8505

1841 $2 1/2 PR50 NGC. Dubbed "The Little Princess

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1841 $2 1/2 PR50 NGC. Dubbed  The Little Princess
<B>1841<$2 1/2> PR50 NGC.</B></I> Dubbed "The Little Princess" by Norman Stack in his firm's 1954 sale of the Davis-Graves Collection, the 1841 Quarter Eagle is one of the major rarities among all United States gold coins. There is no record of any mintage, indicating that business strikes of this date were never produced. All known examples show evidence of Proof surface, and it is generally acknowledged that all examples of the date were originally produced as Proofs. At the time, the Mint did not keep specific records of the number of Proof coins produced. Needless to say, it was a very small quantity, and today, there are only about 17 examples known. Some have questioned the number of coins produced, and the method of manufacture. David Akers, for example, feels that the number of survivors is much too high for an early 1840s Proof quarter eagle, when compared to Proof survival of nearby years. If one considers that there were no business strikes, and even with a modest number of collectors and others interested in saving the coinage at that time, the higher Proof mintage does not seem so unlikely. It is certainly also the case that the bullion dealers of the day would have known that this date was not produced for circulation, and they would have saved examples that came into their possession, rather than passing them on as with other dates.<BR> In our June 2004 auction, where we offered a Gem Proof example, we presented a roster of 17 specimens, taken from the May 2000 catalog of the Harry Bass Collection. This example is number 11 in that list, the Stack Collection coin. Also in the Bass catalog was an extensive "History and Appreciation" of the 1841 quarter eagle, written by the present cataloger. Although we have learned considerably about this issue, there are still several questions to be answered. Among these is the reason for a presumably larger mintage, and the lack of Mint records, addressed in the Bass catalog: "If all 1841 quarter eagles were struck in Proof format, perhaps the output was partially for collectors and partially for presentation or some other purpose, perhaps for some long-forgotten ceremony. In 1841 the quarter eagle was the smallest gold coin produced by the United States (the gold dollar did not make its debut until 1849). Thus, a civic, political, commercial, or other ceremony requiring gold coins as an honorarium or gift would find the quarter eagle to be convenient. For example, 1841 was the year of the inauguration of President William Henry Harrison, and if congressmen or other dignitaries were given a gold memento, a quarter eagle would be a likely candidate--just as the quarter eagle denomination was selected later in the decade to showcase California gold, in the form of the well-known 1848 'CAL.' issues."<BR> This example has evidence of light circulation or handling, yet still retains considerable Proof surface, readily apparent around the protected areas of the devices. The surfaces have original light yellow color with pale orange toning. This is a pleasing example that displays only a few minute handling marks, mostly in the fields.<BR><I>James A. Stack, Sr. Collection (Stack's, 10/1994), lot 865; Richmond Collection (David Lawrence Rare Coins, 7/2004), lot 1097.</B></I>