1483

1915-S Panama-Pacific Gold $50 Octagonal NGC MS66

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:100.00 USD Estimated At:100.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1915-S Panama-Pacific Gold $50 Octagonal NGC MS66
<b>1915-S Panama-Pacific Gold &#36;50 Octagonal. NGC graded MS66.</b> This beautiful coin sums up nicely the experience of the gold satin luster on a well presented and fully struck Panama-Pacific octagonal format fifty. It is the kind of coin that collectors expect to find in the grade. It is the kind of coin only, unfortunately, one in a million coin collectors will ever get to own. Elusive as a Gem and better, and certainly more challenging than the round &#36;50s in similar quality, as seen in the recent auction price realized stats. It is easy to see this piece was delivered a hard blow by the dies, and as is just as obvious, the dies were brand new and carefully set in the high-impact medal press to impart the requisite force, and which imparted their sharpness to the struck planchet. What an amazing coin. Yet it is second in line &#40;just barely&#41; to the former MS67 in the sale!

Today the five different coins issued in connection with the Panama-Pacific International Exposition stand as the high-water mark of American commemoratives. The &#36;50 octagonal is legendary in U.S. federal coinage, both for its size &#40;&#36;50 or two and one-half ounces of 900 Fine gold&#41; and format. The artistry was by Robert Aitken, noted sculptor and coin designer whose handiwork presents Minerva, goddess of the harvest, wearing a Corinthian plumed helmet &#40;The Romans identified their goddess of war as Minerva. She ranked third among their gods, after Jupiter and Juno. Minerva also was worshiped as the goddess of wisdom and of crafts, namely weaving and spinning.&#41; Aitken used a more down-home emblem for his reverse, a &#34;wise&#34; owl perched upon a pine branch. Curiously, the wisdom of owls has been much overrated. According to the trainers who worked the various owls in the Harry Potter series of movies, owls are little more than flying sharks - sophisticated eating machines with only enough brains to get by on. They&#39;re downright unfriendly and almost impossible to train to do tricks. Nevertheless, Minerva&#39;s owl is golden and beautiful, and we&#39;ll just say &#34;wise&#34; on this foremost of all U.S. commemorative gold pieces! What a spectacular way to preserve the occasion than by this well struck, satin-gem Mint State 66 certified by America&#39;s top-tier grading firm, NGC &#40;Numismatic Guarantee Corporation&#41; <b>&#40;PCGS # 7452&#41;</b> <i>
The Good River Collection.</i>

Our item number 123703