Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 59

Pre-Long Beach Coin and Currency Auction

$20 Gold

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 1695		1850 $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-53. Well struck and lightly toned, making this a nice, presentable example for the First Year collector of U.S. gold coins. All stars fully struck. Centers well detailed. Normal light circulation marks in the field and on Liberty. Lustrous (PCGS # 8902) . Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,300. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,335
Lot 1696		1851 $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-55. Sharply struck with frosty luster and light gold toning, this is the second year of issue and an affordable one (PCGS # 8904) . Estimated Value $1,700 - 1,800. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,070
Lot 1697		1851 $20 Liberty. NGC graded EF-45. A hint of light gold tone. Well struck. Here and there some scattered marks; the rims are choice (PCGS # 8904) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,600. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,811
Lot 1698		1851-O $20 Liberty. PCGS graded EF-45 PQ. Nice golden toning. Choice for the grade and for this more desirable New Orleans Mint emission. The surfaces are free of heavy marks, Liberty's profile smooth and attractive (PCGS # 8905) . Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,300. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,795
Lot 1699		1852 $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-58. Frosty with light golden toning, the lovely reddish hue comes out nicely in the frosty luster. Life seems to have been far simpler back in 1852, the year of this $20 gold coin. On Dec. 29, 1852, Emma Snodgrass, referred to by East Coast newspapers as "the girl who has recently been visiting parts of New England in pants" was "again" arrested in Boston on a charge of vagrancy. Since Emma was regularly employed as a clerk, and paid her bills, the vagrancy charge didn't hold. She was released after the judge had given her some "wholesome advice about her eccentricities," to which she "responded with becoming grace and promised reformation." The next day, however, Emma was back on the street in her "male attire." (PCGS # 8906) . Estimated Value $2,200 - 2,300. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,588
Lot 1700		1852-O $20 Liberty. Cleaned. Sharpness of XF, however cleaned years ago (PCGS # 8907) . Estimated Value $1,600 - 1,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1701		1853 $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-55. Mostly untoned. A welath of detail includes full hair on Liberty, a sharp eagle and stars, and only scattered marks in the fields (PCGS # 8908) . Estimated Value $1,700 - 1,800. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,013
Lot 1702		1854. Small Date. NGC graded AU-55. Well struck and mostly untoned, this handsome offering displays nice satiny luster across Liberty's almost mark-free profile, while on the reverse, the devices are entirely bold and filled with luster. Pop 68 (PCGS # 8911) . Estimated Value $1,800 - 2,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,128
Lot 1703		1855 $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-55. Nice reddish golden toning on both sides, with plenty of luster in the devices. Slanting 5s in the date only on the 1855 double eagle, said to have been a preference of the mintmaster of the day, James Barton Longacre. Pop 71 (PCGS # 8914) . Estimated Value $2,500 - 2,800. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,760
Lot 1704		1856-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-50. Nice golden toning on both sides. There are a few marks on the face. Ample luster confirms the AU50 grade assignment (PCGS # 8919) . Estimated Value $1,600 - 1,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,898
Lot 1705		1857-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded MS-65. Gorgeous bright frosty luster, essentially "as struck" -- an incredible coin if you have never seen one of these stunning double eagles! The mint at San Francisco opened for business in 1854 in response to the flood of gold bullion issuing from California's Sierra Nevada mother lodes. From gold's discovery in 1848 until the mint opened, a number of private mints operated in this part of the state. Much of the issue from San Francisco went east through various means to satisfy the needs of commerce and for use as export. Double eagles that stayed behind in California were used locally as currency since the state's populace rejected paper money of any kind. This is the chief reason why double eagles are found circulated (often heavily so) and only rarely in fresh mint condition. The Mint State 65 offered here is quite naturally among the most spectacular Gems you will ever see of a Type 1 Twenty-dollar gold piece. These trace to the shipwreck of the passenger liner S. S. Central America, which sank off the East Coast in a storm late in 1857. Pop 61; 32 finer, 30 in 66, 2 in 67 (PCGS # 8922) . Estimated Value $9,000 - 10,000. Ex: S.S. Central America. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $9,775
Lot 1706		1857-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-58 PQ. Light golden toning. Well struck and frosty and an extremely attractive coin. This specimen has high suitability for a gold Type Set as well as in reference to the San Francisco Mint. No doubt struck from Gold Rush bullion transported down from California's eastern gold fields in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains (PCGS # 8922) . Estimated Value $2,200 - 2,400. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $4,140
