1840 $2.50 MS(PCGS#7717)

The November 2011 Baltimore Auction

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

9222

Grade

MS64

Price

31,625

Lot Description

1840 Liberty Quarter Eagle. MS-64 (PCGS). CAC. A boldly lustrous golden orange specimen with exceptional eye appeal and pale olive highlights. Frosty and matte-like in appearance. Struck in the first year of&nbsp;Christian Gobrecht's&nbsp;long-lived&nbsp;design type&nbsp;(1840-1907). The PCGS website suggests that perhaps just 100 or so examples of the date are known in all grades, this despite a mintage for the issue of 18,859 pieces. Indeed, the total&nbsp;number of&nbsp;<em>Mint State</em> examples of the date certified by PCGS amounts to just a half dozen pieces. Choice for the grade; it's easy to see why the present piece is listed at the top of the PCGS <em>Population Report.<br /> <br /> </em><strong>Numismatic Reflections by Q. David Bowers</strong><br /> In my career I have seen very few 1840 Philadelphia Mint quarter eagles that equal this or even come close. Once again, as it is so often in the present sale, <em>opportunity</em> comes to the forefront.