bust. No stars. PCGS graded AU58.</b> Bass-3002, Rarity-5. A wonderful, clean surfaced example of the very desirable No Stars 1796 quarter eagle. This handsome piece is encased in PCGS holder #7727158 and earlier appeared in a Heritage auction &#40;1/2005&#41; where it sold for &#36;103,500. It was described as &#34;There are two known die marriages of the 1796 No Stars Quarter Eagle and they are most easily distinguished by the proximity of the eagle&#39;s left &#40;facing&#41; talon to the U in UNITED. This issue has three distinctions: It is the first precious-metal coin without stars issued for circulation by the U.S. prior to 1836; it is the first U.S. coin to display a heraldic eagle on the reverse; and it is the first to display sixteen reverse stars in honor of Tennessee&#39;s admission to the Union. Of course, the 1796 No Stars Quarter Eagle is also well known as a rare one-year type with an original mintage of just 963 pieces, few of which exist today. All of these coins were delivered to the Bank of the United States, the institution that most likely deposited the bullion for coinage.

&#34;The contracts that resulted in the Mint&#39;s production of 66 No Stars examples pursuant to Warrant 75 on September 22, 1796 and a further 897 pieces per Warrant 77 on December 8 of the same year seem to have stipulated very short turn around times between deposit of the bullion and delivery of the coins. This probably explains why so many extant 1796 No Stars Quarter Eagles display signs of hasty workmanship. Unevenness of strike prevails on most of these coins, with the centers being particularly soft in detail. On some specimens planchet problems are seen. Of course, such considerations are secondary when one considers the awesome rarity of this issue.&#34;

A beautiful near-Mint quality representative of the first quarter eagle design, while a bit rounded in the hair near Liberty&#39;s ear and on the eagle&#39;s breast feathers, is clearly a sharper than normal coin. The secondary outer design elements are bold, and the dentils are virtually complete. Likewise, the design features are in the midpoint on the planchet giving a beautiful balanced appearance. Mellow orange-gold to yellow-gold patina highlights the obverse, whereas the yellow-gold reverse includes some coppery color as accents. Throughout the coin, we see plentiful luster retained around the devices. Lastly, the surfaces are remarkable for their clean look and devoid of any value-reducing abrasions. There are no adjustment marks, either. Any offering of this great rarity is certain to arouse considerable interest among sophisticated collectors of U.S. coins and Americana, those who have the determination and wherewithal to afford a museum-class rarity like this.

EXTREMELY DESIRABLE 1796 NO STARS QUARTER EAGLE <b>&#40;PCGS # 7645&#41;</b> <i>
The Springdale Collection of Early U.S. Gold Coins.</i>

Our item number 120416