LOT Heritage Rare Coin Galleries  /  2006 October Dallas Signature Coin Auction #428  / 

2413

1851-C G$1 MS66 NGC. Variety 4-D. The present 1851-C g

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1851-C G$1 MS66 NGC. Variety 4-D. The present 1851-C g
<B>1851-C<G$1> MS66 NGC.</B></I> Variety 4-D. The present 1851-C gold dollar is the single finest NGC-certified example (as of 9/06) and that only sets the scene for describing its immense quality. The portrait is virtually fully struck, as is the wreath, and the denomination is also completely brought up aside from trivial softness on the A in DOLLAR. All but two of the stars are intricate as well. The only area without a superior strike is the obverse dentils between 3 and 6 o'clock, which are generally blended. But the strike is not all that this magnificent Premium Gem has in its favor. The fields are fully lustrous, and semi-prooflike near the major devices. Further, they are nearly void of either abrasions, strike-throughs, or planchet imperfections. The radiant canary-gold toning is seamless throughout. We do note a tiny U-shaped lintmark in the left obverse field near the mouth, a mint-made feature mentioned solely to identify any future auction appearances of this formidable example. Heritage has had only one other MS66 1851-C in its vaunted auction history, a PCGS-certified piece that realized $31,050 in our February 1999 Long Beach Signature. Close to eight years later and in a much stronger market, this 1851-C will surely require an even more aggressive bid to become the highlight of the finest quality collection of Charlotte Mint gold.<BR> In his 1998 reference, <I>Gold Coins of the Charlotte Mint: 1838-1861,</B></I> Southern gold expert Douglas Winter enumerates three different die varieties for the 1851-C. In our experience, we have seen only two of these varieties, 4-D and 5-D. 4-D has a well centered date and a faint die crack that connects the tops of F AM in OF AMERICA. Two sets of light clashmarks are present above the D in DOLLAR. 5-E, the other collectible variety, the date is entered somewhat northwest. Our auction records indicate roughly equal examples of these two varieties. Although Charlotte Mint gold is currently not widely collected by die variety, the future might be different, particularly if a reference is published with photos that clearly distinguish the various die marriages.
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