1843 $10 PR64+ Deep Cameo PCGS. JD-1, High R.7....

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1843 Liberty Eagle, PR64+ Deep Cameo
The Finest of Six Examples Minted and Extant
From a Set Presented to President Tyler

1843 $10 PR64+ Deep Cameo PCGS. JD-1, High R.7. Ex: Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection. Christian Gobrecht's Liberty Head design was introduced for ten dollar gold production in 1838 -- the first year eagles were struck after a 34-year hiatus. Although his portrait of Liberty was modified slightly in 1839, the design would go on to dominate the eagles of the 19th and early 20th centuries, coming to an end in 1907. Output ebbed and flowed throughout that 69-year period, reaching a high of 3.8 million coins in 1881 and a low of just 100 pieces in 1875. Proofs were offered publicly from 1859 through the end of the series. Mintages during that period generally ranged from 30 to 70 specimens per year with a few exceptions (higher and lower). Prior to 1859, proofs were available on demand at no extra charge, although there were only a handful of collectors at the time interested in setting aside high-denomination gold coinage for numismatic purposes.

The 1843 Liberty Eagles
A total of 75,462 ten dollar gold pieces were struck for circulation at the Philadelphia Mint in 1843. Proofs were limited to just six pieces and, remarkably, all six are traced, though one was stolen in a brazen 2007 robbery and has not been seen since (seen coin #3 on the roster below). Writing in United States Proof Coins, Volume IV: Gold, Part II (2018), John Dannreuther writes:

"The year 1843 saw several complete Proof sets including the gold pass beyond the doors of the Mint. The years 1840 through 1842 have no complete Proofs sets reported except those in the NNC, so the year 1843 starts a trend. Two Proof sets were ordered by President John Tyler and special Moroccan leather cases were made to order."

One of those was the stolen set mentioned above, while the other set (ex: Pittman), which had been reassembled, was dispersed. Two of the 1843 proof eagles are permanently held in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution (one having been donated by Josiah K. Lilly in 1968), leaving four in private hands, three of which are accounted for. Numbers like that make the 1843 proof ten a fabulous rarity in the grand scheme of United States numismatics. However, within the context of similar issues of this denomination from the 1840s, this one is relatively "common," as Dannreuther puts it. Take that for what it is.

The Bass Core Collection Example
This incredible proof rarity enjoys an unbroken pedigree chain that dates back to 1843 and formed part of one of the two complete sets ordered by President John Tyler. Its first auction appearance in 1880 is believed to be the first for any 1843 proof eagle. It was sold as part of a complete set, case included, where cataloger Ed Frossard noted:

"1843. Ten five, two and a half dollars, gold; dollar, half, quarter, dime and half dime, silver; cent and half cent, copper. Fine proof set in velvet-lined morocco case. A present of John Tyler, President of the United States, to his ward, Mrs. Octavia McMurray. Extremely desirable set."

It next appeared as part of the Richard B. Winsor Collection offered by S.H. and Henry Chapman in 1895. They described it as follows:

"1843 Complete set of all the coins of this year. Gold $10, $5, $2 ½. Silver, dollar, ½, ¼, 1/10, 1/20 cent 1842 obverse and reverse. ½ cent original. The silver yellowed, the copper steel and red color. In the original case. Said to have been presented by President Tyler. Cost Mr. Winsor $100 at a sale about 15 years ago. Unique."

The set sold for $145 to Peter Mougey, whose collection was subsequently purchased in its entirety by William H. Woodin. Woodin broke the set up, keeping the three gold pieces for himself. This 1843 proof eagle was sold individually as part of Thomas Elder's March 1911 sale of the Woodin Collection. It was described as a "Brilliant proof. Almost unique. A great rarity." The coin eventually passed through the hands of Lyman Low, Virgil Brand, and others before it showed up once more as part of Superior's sale of the Miguel Munoz Collection, Part I. The auction catalog stated:

"Brilliant Proof 60 to 65. A choice proof specimen with frosted devices set against a brilliant background, giving this coin a gorgeous cameo effect. A few scattered hairlines and lint marks, many of which were present on the planchet during striking. One of only 4 or 5 known specimens. This was the Virgil Brand specimen, sold by Kreisberg and Schulman in their March 1965 sale."

Harry W. Bass, Jr. purchased the coin for $39,000. It has since remained off the market for nearly 45 years, and from 2001 until 2022 was on public display at the ANA Money Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In preparation for our sales of the Bass Core Collection, it was sent to PCGS for third-party certification for the first time, where it was awarded a grade of PR64+ Deep Cameo, making it the finest certified for the issue.

Physical Description
Having previously been cataloged by Ed Frossard, the Chapman Brothers, Thomas Elder, Abner Kreisberg and Hans Schulman, and the Goldbergs, Dave Bowers got his crack in 2001, writing as part of the Bass Museum Sylloge: "Frosty design elements and mirrored fields show traces of olive iridescence." While perhaps a bit terse, that certainly captures the essence of this high-end near-Gem proof. Deep Cameo contrast is absolutely eye-catching and the overall production quality is flawless. There are just a handful of wispy hairlines on each side that do nothing to detract. Heavy parallel lines in the reverse field are Mint-made and should not be confused with post-production imperfections. We are delighted to present this extraordinary, well-pedigreed No Motto proof eagle for sale once again, where it is sure to find yet another home in a fine set of early proof gold or other trophy coinage.

