Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 53

Pre-Long Beach Coin and Currency Auction

Patterns

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 1164		1836 Pattern Dollar. Silver, plain edge. Rarity 1. NGC graded Proof 64. J-60. Wonderful blue toning on both sides. A spectacular specimen, as graded, of this, one of the most desirable of all American silver coins. Both obverse and reverse are vibrantly toned and fully iridescent; so shimmering as to be virtually luminescent! Just 1,000 of these pieces were minted in December, 1836, all with mirror Proof finish. Some of them were presented to congressmen and local personages, including two that went to President Andrew Jackson; others were given to Treasury officials, and a few to numismatic cabinets. Curiously (and unlike Proof issues before it), many hundreds were simply put into circulation for face value! This is the first (but not only) instance in which a coin made from polished dies, deliberately with Proof intention, ended up in circulation. Only a handful of very choice examples like the present coin exist today. The genesis of the Gobrecht dollar traces to 1835 when Christian Gobrecht was hired at the Philadelphia Mint, to assist Chief Engraver William Kneass, who in August had suffered a stroke. Gobrecht was one of the best known engravers in the United States at the time. Because he didn't want to be known as an assistant engraver, he was hired as a "second engraver," in his mind this meant "another engraver," not someone holding subsidiary rank. Gobrecht created designs based on the works of Titian Peale and Thomas Sully; the eagle, it was said, was taken from "Peter," a live mascot at the mint who met a sad fate and is now enshrined in a glass cabinet in the foyer of the current Philadelphia Mint. The first silver dollars had the inscription C. GOBRECHT F. in large capital letters above the date and below the base of Miss Liberty. In its final form the Gobrecht silver dollar appears as here, with Gobrecht's name placed less conspicuously on the base. Pop 6; 2 finer in 65 (PCGS # 11227) . Estimated Value $40,000 - 44,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1165		1836 Pattern Dollar. Silver, plain edge. Judd-60. Pollock-65. Rarity 1. NGC graded Proof 63. Original coin alignment. Wonderful surfaces overlaid with natural rainbow toning on both sides. This is a fully struck representative of the first seated Liberty silver dollar delivery in the Gobrecht series. The fields are reflective with natural patina whose color envelops both sides with swirls of powerful iridescence, especially in the obverse field. A halo of the same beaming color is also noted on the reverse at the margin. The United States Mint had ceased striking silver dollars in 1804. Although the denomination was the "flagship" monetary unit in U.S. coinage, demand for it came mostly from bullion depositors, and few dollar coins circulated in the beginning of the 19th century. By the 1830s, however, Mint Director Patterson, ambitious to make an artistic statement, hired artist Thomas Sully to make sketches of a full figure of Liberty -- along the lines of the allegorical Britannia found on English coins. Patterson retained noted painter Titian Peale to fashion the eagle for the reverse and instructed newly hired assistant engraver Christian Gobrecht to convert the designs to coining dies. Gobrecht's rendition is a composite of both Peale's and Sully's works with touches of his own. On the obverse, Liberty is situated on a rock, her body draped in a loose-fitting gown -- suggestive of the statuary from Hellenistic Greece. An eagle in flight garnishes the reverse, the bird rising "onward and upward," a position intended to symbolize the unbridled optimism that Americans had for the nation's Manifest Destiny. The eagle flies amid a field of 26 large and small stars, representing the thirteen original states and the thirteen admitted to the Union after 1789 (anticipating Michigan's entry). In a new 4 pronged NGC holder.Pop 18; 8 finer, 6 in 64, 2 in 65 (PCGS # 11227) . Estimated Value $30,000 - 35,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1166		1836 Pattern Dollar. Silver, plain edge. PCGS graded Proof 61 Original Coin Alignment. Lovely golden toning with some blue colors. Popular C. Gobrecht Dollar. Both sides display the typical "look" for this rare 1836 delivery: smoothly mirrorlike Proof surfaces, rolling sparkle effects from light striking it at different angles, and boldly struck devices. In fact, the strike is strong, with clear definition to the high points such as the hair waves and shoulder clasp, the shield lines and drapery folds, and, on the reverse, the starry field along with the eagle's pleasurable display of feathery plumage. The