1843-O Large Date $2.50 NGC AU58

From the standpoint of overall scarcity, the 1843-O Large Date is the second rarest quarter eagle from the New Orleans mint, trailing only the low mintage 1845-O. This variety was long overlooked due to the extreme availability of the common Small Date 1843-O but it has become popular and collectors are now aware of how hard it is to locate high grade examples. This piece show the characteristic broad rims of this variety as well as the significantly doubled mintmark base. The surfaces are covered with deep, natural green-gold color with rich accents of orange-gold. There is a good deal of luster remaining and the strike is better than on many examples with just a hint of weakness on the eagle's right (facing) leg. Uncleaned examples of this variety are not often seen and this would fit nicely into a specialized collection of New Orleans quarter eagles.

1843-O Large Date $2.50 NGC AU58

Large Date variety. The rarer of the two varieties of quarter eagle produced at the New Orleans mint during this year, the 1843-O Large Date is the second scarcest issue in the series after the 1845-O and the third scarcest in Uncirculated after the 1845-O and the 1842-O. This fresh, wholesome example has great color with a rich natural yellow-gold hue visible on both the obverse and reverse. It is likely that this piece never actually entered circulation but it does have some abrasions scattered in the fields and on the neck and lower cheek of Liberty. The NGC population figures for this date in AU58 is much inflated by regrades and it is likely that no more than seven to eight exist which are as nice as this lustrous "slider."

1843-O Large Date $2.50 PCGS MS61 CAC

The 1843-O Large Date is one of the scarcer New Orleans quarter eagles in Uncirculated. There are probably fewer than ten known in properly graded Uncirculated and I have never seen an example that I felt graded higher than MS62 to MS63. The present piece is solidly within the Condition Census and it is unusual in that it displays reflective surfaces instead of the usual thick, frosty luster. There is some mint-made roughness in the planchet as made and the color is a rich, even orange-gold hue with a small spot on the reverse above the left side of the E in STATES. There have been just two auction sales for a PCGS MS61 in the last few years. The first was Heritage 10/11: 4654 at $9,200 while the second was Stack's Bowers 2011 ANA: 7610 which was bid up to $8,625. CAC has approved three in this grade with another two finer.

1843-O Large Date $2.50 PCGS AU58 CAC

Large Date variety. This is probably the single nicest circulated example of this scarce issue that I have seen. It displays superb deep green-gold color on both sides with the reverse a bit less intense in hue than the obverse. There is just a tiny amount of rub seen on the high spots but it is likely that this coin never saw any actual circulation. The 1843-O Large Date is probably the second rarest quarter eagle from this mint in higher grades and it is very rare in Uncirculated with around ten to twelve known. I like this coin a lot more than the nice PCGS AU58 that sold for $5,175 as Heritage 3/11: 4629. If you are a fan of really attractive New Orleans gold coins and you don't want to spend the $8,000-10,000+ that it will cost to find a PCGS MS61 1843-O Large Date quarter eagle, this is the right piece for your collection!