Roster of 1843 Proof Eagles
Pedigrees for the 1843 gold proofs are notoriously difficult to compile and earlier researchers, like David Akers and John Dannreuther, did not have access to many resources on the Newman Portal today, like the Armin Brand notebooks. Thanks to John Dannreuther, Ron Guth, and Saul Teichman for their help preparing this roster. Grades are per the last auction appearance, unless a subsequent certification event is known. It is virtually certain that some coins have been submitted, or resubmitted, to the grading services since their last public offering. Grades of the Smithsonian specimens are per John Dannreuther.
1. PR64+ Deep Cameo PCGS. A coin in the complete copper, silver, and gold proof set in the original red Morocco case reportedly presented by President Tyler in 1843 to his ward, Mrs. Octavia McMurray (per Frossard); Reverend T. Wilkinson Collection (Édouard Frossard, 2/1880), lot 651; purchased at the sale by George Cogan, probably acting as agent for Richard B. Winsor, for $100; Winsor Collection (S.H. & H. Chapman, 12/1895), lot 1067; purchased by Peter Mougey, bidding as "Gold"; William Woodin purchased Mougey's collection intact, after his death in 1908, and sold the majority of the collection through Thomas Elder in 1910, but he kept the three gold coins from the 1843 proof set; Woodin Collection (Thomas Elder, 3/1911), lot 1207; Lyman Low, acting as agent for Virgil Brand, journal number 57065; Horace Brand; Emillio Fontani Collection (Kreisberg & Schulman, 3/1965), lot 157; Miguel Munoz Collection, Part I (Superior, 6/1978), lot 1961; Harry Bass; Harry W. Bass, Jr. Core Collection at the ANA Money Museum. The present coin.
2. PR64 Deep Cameo PCGS. CAC. Possibly John Zug; sold to F.C.C. Boyd in 1939, per David Akers; World's Greatest Collection (Numismatic Gallery, 1/1946), lot 648 (a proof 1843 quarter eagle and half eagle were also offered in separate lots in this auction, and in the two following sales); J.F. Bell (Jacob Shapiro); possibly 39th Mail Bid Sale (Hollinbeck-Kagin, 11/1946), lot 2271 (not sold); Memorable Collection (Numismatic Gallery, 3/1948), lot 546; John Jay Pittman; Pittman Collection, Part I (David Akers, 10/1997), lot 832, as part of a complete copper, silver, and gold proof set; Sil DiGenova and Mike Storeim; Ken Goldman (KGI) and Mark Yaffe (NGE); Blanchard & Co.; the three gold coins were reportedly sold privately by Blanchard & Company in May of 2009 for $937,765; Joan Zieg Steinbrenner Collection / ANA Signature (Heritage, 8/2019), lot 3904, realized $480,000.
Note on the reassembled 1843 proof set: William Woodin owned a complete 1843 ten-piece copper, silver, and gold proof set in the original case after he bought Peter Mougey's collection in 1908. He split the set, selling the silver and copper coins, with the case, along with most of the rest of Mougey's collection, through Thomas Elder in 1910. He later sold the quarter eagle and eagle in the 1911 sale of his own gold collection, also through Elder, but retained the proof half eagle until later, and exhibited it at the 1914 ANS Exhibition. Woodin sold most of his half eagles (probably including the proof 1843) to Waldo Newcomer circa 1924. That coin probably went to "Colonel" Green, and was not included in the reassembled set. The quarter eagle went to Virgil Brand in 1911 and remained in the Brand Estate until it was sold by Armin Brand in 1943. We have not been able to trace it since. Likewise, the eagle from the original set went to Brand in 1911 and later went to Harry Bass. Someone, probably John Zug, reassembled the three-piece gold proof set before 1946, as F.C.C. Boyd had all three coins in his collection by that date, but none of the coins were from the original set. John Jay Pittman purchased the three gold proofs at the sale of the Memorable Collection, and united them with the silver and copper proofs of that date, which he purchased a few months later from Judge Joseph F. Sawicki, to reconstitute the complete 1843 proof set in the original case.
3. PR63 PCGS. A coin in the complete copper, silver, and gold proof set in the original yellow Morocco case reportedly presented by President Tyler in 1843 to an unnamed constituent; Fernand David Collection (Jacques Schulman, 3/1930), lot 112; purchased by an agent of B. Max Mehl at the Schulman sale in Amsterdam; Frank Stoddard; "Colonel" E.H.R. Green in 1932, via Mehl; Green Estate; B.G. Johnson; the set was offered to Ruth Green on 6/23/1943 for $1,000, returned; offered again to B. Max Mehl on 8/30/1944 for $1,000, returned; F.C.C. Boyd; purchased by B. Max Mehl; Will W. Neil; Neil Collection (Mehl, 6/1947), lot 2292; Amon Carter, Sr.; Amon Carter, Jr.; Carter Family Collection (Stack's, 1/1984), lot 630; Daniel Drykerman (per Walter Breen); Chris Napolitano; private collector; the set was stolen at the 2007 FUN convention and has not reappeared.
Note: Walter Breen incorrectly identified this set as the one in a "New York State private collection," meaning John Jay Pittman, but Pittman never owned this set.
4. PR64 Cameo. Mint Cabinet; National Numismatic Collection, Smithsonian Institution.
5. PR62 Cameo. Possibly "Colonel" Green or Ronnie Carr; Stack's; Josiah K. Lilly; donated to the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution in 1968.
6. Proof. Vinchon, Paris, 1977; A-Mark; Richard Lobel; Fred Malone, per John Dannreuther.

Additional Appearance
Brilliant Proof. Hebeard Collection (H.P. Smith, 4/1883), lot 378.
From The Harry W. Bass, Jr. Core Collection, Part II.(Registry values: P1)

Coin Index Numbers: (PCGS# 98779, Greysheet# 9557)

Weight: 16.72 grams

Metal: 90% Gold, 10% Copper

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 PCGS