toning hits us right as well, thereby increasing the beauty immensely. The one should fetch a very high bid for its perfect combination of nice quality and aesthetic appeal. Pop 20; 71 finer; 35 in 62; 23 in 63; 13 in 64. (PCGS # 11225) . Estimated Value $20,000 - 22,000. The Mark Gordon Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1167		1839 Pattern Dollar. Silver, reeded edge. PCGS graded Proof 61 Rarity-3. Nice fully brilliant example with a touch of gold toning on the obverse. Both sides display the typical "look" for this rare 1836 delivery: smoothly mirrorlike Proof surfaces, rolling sparkle effects from light striking it at different angles when the viewer revolves it on its horizontal and vertical axes -- and best of all, boldly struck devices. In fact, the strike is strong, with clear definition to the high points such as the hair waves and shoulder clasp, the shield lines and drapery folds, and, on the reverse, the starry field along with the eagle's pleasurable display of feathery plumage. The toning hits us right as well, thereby increasing the beauty immensely. The one should fetch a very high bid for its perfect combination of nice quality and aesthetic appeal. Pop 5; 31 finer; 5 in 62; 17 in 63; 8 in 64; 1 in 65. (PCGS # 11446) . A colorful character: in 1839, the year this Gobrecht dollar was minted, the first woman horse thief in America published her confessions. Josephine Amelia Perkins, born and raised in England, stole her first horse from her own father for her elopement. Eventually she came to America completely broke, and continued her career of horse-stealing. She herself admitted to being "4 times detected, twice pardoned on account of my sex, once for reasons of supposed insanity, and the 4th and last time, convicted and sentenced to 2 years imprisonment in Madison County jail, Kentucky." (The report doesn't state whether or not she ever ran for Congress.). Estimated Value $29,000 - 31,000. The Mark Gordon Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1168		1863 Pattern Cent. Bronze, plain edge. Rarity 8. PCGS graded Proof 64 Red & Brown. Only 3 examples graded in total at PCGS. Very desirable as the second-cousin 1863-L Proof Indian Cent. Few other than specialists realize this but this year's issue is rarer than the more highly touted 1864-L Proof Cent of which 20 were struck. A must for every Pattern collector. The coin's designer (L = Longacre, James B.) helped to bring about the reduced-weight standard of 48 grains for the one-cent coin after the difficult to work 72-grain copper-nickel cents of 1856-64 were abandoned. Beginning as early as 1849-50, in fact, the mint experimented with varying sizes, weights, and alloys for Pattern cents. Finally, French bronze, containing 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc, became the standard and this alloy was used until 1982. A handsome 1863-L Pattern cent with gleaming deep glowing-coal red surfaces topped by bluish-brown sheen. This handsome 1863-L Pattern cent is one of the most elusive known to collectors. Some might consider it the direct precursor to the rare Proof 1864-L regular issue pieces since it is identical except for the date. The year 1863 witnessed the beginning of the 6 year long project to construct a transcontinental railroad. The two firms that built the at first rickety roadbed, received government grants of land and money for every mile of roadbed they constructed. Completion took place in 1869 at Promontory Point, Utah with the driving-in of the golden spike (that was quickly removed and replaced with a normal iron spike). The railroad tracks and ties were so slipshod and poorly constructed that immediately upon completion, the entire line had to be re-laid over the next several years! (That part is left out of the school text books.) Pop 1; 1 finer in 65RB. We believe the PR63RB coin in the PCGS population report is this coin but now it is graded PR64RB. Estimated Value $35,000 - 40,000. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 1169		(1999) U.S. Pattern $1. Rarity 8? PCGS graded Proof 62. J-2187. The 1759-dated obverse has a portrait of Martha Washington to right, and the reverse depicts Mount Vernon, the home of the Washingtons. These dies, which omit a denomination as well as the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, have been used by the Mint to test coinage alloys since 1965. Struck in special metal alloy with a plain edge. The greenish-gold color is akin to that of the Sacagawea dollars of 2000-present. Bright, lustrous, with some fingerprints and a streak of gray toning; both sides sharply struck. Choice, defect-free. Pop 1; the only example graded at PCGS. Estimated Value $6,000 - 7,000. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold