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1857-D $2 1/2 MS62 NGC. Variety 20-M. T

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1857-D $2 1/2 MS62 NGC. Variety 20-M. T
<B>1857-D<$2 1/2> MS62 NGC.</B></I> Variety 20-M. Late die state with a number of cracks through the date and the surrounding stars.<BR> Struck in rich orange gold and well struck, as is usually the case for this date, with a sharply defined central obverse; the reverse has some minor weakness on the eagle's legs and claws. Both sides show rich grainy luster and are lightly marked. A small vertical nick in front of the tip of Liberty's nose serves as a ready identifier.<BR> The 1857-D quarter eagle is a curious issue. It has a very low mintage of just 2,364 pieces, and it is a fairly scarce coin in terms of overall rarity, with around 110-130 pieces known. Surprisingly, a high percentage of these grade better than XF45, and this suggests that a hoard may have existed at one time. There are around a dozen or so known in Uncirculated, with most of these in the MS60 to MS61 range. NGC shows a current population of three pieces in MS62, and just one finer. The Duke's Creek specimen is among the finest known, and it is ranked #1 on the current Condition Census from 2003. At one time, the Duke's Creek Collection contained two of the finest known 1857-D quarter eagles: the present example, and a piece now owned by a Kansas collector (and in a PCGS MS63 holder) that was sold by Heritage as lot 7960 in the 1999 ANA Auction.<BR><I>Ex: Dr. Arthur Montgomery Collection; Hancock and Harwell; Auction '84 (Stack's session, 8/84), lot 1326; Hancock and Harwell; George Elliott Collection; Mid-American (5/86), lot 1869; Leon Farmer Collection; Hancock and Harwell. This was the plate coin in the first edition of Doug Winter's book</B></I> Gold Coins of the Dahlonega Mint, 1838-1861.<BR><I>From The Duke's Creek Collection of Dahlonega Gold.</B></I>