1870-CC $5 MS(PCGS#8320)

August 2021 ANA U.S. Coins Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

4210

等级

AU58

价格

971,766

详细说明

Historic First Year 1870-CC Half Eagle 1870-CC Liberty Head Half Eagle. Winter 1-A, the only known dies. Die State II. AU-58 (PCGS). Offered is one of the finest known survivors of this historic and popular, yet also rare and conditionally challenging Carson City Mint gold issue. A beautiful coin drenched in vivid rose-apricot color, both sides retain nearly complete mint luster in a soft satin texture. The persistent viewer aided by direct lighting will also see modest semi-reflective qualities in the fields - highly attractive. The strike is commensurate with the Winter Die State II attribution, the central obverse high points above and below Liberty's ear a bit soft and the top of the shield and the eagle's head and neck quite blunt in the center of the reverse. Otherwise we note razor sharp striking detail to all design elements. Impressively smooth in hand for a lightly circulated early date CC-Mint gold coin, there are no sizeable or otherwise individually distracting marks. For provenance purposes only we mention four tiny nicks in the left obverse field that one will need a loupe to discern: one before Liberty's mouth, two midway between star 4 and the bridge of Liberty's nose, and one between stars 4 and 5. Far better preserved and infinitely more attractive than the vast majority of survivors from this challenging issue, this coin is destined for inclusion in a high quality half eagle cabinet or collection of Carson City Mint coinage. On January 8, 1870, the Carson City Mint officially opened for coinage operations under the direction of Superintendent Abraham "Abe" Curry. The first $5 gold half eagles to bear the distinct CC mintmark of this facility were delivered by Coiner Ezra Staley on March 1 in the amount of 400 coins. By year's end the total mintage for this issue would amount to just 7,675 pieces. In the outstanding new reference The Confident Carson City Coin Collector(2020), CC-Mint expert Rusty Goe provides the following monthly breakdown for this mintage: -March = 400 coins -April = 760 coins -May = 730 coins -July = 2,530 coins -September = 530 coins -October = 725 coins -December = 2,000 coins As with all early gold and silver issues from the Carson City Mint, the mintage for the 1870-CC saw immediate use in regional commerce, which would result in a high rate of attrition and correspondingly low rate of survival. Rusty Goe's estimate for the number of coins extant in all grades is just 75 to 95 pieces, the vast majority of which do not exceed Choice VF. On the other hand, and unlike the 1870-CC eagle and double eagle, the 1870-CC half eagle is obtainable in Mint State. It is exceedingly rare at that level, however, the title of finest known held by the Battle Born specimen certified MS-61 by PCGS that realized $105,750 in our August 2012 sale of that fabulous collection. The only other Mint State example known, ranked CC#2 for the issue, is the coin that has most recently been certified MS-62 by NGC. The remaining rankings near the top of the Condition Census for this issue are occupied by a group of AU-58s that are nearly as rare as the Mint State coins. Rusty Goe estimates that only four or five such pieces are extant, despite combined PCGS and NGC certification data that shows 10 grading eventsfor the 1870-CC at this level. Of the actual AU-58 examples known, the coin offered here is the third finest per Rusty Goe, which results in a CC#5 ranking for the issue in its entirety. In his aforementioned book, Rusty Goe sums up his discussion of this coin with the comment, "Despite its weak details on certain raised devices it has much to command itself, and it will prove a pivotal piece in any high-grade set of Carson City half eagles." His observation that, "Following the pattern of most of the high profile 1870-CC half eagles, this piece, too, has apparently remained in strong hands for many years," further underscores the significant and fleeting nature of this offering for advanced CC-Mint enthusiasts. Provenance: From the Castle Pines Collection. Earlier ex Superior's Century Collection Sale, February 1992, lot 2688; Midwestern Collection, 1998; Heritage's FUN Signature Sale of January 2003, lot 8613. PCGS Population: 4; with a single MS-61 finer. PCGS# 8320. NGC ID: 25WA. Click here for certification details from PCGS. Click here to see Coins in Motion.[“Coins]