LOT Heritage Rare Coin Galleries  /  2007 Jan (FUN) Heritage Signature Coin #422  / 

1589

1879 $4 Flowing Hair Four Dollar, Judd-1636, Pollock-1

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:42,500.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 2.00 USD
1879 $4 Flowing Hair Four Dollar, Judd-1636, Pollock-1
<B>1879 $4 Flowing Hair Four Dollar, Judd-1636, Pollock-1834, Low R.7, PR66 Red and Brown PCGS.</B></I> The obverse features the Flowing Hair portrait of Charles E. Barber, with a figure of Liberty facing left, LIBERTY on her coronet. Around the rim, punctuated by stars, *6*G*.3*S*.7*C*7*G*R*A*M*S*, with the date 1879 below. On the reverse is a large, five-pointed star with the incused inscription ONE / STELLA / 400 CENTS. Around the star are E PLURIBUS UNUM and DEO EST GLORIA, and near the rim UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / FOUR DOL. Struck in copper with a reeded edge, visible through the PCGS encapsulation. Although a unique Small Head variant of this copper pattern was struck, the Judd-1636 pieces were struck from the same dies as the gold stellas. The www.uspatterns.com website estimates that about a dozen or more pieces exist.<BR> This delightful copper pattern makes a good accompaniment for the gold stellas also in this sale (three at this writing). The Hon. John A. Kasson's mission to introduce an international coinage (and coincidentally to create more uses for the silver flowing from the Western silver mines, through the medium of the goloid metric dollars), was responsible for the idealistic, less-than-practical, nonutilitarian, not-especially advantaged gold stella coinage and its cousins. The nominal value in U.S. currency was four dollars, and the international equivalents--more or less--were eight Austrian florins, eight Dutch florins, 20 French francs, 20 Italian lire, and 20 Spanish pesetas--but <I>the coins were not exactly worth any of those overseas measures, and of course those values fluctuated against one another, just as they do today.</B></I><BR> Compounding the problem, the four dollar stella was contemplated to be produced in an awkward "metric" gold alloy--6 grams of gold, 0.3 grams of silver, and 0.7 of copper (hence the obverse legend)--that had never before been produced at the Mint. (Many numismatists have concluded that neither were the pattern gold pieces produced in that odd metric alloy, but rather they were struck on regular 900 fine planchets rolled out to 80% of the thickness of a half eagle, accounting for the roller marks or die striations seen on all known gold pieces.) Furthermore, the stella offered no particular advantage in international commerce over the well-established and familiar U.S. half eagle, the workhorse of such commerce at a time when international accounts had to be settled in hard currency. <BR> The present piece offers original iridescent blue and purple toning on each side. The fields are a deep milk chocolate color, with lighter tan color on the devices. Even under a loupe, there are no obvious spots or other surface impairments. This is simply a charming and delectable example of this rare and coveted pattern issue, certified in an old-style PCGS green-label holder.<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Coin/Currency (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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