1689

1845 $2 1/2 PR66 Ultra Cameo NGC. At th

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1845 $2 1/2 PR66 Ultra Cameo NGC. At th
<B>1845<$2 1/2> PR66 Ultra Cameo NGC.</B></I> At the time this coin was struck, the Mint did not keep records of proof coinage, thus we cannot be certain of an exact mintage for this coin, or for the proof 1845 half eagle in this sale. Based on the number of pieces surviving today, we can be certain that the quantity coined was extremely small. Gold proofs of this era were struck for only two reasons: to supply the few collectors who could afford them, and to include in sets for presentation purposes. Apparently neither was a factor in 1845. James Polk was at the beginning of his Presidency, and there was little reason for presentation sets to be prepared at the time. We have not heard of any such sets being made for this purpose, although it is possible that this coin, which is pedigreed back to England in the 1970s, and before that back to the time it was struck, may be from one such presentation set. Few collectors could afford to buy and save proof gold coins in the 1840s. Among those who could buy such coins were Joseph Mickley and Matthew Stickney.<BR> As best we can determine, just three 1845 proof quarter eagles are known, including this example. The Smithsonian Institution specimen and the Pittman specimen are the others. Walter Breen had recorded four different pieces in his <I>Complete Encyclopedia,</B></I> but at the time he was unaware that the Pittman coin and the "Memorable Sale" coin are the same. In the Pittman catalog, David Akers hinted that another example could exist: "In my opinion, of the approximately 10-15 Proof sets minted in 1845, only 4 or 5 of them included the gold coins. I can account for only three of the quarter eagles today. However, since there are four known examples of the eagle, at least one other quarter eagle must have been struck and so it is possible that one or two others exist somewhere."<BR> This example is apparently the finest of the three. The Pittman coin was later graded PR65 Cameo by NGC, while this example has a finer PR66 Ultra Cameo opinion from the same grading service. The obverse has slight doubling of the inner point of star 8. The digit 5 is thinner than the 184, which are heavy and rounded. There is no evidence of a tiny die lump between stars 12 and 13, as on the Pittman specimen. A curved lint mark is visible well inside of the point of star 11, but in a different position than on the Pittman coin. It is likely the same tiny piece of lint, which moved slightly between strikes. A light die crack on the reverse joins the tops of UNITE. The obverse border has a shallow depression at 3 o'clock, and the reverse has a minor rim depression over AM of AMERICA. Both sides have a few faint blemishes. This lovely Gem Proof has remarkable cameo contrast (called "rich" contrast by Superior) with bright yellow-gold devices. The portrait and eagle are both fully lustrous with frosty surfaces, and they are complemented nicely by deeply mirrored fields.<BR><I>Ex: Williams Collection (Bowers and Ruddy, 9/1979), lot 1815; Ed Trompeter; Superior (2/1991), lot 2595.</B></I>