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1855-D $2 1/2 AU55 NGC. Variety 18-M. A significant op

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:17,750.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1855-D $2 1/2 AU55 NGC. Variety 18-M. A significant op
<B>1855-D $2 1/2 AU55 NGC.</B></I> Variety 18-M. A significant opportunity awaits the astute numismatist: to acquire a Choice AU example of what is, according to branch mint gold expert Doug Winter, the second-rarest D-mint quarter eagle (after the 1856-D quarter eagle), one of the top-rung survivors from the original, tiny emission of only 1,123 coins. Winter says this issue is also the second-rarest coin struck in Dahlonega overall, again second to the 1856-D--even though the two coins are in a virtual lock for first-place honors. Winter's Dahlonega gold volume states, "In most advanced collections, it the 1855-D quarter eagle is among the final pieces to be purchased due to the extreme difficulty of locating a nice example."<BR> In that is the problem, <I>wait no longer,</B></I> as this astoundingly nice example fulfills any conceivable criteria (short of being Mint State) for a high grade collection. The original color is a crisp yellow-gold, and the brilliant luster is largely intact. The strike is stronger than expected, with about 40% of the dentils on both sides individually identifiable and all star centrils full, even through there is weakness on the hair around Liberty's ear and on the eagle's neck, legs, and right (facing) claw. But the superior surfaces are the most important feature that outdistances this piece from much of the competition, since it possesses remarkably few surface impairments of any kind. NGC has graded four examples in AU55, with 11 finer (MS61 the finest), while PCGS has certified nine examples in AU55, with four finer (MS60 the finest) (1/06).