(1853) G25C BG-201 MS(PCGS#10386)

November 2021 Baltimore U.S. Coins auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

3490

等级

AU58

价格

16,820

详细说明

Undated (1853) Round 25 Cents. BG-201. Rarity-7. Liberty Head. AU-58 (PCGS). Satiny surfaces exhibit subtle pale rose highlights to dominant golden-honey patina. With a sharp strike and smooth-looking surfaces, this piece will present nicely in a collection of predominantly Mint State coins. The die work of this rare Gold Rush issue is attributed to San Francisco jewelers Joseph Bros., active in that city circa 1852 to 1853. As early as April 29, 1853, the Sacramento Daily Unionnoted that small quarter dollar gold pieces had already appeared in circulation; the article probably referred to the varieties now known as BG-201 or 202, according to the Breen-Gillio work on this series. The latest edition of that reference (2003), authored chiefly by Bob Leonard, lists a roster of a half dozen known examples of this rare Period I issue, including a slightly bent piece formerly in the Texas Collection, and a holed and plugged example (ex Pine Tree's sale of October 1976, lot 750). The Del Zorro Collection specimen (Stack's, November 2008, lot 4054) may be the second coin in the Leonard census, described therein as "Another coin certified by PCGS as MS-63," with no other provenance. It is also not known with certainty if the present example in included in the Leonard census; if it is, it would most likely be the fourth coin in the list: "SDCC, ex Jay Roe stock 5/11/1987, ex PCAG 9/20/1985:415, AU-55." It could also be a newcomer to the census that escaped Leonard's attention two decades ago, certainly a possibility since Mike Locke currently owns an example that is missing from the Leonard census. Mike Locke is aware of 12 for the BG-201 variety prior to 2010 which total, although likely including duplication, explains his Rarity-7 rating which we have used in the present description. In any event, the present example is a highly significant representative of a rare BG number, one of the "stoppers" in this series. We suspect that serious specialists will come out in force in an effort to add this key coin to their California small denomination gold collection. Provenance: From the Oregon Collection. PCGS Population: 2; 5 finer (MS-64 finest). PCGS# 10386. Click here for certification details from PCGS.