1849 $20 Mormon MS(PCGS#10274)

December 2020 U.S. Coins Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

1449

等级

XF45

价格

1,730,303

详细说明

Historic 1849 Mormon $20 Gold Rarity Finest Seen by CAC Ex John Story Jenks; A.C. Nygren 1849 Mormon $20. K-4. Rarity-6. EF-45 (PCGS). CAC. Offering premium quality for both the issue and the assigned grade, this is one of the finest examples of this rare and historic issue available to territorial gold enthusiasts. Light honey-gold patina blankets surfaces that are remarkably smooth for a such a large Mormon coin that saw light use in commerce. A pair of tiny marks in the lower obverse field above the letter N in HOLINESS and a shallow planchet flaw (as made) in the reverse field below the initial P in the abbreviation G.S.L.C.P.G. are the most useful identifiers. All major design elements are bold, and we note considerable sharpness to the all-seeing eye. Faint, yet appreciable remnants of satiny luster are discernible and enhance the appeal of this outstanding Mormon $20. Coined beginning in September 1849 from unrefined California gold dust brought overland, the Mormon $20 coins were the first of that denomination ever struck in the United States, preceding even the unique federal 1849 double eagle by three months and beating the regular issue 1850 double eagles by an even longer margin. Perhaps if they were more common they would be avidly collected as the beginning of a double eagle set, but common they are not -- only 25 or so examples survive today, mostly "in low grades, scraped, or otherwise impaired," as Walter Breen noted in his 1988 Encyclopedia. Most of the 1,000 or so minted were undoubtedly destroyed early on, since their low value (assayed at $16.90 to $17.53 by Eckfeldt and Dubois at the Philadelphia Mint) condemned them to being useless in trade. Further, it is believed that many of the survivors are now permanently off the market, with appearances few and far between. Indeed, the Larry H. Miller specimen is the first example that we have handled in nearly 15 years. With an impressive provenance that goes back to the famous John Story Jenks and A.C. Nygren sales of the early 20th century, this is an extraordinary example of one of the rarest and most significant Mormon gold issues. Provenance: From the Larry H. Miller Collection. Earlier ex Henry Chapman's sale of the John Story Jenks Collection, December 1921, lot 6414; Henry Chapman's sale of the A.C. Nygren Collection, April 1924, lot 402. PCGS Population: 3; finer, just two of which are Mint State (MS-62 finest). CAC Population: 1; 0. PCGS# 10274. NGC ID: 2BCJ. Click here for certification details from PCGS.