Featured Specials

The United States Mint prepared up to 625 Proof sets of minor and silver coins in 1867, a year that is noteworthy for the low mintage status of many of the corresponding circulation strike issues. While Walter Breen (1989) had seen at least one original cased 1867 Proof set he cautions, "Doubtless some sets now extant have been assembled." That offered here has strong claim to being fully original, based on the uniform technical quality and, especially, the similar toning seen on most of the silver pieces. As well, it does not contain an 1867 With Rays Shield Nickel - a coin that Chief Coiner Archibald Loudon Snowden refused to make for inclusion in the year's Proof sets. In any event, this is certainly one of the few 1867 Proof sets available to today's advanced collectors.

1795 $1 Flowing Hair, Two Leaves, Silver Plug, B-1, BB-21, R.2, AU55 NGC. The B-1, BB-21 variety is one of several 1795 Flowing Hair die pairs known on rare occasions to have a silver plug inserted to adjust the planchet weight. This Two Leaves die pair is most easily distinguished by the 7 in the date punched over a 1. The partial outline of a large, circular plug is mostly hidden in Liberty's hair strands, but it is clearly outlined when the obverse is viewed under magnification. Enlarged images reveal the curve of the Mint-inserted plug, although the coin's bold strike conceals the plug on the reverse. At times, the silver plug is present but it is not all that apparent. Sometimes a plug is a different color than the host planchet, suggesting that they were struck from a different batch of silver -- with slightly different composition -- allowing the plug to tone differently than the host coin.

The New Orleans Mint gold deposit books (preserved at the Fort Worth, Texas branch of the National Archives) record 24 deposits of gold dated January 2 through January 28. Major depositors were Citizen's Bank (seven deposits, 6,661 ounces), Bank of Louisiana (three deposits, 3,588 ounces), and Cramer & Co. (three deposits, 3,402 ounces). During that period, 11 other depositor from eight individuals accounted for 261 ounces of gold. Among items from those depositors were 29,000 sovereigns, South American and Mexican "doubloons," jewelry, and mixed bullion. Deposits totaled 13,912 ounces of gold. The total mintage of 1861-O double eagles is recorded as 17,741 pieces, struck under three authorities, the Union, the State of Louisiana, and the Confederacy. That production indicates that additional unrecorded gold deposits occurred after January 28. In Gold Coins of the New Orleans Mint: 1839-1909, research suggests that 5,000 were struck by the United States government through January 26, 9,750 were struck by the State of Louisiana from January 26 to March 31, and 2,991 were struck by the Confederate government in April 1861. The 1861-O double eagle is known with a full date, or with a weak date having the lower parts of each digit nearly or entirely absent. The dies and die states of the 1861-O twenties require continued study. This AU53 example has an above average strike with hints of honey-gold color on its somewhat reflective surfaces, showing strong luster. The surfaces have a few trivial marks, although this piece lacks the deep marks that historically are typical.

The 1861 Twenty is by far the most heavily produced Type One issue and for many years (before the S.S. Central America coins were retrieved and offered to the public) it was also the most available early date Double Eagle in Uncirculated grades. Unlike the hoard coins, most Mint State examples of this issue show abundant abrasions and rarely surpass the MS62 grade level. This extraordinary representative is notable not only for its pinpoint sharpness and vibrant luster, but also for its lack of surface marks. An important offering for the quality conscious Civil War gold collector.