1931

1845 $5 PR66 Ultra Cameo NGC. The histo

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1845 $5 PR66 Ultra Cameo NGC. The histo
<B>1845<$5> PR66 Ultra Cameo NGC.</B></I> The history of this half eagle is nearly identical to that of the similarly dated quarter eagle in this auction. While there are four 1845 proof eagles known to exist, there are only three documented quarter eagles and three half eagles. This led David Akers, in his catalog of the Pittman collection, to comment: "Since there are four known proof eagles of this date, it is almost a certainty that at least four examples of both the quarter eagle and half eagle were also struck since the gold coins would have been minted only as complete sets. However, at the present time, only three each of the quarter eagle and half eagle are known." Like the quarter eagle, Walter Breen recorded four different examples in his <I>Complete Encyclopedia,</B></I> not being aware that the "Memorable Sale" coin and the Pittman coin were and are the same. Although it is increasingly difficult to establish pedigree changes for these proof gold coins with accuracy, Breen identified the Memorable Sale coin with an earlier pedigree including Lorin Parmelee, William Woodin, Waldo Newcomer, Col. Green, Burdette Johnson, and "Bell," this being a pseudonym for Jacob Shapiro.<BR> President James Knox Polk entered office the year these coins were struck. He was known by his colleagues as "Young Hickory" for his staunch support of Andrew Jackson. Although born near Charlotte, N.C., and educated at the University of North Carolina, Polk spent most of his life as a resident of Tennessee, serving that state as governor beginning in 1839. This was a period of great expansion, including the addition of Texas as the 28th state. Despite the ever-growing size and population of the nation, coinage production remained modest, not increasing dramatically until after the Western gold and silver discoveries, beginning in 1848.<BR> Coin collecting was also in its infancy during this period, with few collectors. In <I>American Numismatics Before the Civil War,</B></I> Dave Bowers commented: "The years before 1850 were the cradle days of American numismatics. There were no published guides describing the rarity or value of United States coins, and, aside from corresponding with or visiting other collectors to share experiences, the typical enthusiast had no knowledge as to whether an 1823 cent, 1797 silver dollar, or 1652 Pine Tree shilling was common or rare." Among early collectors were Stickney and Mickley, both mentioned in the description of the quarter eagle. Others included Dr. J.B. Felt of Massachusetts, and William Dubois who served as curator of the Mint Coin Cabinet. Dave Bowers discussed others, including Robert Gilmor, Jr. of Baltimore, John Allan of New York City, engraver Charles Cushing Wright, and President Andrew Jackson. Another collector of the period was Commodore Matthew C. Perry, American naval hero. Among early numismatic reference works was <I>Monograph of the Silver Dollar, Good and Bad,</B></I> by John Leonard Riddell and published in 1845.<BR> The proof half eagle that is offered here is a lovely one, with brilliant yellow-gold color, frosty and lustrous obverse and reverse motifs, and deeply mirrored fields. The highest points of the obverse and reverse devices are a little softly defined, typical even of proof coins from this era. A few tiny lint marks are visible on the obverse, including those outside the lower point of star 3 and near star 7, close to the point of Liberty's coronet. Other smaller marks are seen across the obverse surface, including a few minuscule blemishes that occurred after the coin was struck. The reverse has several tiny planchet flakes, especially over the eagle, and these have been described in the past as "flyspecks" or "carbon specks," but they are actually tiny flakes with no indication of dark or black color. A faint surface crease from the eagle's head to the final S in STATES appears to be as struck. Like the quarter eagle, we believe that this is the finest of the three known examples. While we cannot specifically state the quality of the Smithsonian specimen, we would be surprised to learn that it is much better than PR60. The Pittman collection specimen was later graded PR62 by PCGS. Not only is this the finest, but it is the finest by several grade points.<BR><I>Ex: Williams Collection (Bowers and Ruddy, 9/1979), lot 1816; Auction '84 (Paramount), lot 906; Ed Trompeter; Superior (2/1991), lot 2596.</B></I>