1798 $2.50 Close Date MS(PCGS#97649)

The September 2011 Philadelphia Americana Sale

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

5833

等级

AU58

价格

312,757

详细说明

1798 Capped Bust Right Quarter Eagle. BD-1. Rarity-5+. Close Date, 4 Berries. AU-58 (NGC). Beautiful rich yellow-gold surfaces show just enough deeper toning to give the piece a warm and original appearance. Traces of prooflike reflectivity are seen in the fields. Nicely struck, with a bit of central softness in the reverse, while all major design elements remain clearly visible including all shield lines. Die polishing has thinned the eagle&rsquo;s feathers a bit, as typical of the variety. The example retained in the Harry W. Bass, Jr. core collection (the only example of this variety he owned) is called "fabulous" by John Dannreuther, and "a prooflike presentation piece" by Breen. While this one is not quite as nice as that one overall, it is not far behind in terms of strike and, in fact, it is sharper in the reverse stars than the Bass example. Just a trace of faint wear is seen on the highpoints, and it is essentially free of noteworthy marks otherwise.<br /> Just 1,094 quarter eagles are reported to have been struck this year. However, two die varieties make up the mintage and this one, with four berries on the olive branch, is the rarer by a wide margin. John Dannreuther states that it is twice as rare as the other variety and suggests that perhaps just 25 to 30 examples are known to survive. In any case, it is very scarce and probably underappreciated. A quick comparison of grading data reveals that, at NGC, there are just 20 1798 quarter eagles in all grades, and 22 examples of the more famous 1796 With Stars issue. The 1796 carries a substantial premium in comparison, which seems unjustified simply by its status as a first year of issue coin. This is a truly lovely example of this very scarce date among the early quarter eagles, and a coin suitable for the finest cabinet of early U.S. Mint gold coins.