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Lot
1930

1879 $4 Coiled Hair Four Dollar, Judd-1640, Pollock-1840, High R.7, PR66 Cameo NGC....

2009 January Orlando, FL FUN Auction #1121

 
Sold for: $97,750.00 (includes BP )
Bid Source: Live: Floor
Auction Ended On: Jan 7, 2009
Item Activity: 9 Internet/mail/phone bidders
1,239 page views

Description:

1879 Coiled Hair Stella Struck in Aluminum
Judd-1640, PR66 Cameo, Perhaps Five Known

1879 $4 Coiled Hair Four Dollar, Judd-1640, Pollock-1840, High R.7, PR66 Cameo NGC.
Design.
The reverse and the obverse periphery are the same as the Judd-1635 through 1637 stellas, but the center obverse features the George T. Morgan Coiled Hair design. Liberty's hair is braided, and a hair band in front reads LIBERTY. Struck in aluminum with a reeded edge.

Commentary.
Until the late 1880s and early 1890s when a new chemical isolation process was discovered, aluminum was considered among the most precious of metals, far rarer and much more coveted than gold. It is difficult today to find adequate words to express how elusive pure aluminum was at the time this coin was struck. We have mentioned elsewhere in this catalog the story of how when the Emperor Napoleon served an imperial dinner of elaborate scale, he reserved the aluminum tableware for the most revered guests, reserving the gold service for those of lower estate. Until the early 1880s, aluminum was sold in troy-ounce quantities, and domestic yearly production was in the range of 1,000 to 3,000 troy ounces, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Physical Description.
The purity of the aluminum provides a radiant backdrop for splendid, intense field-device contrast recognized by NGC. The fields are quicksilver and brightly mirrored, while arctic mint frost cleanly covers both the central devices and the peripheral legends. Light striations are seen through the central star on the reverse, but none appear on the obverse. Some minor planchet roughness is to be expected, due to the Mint's unfamiliarity with what amounted to, at the time, an experimental (and quite valuable) metal. NGC has certified a single piece each in PR66 Cameo (the present example) and PR67 Cameo (9/08).

Census.
There appear to be five separate specimens that we can enumerate:
1. Public Auction Sale (Lester Merkin, 9/1967), lot 407; Rio Rancho (Superior, 10/1974), lot 136; 1979 ANA Sale (New England Rare Coin Auctions, 7/1979), lot 1358; Pittsburgh Elite Coin Auction (Superior, 8/2004), lot 893, realized $89,125. Not gilt.
2. Rare Coin list #10 (Paramount, 6/1975); Dallas Bank Collection (Sotheby's/Stack's, 10/2001), lot 369. Not gilt.
3. Edward Maris Collection (H.P. Smith, 6/1886), lot 221; Garrett Collection (Stack's, 3/1976), lot 668; Harry Bass; Harry Bass Research Foundation. Not gilt.
4. Auction '80 (Rarcoa, 8/1980), lot 1946; Auction '83 (Rarcoa, 7/1983), lot 1410. Gilt.
5. CSNS (Rarcoa, 5/1971), lot 397; Winter ANA (Steve Ivy, 2/1983), lot 1791; 1988 ANA (Heritage, 7/1988), lot 2759. The present coin. Not gilt.
Other Appearances. These appearances likely represent duplications of the above coins, although tracing complete pedigrees from the early years is today impossible:
A. 1914 ANS Exhibit (Woodin), later sold to Newcomer; an example in the Virgil Brand Collection, bought as part of a complete set of stellas from Edgar H. Adams in 1911.
B. Another example in the Brand holdings, this one from a complete set purchased from F.C.C. Boyd in 1921.
C. King Farouk; Palace Collections of Egypt (Sotheby's, 2/1954), lot 1995, purchased at the sale by James P. Randall.
D. King Farouk; Palace Collections of Egypt (Sotheby's, 2/1954), lot 2024, also purchased by Randall.
From The Lemus Collection, Queller Family Collection Part Two. (#62018)

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Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments

Guides and Pricing Information:


Previous Prices from Heritage Auctions

Lot Date Grade Service Realized
Auction 1128, Lot 1385 Sunday, August 2, 2009 66 NGC $86,250.00
View prices realized from this item in other grades (you must be signed in)
PLEASE NOTE: All prices realized reflect the final hammer price PLUS the buyer's premium in auctions that charge a buyer's premium. Each item has a notation at the top of the listing indicating whether that lot included a buyer's premium. All information listed is intended to be as accurate as possible, but errors are possible. Please use this guide carefully and inform us of any inaccuracies.

Price Guide*

Grade Coin World
(Coin Values)
Numismedia
Retail
Numismedia
Wholesale
Numismedia
NGC (nmn)
Numismedia
PCGS (nmp)
PCGS
Price Guide
PCGS+
65 --- --- --- --- --- $90,000 $94,000
66 --- --- --- --- --- $110,000 $128,000
67 --- --- --- --- --- $200,000 ---
*All information listed is intended to be as accurate as possible, but errors are possible. No item may be returned or refused based on this information which is provided as a service to our customers. You should contact each pricing source directly to determine the accuracy of this information.

Population Guide

Service Grade Population in this Grade Population of Higher Grade Population in All Grades + Mintage Engraver
PCGS Not available from PCGS 0  
NGC 66 0 0 0 -
CAC - - - 0 -
*This information is provided and owned by PCGS. Its display and use are subject to the licensed agreement between PCGS and Heritage Auctions.

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Patterns, 1879 $4 Coiled Hair Four Dollar, Judd-1640, Pollock-1840, High R.7, PR66 Cameo NGC....


Patterns, 1879 $4 Coiled Hair Four Dollar, Judd-1640, Pollock-1840, High R.7, PR66 Cameo NGC....


Patterns, 1879 $4 Coiled Hair Four Dollar, Judd-1640, Pollock-1840, High R.7, PR66 Cameo NGC....


Patterns, 1879 $4 Coiled Hair Four Dollar, Judd-1640, Pollock-1840, High R.7, PR66 Cameo NGC....

We changed the way we image slabbed coins on February 1, 2010, in order to get a more accurate image of the coin. To get the sharper details and more accurate colors we have focused the lighting on the actual coin, which has caused the top of the holders to appear darker and milky. Please disregard the color of the holders when examining the images.

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