Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 44

Pre-Long Beach Coin and Currency Auction

Twenty Cent Pieces

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 2062		1875 Twenty Cents. PCGS graded Proof 65 PQ, CAC Verified. Lovely gold and light blue natural toning on both sides. A wonderful coin that should grade a point or so higher. 2,790 Proofs struck. On this coin, the surfaces seem to dance from side to side with boiling silvery color projecting through the toning in places, and quite lustrous. Sometimes on Proof twenty-cent pieces, the devices that were left by the dies' departure are short of the precision one expects due to weak die pressure, but we find the opposite to be the case with this 1875 Proof, everything is finely detailed, incredibly so. This includes the centers of the stars, the lines in the shield, and the plumage on the eagle. Although "double dismes of standard silver" had been proposed in a bill introduced into the Senate by a Mr. Tracey in 1803, there apparently had not been sufficient demand for this denomination to justify its adoption. By the early 1870s, however, agitation for such a coin arose in the western states, where a shortage of five cent pieces caused difficulty in making proper change. It was also a matter of marketing more silver to a captive buyer, the U.S. Treasury. In the Western states, when a quarter dollar was tendered in payment for a ten cent purchase, the buyer would be forced to accept a dime in change. As a result, Pattern twenty cent pieces were prepared in 1874 and 1875, with this attractive design the result. The denomination would last a few years only before it was abolished. The Proofs of 1875 are highly prized, especially in Gem condition. A coin like this will eliminate all second-guessing. It is graded accurately and, we feel, the final hammer price when it sells will justify any stretching by bidders that is necessary to acquire it. Pop 33; 12 finer; 11 in 66; 1 in 67. (PCGS # 5303) . Estimated Value $7,000 - 8,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $10,350
Lot 2063		1875 Twenty Cents. PCGS graded EF-45. Lightly toned with strong LIBERTY on the shield. On these, unlike the other seated Liberty denominations, LIBERTY is in raised letters and so wore quickly in circulation. A popular first year type coin (PCGS # 5296) . Estimated Value $350 - 375. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $518
Lot 2064		1876 Twenty Cents. PCGS graded Proof 62. Mostly untoned with a hint of gold toning here and there. This example looks a little undergraded. Scarce, as only 1,260 Proofs struck (PCGS # 5304) . Historic note: Life really wasn't any simpler "in the good old days" despite what myth-makers may tell you. The recent 2007 collapse of a highway bridge in Minnesota harkens back to the now almost forgotton Ashtabula Train Disaster of 1876. In December 1876, a Howe-truss bridge, near Ashtabula, Ohio, collapsed while a train with three passenger cars was crossing it. Howe-truss bridges were made from either wood or iron. This particular bridge was constructed of iron. The train and its passengers plunged sixty feet into a ravine and creek. The lamps and stoves used to light and heat the train cars quickly caught the wreckage on fire. Eighty-three people perished, with an additional sixty suffering various injuries, ranging from fractures to frostbite. Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,100. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,610
Lot 2065		1877 Twenty Cents. Sharpness of Proof 61. Obverse scratches. Only 350 struck for this rare Proof only year. Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,100. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $3,450
Lot 2066		1878 Twenty Cents. Proof 45. Cleaned and polished. Only 600 struck for this Proof only date. Collectors on a budget appreciate the rare opportunities when a lower-grade example like this gets listed. Estimated Value $2,700 - 2,900. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $2,588