Lot 1707		1858-O $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-55. Light golden toning with some mint luster still evident. Only 35,250 pieces struck. Pleasant fields on which contact marks can only be said to be few and far between. The design elements are strongly struck and clearly display minute detail. This is a strong strike. The stars, too, are bold. Original mint bloom still seen across the surfaces. A very pleasing specimen, and one of the few survivors in what is considered to be a challenging New Orleans mint issue. As such it is a high end condition rarity. 1858-O is a very expensive coin to find in Uncirculated grades, so why not go with this lovely AU55. Pop 27; 26 finer, 24 in 58, 2 in 61. Estimated Value $18,000 - 22,000. Ex: Eagle Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $19,550
Lot 1708		1858-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-55. Nice light golden toning. Very nice for the grade since this issue rarely comes lustrous (PCGS # 8925) . Estimated Value $2,500 - 2,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,933
Lot 1709		1859-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-58. A hint of tone. An attractive coin. Very close to Mint State. The 1859-S double eagle is scarce in higher grades. Years ago most pieces in auction offerings were listed as Very Fine or Extremely Fine, and mainly well abraded with marks. Today, certified About Uncirculated 58 coins are seen with some infrequently. Mint State coins, however, jump in price and may be unaffordable to the average buyer. Pop 113; 21 finer, 5 in 60, 8 in 61, 8 in 62 (PCGS # 8928) . Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,300. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,910
Lot 1710		1860 $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-58. Lightly toned and frosty. Only 577,670 minted. A few slight abrasions and lines keep this from the choicer grade level. With the substantial gold discoveries in California, 1849-1860s, construction and operation of the San Francisco Mint meant that much less gold had to be shipped back to Philadelphia, thus much lower mintages resulted (PCGS # 8929) . Estimated Value $2,200 - 2,300. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,530
Lot 1711		1861-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-58. Well struck and lightly toned. Normal light bagmarks and faint traces of circulation dulls the frost on the high points. Still lustrous; an attractive representative (PCGS # 8935) . Estimated Value $3,500 - 3,800. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $4,945
Lot 1712		1870-CC $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-53. Nice luster still visible. Key date "CC" mint $20 Gold coin. Low mintage of 3,789 pieces struck with only a small handful known. A leading roadblock to acquiring a complete set of double eagles is this famous 1870-CC Double Eagle. Among the most important dates in the series, indeed of any type or denomination, whenever we are able to present one in recent sales it has drawn a great deal of attention. And as a lovely AU53 example of this very rare issue, this piece is sure to have no difficulty finding its way into a world-class cabinet. Few 1870-CC Twenties exist from the original mintage. Fewer still retain even a hint of the original mint luster. Sad to say, many examples have been cleaned at one time or another, or have been mishandled, leaving behind scattered hairlines, digs and scuffs, or edge damage. The present does display some light marks, but we see more of the original surface than on most survivors. There is a small mark by the word TRUST on the reverse to aid in identifying this particular specimen. Also, a tiny reed mark lies atop the jaw line. Stars are relatively well detailed for this typically soft issue. Similar sharp delineation is evident in the hair waves, the coronet (with its border of pearls), and throughout the well-defined eagle. Medium honey-gold color spreads across the field and devices on both sides and rounds out the impressive record of fine attributes. Pop 1; 1 finer in 55 (PCGS # 8958) . Historian Rusty Goe describes in his book "The Mint at Carson Street" the origin of the 1870-CC and other gold coins struck that year, when he writes: "To get things off to a much anticipated start, Comstock miners deposited approximately $125,000 worth of gold ore at the new local mint in the first half of 1870. In February, $16,440 worth of the gold bullion was minted into $10 eagles, followed by $2,000 worth of $5 half eagles, and in March, $26,640 in new 1870-CC double eagles." Goe goes on to observe: "This date's low mintage automatically qualifies it as very scarce, and the small estimated survival rate of 1 to 1.3% accentuates the fact. At one time, the survival rare was estimated to be half of what it is today, and surprisingly, when it was thought that there were fewer examples extant, the value of 1870-CC double eagles relative to the prevailing coin market was lower than it is today…Most known examples are fairly banged up and lackluster in appearance, and several pieces have severe rim dings. Many XF to A U specimens have lost their originality due to cleanings, and many lower grade circulated pieces are rather scruffy looking." One other reason why high grade 1870-CC double eagles are so rare is that around the Comstock region, mine workers wages were paid in gold coins; banks held gold coins in reserve and depositors of gold ore at the mint had the option of receiving gold coins in exchange. At that time in the West, paper money was not acceptable in business transactions, people feared the effects of paper inflation, so gold coins had to work double-duty; they became heavily abraded in circulation. Estimated Value $375,000 - 450,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1713		1871-CC $20 Liberty. Signs of cleaning on both sides. A popular key date. With 17,387 minted, the 1871-CC is a well-regarded rarity in the series. These pieces circulated extensively, and most show wear and often damage or cleaning. Our grade is Sharpness of AU (PCGS # 8961) . Historic note: It is unlikely that many CC-mint gold coins that got exported ever returned; most were likely melted for their gold content. Also, few of the original production have survived to this day, and the existence of even a single '71-CC example is strictly a matter of chance. Recall, too, that at the time these were issued, collecting by mintmark was not pursued within the numismatic community. Collectors were content to own a single example of each date, often purchased at the Mint. Estimated Value $13,000 - 14,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $15,525
Lot 1714		1873 $20 Liberty. Open 3. NGC graded AU-58. A frosty example. The Coinage Act of 1873 changed the United States policy with respect to silver. Before the Act, the United States had backed its currency with both gold and silver, and it minted both types of coins. The Act moved the United States to the gold standard, which meant it would no longer buy silver or mint silver coins from the public on demand, but instead only from approved (that is, politically connected) Western mine owners. Double eagles (and gold bars) were the chief means of settling export payments in the 1870s when the 1873 $20 gold piece was current (PCGS # 8967) . Estimated Value $1,400 - 1,450. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,696
Lot 1715		1873 $20 Liberty. Open 3. PCGS graded AU-55. Frosty and nice for the grade, and an ideal specimen to represent the Type 2 design. During the 19th century, the federal government in Washington, D.C. was generally happy to do favors for Wall Street financiers. Railroad tycoons, who often used their railroads as instruments of extravagant speculation, enjoyed subsidies, tax exemptions, loans, and a whole smorgasbord of financial fringe benefits supplied by pliable congressmen and senators (not to mention armadas of state and local officials). The Crédit Mobilier was a joint-stock company organized in 1863 and reorganized in 1867 to build the Union Pacific Railroad. It was involved in such a scandal in 1872 in which high government officials were accused of accepting bribes. The firm finally blew up in the credit collapse and ensuing Panic of 1873, the year of this $20 gold piece. (It was the Enron or Bear Stearns of its day.) (PCGS # 8967) . Estimated Value $1,300 - 1,350. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,610
Lot 1716		1873-S $20 Liberty. Open 3. NGC graded AU-55. Mostly untoned and a handsome offering, scarcer than the P-mint release of 1873. Also, the 1873-S twenties which have an Open 3 date are more affordable than the Closed 3 variety. Mintage: 1,040,000. Estimated Value $1,300 - 1,350. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,610
Lot 1717		1873-S $20 Liberty. Closed 3. PCGS graded AU-53 PQ. Nice golden toning. Housed in an Old Green Holder. Scarcer variety of the two yet it rarely carries much of a premium (PCGS # 8969) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,600. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,754
Lot 1718		1874-S $20 Liberty. PCGS graded Fine-15. Evenly worn (PCGS # 8972) . Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,050. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,380
Lot 1719		1876-CC $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-55. Untoned with semi-reflective surfaces. The 1876-CC double eagle is readily available in the grades such as VF and EF. until the present generation, AU and Mint State coins were seldom offered, but recent importations have change the dynamics of the market by suppling a steady stream. However, nearly all of these are very baggy, unlike the present sleek example (PCGS # 8977) . Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,300. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,105
Lot 1720		1877 $20 Liberty. NGC graded MS-60. Light golden toning with semi reflective surfaces on both sides; normal bagmarks. Following introduction of the Type 3 format in 1877, the Philadelphia mint struck a lesser number of $20 gold pieces than it had in 1873-76. A mere 397,650 were issued this year. Coins are, however, available in grades VF to MS63 or thereabouts, with little difficulty (PCGS # 8982) . Estimated Value $1,300 - 1,400. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,668
Lot 1721		1879-CC $20 Liberty. Reverse rim filed, presumably to remove an edge bump. Only 10,708 pieces struck. A high quality example of this very scarce CC-mint twenty despite the minor rim problem. Light neutral gold, the obverse surfaces are choice from a limited contact with other coins in circulation, reverse surfaces similarly attractive. With bold detail. This coin is a natural centerpiece for some any collection of U.S. Gold coinage focusing on the rare Carson City Mint dates (PCGS # 8989) . Estimated Value $1,900 - 2,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,875
Lot 1722		1882-CC $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-55. Frosty and mostly untoned. The 1882-CC double, with mintage of 39,140 pieces, is usually seen in grades from Very Fine to low-level Mint State, mostly from modern imports (PCGS # 8997) . Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,300. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,393
Lot 1723		1883-CC $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-55. Lightly toned on both sides. Similar to the 1882-CC, the 1883-CC (mintage 59,962) is usually seen in grades from Very Fine to lower Mint State, and while most are from recent imports, quantities were low and most known pieces display unsightly handling marks. The present 1883-CC excepted, because it is very attractive for the grade! (PCGS # 8999) . Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,300. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $4,025
