1851 $5.00 PCGS MS61

This is one of the mostly wildly toned Liberty Head gold coins that I've seen in a long time. My guess is that this piece was in a leather pouch for many years and the obverse and reverse have vivid coppery and purple-gold hues that are well-contrasted by the underlying green-gold hues. I am not charging much of a premium for this color (I recently sold a CAC/PCGS 1851 half eagle for a hundred bucks less) but I have the feeling that if this were a common date Morgan dollar with this degree of color it would bring an enormous premium.

1851 $5.00 PCGS MS61 CAC

While very common in circulated grades, the 1851 half eagle is quite scarce in Uncirculated and really rare in MS62 and above. Unlike nearly any other MS61 example of this date that I have seen, this example is very fresh and flashy with great frosty luster and nice natural medium green-gold color. A few light scuffs in the left obverse field narrowly remove this from a grade of at least MS62. This is one of just two MS61 examples of this date that have been approved by CAC with two finer. An affordable yet impressive No Motto type coin and a great value at less than three thousand dollars.
br> Ex Heritage 1/09: 5413 where it sold for $2,760.

1861 $10.00 NGC MS61

While common in all circulated grades, the 1861 is scarce in Uncirculated and very rare in MS62 and above. It is the only Civil War eagle that is even remotely a possibility for the collector to obtain in Uncirculated and I believe that the population figures for MS60 to MS62 coins are way inflated, giving a false sense of availability for an issue that is actually quite rare and seldom offered for sale at auction or private treaty. This example is choice and fresh with excellent frosty luster below natural light orange-gold color. There are enough small, scattered marks on the obverse and reverse to limit the grade but this is a truly attractive example with good eye appeal.

1851 $5.00 PCGS MS61 CAC

While very common in circulated grades, the 1851 half eagle is quite scarce in Uncirculated and really rare in MS62 and above. Unlike any other MS61 example of this date that I have seen, this example is very fresh and flashy with great frosty luster and nice natural medium green-gold color. A few light scuffs in the left obverse field narrowly remove this from a grade of at least MS62. This is one of just two MS61 examples of this date that have been approved by CAC with two finer. An affordable yet impressive No Motto type coin and a great value at less than three thousand dollars.
br> Ex Heritage 1/09: 5413 where it sold for $2,760.

1851 $20.00 NGC AU55 CAC

This deeply toned Type One double eagle has nice rich green-gold color with contrasting darker highlights from storage overseas. The surfaces are lightly marked and gently worn with good detail seen on both sides. While certainbly a common date in nearly any circulated grade, you don't often seen 1851 double eagles with this degree of eye appeal and/or originality.

1851 $20.00 PCGS MS61

The 1851 is the second year of issue for the Type One design (not including, of course, the 1849) and while common in all circulated grades it is rare in Uncirculated, especially in MS62 or above. When this date comes nice it tends to have much better eye appeal than the 1852-1854 dates and this example clearly shows wonderful overall eye appeal. The naked-eye appearance of this coin resembles an MS63 with superb natural green-gold color and a razor-sharp strike. There are a few very fine lines in the fields that limit the grade but these are hard to see unless the coin is tilted towards a light source. I personally like this coin more than the small handful of MS62's that I've seen sell at auction in the last few years (generally in the $13,000-16,000 range) and it would fit well into even the finest set of Liberty Head double eagles.