LOT #3575 |
Current Bid: $65,000
1879 $4 Flowing Hair, Judd-1635, Pollock-1833, JD-1, R.3, PR66 Cameo NGC....
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Description
1879 Flowing Hair Stella, PR66 Cameo
Judd-1635, Starkly Contrasted
1879 $4 Flowing Hair, Judd-1635, Pollock-1833, JD-1, R.3, PR66
Cameo NGC. As much as 1879 Flowing Hair stellas appear at
auction, the eye appeal and glittering reflectivity of a high-end
example never fails to dazzle. The typical non-Cameo piece is
low-grade, impaired, or otherwise below what might be considered
high-end quality. Cameo pieces are much scarcer, and such coins are
rarities as fine as PR66, where the current coin resides. Merely a
few handfuls of finer Cameo pieces are known.The stellas as a whole were brought about by Philadelphia patent lawyer and inventor, Dr. William Wheeler Hubbell's efforts to create an international trade coinage based on the metric system and struck in his patented goloid alloy. Patterns were struck in various metals, using two different obverse designs bearing two different dates. Of these, gold pieces dated 1879 with the Flowing Hair design were the coins struck and distributed to Congressmen. Research by Roger Burdette suggests 425 1879 Flowing Hair stellas were struck between December 1879 and May 1880. They were sold to Congressmen in sets with goloid metric dollars. One wonders if the concept of a four dollar gold trade coin alone might have gotten more traction with Congress if it were not tied to Hubbell's greater goloid vision.
Recent offerings of Premium Gem Cameo or Deep Cameo pieces have been few in number, and we have seen only a handful of higher-grade pieces in recent years. The last PR66 Cameo we handled was a PCGS CAC coin in our August 2024 ANA Signature, which realized $264,000. Prior to that, a CACG coin in the same grade in our May 2024 Central States Signature realized $324,000.
The current NGC piece is fresh in our auctions, and it is a beautiful piece. Sharp, softly frosted devices complement ample mirroring in the fields, while faint diagonal die striations appear under a loupe. Neither side exhibits bothersome contact marks. This is among the most attractive Cameo 1879 Flowing Hair stellas we have seen in recent years. NGC Census: 20 in 66 Cameo (1 in 66+, 1 in 66★, 1 in 66+★), 10 finer (10/25).(Registry values: P1)
Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 28AZ, PCGS# 88057, Greysheet# 8782)
Weight: 7.00 grams
Metal: 86% Gold, 4% Silver, 10% Copper
Auction Info
2025 November 13 - 14 US Coins Signature® Auction #1387 (go to Auction Home page)
Proxy Bidding Ends
November
13th
Thursday
5:50 pm CT
Auction Dates
November
13th-14th
Thursday-Friday
Proxy Bidding Time Remaining
11 Days
11h 28m 49s
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 87
Lot Tracking Activity: 34
Page Views: 299
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
20% of the successful bid (minimum $29) per lot.
This lot is in: 2 -
Signature® Premier Floor Session (Live Floor, Live Phone, Mail, Fax, Internet, and Heritage Live):
(Lots 3464-3713) - 6:00 PM Central Time, Thursday, November 13, 2025.
[Proxy bidding ends ten minutes prior to the session start time. Live Proxy bidding on Heritage Live now starts within 2 hours of when the auction opens for proxy bidding and continues through the live session.]
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Additional Location Info:
Heritage Auctions
2801 W. Airport Freeway
Dallas, TX 75261
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