Lot 1724		1884-CC $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-58. Frosty and mostly untoned with a few light hairlines in the obverse field. Much choicer surfaces than usually seen since this coin avoided the heavy handling that defaced so many others with marks and rim bruises (PCGS # 9001) . Estimated Value $2,900 - 3,100. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,680
Lot 1725		1884-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded MS-62. Well struck and loaded with frosty mint luster; all, with a hint of light gold tone. 1884 is the year the eight-hour workday was first proclaimed by the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions in the United States. May 1, called May Day or Labour Day, became a holiday recognized in almost every industrialized country (PCGS # 9002) . Estimated Value $2,000 - 2,200. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,128
Lot 1726		1884-S $20 Liberty. Fine-15. Evenly worn and lightly polished at one time. Estimated Value $950 - 1,050. View details	Realized $1,380
Lot 1727		1885-S $20 Liberty. PCGS graded MS-62. Nice rich golden toning, satiny luster, and very choice for the grade. Two unrelated events mark the year 1885: L.A. Thompson patented the roller coaster in January. And on February 21, President Chester A. Arthur dedicated the recently completed Washington Monument (PCGS # 9005) . Estimated Value $2,000 - 2,200. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,415
Lot 1728		1888-S $20 Liberty. PCGS graded MS-62. Lovely golden toning. A beautiful coin for the grade that should have its next owner proudly examining it for hours on end. 1888 was not a good year to be a woman living in London, England, for this is when Mary Ann Nichols was murdered. She is considered the first of Jack the Ripper's victims (PCGS # 9009) . Estimated Value $2,000 - 2,200. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,243
Lot 1729		1889 $20 Liberty. NGC graded MS-61. Frosty with even toning. Only 44,070 double eagles minted at Philadelphia in 1889. It seems that there was a particularly sharp gold panic in the markets that year on the East Coast, affecting the number of gold coins produced; meanwhile, San Francisco, far away from the turmoil affecting the New York money markets, kept on striking gold coins in large numbers, blissfully unaffected. This is a scarce Mint State P-mint $20 (PCGS # 9010) . Estimated Value $1,700 - 1,800. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,984
Lot 1730		1890-CC $20 Liberty. NGC graded AU-53. Untoned with still some luster present. Normal light hairlines and marks for the grade, including a short chattermark on the face (PCGS # 9014) . Estimated Value $2,000 - 2,100. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,128
Lot 1731		1890-S $20 Liberty. PCGS graded AU-58. Very lustrous (PCGS # 9015) . Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,050. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,438
Lot 1732		1890-S $20 Liberty. PCGS graded AU-58 (PCGS # 9015) . Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,050. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,466
Lot 1733		1891-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded MS-62. Mostly untoned and frosty, the surface glowing with golden color (PCGS # 9018) . Estimated Value $1,600 - 1,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,668
Lot 1734		1892-CC $20 Liberty. Filed Rims. Our grade is AU-53PL. Lustrous, satiny surfaces display rich pale gold and semi-prooflike iridescence, with the overall appearance greatly bolstered by luster. Regarding this date, the 1892-CC is one of the scarcer late-issue $20 gold pieces from this Mint (PCGS # 9020) . Estimated Value $2,000 - 2,200. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,760
Lot 1735		1892-S $20 Liberty. PCGS graded MS-62. Nice golden toning, frosty. Well struck on all devices (PCGS # 9021) . Estimated Value $1,600 - 1,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,725
Lot 1736		1893-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded MS-61. Nice golden toning, lustrous with some bagmarks (PCGS # 9024) . Estimated Value $1,300 - 1,400. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,553
Lot 1737		1894-S NGC graded Unc Details. Reverse damage. We still like this coin as a MS60 (PCGS # 9026) . Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,050. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,524
Lot 1738		1895 $20 Liberty. NGC graded MS-62. Rich golden toning over full mint frost (PCGS # 9027) . Estimated Value $1,400 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,668
Lot 1739		1895-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded MS-60 PQ. Lovely golden toning atop lustrous surfaces (PCGS # 9028) . Estimated Value $1,200 - 1,250. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,639
Lot 1740		1896-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded MS-62. Nice golden toning on this Mint State example (PCGS # 9030) . Estimated Value $1,600 - 1,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,639
Lot 1741		1896-S $20 Liberty. MS-60. Light golden toning. A meaningful amount of original luster gleams from the surface of this San Francisco Mint issue. Estimated Value $1,200 - 1,250. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,495
Lot 1742		1897-S $20 Liberty. PCGS graded MS-62. Semi reflective surfaces (PCGS # 9032) . Estimated Value $1,400 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,668
Lot 1743		1898-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded MS-63. Lovely golden toning. Lustrous frosted surface (PCGS # 9034) . Estimated Value $2,100 - 2,200. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,243
Lot 1744		1898-S $20 Liberty. NGC graded MS-63. Nice light even golden toning. A nice coin for the grade (PCGS # 9034) . Estimated Value $2,100 - 2,200. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,645

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