1879 $4 Coiled Hair Four Dollar, Judd-1640, Pollock-1840, High R.7, PR64+ PCGS. CAC....

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1879 Coiled Hair Stella in Aluminum
Judd-1640, Six Coins Traced, PR64+
Ex: Maris-Garrett

1879 $4 Coiled Hair Four Dollar, Judd-1640, Pollock-1840, High R.7, PR64+ PCGS. CAC. Ex: Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection. 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.

The four dollars stellas of 1879 and 1880 are among the most sought-after of all United States patterns. This Coiled Hair type is by far the rarer of the two, with most available stellas being the 1879 Flowing Hair examples in gold (Judd-1635). These aluminum representatives would have been included and sold as part of three-coin sets along with the goloid (Judd-1624) and metric silver (Judd-1633) dollars in this same metal.

This marvelous near-Gem from the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Core Collection is brilliant with partly contrasted silver surfaces. Moderately reflective fields show a few light striations, while Liberty's cheek and neck are completely contact-free. The reverse shows a bit of duskiness. Endorsed by CAC and Plus-designated by PCGS for quality within the grade.

Roster of 1880 Coiled Hair Stellas in Aluminum, Judd-1640
1. PR67 Cameo NGC. 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; The Samuel Berngard and S.S. New York Collections(Stack's, 7/2008), lot 4228.
2. PR66 Cameo NGC. CSNS (Rarcoa, 5/1971), lot 397; Winter ANA (Steve Ivy, 2/1983), lot 1791; 1988 ANA (Heritage, 7/1988), lot 2759; The Lemus Collection (Heritage, 1/2009), lot 1930; Los Angeles Signature (Heritage, 8/2009), lot 1385.
3. PR64+ PCGS. CAC. Dr. Edward Maris Collection (Harlan P. Smith, 6/1886), lot 221; John Work Garrett Collection (Stack's, 3/1976), lot 668; Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection; Harry Bass Research Foundation. The present coin.
4. PR63+ Cameo PCGS. Rare Coin List #10 (Paramount, 6/1975); Dallas Bank Collection (Sotheby's/Stack's, 10/2001), lot 369;
5. Grade Unknown. Smithsonian, donated in 1993, gilt weighs 19.84 grains. The image on the Smithsonian website does not appear to match #6 below.
6. Grade Unknown. Auction '80 (RARCOA, 8/1980), lot 1946; Auction '83 (Rarcoa, 7/1983), lot 1410; possibly Mid-American Rare Coin Auctions (5/1990). Gilt, may be copper.

Additional Appearances
The following 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; probably the coin in the Olsen Sale (Mehl, 11/1944), lot 616.
B. An example in the Virgil Brand Collection, bought as part of a complete set of stellas from Edgar H. Adams in 1911.
C. Another example in the Brand holdings, this one from a complete set purchased from F.C.C. Boyd in 1921.
D. King Farouk; Palace Collections of Egypt (Sotheby's, 2/1954), lot 1995; purchased at the sale by James P. Randall.
E. King Farouk; Palace Collections of Egypt (Sotheby's, 2/1954), lot 2024, also purchased by Randall.
From The Harry W. Bass, Jr. Core Collection, Part II.

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 2AHW, PCGS# 62018, Greysheet# 14922)

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