1865 $2.50 MS(PCGS#7801)

1865 $2.50 MS (PCGS#7801)

The June 2012 Baltimore Auction

Losbeschreibung: Key Date and Desirable 1865 Quarter Eagle 1865 Liberty Quarter Eagle. AU-55 (NGC). Well struck by the dies and of handsome quality as the color is pleasing orange-gold and the strike is sharp. Mintage of 1,520 pieces has been reduced by time and attrition to 35 to 40 known today. A single Mint State coin is noted in the PCGS Population Reportbut no others grade higher than AU-58. Examination finds a few wispy lines from circulation and scattered small ticks, and for identification there is a shallow scratch noted on the back of Liberty's neck on the same horizontal line as her jaw, tucked into the junction of curls that surround. Struck on a planchet of natural yellow-gold with tinges of greenish hues intermixed. Numismatic Reflections by Q. David Bowers Over the years very few high grade circulation strike 1865 quarter eagles have come on the market. The reason is that in that year any numismatist desiring such -- and the number of those was not much more than could be counted on the fingers of one hand -- ordered a Proof from the Mint. Circulation strikes were not available anyway, as gold coins had not been circulating at par since December 1861. By the time that gold coins were again available in commerce, after December 17, 1878, and pieces such as this could be found, there was no numismatic attention paid to them. PCGS# 7801. NGC Census: 4; 7 finer (AU-58 finest).