1847-D $2 1/2 MS65 NGC....

Description

Gem (!) Mint State 1847-D Quarter Eagle

1847-D $2 1/2 MS65 NGC. Walter Breen recorded three pair of dies for the 1847-D quarter eagle coinage, and provided two different entries for this coinage in his Complete Encyclopedia, yet Doug Winter insists that just one die variety is known. We tend to agree with Winter's observations in this regard. Minute repunching is visible left of the base of digits 4 and 7, representing a later stage in the life of the obverse die. According to Winter, this reverse die was used for the balance of Dahlonega Mint quarter eagles through the end of the series in 1859. This means that this single reverse die was used for the production of almost 80,000 quarter eagles. At least 200 examples of this issue survive from the mintage of 15,784 coins. Nearly all are in the VF to AU range. Any Mint State example is a rarity, even though this is one of the five most common Dahlonega Mint quarter eagle issues. In higher grades, the typical '47-D is weakly defined on the obverse with a stronger reverse. The border details and stars are also stronger than the central obverse details. The typical example is also lightly abraded with a number of scattered marks in the fields. Clash marks are often visible. To date, NGC has certified three Dahlonega quarter eagles as MS65, including two 1847-D coins and one 1851-D, while PCGS has still never graded a Gem quarter eagle from this Mint.
This example was formerly graded MS64 and recently resubmitted for the Gem designation, a grade we believe should have been assigned from the start. This is the Bass coin, with an earlier pedigree back the DiBello Collection sale of 1970. This Gem is generally accepted by students of the series as the second finest known quarter eagle from the Dahlonega Mint. The only finer one is another example of this same issue, the Duke's Creek specimen, earlier from the Leon Farmer Collection. The strike is absolutely full, and is sharper than could be imagined, considering the typical Dahlonega coin. The devices have frosty and brilliant yellow-gold luster with considerable reflectivity in the fields. A few tiny abrasions are visible, but these are overcome by amazing aesthetic appeal. If you are a collector and connoisseur who craves the finest available quality, then we heartily endorse this coin, one of the finest you could possibly own.
Ex: DiBello Collection (Stack's, 5/70), lot 139; Stanley Kesselman; Harry Bass Collection (Bowers and Merena, 10/99), lot 405; Hancock and Harwell; Mark Hurst Collection; Green Pond Collection (Heritage, 1/01), lot 8082.(#7746) (Registry values: P2)

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 25H7, PCGS# 7746, GSID# 8356)

Metal: 90% Gold, 10% Copper
Weight: 4.18 grams
AGW: 0.12095oz
Mintage: 15,784

Note for clients in the European Union: This lot is considered by the European Union to be “investment gold”. We believe that it meets the criteria established in Article 344(1), point (2) of Council Directive 2006/112/EC and thus should be exempt from import VAT regardless of the selling price. Any questions or concerns about VAT should be addressed to your accountant or local tax authority.

View Certification Details from NGC