1845-D $2.50 NGC MS61

When I wrote the first edition of my book on Dahlonega gold coins back in the late 1980's, the 1845-D quarter eagle was virtually unknown in Uncirculated. Since that time, a few previously unrecorded Uncirculated pieces have turned up but this date remains very rare in Mint State with no more than five or six known. This fresh-to-the-market example has unusually good overall detail for the issue with just a touch of weakness seen at the curl above Liberty's ear. The surfaces are very lustrous and show nice russet and lime-gold hues with the reverse being deeper than the obverse. The only two significantly finer 1845-D quarter eagles that I am aware of are the Duke's Creek/Bass coin (graded MS63 by both PCGS and NGC) and Green Pond: 1021 (graded MS62 by PCGS). I think this date is very undervalued in high grades and this is only the second Uncirculated 1845-D that I have handled in close to a decade.